For Rick Perry, A Restless Life On The Farm (The early days as a farmer/rancher)

Oct 7, 2011 | Don Gonyea

[Clairity]

Perry's time as a tenant farmer began when he got out of the Air Force in 1977, and returned to his hometown of Paint Creek, Texas, in Haskell County. It was a place to figure out what to do next with his life.

Instead of flying giant military cargo planes, Perry planted cotton and wheat, and raised cattle.

Coleman says Perry liked the "ranching" part of life at Paint Creek. "You'd see him on a horse, and this and that, but you know, driving a tractor I guess gets a little boring."

By all accounts, Perry was restless. He farmed for about 13 years after leaving the Air Force on the thousands of acres he and his father leased, but also on a small 40-acre farm the family owned.

But when Perry found politics, he found something he was very good at and something perfectly suited to his gregarious personality.

[Clairity]

Perry ping

[dennisw]

Better a farmer than a community organizer/lawyer. Has Obama ever shoveled manure or changed oil on a car? Our twinkle toes president sure does not look it. I changed my oil last week

[Irenic]

I read that the Perrys didn’t have indoor plumbing until Rick Perry was five, he sure didn’t grow up with that silver spoon, eh?

[gardencatz]

Gotta love someone who lived in Paint Creek. I should know. I live in Drain!

Cindie

[fieldmarshaldj]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... can just smell the manure ! Jimmuh Carter was a farm boy, too, just like Ricky. Both career politicians and hucksters.

[Happy Rain]

touche’

All these canned Perry promos don’t seem to be helping.

[NautiNurse]

after leaving the Air Force on the thousands of acres he and his father leased

Word fail.

[Wonder Warthog]

"....but you know, driving a tractor I guess gets a little boring."

I am convinced that there is NOTHING more mind-numbing than driving a tractor. Did WAY too many hundreds of hours of it while growing up.

[Liberty Valance]

I am convinced that there is NOTHING more mind-numbing than driving a tractor. Did WAY too many hundreds of hours of it while growing up.

Depends on what you're doing. Driving a good orchard tractor down on the border was lots of fun for me at the time. Putting up borders, irrigating, breaking down borders. Losing count of how many indigo snakes you see either on the ground or wrapped around a branch on a grapefruit tree. Wearing my favorite pithe helmet and singing R&R tunes to the drone of the tractor engine. I wish i'd stayed on the farm instead of spending 30 years in advertising. Right now I'll bet Rick Perry would rather hear the drone of the tractor than the Austin liberal media making fun of him and his Paint Creek roots. ;o)

Perry/Cain 2012

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Perry Ping....

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GOVERNOR RICK PERRY: Gun control is hitting the target you're aiming at.......

[Dudoight]

That looks like an old Ford...its a beauty. Which model is it? I have an 8n, 1948.

[EnglishCon]

I am convinced that there is NOTHING more mind-numbing than driving a tractor.

Don't know about you, but it wasn't only my mind that went numb. Those metal seats should be banned under the Geneva convention.

[Liberty Valance]

1942 Ford Ferguson. I came across that one on an auction site. Identical to the one I drove. I love the Ford 8N’s and 9N’s. The 3 point power hitch was quick and cool. ;o)

[Vor Lady]

Drain Oregon?!?! We live not far from Wahoo.

[Liberty Valance]

LOL - I had a pad for mine. ;o)

[Ben Ficklin]

Jimmy Carter was a southern populist and Perry was prairie populist.

From an earlier time we say that William Jennings Brian was the Great Prairie Populist(economic populist) but Brian's credentials as a southern populist(cultural populist) flow from being the man that prosecuted Scopes.

In Texas the two well known populists were Molly Ivins and Jim Hightower, who served as Ag Commissioner but was defeated by Rick Perry.

The political re-alignment in the US was Nixon's Southern Strategy to bring the southern populists into the GOP. That was delayed in Texas because populists in Texas didn't want to have anything to do with the head of the Texas GOP, GHW Bush, because he was northern Republican elitist. So the populist shift in Texas happened later, and Perry is an example of the later populist shift.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Don't know about you, but it wasn't only my mind that went numb. Those metal seats should be banned under the Geneva convention."

Fortunately, our tractors had cushioned seats. There "were" some around the community that still had the metal ones, though. And I can see how those can literally be a "...pain in the....".

Driving a small 'dozer and clearing land was fun, though (except, of course, when you ran into a large wasp nest).

[McGavin999]

Just what did Mitt and Cain do when they were in the military?

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Cain was a rocket scientist.