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Rick Perry: 2016 won’t be about good looks

Rick Perry: 2016 won’t be about good looks

It’s what’s inside (your brain) that counts

Rick Perry may be polling in the single digits, but that hasn’t stopped the former Texas governor from pushing ahead with a messaging strategy that emphasizes experience over rhetoric, and results over flash.

Via the AP:

Perry, who is considering a second run for president, wrapped up a two-day trip to New Hampshire with a speech at the Strafford County Republican Committee’s Lincoln Day Dinner. While he repeated his warning that GOP voters shouldn’t nominate a “critic in chief,” he had plenty of criticism for President Barack Obama, saying his lack of executive experience before becoming president has hurt him and that he hasn’t picked up many management skills on the job. The nation is ready, he said, to move beyond “eight years of this years of this young, very attractive, amazing orator, junior U.S. senator.”

“I don’t think they’re going to go there,” Perry said. “They’re going to go to a tested, results-oriented executive who has a record of accomplishment.”

This isn’t the first time Perry has thrown shade at his younger potential opponents. During his interview last week with the Texas Tribune, Perry emphasized his own experience over that of other, untested candidates:

Asked about what separates him from Cruz, Perry never mentioned his potential rival by name. Instead, he downplayed Senate experience and alluded to the fact that Cruz’s tenure in office is the same as then-Sen. Barack Obama’s when he ran for president in 2008.

“It’s one of the selling points, if you will, to the American people as they decide who’s going to follow Barack Obama,” he said. “I think they’re going to make a rather radical shift, away from a young, untested United States senator whose policies have really failed.”

Ba-zing—because it’s true.

This is a conversation the right needs to have well before the first debate, straw poll, and/or primary election.

I said above that Perry was “throwing shade,” but that’s actually inaccurate. What Perry is doing is pointing out what everyone should be thinking at this point. Men like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have made a name for themselves by getting conservatives excited about activism. They’re making DC listen, one speech at a time—but what about results?

America is starving. She’s sick. She needs a revival, and it needs to come from the desk of someone who has experience building. Perry is busy making a case for his candidacy, and against anyone who can’t pony up a résumé as fine tuned as his own.

He’s not our only option, but he’s doing everything he can to convince us that he can do the job he’s applying for—not just talk about it. We should expect every other candidate to do the same.

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Comments

This is the same Rick Perry, who in his first debates, said that Americans who didn’t want to give amnesty, were “heartless.”

He can kiss my ass.

    Ragspierre in reply to Karen Sacandy. | February 13, 2015 at 9:31 am

    Could Ronald Reagan kiss your ass, too?

    Some of us can learn, and we take positions we later change. Could be true of Perry, as it was of Reagan. Dunno…

      bobinrohnertpark in reply to Ragspierre. | February 13, 2015 at 3:57 pm

      I agree that RunningRayguns was the same dementia throughout from Governor to his death. I wouldn’t vote for him again. Would you Ragspierre?

      Karen Sacandy in reply to Ragspierre. | February 13, 2015 at 11:57 pm

      Ron Reagan was had by the amnesty groups. I was in law school; I remember his request that we show “compassion” to the illegals, that it would be done ONLY ONCE, and enforcement would be harsh.

      None of the promises came to pass. Bring down the Berlin Wall, and the United States of America at the same time. And now we have to listen to every panhandling illegal alien tell us how bigoted we are, while they demand we give them everything they dream of?

      He never got rid of one cabinet-level agency. He tried, but he failed. And here we are. He “meant well.” Not good enough.

    GrumpyOne in reply to Karen Sacandy. | February 13, 2015 at 9:46 am

    “All talk and no cattle” is the best description that I can come up with for Perry. Just look at his real accomplishments:

    1. Texas’ very own Dream Act enacted in 2001 under his first administration

    2. Toll roads either owned by private companies or financed with junk bonds

    3. Failure to enact E-Verify statewide

    4. Failure to curtail sanctuary cities like Austin and Houston

    Yep. The “do over” with the thick rimmed glasses cannot hide the emptiness of his cranial cavity…

“Men like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have made a name for themselves by getting conservatives excited about activism. They’re making DC listen, one speech at a time—but what about results?”

These are two first term US senators who’ve spent the majority of that time in the minority.

Ms. Miller, please tell us what you think would be appropriate results for these two to have achieved by now under those circumstances.

    Ragspierre in reply to Henry Hawkins. | February 13, 2015 at 9:44 am

    But isn’t your point the same as her’s, Henry?

    She isn’t doing anything but stating an obvious fact. Perry is the longest-serving governor in Texas history, and that is an executive position. One in which he has a rather good record (certainly not flawless, but…damn.)

    It isn’t false to note that Paul and Cruz…and a lot of other people like Carson…don’t have that experience and track record.

      Henry Hawkins in reply to Ragspierre. | February 13, 2015 at 11:01 am

      No, it is not the same point, plus there’s the larger context involved of Ms. Miller’s ongoing jihad against conservatives, particularly Ted Cruz. I know I don’t have to list Cruz’ credentials for you. He is eminently qualified for the presidency. Ms. Miller is damning Rand and Cruz in particular for the overall GOP’s lack of achievements in congress – the very thing Cruz is fighting to change, as best he can, from where he’s at.

      To Ms. Miller, I repeat my question:

      What then do you think are reasonable achievements Cruz and/or Paul should have accomplished by now, given they are freshmen senators, and given that most of their time was spent with their party in the minority?

        Henry Hawkins in reply to Henry Hawkins. | February 13, 2015 at 11:06 am

        Well, Henry, it isn’t reasonable at all to expect Rand or Cruz to have achieved anything given they are freshmen and were in the minority. The question was rhetorical. However, it makes for a great metric – if you want to falsely denigrate conservative Cruz (and whatever it is that Rand Paul is).

        But know this, Henry. They’ve already pulled the GOP to the right and that momentum is growing. This is the very sort of thing that makes moderate GOPers apply bogus metrics to denigrate them.

    Karen Sacandy in reply to Henry Hawkins. | February 13, 2015 at 11:59 pm

    Rand Paul got the administration to admit it couldn’t use drones on Americans.

    Cruz got the damn GOP to show a spine. THAT IS ESSENTIAL. But the S.O.B. wants more H-1B visas. What is he thinking? Let’s import a bunch of aliens for supreme court clerking opportunities, and let him see how the unfair, cheap competition feels.

Compared to the past 8 years, I’d take Perry in a heartbeat.

You are waving juice boxes at a demographic that has been wandering the desert with nothing to drink but vinegar for 8 years. By all means, let’s fight about which flavor of juice box to choose.

To be clear, I like Perry enough that I give him a clean slate if he runs in 2016, that is, I don’t care what he did in 2012.

That was a great commercial for Scott Walker.

    JackRussellTerrierist in reply to Trooper York. | February 14, 2015 at 12:40 am

    ….and a nice photo of Perry. He’s a hottie for his age, and with pathos shining through.

    The ‘rats are big-time scared of his success record, which is why they sicced one of their guys in Austin, the DA, on him.

One of the things I’m heartened by is the depth of our “bench”, along with the quality of possible candidates individually.

There are a LOT of jobs that will need doing, and done by real reformers.

There are numerous flavors of Republicans and even conservatives. It’s counter-productive and self-defeating to us all to hate on all other flavors not our own. We need to reinstate Reagan’s 11th commandment.

JackRussellTerrierist | February 13, 2015 at 4:00 pm

Well, Amy, I’d take Perry in a heartbeat. I hope he runs, and I hope he wins. I feel the same way about Walker. Either one would make an excellent president. I like Cruz a lot, too, but I don’t see him making it to the finish line unless he can raise a lot of money. I like Dr. Carson a lot, but I don’t see him making it to the finish line either because he just doesn’t have the political savvy and money to get there.

I desperately hope one of those four good men becomes our candidate.

More than any of the others, including Walker, Perry knows how to govern, build and recognize opportunity. He’s also smart as a whip.

I have noticed that Texas conservatives have a difficult time translating ideas based in practicality, efficiency, and traditional values into politico-speech. It’s almost a foreign language to them, which is bad in the short run but great in the long run.

We should not be considering first term senators for the top spot. That’s just pissing away a perfect opportunity. Plus, we have some great talent in the hopper: Walker, Perry, Jindal. Wow!

Anyone mentions Christy or Bush and you are officially out of the party.