Opinion

Why Aren't We Backing Rick Perry?

Ladies and gentlemen: We’re in trouble.

Herman Cain’s campaign- which I contended earlier this week was never going to bear fruit– is all but dead. Cain’s staff were incompetent from the beginning, and his supporters supported him for the wrong reasons.

Newt Gingrich is emerging as the “not-Romney” candidate, and is currently leading the pack, despite the fact that his record closely matches Romney’s on most key issues.

Gary Johnson and Ron Paul- not well-liked by some Republicans- have been marginalized.

Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, and Rick Santorum were never serious contenders.

Which leaves us one candidate: Rick Perry. He hasn’t gained much support since his “and umm…” flub (which feels like ancient history now). It’s amazing to me that Republicans are willing to ignore his ardently free-market, pro-gun, fiscally-responsible record over that gaffe, and instead back one of two candidates- Gingrich or Romney- who have personally participated in the ruination of our country. This just gobsmacks me!

A refresher about Perry:

1) Rick Perry’s state has had the most job growth of any state during the 2000s;

2) He signed into law Texas’ ‘castle doctrine law’, solidly cementing Texas as the state with the most permissive self-defense laws in the country; and he isn’t just pro-gun, he has a CHL and carries a handgun regularly;

3) Perry’s tax plan mirrors that of Hong Kong, the most economically-free place on Earth, while Gingrich’s tax plan is a virtual carbon-copy of Perry’s, and Romney’s plan is just plain gobbledygook;

4) Nobody questions Rick Perry’s sincerity when he speaks. One may not agree with him on a given topic- and I do disagree with him on some things- but when he states his position, there’s no doubt he’s calling it as he sees it. Considering the weasely-ness of Gingrich and Romney, this should be Perry’s greatest selling point.

So, OK, 23 years ago he worked for Al Gore, back when Texas was the Democrat stronghold. By comparison, Gingrich called Paul Ryan a “right-wing social engineer” six months ago. And Romney’s position on any given subject changes as often as his socks.

And on the subject of Gardasil: I was a harsh Perry critic on this subject. But let’s face facts: The program was dead on arrival, and not a single dose was given. Let’s also point out something else: The same governor who came up with this idea, also put more guns and more autonomy to use them into the hands of Texas parents- some of whom, undoubtedly, would have resisted this mandate with force if it had ever seen the light of day.

As for immigration: Unlike the vast majority of us, Perry is the governor of a border state. It’s interesting that the two governors of border states in this election- Rick Perry and Gary Johnson- have somewhat similar immigration plans. On this subject, I agree with Perry. For those who disagree with him on this subject, refer back to Rick’s greatest selling point I mentioned above: He has a consistent position on this issue and doesn’t spin it, something we can’t say for Gingrich and Romney.

Folks, this election is just too important to put it in the hands of either Gingrich or Romney. We on the right need to be putting attention onto Rick Perry, and putting our weight behind him. He’s the best we’ve got.

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Rich Mitchell

Rich Mitchell is the editor-in-chief of Conservative Daily News and the president of Bald Eagle Media, LLC. His posts may contain opinions that are his own and are not necessarily shared by Bald Eagle Media, CDN, staff or .. much of anyone else. Find him on twitter, facebook and

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One Comment

  1. Perry is just as bad as Obama. He has abused executive power in Texas by ramming through mandatory (with a hard waiver process) for child HPV vaccinations, until he was slapped down by the people and the legislature.

    Perry supported construction of a highway corridor to Mexico, with Mexican operated Toll points inside the United States.

    Perry, despite what everyone thinks about his repeated brain freezes, just might be showing early signs of alzheimer’s.

    Perry, is already on a collision course with China, with statements concerning their destiny belongs to the ash-heap of history.

    Perry… Pro paying for illegals FREE COLLEGE TUITION… (a benefit I DON’T EVEN QUALIFY FOR!!!)

    I’m going with NEWT. At least he is a known player… and he did a brilliant job as a REPUBLICAN in controlling CLINTON-era spending. That was all NEWT baby. And where was Perry then? (Yeah… working for his old buddy Gore)

    1. I think you need to go back and do some more research and get your facts straight before posting. No one will take you seriously after reading your first sentence. And instate tuition is not free. They pay thousands of dollars for tuition.

      1. Good replies to Max. It surprises me how many people believe the state of Texas is paying tuition for illegals. It’s exasperating to read. There is nothing shocking about this idea. The demagoguery was successful because people who believe it have refused to educate themselves on the facts.

        Sad.

        I’ll cast my vote for Rick Perry if he’s still in it when my state’s primary comes around. Easily.

    2. You really need to do your research before making allegations like you do:
      Most Conservative State Representative in Texas Endorses Rick Perry for President – Explains Trans-Texas Corridor
      https://www.texasgopvote.com/2012-presidential-election/most-conservative-state-representative-texas-endorses-rick-perry-president-expla-003248

      Further, a executive order (EO) on one account over a 10 year period does NOT mean abuse of the EO. Further, the vaccine was a “opt-out” nobody could be forced to take any shot, in addition Perry himself signed and rescinded that order. You couldn’t be more wrong in your allegations.

      You need to realize that the federal gov’t failed at illegal immigration which forced states to deal with it. Nobody is allowed to deport these illegals except ICE people the federal gov’t won’t do it. The federal gov’t forces states to educate them through K12. Perry took the only approach an economic one that allows for these people to “PAY” for their eduction rather then wind up as bums. Even Sheriff Joe has endorsed Perry because Perry si the toughest when it comes to illegals.

      You have a lot to learn and research before making these remarks.

    3. Apparently you people don’t understand hoe in-state tuition works in the state of Texas. It qualifies illegals (LOW income people) for Tuition Grants, which Texas dispenses about 8 million per year, the vast majority of which goes to poor illegals.

      Get off your ignorant horse for a second and think. Texas has illegals that don’t spend a dime for college. Granted, not all of them do. But there are some, and that is equivalent to free college.

      My other points stand, they are true, and you can water them down all you want, doesn’t change the truth here.

      1. Uh, Max, so you’re saying that anybody going to college in Texas or elsewhere who is NOT a US citizen can apply for grants? Please provide the link/proof of this.

        1. Pam, It’s all over the web. Problem is, most people stop when they hear Perry only gave them in-state tuition rates. That is false. Read these carefully,

          “Students in Texas Illegally Are Eligible for State Aid”

          “According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which monitors the implementation of (Texas Grants) legislation, the state distributed 2,156 TEXAS Grants in fiscal year 2010 to students who had established residency under those provisions, meaning many were very likely not in the United States legally. The total amount of the awards was approximately $7.8 million.”

          Source: https://www.texastribune.org/immigration-in-texas/immigration/undocumented-students-texas-receive-financial-aid/

          “(Undocumented) students may qualify for state aid. They also may qualify for institutional aid from specific universities and colleges.”

          “I have concerns about the expense for taxpayers,” Berman said. “We’re not providing enough grant and loan money to our own U.S. citizens.”

          Source: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20100314-Number-of-illegal-immigrants-getting-in-9925.ece

          1. In addition, this is from the texas tribune source;

            “Two TEXAS Grant recipients who are not in the country legally shared their stories with the Tribune on Monday. One is a Texas A&M graduate who is now working in a restaurant because he can’t provide the documentation necessary for an employer to hire him legally in his field of study, biomedical science.
            The other is a recent graduate of Austin High School, the school Perry’s now-grown children attended. The student’s high school counselors described the student as a high achiever — a model student who had been accepted to numerous universities but had chosen a more affordable two-year college.”

            Also, if you respect the Heritage Foundation, as Hannity, Levin and many conservatives cite often, you should read this:
            “Providing In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens: A Violation of Federal Law”

            https://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/11/providing-in-state-tuition-for-illegal-aliens-a-violation-of-federal-law

  2. We need to remember that the Tea Party has been praying for a true conservative in 2009. Unfortunately we may have gotten caught up in praying for a Second Coming of Reagan–or we put Sarah Palin on a pedestal too high. We may have thought that our Dream Candidate would be just that: a dream. A picture of perfection that will never materialize.

    Rick Perry may not be the slickest debater. He may mix up primaries with caucuses (I confess, I called Iowa’s caucus a primary the other day and I repent in sackcloth and ashes 😉 ). He may have made some mistakes in his 11 years as Governor (i.e., Trans-Texas Corridor, Gardasil). But he’s the best we’ve got. He has the experience and the everyday-American-persona we need to go against Ivy Leaguer smartest-guy-in-the-room Marxist-in-training Obama.

  3. In regards to Newt we have a guy that flip-flops as much as Romney. Newt has been supporting the health mandate in one way or another for the last 18 years starting with the Clinton times. Newt has been supporting global warming for sometime (remember his couch affair with Pelosi). Newt was driven out of office by his own party for ethic violations, friends with Al Sharpton, crony capitalism, lobbying ties, extra material affairs, death panels, the list is so long you couldn’t possibly list it all here.

    Newt’s Health Problems
    https://spectator.org/archives/2011/11/28/newts-health-problems

    Is Newt Gingrich a Conservative? You decide
    https://www.westernjournalism.com/is-newt-gingrich-a-conservative-you-decide/

    There is only one true proven consistent conservative running that is: Rick Perry

  4. That was muddled. I meant to say that there is nothing shocking about the in-state tuition decision that the state of Texas made. Nothing at all. And given the options Texas has due to the position that the federal government has put them in, it is not only decent, it is smart.

    1. It isn’t shocking. It’s dumb. In-state tuition qualifies “poor” illegals for tuition grant money, meaning more than a few illegals in Texas aren’t paying a dime for college. Why? Most are poor and qualify for the grants.

      I can’t even qualify for that. On what planet is it okay for Conservatives to back a candidate that provides “free” college tuition loopholes for non-citizens? And you want this man to be President, to make this a federal law?

  5. Interesting points/counterpoints here. I like both Perry and Gingrich as both are solidly conservative.There is no perfect candidate , NONE. Gingrich rode the wave of prosperity during his time as Speaker and still kept spending in check.. to a point. Populism and party peer pressure can exert tremendous pressure under extreme circumstances, and that shows up in Newt’s past, IMO. Today’s political atmosphere is nothing close to what it was in 94, 2000, or even 2006. There was no Tea Party back then, very little internet activism/reporting by citizens concerned with debt in 1994 either. When talking about “effective” policy makers, we must consider the economic climate at the time of their actions when reviewing them as a candidate for president in 2013. In that respect, I see Newt as realizing his mistakes, and showing the will and knowledge to stop the debt-machine madness of our government in it’s tracks NOW.. not 30 years from now after it’s too late.

    I see Rick Perry as a serious American Patriot wanting to also stop the debt spending before we end up like Greece or worse. being the Governor of a Southern border state, especially while the feds are encouraging more illegals by refusing to allow ICE to hunt em down and kick them out today, is one tough situation. Seal that dang border, ship out those here illegally and make it super expensive for anyone hiring illegals by the way of fines.That said, Perry is not giving Texas illegals “free tuition” but is giving them reduced rates reserved for the in-state tuition for Texas residents. Are illegals “residents?” The gardisil vaccine debacle was one big butthead mistake, any way you shape it. Perry’s economic stances appear to be similar to progressive repubs in Congress today- saying that we will cut 1 trillion in 10 years, blah blah and in the meantime spending increased by 2 trillion in that timeframe- that is the establishment GOP pattern of the current budgeting gimmickry that we must smash out of existence! Perry has agreed with global warming myths at one time just like Newt did. The question is, which one of them (or both) is more likely to be an effective president who can stand up to the liberal media-mutts propaganda and call them out on it the minute they try to pull those gotcha questions as they will certainly be doing 24/7 ? That right there is why I will vote for Newt in the primaries. Then regardless of who wins the primary, they will get my vote to oust the Marxist in Chief in 2012.

  6. Ppl are so fickle and have severe case of amnesia. Last time the right didn’t want Mitt. About a yr ago they cussed Newt over the NY 23 Hoffman ordeal & called him rhino. Then they backed Bachmann as teaparty favorite, only to deprive her of teaparty support. Few months after that they backed Perry, until they found out about illegal kids going to college … BUT those same ppl cheered Newt for basically supporting same thing. In between Perry & Newt was the misguided & desperate reach for Cain but for all the wrong reasons. And now that Cain as proved himself to be the wrong candidate, the “right” are acting like they are lost in the wilderness.

  7. This is classic. Put people on the spot, like Tari here, and they flee for the cracks. Conservatives are fueling the OWS attitude that “government owes me!” by tolerating RINO actions of giving illegals something they haven’t earned by way of citizenship. You completely diss the importance of what it means to be a lawful citizen.

    People who support Perry are mini-RINO’s, riding the fence of liberal acceptance.

    ————————-
    Tari says:
    December 1, 2011 at 2:41 pm
    That was muddled. I meant to say that there is nothing shocking about the in-state tuition decision that the state of Texas made. Nothing at all. And given the options Texas has due to the position that the federal government has put them in, it is not only decent, it is smart.

    Reply
    Max says:
    December 2, 2011 at 9:19 am
    It isn’t shocking. It’s dumb. In-state tuition qualifies “poor” illegals for tuition grant money, meaning more than a few illegals in Texas aren’t paying a dime for college. Why? Most are poor and qualify for the grants.

    I can’t even qualify for that. On what planet is it okay for Conservatives to back a candidate that provides “free” college tuition loopholes for non-citizens? And you want this man to be President, to make this a federal law?

    ———————————————————————————————————————————————

    1. Max,

      Let’s just look at another reality here: The college loan bubble is very soon to burst, estimated at at trillion dollars. Speaking from personal experience, there are right now today millions of under-educated people who should be working or going to trade schools instead of wasting time, money and resources on college. I would estimate that at minimum, half of every student in my business admin classes, ( including 2nd and 3rd year students) could write a proper sentence, had little to no reading comprehension skills, and couldn’t add 2 and 2 without a calculator. ( and maybe 3 lifelines) NOT EVERYONE qualifies for a PHD in engineering.

      Just like the ignorance of “everyone deserves a house” liberal-progressive republican scheme that collapsed the housing and mortgage sector, all these unqualified neanderthals sucking down 15-20 grand a year in college loans will never be able to pay them back. Ka-BOOM! Now tell me illegals crawling in here with a third grade education also deserve to go to a U.S. college? The college entrance exams ( when they actually make them take them) of today would be passed by 99.9% of my fourth grade class back in “68.

      Once again the manipulators up in Congress, in their ever-increasing desire for multi-cultural diversity and pandering to minorities for their votes, have created another huge crisis- the college loan bubble. Just like in the housing mortgage bubble burst, these mathematically-challenged misfits in DC are counting every penny (plus interest) that they “Hope” to get paid back from these college loans, when they decide how much of the taxpayers money the are going to spend in the coming years. When all that “projected” federal revenue from those college loans to neanderthals fails to come in, BOOM, another trillion added to our national debt.

      This is all very simple to stop. States need to make it mandatory, regardless of money ( so daddy can’t buy you that fake Harvard degree like Obama was given by the U.S. Taxpayers) for anyone in their state to take a serious college entrance exam under strict guidelines. I,m here to tell you right now, 60% will never get into college. Go learn a trade, or go back to grade school and get a real education. NO GRANTS unless qualified. No LOANS- unless they are from a private financial institution that will check out the people applying for them to make sure they are a good investment. Just because you are half-African, Asian, Mexican or some other form of victim-card playing minority does not mean you have a right to college at taxpayers expense, period. Now let the whining begin from the uninformed who do not see the college loan bubble bursting, and it’s repercussions.

      1. DJ… you obviously get it. Hopefully your not a Perry supporter.

        We are in sync on this issue. We have been living in an age where everyone is encouraged to go to college… can’t afford it? No problem, apply for a grant, scholarships, squeeze your parents. I know a math professor, you know what he tells me? He has watered down his statistics material to make sure the lowest idiot in the class “gets it,” he doesn’t have time to teach formulas, they are too hard to learn, so he lets his class enter everything on computer programs to figure out problems for them. After each semester, he loses between 5-10 percent of his students after the first month, not because they dropped for academic reasons, but because their student loan check arrived, and they successfully gamed the system.

        I enjoyed reading your reality. That’s as close to reality as it gets. RINO voters, instead of taking a solid stance, cave in and agree with Perry’s philosophy… “Aw… you don’t have a heart.” The only difference between that attitude and the OWS attitude is RINO’s think about it in sympathetic terms, and OWS thinks about it in apathetic terms. No wonder RINO’s “feel” for these OWS bums.

  8. Rick Perry was elected three terms this alone should speak volume and Texas economy is doing great.

  9. The anti-Perry writers have put out false information.

    1. In state Tuition in Texas is NOT FREE – you still have to pay class credit fees and use fees that amount to thosands of dollars per year – “in-state” tuition simply recognizes that the individual and family for years has paid sales tax in Texas which also supports higher education. The children of illegal aliens, who Texas is commanded by the Federal Governent to educate, that have gone through Texas high schools and received a Texas high school education have been granted the right to pay the same tuition costs as their classmates – as debated and overwhelmingly passed in the very conservative Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate.

    2. The transportation corridors are being built. Governor Perry recognized that we were choking on traffic. In my area, Round Rock, Texas, there was a chance of losing Dell Computer’s headquarters and local Austin area manufacturing because workers and product could not get to the airport without heavy traffic delays. Initial parts of State Highways 130 & 45 were built with a combination of gas-tax money and long term debt (tolls) and Dell stayed put. The major new highway corridors are allowing Texas to continue to grow economically. I don’t like tolls but paying tolls on open, fast efficient freeway corridors saves me time and gas over sitting in traffic. The infrastructure corridors are one reason we have an expanding supply of jobs.

    Governor Perry has maintained a steady, conservative hand on the helm of Texas government and we in Texas have received great benefit from that leadership.

  10. Everyday I thank God we have a hard working, fiscally responsible Governor keeping us from the full impact of the financial crisis gripping our nation. It hurts me to see so many American unemployed and suffering. We’ve had several good Governors in Texas, but Rick Perry has been the best. He has created the right business climate, hustled to bring business and jobs to our state and held spending down, even cutting property taxes when times were exceptionally good. All these debated issues, whether it is in-state tuition for children of illegals, or mandated vacinations, are not the most important issues facing this country. It’s the ECONOMY and JOBS that should be first and foremost on every American’s minds. Let’s focus on what is urgently needed to turn this country around. Rick Perry’s record for job creation and fiscal responsibilty is second to no other candidate running for office. We need to throw our support behind him and stop listening to the liberal media who foams at the mouth at every little “oops” a candidate makes. Who of us hasn’t had a memory loss at one time or another? I support Rick Perry for president.

    1. Ah yeah Christine…my Governor too…My daughter married and moved away from Texas…times got hard for them up north…they moved here. Got jobs right away…and now own a beautiful home that the value is climbing…not declining. They got the loan too. Yeah…TEXAS IS THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY…and so many are finding it out that our unemployment is rising…we might be a big state…but all flocking here from economically repressive states we cannot hold…GO GOVERNOR…MAKE THE USA THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY!

  11. Pam, It’s all over the web. Problem is, most people stop when they hear Perry only gave them in-state tuition rates. That is false. Read these carefully,

    “Students in Texas Illegally Are Eligible for State Aid”

    “According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which monitors the implementation of (Texas Grants) legislation, the state distributed 2,156 TEXAS Grants in fiscal year 2010 to students who had established residency under those provisions, meaning many were very likely not in the United States legally. The total amount of the awards was approximately $7.8 million.”

    Source: https://www.texastribune.org/immigration-in-texas/immigration/undocumented-students-texas-receive-financial-aid/

    “(Undocumented) students may qualify for state aid. They also may qualify for institutional aid from specific universities and colleges.”

    “I have concerns about the expense for taxpayers,” Berman said. “We’re not providing enough grant and loan money to our own U.S. citizens.”

    Source: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20100314-Number-of-illegal-immigrants-getting-in-9925.ece

    1. All the instate issue is so widely spread and so widely misunderstood…even by reporters. They need to do the homework. The Federal Government puts this enormous pressure on the states. Some of those illegals have visas and other legalities that mandate Texas. The Federal Courts have put the pressure on Texas too. The article states some of that with Plyer vs. Doe, ect…but does not go into it fully. Az. denying instate is part of the reason they are being sued…but in all honesty…Governor Perry says the states can sue the Federal Government too because the Feds have failed to secure the border and compounded this massive problem on the states. But, this sueing between states and fed. government is rediculous…SECURE THE BORDER…THEN HAVE AN ADULT CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT WE DO WITH ALL THOSE 14 OR SO MILLION OF ILLEGALS THAT DID NOT COME IN HERE WITH TRACKING DEVICES. And as Gingrich brought up and all of us should realize…we have generations of illegals now due to the federal governments lack of doing their job! GOVERNOR RICK PERRY HAS BEEN SECURING THAT BORDER AND DEALING WITH MEXICO! So back one who will end the problem so we can fine or deport…what ever…but first we have to find them.

  12. The Reason why Rick Perry is in deep trouble is because he is using a McCarthyism hate tactics in his campaign. It’s a desperate attempt that has failed, and he now looks like a bafoon.
    He can not be so pious and claim to “love” America but hate Americans.
    He is an embarrassment to the GOP, and should stay in TX.

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