I devote a big chunk of my column today to Rick Perry, and I was talking about him last night with a Texas political hand. My friend says Perry must be amazed at how it has gone: He is under attack from the right. He entered the race as the Great Right Hope. The more conservative alternative to Romney. One of the questions about him was, “Is he just too conservative to appeal to the country at large?”
And the other candidates have painted him as a wetback-coddling squish. How odd. Rick Santorum is explaining that Perry is “weak on national sovereignty.”
Weak on national sovereignty? This right-wing, swaggering, chest-out governor? I hope I never want to be president so bad that I’m willing to say the things Santorum et al. are willing to say. There has to be a point at which simple self-respect kicks in.
Worse yet, the candidates have decided they need to trash Texas in order to defeat Perry. For years, conservative analysts such as those at NR have hailed Texas as a model — a state that can show the way to the other 49, a state that has been healthy while the country in general has been sick. This is the state where conservative policies have been implemented and proven to work.
Not only conservatives have made this point — The Economist had a cover too. (Do we rate them as conservative?)
But, by the time the Republican field gets done with it, Texas will be a hellhole, a place of desolation, despair, and want. Thanks a lot, guys. This is the conservative success story we’ve been holding up, and you’re determined to tear it down, not for the good of the country, but for your own political benefit. Swell.
Finally, can we drop this vaccination baloney, once and for all? The War on Terror has received a fraction of the attention that this relatively minor episode has received. Perry has said that he botched this one, and would do it differently, if he could. Must we spend a fourth debate on this question? Must we hear again how Governor Perry is the type to go after innocent little twelve-year-old girls with the giant government needle?
I quote Barry Goldwater: “Grow up, conservatives!”
Perry may not be the best man for the Republican nomination in 2012, but his opponents’ behavior is not doing them any credit. I know that “politics ain’t beanbag,” blah, blah, blah, but there is actually a way of campaigning, and campaigning aggressively, without throwing basic honesty out the window.
AMEN!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHaha - I just tried to quote Mr. Nordlinger and was kicked back because my post contained "objectionable language".
Guess which word it was.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGoldwater?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseUm, no. To be honest, I'm a little shocked there's been almost no reaction to the word he used. I only saw one other comment that mentioned it. Suffice to say, if I could still be disappointed by conservative talking heads, I would be right now.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIs it the opposite of "dry front"? Because yeah, wow. Thanks Jay, it's great to be called a bigot on NRO. I'm against illegal immigration and Perry's record on it, but I don't use that sort of language about people. That's you buddy.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou are doing exactly what our opponents do to us Mr. Nordlinger, assuming the lowest possible motives when we discuss issues like immigration. Governor perry IS weak on national sovereignty, and immigration, and his success story in Texas comes with some asterisks that we might as well bring up now and not save for Obama to slam on us when it's too late to go with somebody else. This is what the process is for. Your crack about Santorum especially, that's really galling. First you insinuate that he is lying about Perry so he can be President and you are much better than that. That stinks enough. Then you make a really deep analysis that completely proves Perry is a solid conservative: You declare it. He's a "right-wing, swaggering, chest-out governor". Horse hockey. Whether he is sufficiently right wing is exactly what we are debating, whether he swaggers or has his chest out doesn't make any difference. Those are cultural cues about a person's politics and dont mean a thing. Lyndon Johnson kept his chest out and swaggered too. What a crummy post.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou are right on the money, Mattin. I have watched the past three debates, and initially was a huge Perry supporter. I was certain my vote was as good as cast for Perry. Now I'm nowhere close to certain.
Oh, and about those Texas jobs. I do believe it was right here on NR that someone showed us the real truth behind Texas job growth. Ah, yes, so it was: External Link
40% of "Perry's" Texas job growth went to illegal immigrants between 2007 and 2011.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThat the Texas economy absorbed illegal immigration and still showed good growth is hardly a negative.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThere is also the fact that Perry keeps a slush fund of state money to pay companies to come to Texas. Maybe the state does come out ahead in that deal, I don't know, but I don't like it. And it sure won't work for a whole country. So if we are going to talk about how great a job Perry has done let's debate that. Does he intend to try to do that for the whoe US? Is that his recovery plan, do for the country what he did for Texas? That's not mudslinging either, that's what debates are for.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCan you name a single state that doesn't have an economic development fund?
You give away your true motivation when you rename it a slush fund. (Which by the way, the governor doesn't even control.)
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"true motivation" huh? Right, because if I think the governor ought not take taxpayer funds and bribe businesses into coming to the state, I must have an ulterior motive. One that you have spotted from a mile away. Ok, which is it genius, am I a Democrat plant, here to Yoko Ono up the place, or a Romney guy here to here to lie about and sling mud at my arch enemy Perry? You've got me all figured out so let's hear that motivation I gave away.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI wasn't aware that Perry signed a bill requiring new jobs to go to illegal aliens.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell said Jay. Perry definitely needs to come up with a better, more coherent performance, and a better explanation of his immigration policies. But Romney, Santorum, Huntsman and Bachmann really need to follow your advice.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBachmann and Santorum are just doing to Rick Perry what Mike Huckabee did for Landslide McCain last time around; they are surrogates for Romney, taking out an opponent while he keeps his hands clean. Neither of them could seriously contend for the nomination, but would be happy with cabinet posts in a future Romney Administration.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseFine. One need not be Cicero. One need not be a political cross-bred synthesis of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, but, my goodness, have the ability to finish a sentence, even if you are tired.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBasic honesty would acknowledge that much of the "Texas Miracle" doesn't quite pass the smell test, and neither do some of the relationships between Perry and his political benefactors.
Ignore and shout it down now if you like, but Democrats sure won't later on.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYeah---except people keep voting with their feet to move to Texas and leave other states behind.
That smell test? It's moving van exhaust fumes, courtesy of people who've had it with liberal governance regardless of party.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs someone who threw in the towel and gave up on her home state of Washington and has been thrilled by her new home of Texas, I endorse this comment.
I have yet to meet or hear of someone who voluntarily leaves Texas to move to someplace like Massachussetts or New Jersey.
I don't like the heat, but other that that, I'm happy with everything about Texas and I'm never giving this place up. I hope and pray for the rest of the country that we elect Perry, he appoints the right people at the national level, and you non-Texans can get a taste of what we enjoy down here.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLeave a light on for us---if NC continues down the primrose path of liberalism we're heading thataway ourselves.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou sir are a disgrace to the great state of North Carolina. To write neo-con is Mitt Speak for Jew is reprehensible. I loved Jesse Helms I voted happily for Jesse and I will vote happliy for Mitt. Ignorance like yours does not reflect well on Tarheels.
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