Posted on 09/12/2011 2:40:39 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
I wonder how long this has been in the works. Was the plan always to roll it out tonight before the debate or did Perry and Jindal speed things up to match T-Paw’s Romney endorsement?
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is backing Rick Perry for president, a major endorsement for the Texas governor as the campaign for the Republican nomination enters the crucial fall stretch of the primary calendar, a source tells CNN.
Jindal is on his way to Florida and will be Perry’s guest at Monday night’s “Tea Party Republican Debate” broadcast on CNN from Tampa, the source said. Jindal is expected to formally make the announcement prior to the debate.
Neither endorsement breaks either guy out of their niche. Romney’s running as the safe, northern, Wonder Bread establishment candidate and Perry’s running as the bold, southern, grassroots favorite with executive experience. Pawlenty and Jindal are natural matches for their respective endorsees. Jindal’s endorsement matters more, though, because Perry’s immediate problem is proving that he’s electable. The more big-name conservatives bypass the “safe” choice in the field to roll the dice on him, the more credible Perry looks. (And in fact, he already has an event lined up this week with another prominent southern governor.) When Romney inevitably hits him again tonight on Social Security, Perry can point at Jindal in the audience and say that the governor of Louisiana — and esteemed policy wonk — would never throw his endorsement away on an unelectable candidate. Which is true enough: For Jindal to commit this early in the race, he must be awfullly confident in Perry’s chances. If he’s right, there’s bound to be a cabinet position in it for him. But probably not VP due to their regional overlap.
Incidentally, Wonder Bread might not be the only reason that Pawlenty’s backing Romney. Money has been known to buy friends from time to time. Exit question: Which Republican’s endorsement is the most prized this year? I’m inclined to say Rubio’s because he’s from a crucial primary state and is capable of influencing both establishment and grassroots opinion, but RCP makes a good point about DeMint in its latest post. If he shocks the world by endorsing Romney before the South Carolina primary, he could singlehandedly imperil Perry’s candidacy.
This oughta make a few heads explode.
another debate tonight? where?
I disagree about DeMint’s endorsement. If he endorsed Perry, I think it would be all over.
But if he endorses Romney, he’s just endorsing the same guy he did in 2008. And remember, DeMint’s endorsement didn’t even deliver his own home state of South Carolina to Romney, in a year when the field was a lot weaker conservative-wise.
Rubio however would be a good get for Romney.
Should we let the Palin supporters (ie, the supporters of the Palin non-campaign) speak for themselves or should we do it for them?
“Jindal is just another rino, endorsing a fellow rino....Sarah’s coming and she is gonna mop up the floor with these clowns! And if you don’t believe us, you are a fool!”
There you have it.
CNN 8:00 est
I don’t think DeMint will endorse Romney this time around. He may not endorse Perry, and that’s fine...Perry is going to take SC. I hope for DeMint’s sake that he doesn’t waste any political capital by endorsing Romney......
I think we should let them speak for themselves.
Bobby Jindal trumps TPaw every day of the week. This is a definite boost to Perry’s campaign, with TPaw adding nothing at all to Romney’s campaign. Good.
Oh, but why? It’s always so much more fun to be the first one to fling poo on a new thread < /sarc>
LOL. I am a Sarah supporter but I still see the humor in your comment. Some are certainly eager to stir things up! But, OTOH, the other supporters seem to be eager to do the same.........
thanks.
Im not found of Congressmen simply because they are congressmen. I would find any Governors enforcement more valuable then any Congressman’s. That includes South Carolinian’s Jim.
The Most important endorsement from South Carolina is Nikki Haley’s endorsement. By contrast Gram’s endorsement is only important in the negative light.
Pelican State ping
I saw that interview on CNN last night. The commentator couldn't get a word in - Bobby kept slamming him with his points. There is NO ONE who can out talk Bobby Jindal. It was funny to watch. The commentator's mind was trying to think of questions at the same time listen and you could see him toward the end realize - that wasn't going to happen. It was fun!
If Governor Jindal had endorsed anyone but Perry, he'd likely have problems with this part of the GOP base. While I'm not aware of him having any serious competition in next year's race, I'm sure that he doesn't want to have that part of the party mad at him. Most other Louisiana Republicans don't actively dislike Perry even if they see him as being a weak candidate whose conservative credentials simply aren't as strong as his supporters claim. Governor Jindal doesn't lose much with a Perry endorsement but would could lose a great deal by endorsing Mitt Romney.
Governor Jindal would be a valuable ally for Rick Perry because Governor Jindal is intelligent enough to put together workable plans. I'd feel better about a Rick Perry candidacy if I thought that Bobby Jindal was behind the scenes pulling the strings.
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.