At a time when the Republican field was limited to Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, and Gary Johnson (Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman still had not announced), it looked as if the Republican nomination would be wide open for a man like Rick Perry.<\/p>\n
Perry had everything going for him.\u00a0 He was the highly successful governor of the State of Texas where he presided over an economy that was the source of nearly as many new jobs as all of the other forty-nine states combined.\u00a0 He came across as a tough, no nonsense, straight-from-the-shoulder kind of guy who commanded the respect of friends and foes alike. \u00a0He was a social and fiscal conservative with strong Christian values and a belief in hard work, perseverance, and personal responsibility.<\/p>\n
Unlike Mitt Romney, and unlike his fellow Texans, the Bushes, he was not an elitist.\u00a0 He was a man of humble beginnings who grew up on a West Texas cotton farm.\u00a0 He could relate to the \u201ccommon man.\u201d<\/p>\n
He demonstrated a firm belief in limited government and a strong record of spending restraint in state government.\u00a0 Most important of all, as the governor of one of our two top energy-producing states, he had a firm grasp of energy issues; energy independence would be at the top of his policy agenda.<\/p>\n
He was a strong, decisive leader and an experienced chief executive; he was the perfect man for the job.\u00a0 As the BBC has suggested, \u201cIf there was a factory producing Republican presidential candidates to order, it would probably have conveyor belts full of Rick Perry prototypes.\u00a0 The Texas governor ticks many of the boxes on the party’s wish list.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, after many months of testing the waters, Perry had an excellent launch in a speech in South Carolina.\u00a0 Stressing the need for change, he insisted that the required change would not come from Washington.\u00a0 Instead, he said, \u201cIt will come from the windswept prairies of middle America; the farms and factories across this great land; the hearts and minds of God-fearing Americans… \u00a0We do not have to accept our current circumstances. \u00a0We will change them. \u00a0We’re Americans. \u00a0That\u2019s what we do. \u00a0We roll up our sleeves, we get to work, we make things better.\u201d<\/p>\n
It may have been the high point of Perry\u2019s campaign because, from that day forward, it has been all downhill for him.\u00a0 Neither he nor his handlers appear to understand exactly who and what he is.\u00a0 Watching the Perry campaign unfold from a distance, one couldn\u2019t help but wonder if he was making his own strategic campaign decisions, or if he had somehow managed to hire the most incompetent team of handlers and advisors he could find.<\/p>\n
In his second debate we learned that he supported the Texas law which gives in-state tuition breaks to the children of illegal aliens, a taxpayer-supported gift worth approximately $80,000 that is not available to citizens in any state other than Texas border states.\u00a0 When confronted by moderators and the other candidates he was clearly unprepared to address the issue.\u00a0 Instead, he maintained that those who oppose that policy are somehow \u201clacking in heart.\u201d\u00a0 It was a blow that knocked much of the wind out of his conservative supporters.<\/p>\n
But his greatest error, perhaps a fatal one, has been his approach to Mitt Romney.\u00a0 Inexplicably, someone must have convinced him that, since Romney was leading in every national poll, the only way he could win the GOP nomination was by tearing down or eliminating him.\u00a0 But that was a complete miscalculation.\u00a0 He and his advisors seem not to understand that, as a bona fide conservative, the segment of the Republican Party available to him is in the range of 75-80% of likely Republican voters.\u00a0 While the moderate wing of the party, those most likely to support a Romney candidacy, represents only of 20-25% of the party… or less.<\/p>\n
In other words, the attack on Romney was totally unnecessary, totally counterproductive.\u00a0 Since Romney was dealing with a much smaller universe, all Perry had to do was to make himself more appealing to conservatives than Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Michelle Bachmann, or Rick Santorum.\u00a0 That was Perry\u2019s path to the White House and he totally ignored it.\u00a0 Instead of plotting a course to the GOP nomination by capitalizing only on his own strong points\u2026 dealing with Romney as a competitor of little consequence whom he was certain to defeat\u2026 he veered sharply from his course to go into all-out attack mode.<\/p>\n
His performance in the most recent debates, especially the Las Vegas debate, was absolutely shameful.\u00a0 Standing immediately to Romney\u2019s left, he attacked Romney for having hired an illegal alien to do his lawn work at his Massachusetts home.\u00a0 Seeing Romney\u2019s reaction, it was clear that he was just as shocked to hear the allegation as the rest of us were to hear it.\u00a0 Romney responded by saying, \u201cRick, I have never hired an illegal alien in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Romney readily admitted that the lawn care contractor he hired in Massachusetts was found to have one or more illegal aliens in their employ.\u00a0 When he learned of it he took steps to have the contractor dismiss all illegals who might work on his property.\u00a0 And when the contractor either refused or failed to do so, Romney cancelled his contract.<\/p>\n
But the damage was already done.\u00a0 The unnecessary and unfounded charge resulted in a shouting match between Perry and Romney that was an embarrassment, not only to the other candidates, but to conservatives and Republicans generally.<\/p>\n
After a meteoric rise to the top of the polls, Perry\u2019s stock among conservatives has fallen just as quickly and he now finds himself struggling to maintain his support in double digits.<\/p>\n
And finally, in a recent speech in New Hampshire, Perry appeared to be unusually \u201caffable\u201d in his remarks, causing many who saw the performance to suggest that he may have had a bit too much to drink.<\/p>\n
However, the New Hampshire Republican who organized the event, Jennifer Horn, later called a press conference to defend Perry\u2019s conduct.\u00a0 She told CNN that there was nothing about Perry’s conduct, on stage or off, \u201cto suggest he was under the influence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another New Hampshire Republican, Kevin Smith, who invited Perry to speak at the dinner, told a reporter for The Hill<\/em> that Perry drank \u201conly water\u201d while there. \u00a0Smith described Perry as being \u201cloose and passionate.\u201d<\/p>\n Whatever the truth of the matter, it seems clear that Rick Perry possesses a number of unattractive characteristics to that are just now coming to the fore.\u00a0 Nevertheless, whether we know enough about him to make firm judgments, or not, it is clear that not much of what he has done since entering the race for the Republican nomination has been beneficial to his cause.\u00a0 His unrepentant position on in-state tuition for illegal aliens in Texas and his less than stellar performance in the debates\u2026 especially his unnecessary and counterproductive attack on Mitt Romney\u2026 have caused him to lose much of his early support among conservatives.\u00a0 And with Newt Gingrich making major strides in the race, it is not likely that he will be able to recover.<\/p>\n So what would cause a man of such exceptional talent and experience, with the ability to hire the most capable strategists in the business, to self-destruct so quickly in his quest for the presidency of the United States?\u00a0 How could such a man not know how to conduct himself in a debate with other Republicans?<\/p>\n His performance so far brings to mind the sort of personal attacks that are typical of what one might expect from a Democratic candidate, not from a Republican.\u00a0 While Republicans may differ sharply on the issues, it is rare for them to make cheap personal attacks on their opponents\u2026 Republican or Democrat. \u00a0It is one of the principal characteristics that distinguish Republicans from liberals and Democrats.<\/p>\n Understanding that Perry was a lifelong registered Democrat until 1989, we might be excused for concluding that, while it may be possible to take the man out of the Democrat Party, it may not be possible to take the Democrat out of the man.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At a time when the Republican field was limited to Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, and Gary Johnson (Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman still had not announced), it looked as if the Republican nomination would … Continue reading