Rick Perry, Annotated

I used to think along the same lines regarding another Texan in the Oval Office. Now, however, I don't think "Texas" will be the albatross that it once was. That is due to the horrendous state of the economy. The economic news out there really is scary. We are on the verge of a second recession, and now it's directly linkable to Obama. Americans are tolerant and accommodating to a fault, but there are some things that are unforgivable. Among them are amateurishness and incompetence. Obama is showing both traits in abundance, and bigger and bigger chunks of the electorate are starting to notice.

Now, along comes another Texas guy who sounds like Dubya, but has a 10 year record of relative success on the jobs front. The major thing that's eating people in this election cycle is JOBS, JOBS, JOBS. Perry’s record, rightly or wrongly, gives him the best chance to monopolize that meme. The "social issues" (abortion, gay marriage, et al.) are of course important, but they don't weight on people's minds the way they used to. A guy who hasn't had a job in two years doesn't give a rip about Perry's doings in the Gardasil affair.

Of course, those are political considerations. Exploiting them adeptly will win you the election. The real question is, does Perry (or anyone) know what to do about currency manipulations of the Chinese, our vanishing industrial capacity, and our monetary policies? Is there someone out there who can be to Perry (or to whomever wins) what Paul Volker was to Reagan? Our problems have been many decades in the making, and it will take some real savvy to work out these issues prudently. So far, McCotter seems willing to address these issues, and to a lesser extent, Perry.

We all know the MSM will go all out to re-elect Obama. If Perry is his rival, the thing they will try to do is turn him in GWB in the eyes of the nation. The fact that he is Gov of Texas and shares some GWB attributes means their job will be easy. A lof of people buy into the line that Obama “inherited” the recession from GWB. Really, I think the Dems in general (and Barney Frank in particular) are complicit, but GWB isn’t blameless either.

I think either Romney or Christie would be hard for Obama to beat. Christie comes across as very competent and credible. Many here will call them RHINOs, but consider the alternative. In the end, I’ll vote for whoever the GOP nominee is.

You might be surprised at how many people feel that Palin is not ready for this.

No, I don't think I would. Women's reactions aside (special case there), I myself thought she was too green when she first appeared in 2008, and I thought McCain had stumbled.

But in the year and a half after that my opinion of her changed, and I watched her work people I'd never go near, like Saturday Night Live's cast, and I got a firming impression of her good judgment and confidence.

Experiencewise you are right -- but it is her moral center of gravity and her judgment above all that we so sorely need. That and her enthusiasm and ability to pull in independents (again, excepting certain women, lots of them) -- I think she's a true charismatic leader like Ronald Reagan, hence my references to "lightning in a bottle". She doesn't have the political education or the oratorical education to deliver a Great Oration like the "Cross of Gold Speech" or Kennedy's inaugural address, but she has the moral center that the country desperately needs to recenter on Norman Rockwell's Normal, which we used casually to refer to as decency.

Yes, of course I'd prefer she were six or seven years older with three terms as governor of, say, Florida or Ohio under her belt. And everyone wants ice cream. Well, that opportunity got taken away by Rahm Emanuel and his political operatives, who spotted in the Alaska sunshine and official-integrity laws a chance to beggar Palin and her family and drive her from office, after keeping her from discharging her office for, say, about six years. That would have been lovely -- from the point of view of Obama's bottom-feeders.

So she has what she has, and she has to go out there like David with his sling and his Magen David and his courage and the favor of Almighty God, and little else. Is that not good enough? For some people, I guess not.

I think my friends were commenting on her youth and lack of experience outside of Alaska. These were all older women and it was not a”she's prettier than I am so I hate her” attitude.

I like her very much but I haven't decided who I will vote for in the primary (if it isn't all over by the time Texas votes). I like Palin and Perry the best so it will be one of those.

I did have Bachman in there but I like her less now for several reasons. If she had only sent shockwaves through Chris Whateverhisnameis, for asking her the question about submitting to her husband. That made me furious and I wanted to punch his lights out but she got the deer in the headlights look and then gave a non answer.

She missed a good opportunity to show her strength.

She should have responded like Newt did to a question that should not have been asked.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.