Can Rick Perry Take the Heat?
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
It is hard being a front runner, and just weeks after entering the race for President, Governor Rick Perry now knows it. During the Republican Presidential debate on Monday night, Perry was hammered for signing an order in Texas four years ago requiring pre-teenage girls to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus. HPV is a sexually spread virus that can cause cervical cancer. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann hit Perry hard on the issue of forced vaccinations when she said, “To have innocent little 12-year-old girls be forced to have a government injection through an executive order is just flat out wrong.” The mainstream media may be all warm and fuzzy about forcing young girls to take an injection, but conservatives are not. This was a stunning blow to Mr. Perry, and it will surely resonate with conservative women voters. The Associated Press went on to report that Bachmann also noted, “. . .that the company that makes the vaccine, Merck & Co., employed Mike Toomey, Perry’s former chief of staff, as a lobbyist in Texas, and that the drug company had donated to Perry’s campaigns. Renewing the attack Tuesday, Bachmann said on NBC’s “Today” show that “it’s very clear that crony capitalism could likely have been the cause” of Perry’s executive order.” (Click here to read the complete AP story.) The night before, Sarah Palin beat Bachmann to the punch on the “crony capitalism” criticism. You can add her to the list of Republicans taking shots at Perry.
To Perry’s credit, he stood his ground and reaffirmed his view that girls should be vaccinated against the virus. It is also fair to point out, the Governor did give parents the right to opt-out, but I thought the damage was done when Perry said, “If I had it to do over again, I would have done it differently.”
Meanwhile, Perry is taking lots of heat from Mitt Romney on Social Security. Perry calls it a “Ponzi scheme,” and it probably is, but that doesn’t mean Romney won’t play politics with the issue. (It wouldn’t be a rip-off at all if Congress hadn’t continually raided it over the last few decades.) I know Romney has his problems with the health care system he created in Massachusetts. It looks a lot like “Obama care.” But, Perry is taking even more heat from all ends of the Republican spectrum for supporting Al Gore back in 1988. Will any of this have an effect on who gets the Republican nomination? An NPR article tried to answer that question yesterday. It said, “The relevant question to be asking, then, about whether either Romneycare or the Gore endorsement will end up playing a significant or decisive role, is whether party actors will care about these issues—and the answer to that depends a bit on which people we’re talking about. Politicians and campaign and governing professionals, for example, have strong incentives to choose whoever they think is most likely to win. Party-aligned interest groups want a winner too, but they are especially interested, naturally, in the policy positions of the candidates. Activists tend to value ideological purity. All of them have a strong interest in a candidate who they can trust.” (Click her for the complete NPR story.)
This brings us to Congressman Ron Paul. The mainstream media may be ignoring Ron Paul, but Dr. Paul has Rick Perry’s complete attention. Paul is everything Perry is not. Like it or not, Paul is a true conservative, and Perry, well, he endorsed Al Gore. Monday, in a post on Thehill.com, the title said it all: “Why Ron Paul scares Rick Perry.” The article goes on to say, “One of the cardinal rules of politics is “never attack down,” meaning a front-runner should never attack or respond to an opponent who is far behind. Yet that is what Rick Perry is doing. He is intimidated by Ron Paul, and responding to Ron Paul. Why? The answer is that Ron Paul is a true libertarian and a true conservative, while the latest version of Rick Perry, the man who once championed Al Gore, is a phony conservative and can’t even pretend to be a phony libertarian. I have written repeatedly, Rick Perry is the ultimate pay-for-play government man, the exact opposite of a true conservative and a true libertarian. Ron Paul, whether one agrees with him or not, is the true libertarian and a genuine conservative in ways that Rick Perry can never be. That is why Rick Perry fears Ron Paul. I completely disagree with the mainstream media and insider pundit consensus that Republicans now have a two-person race. I again predict that Rick Perry will self-destruct.” (Click here to read the complete Thehill.com post.)
Rick Perry didn’t get to be governor of a rich and powerful state like Texas because he’s short on brains or political savvy. The question, ultimately, will be which Republican candidate is most likely able to beat a sitting President?
You cannot underestimate the power of the Oval Office, and selling Barak Obama short is a big mistake. Remember, Obama is a clever politician. He destroyed the Clinton dynasty as a junior senator, which was a feat. Like it or not, he pushed through his health care plan. He also got a more than $800 billion stimulus bill passed. Most recently, he got his way raising the debt ceiling by an astounding $2.4 trillion. His main goal was to get funding for the government past the 2012 election—mission accomplished. He dethroned Gaddafi in Libya and, before that, got Bin Laden in Pakistan. Finally, Mr. Obama has already raised more than $86 million for his re-election campaign, and the election is still more than 13 months away! Obama will not be a pushover, but he can be beat. The big question is by whom? Time will tell if Rick Perry can take the heat, or if someone else will step into the kitchen.
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About the Author
Greg Hunter
Greg is the producer and creator of USAWatchdog.com. The site’s slogan is “analyzing the news to give you a clear picture of what’s really going on.” The site will keep an eye on the government, your financial interests and cut through the media spin. USAWatchdog.com is neither Democrat nor Republican, Liberal or Conservative. Before creating and producing the site, Greg spent nearly 9 years as a network and investigative correspondent. He worked for ABC News and Good Morning America for nearly 6 years. Most recently, Greg worked for CNN for shows such as Paula Zahn Now, American Morning and various CNN business shows.
Perry, authentic Texan – plus – Dubya Yankee Texan = DUDs – no mas.
http://napoleonlive.info/politics/facts-about-rick-perry/
Greg,
I think this posting explains the reason why Ron Paul is not getting his due in the main stream media. If people support a candidate based on their electability, does Dr. Paul stand a chance? Even though he may have support from a majority of the people, the republican mindset is that he can’t win and is therefore ignored. It shows the mentality of our political system and why the country is going down the tubes. I’m afraid we’ve already blown our chances for a turn around and it may even be too late for Ron Paul.
Greg, Perry is a empty suit, quite alike Bush Jr. in that regard. Southern politics has always been the “good old boy” system or as Backman stated “crony capitalism”. This is how small minded persons with silly little one liners get to be governor in some southern sections of our great country. Here, on the Western front, we really need fresh new ideas to help get us out of this depression, the same old solutions won’t work, its a new world and were in a real fix and one liners simply can’t get the job done. The republican party, excepting Paul, has none that I can see. The Republican’s hopefulls don’t bring anything new to the table and to use an old Texan saying about their ideas and solutions is this: That dog won’t hunt!
Art,
I am not sure Perry will even get close to Obama in a general election. There looking for another Ronald Reagan and Perry got a nice head of hair like Reagan but that’s about it.
Greg
Breaking news…..Michelle Bachmann has received $146,000 in contributions from Big Pharma during her congressional career, but none from Merck. That makes her a hypocrite.
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/election/2011/09/13/bachmann-no-stranger-to-pharma-donations/
The law never went into effect and no children were vaccinated as a result of the order. But Bachmann later claimed she was approached by a mother claiming her daughter had been mentally damaged after being vaccinated with Gardisil. That makes Bachmann a liar.
With this meaningless and wrong headed attack on Perry, Bachmann has rendered herself irrelevant in the race. We already have a lying hypocrite in the white house.
JiminGA
Love it !!!
Greg
As a Texan I can confirm every criticism of Perry. However, Perry is cloaked in Teflon and he has the big Texas money backing him, as well as the MIC. No matter what he says now, he will fall into line with world hegemony, just like Obama.
I am sad to predict, we will once again be holding our noses while pulling the lever again in ’12.
Our “two party system” is like a double headed nickel in a coin toss.
Hoppe,
Love this line, “Our “two party system” is like a double headed nickel in a coin toss.”
Greg
Greg,
As far as which Republican is most likely to beat a sitting President I don’t think any of the front runners has a prayer of swaying the independent or middle of the road voters.
Rick Perry may get the nod but there is no way the majority of American voters will ever elect a Bush clone. Like it or not Bush was a complete economic failure and Perry has the same Texas look. The independents won’t vote for a Texas repeat no matter what his message is.
The fact that Michelle Bachmann is still in the race is amazing. While she is loved by the Tea Party let’s face it, she just isn’t Presidential material, not even close. Voters rejected Sarah Palin and would reject Bachmann as she just isn’t that bright and with Ed Rollins gone there is no one to stop her from coming out with even more stupid statements.
As far as Ron Paul goes he is just too far out there for the middle voters. Seems all he wants to do is shut things down or push responsibilities to the states. The only problem there is that if you deregulate too fast then you leave the average American at the mercy of large corporations and their agenda. We’ve all seen how that has worked out. In either case Obama would crush Ron Paul in an election.
Mitt Romney is an obvious corporate stooge complete with a mystery million dollar contributor. Somehow a Multi-millionaire whose biggest press over the last month was that he is ripping down his mansion to build an even bigger mansion just isn’t going to resonate with voters. The fact Romney would even talk about his new mansion, at a time where average Americans are struggling to get by, clearly shows Romney is out of touch with middle America. The mansion and mystery contributor stories are the type of press that sticks in Voters’ minds because they indicate a candidate’s true nature. In this case a rich guy with cronies who actually believes corporations should be treated like people. Obama would crush Romney like a can of corn.
I took the time to look at all the Republican Presidential candidates and the ONLY candidate I found that really gets it, isn’t even on the radar. From what I can tell Buddy Roemer is the only Republican candidate that recognizes the real problems, Lobbyists and campaign funding, which is the root cause of the economic problems. He isn’t soliciting the big corporate checks and actually is running his campaign on grass roots support. The other thing I like is this guy actually knows how a business is run and is the only candidate who it appears will act in the best interests of the American people, as opposed to being a corporate stooge.
Unfortunately, I don’t see an effective campaign so it is doubtful independent voters will ever hear his message. Too bad, as this is the real message that voters want to hear in an election.
In any case I don’t think any of the current front runners has a prayer of beating Obama, no matter how bad it gets. Better the corporate stooge you know than the corporate stooge you don’t know. Everyone knows the front runners and Obama represent their corporate or self-interest groups and it is the American taxpayer who is picking up the tab.
Ross,
Thank you for the analysis.
Greg
well i’m thinking (yep, uh oh!) that maybe perry isn’t buying the hype and may not look at ron paul as behind him. maybe perry is intimidated by dr. paul because he understands ground swell. maybe he understands that he is only perceived (by some) to be a front runner because the msm says he is a front runner and maybe he understands that the msm pretty much always lies.
in my book. both romney and perry have already self destructed. their allegiances are clear. romney is all about romney and perry is all about perry. and they are both obviously open to entertaining “bids” for services to be renderred.
in fact no one else on that panel will dare speak a word against the fed.
all of them (except ron paul of course) have “plans” that try to make the country work while keeping the fed intact. anyone who has been paying even cursory attention to how the world works knows that this cannot be done.
either the fed goes, or the country goes. that simple.
it’s getting right down to the wire. america wakes up, or america dies.
but let’s get real here. if dr. paul become the potus, what can he do for this country? stop the fed and disband the irs? he can try, but the bought and paid for shills in congress will fight him tooth an nail. grid lock will take on proportions never before dreamed of.
but what he can do is fight that battle in the light of day. use the potus pulpit to wake up this world to what is going on. then, maybe we the people will take over.
slim chance. but better than no chance at all.
g.johnson,
Thank you for the analysis.
Greg
Interesting read Greg. It looks to me like Perry is a lose cannon of scary ideas. He also is a well paid puppet of the big pharmaceutical industry. We know that the mainstream media is also just a well paid puppet of big corporate interests. They all have black souls ruled by power and money. They have no interest in whats right or wrong for America as a whole. They will lie, cheat, and kill for their benefit only. On the other hand, Ron Paul is a the total opposite. He is intelligent, honest, and always keeps America’s best interests in mind. The mainstream media knows he would put his spoken interests in to actions. Perry, and the media are scarred of him because of his intelligent, insightful and common sense stance on the issues. Yet they still try to insult him. He just keeps his cool and blows everyone’s mind with his plan to save our nation. The audience applauds and the media puppets cringe. They can’t break Ron Paul with insults. I hope we the people will come to our senses and do what is best for all Americans and the world. Take a honest and hard look at the man people. Ron Paul 2012.
Thank you Jerry, Linda!
Greg
Rick Perry is a globalist, which really bothers me about him. He supports the Texas Trans Corridor being built by the Chinese to bypass American ports. This corridor spans 12 football fields wide and will
plow through Texas, Oklahoma, and up to St. Louis, MO. The Chinese Government will have total control. In my opinion, the Texas Trans Corridor needs to be stopped, or we will be much more vulnerable to China than we are already.
“….Activists tend to value ideological purity. All of them have a strong interest in a candidate who they can trust.”
Emphasis on “..a candidate who they can trust?”
Greg, which candidate from any party can one trust these days? I have no trust in any of them, because they are “professional politicians”. I would think the founding fathers would shake their heads in disgust the way any Federal government office is sought, epically the President’s office.
Steve,
It is a tough field to chose from if trust is high on your list. Ron Paul supporters would tell you that their candidate is the most trustworthy. They may be right. We will see who gets the nomination. Lots of time betweewn November 2012 and today. Thank you for weighing in my friend.
Greg
Perry is a follower .. he does what his contributors want ……. no great leaders have been elected since Kennedy who was going to stop the FED …… only front men for the global establishment …. including Ray-gun…..
.
Under US Constitution no government can force an individual :
a – Against the individual’s will regarding PRIVATE issues, specially PERSONAL issues regarding one’s freedom of choice in taking or not a vaccine.
b – Beyond limited powers granted to government by Constitution itself, which states that all powers no in it granted to Gov shall remain with the people on with the states.
Besides the fact that primarily LIBERTY is all America is about since its inception, I see people completely ignores it all and argues about the EXTENSION of gov powers that ultimately intends to CURTAIL freedom.
What baffles me in this debate is the fact that people come here and issue personal opinions based on personal values WHICH ARE COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT CONSIDERING THE SUPREMACY OF THE RULE OF THE LAW.
.
Francisco ,
Thank you for your comments.
Greg
.
I see america has two choices:
Ron Paul or a civil war.
.
I have basically lost most if not all faith in the political system. I liked Bachmann, now I see her an idiot, an Obama of the hard right.
As for Perry, I will vote for him over Romney, Perry to me seems like the kind of cowboy that is needed to take out the Chicago thuggish trash. The country is in so much trouble, there really are 2 choices, let it go down the tubes so more people awaken or fight it, even if its with someone who I do not agree with on everything.
The thing I like about Perry the most, he fights back, and fights back hard. Romney I don’t trust one bit, in the general I plan on voting for either one, but I like Perry more. The people I will not under any circumstance vote for are Santorum, and now Bachmann, I’ll just write in George Washington’s name on the ballot.
When Bachmman went on her “holier than thou” gardisal rant, I thought toast, the woman is toast, and then she went on to say how some lady ran up to her and said gardisal was given to her daughter and it caused mental detardation, wth?!?! I don’t trust this woman, maybe she is a power hungry flake.
Perry I like, don’t agree with him on everything, but I want the community organized defeated and kicked out next november 2012. I’m an al gore, john kerry voting former dem, but I’m not voting for any dem in 2012, I trust the tea party more than either party at this point.
There are some foolish Americans out there that are not even vaccinating their children against killer diseases; Social Darwinism in action. Don’t force the children to get vaccinated, let them get whooping cough, Diphtheria, cervical cancer etc . In theory, it will raise the collective IQ of America as those without immunity and are too stupid to get their children vaccinated either die or watch their children die. It will save on Medicare too