Posted on 09/26/2011 6:25:28 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Orlando, Fla. — Florida voters may have closed the door on a Presidency 5 straw-poll victory for Rick Perry, but they haven’t shut the window on the possibility of voting for him in the primary.
Perry’s poor debate performance — particularly his accusation that those who disagreed with him on providing in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants lacked a “heart” — upset delegates and almost certainly caused his devastating 20-points-plus loss to Herman Cain in the straw poll. But many Florida Republicans remain open to the idea of ultimately voting for Perry in the primary.
Florida retiree Judy O’Donnell says she’s “sticking” with Perry because she values his gubernatorial experience and his attitude. “I think Perry’s a fighter,” O’Donnell says. “And I want a fighter in there. I don’t want Casper Milquetoast.” Kearsten Angel, a Florida attorney, says she’s disappointed in Perry’s debate performances, but hasn’t give up on him yet. “I hope my initial gut feelings about him are correct,” she says. “He’s got a little bit of a learning curve.”
Many are also quick to point out that as the frontrunner from the time he entered, Perry has faced an enormously tough situation. “Given the fact that eight other candidates tried to beat him up, I thought he didn’t get any permanent scars,” remarks Walt Travinski, a business owner. O’Donnell points out that Perry faces an experience deficit. “I’m sticking with Perry,” she says. “I think that he’s not used to the big stage yet. Someone like Romney has had that experience a couple of times.” Angel notes that as governor of a state adjoining Mexico, Perry had to confront the issues surrounding immigration more than most governors.
Rosemary Mills, a delegate who attended Perry’s breakfast the morning of the straw poll but voted for Cain, is willing to give Perry the benefit of the doubt on his immigration statements. “I really wish that Perry would find a way to communicate that to the people so that we would understand what his [immigration] position is better. I’m open to hearing more,” Mills says, but adds that “the education of illegal immigrants concerns us, not because we have bad hearts, but because we think of our own children, too, and grandchildren and what opportunities they’ll have.”
“I’m sure that it came across differently than the way he feels,” agrees Barbara Stephens, another delegate.
Maria Oddo, a volunteer for Perry, shows that Perry — like Sarah Palin and Ron Paul — has the potential to attract an especially dedicated base. “He is being persecuted right now. Like Jesus,” she remarks, although she notes that she didn’t agree with his immigration position. “[I] work as hard for him as I did for Marco Rubio,” she says. “I believed in Marco, even though, when he started, he wasn’t winning either. But he was honest with us, the same way as Perry is.”
For many in senior-citizen-packed Florida, Perry’s immigration statements were far more worrisome than his description of Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme.”
“Two or three years ago, if you had walked in here and say do something with Social Security and Medicare, the seniors would go, ‘absolutely not.’” Travinski says. But things have changed. “After two years of hearing day after day how bad it is, they are all recognizing we’ve got to do something. We’ve all got grandkids,” he remarks.
For Perry, winning a second act among Florida voters would require a revamped pitch — including easing off the fireworks between him and Romney during debates, which irked many of the voters that I spoke to. He would also face an uphill challenge winning back the support of those who dislike both his immigration policy and his dismissive rhetoric concerning those who disagree with him.
Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union and former chair of the Florida GOP, notes that Perry could use upcoming debates to help redeem himself. “There are twelve, 15 rounds of debates,” he says, noting that Perry could use those debates “to hone his message and maybe rethink things.”
“He’s got to be defining himself as he goes forward,” Cardenas adds. “Romney’s had five years to do that. People have a better understanding of what he’s all about. Rick Perry has got to do in two months what Romney’s done in five years, and that’s make sure people understand well what he’s all about.
Cardenas also thinks that Perry needs to cool down his rhetoric, saying that while senior citizens are open to Social Security reform, any usage of the term “Ponzi scheme” should be a “non-starter” — and few are interested in making Social Security run by the states.
“Calling it a ‘Ponzi scheme’ doesn’t sit well even with movement conservatives,” Cardenas observes. “Calling for changes, I think conservatives are all for it. When Herman Cain speaks about the Chilean model, you don’t see anyone jumping up in fear, right?”
Delegate Barbara Stephens has a specific idea about how Perry could revitalize his candidacy.
“A Perry/Cain combination would be dynamite,” she gushes.
— Katrina Trinko is an NRO reporter.
Rosemary Mills, a delegate who attended Perry’s breakfast the morning of the straw poll but voted for Cain”
lol
So, he's toast, despite MSM's efforts to prop up his viability.
Washington, Jefferson, Adams....THE PRESIDENCY IS A POLITICAL POSITION...Cain is the guy on the school board.
I'm sorry....I'm being realistic.
....and you would trust him at this point?.....he would be calling himself 'heartless'. He's O U T !!!!
WTF??
Instead of talking about how Romney or Perry “must rebound” after LOSING, how about talking about the ACTUAL WINNER
But to come out and say "people that oppose illegal immigration are heartless" was a deal killer for many. That's a tactic of the left: throw out an emotional appeal designed to (1) make anyone that disagrees with you seem immoral, and (2) shut down any further debate.
They only thing that will accomplish with conservatives is make them turn to someone else.
Why in hell would Cain want someone so incompentant on the ticket for his vp.
Why in hell would Cain want someone so incompentant on the ticket for his vp.
Re: Immigration....Neither set of my grandparents ever became citizens. The only thing they did do was register at Ellis Island. The goal was a job in America. And every one of their "born in America" children and grand children and great grandchildren went to the Public Schools.
All the other states educate illegals, too.
“Re: Cain...Where’s the experience everyone always talks about.”
•Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics.
•Master’s degree in Computer Science.
•Mathematician for the Navy, where he worked on missile ballistics (making him a rocket scientist).
•Computer systems analyst for Coca-Cola.
•VP of Corporate Data Systems and Services for Pillsbury (this is the top of the ladder in the computer world, being in charge of information systems for a major corporation).
•All achieved before reaching the age of 35.
Since he reached the top of the information systems world, he changed careers!
•Business Manager. Took charge of Pillsbury’s 400 Burger King restaurants in the Philadelphia area, which were the company’s poorest performers in the country. Spent the first nine months learning the business from the ground up, cooking hamburger and yes, cleaning toilets. After three years he had turned them into the company’s best performers.
•Godfather’s Pizza CEO. Was asked by Pillsbury to take charge of their Godfather’s Pizza chain (which was on the verge of bankruptcy). He made it profitable in 14 months.
•In 1988 he led a buyout of the Godfather’s Pizza chain from Pillsbury. He was now the owner of a restaurant chain. Again he reached the top of the ladder of another industry.
•He was also chairman of the National Restaurant Association during this time. This is a group that interacts with government on behalf of the restaurant industry, and it gave him political experience from the non-politician side.
Having reached the top of a second industry, he changed careers again!
•Adviser to the Federal Reserve System. Herman Cain went to work for the Federal Reserve Banking System advising them on how monetary policy changes would affect American businesses.
•Chairman of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. He worked his way up to the chairmanship of a regional Federal Reserve bank. This is only one step below the chairmanship of the entire Federal Reserve System (the top banking position in the country). This position allowed him to see how monetary policy is made from the inside, and understand the political forces that impact the monetary system.
After reaching the top of the banking industry, he changed careers for a fourth time!
•Writer and public speaker. He then started to write and speak on leadership. His books include Speak as a Leader, CEO of Self, Leadership is Common Sense, and They Think You’re Stupid.
•Radio Host. Around 2007—after a remarkable 40 year career—he started hosting a radio show on WSB in Atlanta (the largest talk radio station in the country).
He did all this starting from rock bottom (his father was a chauffeur and his mother was a maid). When you add up his accomplishments in his life—including reaching the top of three unrelated industries: information systems, business management, and banking—Herman Cain may have the most impressive resume of anyone that has run for the presidency in the last half century.
Pretty good for “just a pizza guy.”
The fact is NOBODY running has more experience than Herman Cain, unless “political experience” is the only thing you count as experience. Personally, I think “real world experience” counts more, because that is what we need right now—someone that has real experience, not just another politician.
His immigration (excuse me: Illegal immigration) policy has cost my vote. I would never vote for someone who feels it’s ok to let a person who’s illegally here get benefits of any kind. . . . I don’t care if it’s college tuition or whatever. Illegal is illegal is illegal.
This one issue has cost him my vote. Obviously, if he were the head of our ticket, I’d have to rethink because of the illegal alien who’s already in our White House.
Had Perry come out with a list of reasons for his immigration stances that were at least debatable, he might have worked through it.
You have hit the nail square on the head.
Perry’s problem isn’t just the immigration issue but most all of his answers are a struggle to make them coherent to the listener.
I’m surprised the campaign and Perry haven’t taken the time to develop a one minute response to several topics [six to eight], then commit them to memory and practice, practice, practice until he gets it down. Perry needs to learn not to take the bait questions but give positive answers to what he’s down and would do to sovle the issue.
If he doesn’t do that then by the end of the next two debates, Oct. 11 & 18, he’ll be out of the race. He’s got an opportunity to revive his campaign, the balls in his court to see what he’s made of. It’s either all bumble and stumble or thoughtful direction on what he’d do.
“Re: Immigration....Neither set of my grandparents ever became citizens. The only thing they did do was register at Ellis Island.”
If they entered through Ellis Island, then they were in the USA legally. Your grandparents were NOT illegal immigrants.
Are you sure you understand the definition of illegal immigrant?
Yeahbutt' he's never been a cammoonity organizah, has he?
The one thing with Cain is that he’s a business man and not a full time politician. I was with my father and mother in law this past weekend (sadly, they both lean democrat), and when we saw the straw poll come out they both asked who Herman Cain was. Their excitement when I told them he was a businessman actually shocked me. People aren’t looking for politicians as of late. They want a leader. A business leader just adds to that.
Take the blinders off.
In the end people will want experience. If we end up with a nominee with no executive experience obama will make a big deal about how he's "learned so much in his 4 yrs and now is not the time to start training someone new". If Perry improves his debate performance he will be in good shape.
Right now a lot is being made of his immigration position, but it will draw the middle to him. What is encouraging is he is under constant attack from both the right and left and yet he has not "flip flopped" on the issues.
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