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Perry to deliver Pittsburgh policy speech |
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Rick Perry will deliver a policy address in Pittsburgh next Friday, his campaign said. |
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 © 2011 POLITICO LLC |
Posted on 10/08/2011 9:02:42 PM PDT by smoothsailing
By Jason Embry
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 10:02 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011
Published: 9:56 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011
Texas Gov. Rick Perry moved through Iowa on Saturday a more disciplined presidential candidate than he was in his initial swing through the state almost two months ago.
Gone were Perry's earlier suggestions that the Federal Reserve chairman is approaching treason or that U.S. troops would rather serve under a military veteran than under President Barack Obama. Instead, during three Saturday stops in northwestern Iowa, Perry stuck to brief prepared remarks and rehearsed answers to voters' questions on jobs, immigration and energy policy.
Of course, much has changed since Perry swaggered through Iowa immediately after his mid-August campaign launch. He bolted to the top of national polls and then fell right back down after opponents fixed their fire on him in three September debates.
Perry still expects to play well in Iowa, site of the country's first nominating contests, and the former farmer met voters Saturday with an I'm-like-you pitch at every stop.
"My conservative values are pretty similar to the ones I see reflected here in the Midwest, where you measure an individual by how they walk, not just how they talk," Perry said in Orange City.
Asked by a voter about Social Security, Perry stayed away from his earlier descriptions of the program as a "Ponzi scheme" and a "monstrous lie" to younger generations. Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and Perry's chief rival for the nomination, has said such language could hurt Republicans against Obama.
Perry was quick to say he did not want to alter the program for Americans at or near retirement but said it needs changes over the longer term.
"Are we to stagger up the age at which people become eligible?" Perry said in Sioux City. "We're all living substantially longer than when Social Security was put into place. To me that makes sense, to move that age up. Are we going to means test it in some form or fashion? I don't have a problem with that concept either."
Means testing is the process of reducing benefits for wealthy recipients.
Perry seemed determined to tone down the bravado that has led some Republicans to question whether he would implode in a general election matchup against Obama. Even when asked Saturday about the idea that he's an "I-shot-a-coyote-in-the-face candidate," Perry gave a restrained reply, saying Americans "are interested in a serious candidate who will get America working again."
Perry also fielded questions about his support of a Texas law allowing some children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition. He again defended the law, which opponents have criticized heavily in debates, while also saying he has opposed driver's licenses for illegal immigrants and supported stricter voter identification requirements at the polls.
"Are we going to create a class of tax wasters or taxpayers?" Perry asked in defense of the tuition law. "Texas chose the latter."
He added that he would not advocate that approach on a national basis.
And, after a reminder in Sioux City from first lady Anita Perry, the governor noted that the Texas law calls on those students to work toward citizenship. That was enough to satisfy Larry Fuller, a retired pharmaceutical salesman who asked about the tuition law.
"He's not the best speaker, but he certainly makes a point," Fuller said. "I think it's a good program if it's handled right. Citizenship has got to be tied in there."
Perry boosted his campaign last week by announcing that he had raised $17 million in his first seven weeks as a candidate, which is probably more than any other candidate raised in the third quarter of the year. Candidates are not required to report their fundraising to the Federal Election Commission until Oct. 15.
Still, he has plenty of work to do. The Republican candidates will debate Tuesday in New Hampshire, and Perry needs to prove he can better defend his record and handle complex questions on national and international issues.
And a new controversy developed Friday about Romney's Mormon faith.
Robert Jeffress, the lead pastor at First Baptist Church in Dallas, introduced Perry at a speech Friday to the Values Voters Summit in Washington, calling the governor "a committed follower of Christ." Perry thanked him, and said Jeffress had "hit it out of the park."
Afterward, Jeffress told reporters Romney was "not a Christian" and that Mormonism is a cult. Jeffress repeatedly made similar comments during Romney's 2008 presidential campaign. Questions about his faith plagued Romney's previous campaign, but he had been able to keep them at bay so far this time.
On Saturday, also speaking to the Value Voters Summit, Romney denounced "poisonous language" against faiths. He did not directly confront Jeffress' words. He was criticizing another speaker at the meeting who is known for anti-Mormon and anti-Muslim rhetoric and who followed him on stage.
But his cautionary words served as notice that attacks on faiths should, in his view, be off the table. He appealed to the social conservatives to support a presidential candidate who has the best record on the economy.
Mormonism sparks concern among evangelical Christians, a critical bloc of voters in the Republican primary. Some say they do not believe Mormons are Christian because they also rely on the Book of Mormon as a holy text, which some view as deviating from the Jesus Christ who is portrayed in the Bible.
At an event in Iowa after his Washington speech Friday, Perry was asked if he believes Mormonism is a cult.
"No," Perry said.
And his campaign noted that it was the Family Research Council, which hosted the speeches by Perry and other candidates this weekend, that asked Jeffress to introduce Perry.
Tony Perkins, head of the council, told Politico that the Perry campaign approved Jeffress as his introducer.
The flare-up highlighted an issue that could play a big role in Iowa and other states with early nominating contests.
"They have some strange ideas in that," said Clyda Novotny, a nurse from Sioux City. "Not to judge anybody, but I totally disagree with the Mormon religion. That would stop me."
Others said Romney's faith did not bother them.
"I think people from a lot of disparate backgrounds can step into the Oval Office and do real well," said Jeff Keady, the pastor of an evangelical church in Orange City.
Keady said Perry seemed much more comfortable in person than he does on television, and that could go a long way in a state where voters expect to personally vet their candidates.
"A lot of it will depend on how nice they are to us when we meet them," said Ken Browne, a Sioux City retiree who said he's unsure whom to support. "We need someone with a little zip to them."
Perry has a much better chance than Romney, who has no chance.
At this point, I would say that Cain is the front runner.
I agree...I knew they’d tone him down...and that is what people liked about him. Once, he is off the ropes, I’ll have someone close to his family tell him to go back being Rick Perry. His value voters speech had a few great remarks.
Little to much...I requested those additional to be deleted.
He certainly appears to know what he’s doing in that picture. Good trigger form ... end of the trigger finger on the trigger, both eyes open, good cheek contact. Nice shooting form. Nice weapon, too.
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Perry to deliver Pittsburgh policy speech |
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Rick Perry will deliver a policy address in Pittsburgh next Friday, his campaign said. |
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© 2011 POLITICO LLC |
Don’t care much for the position of that left hand though ...
I read that too. It is going to be one of those with few specifics because the piece said that Perry will be rolling out his ideas in a series of these speeches. This is not going to cut it. He needs to get bold fast. People are fed up with pussy footing politicians. That is why Cain’s 999 is getting attention. There are flaws, but it is something for people to look at that will fundamentally change the system. Even Huntsman has a pretty solid economic plan dropping all the tax rates dramatically. Unfortunately, it is from Huntsman. A professional loser.
Got to love the “Good ‘Ol Boys” who think that this is simply a race between liberal Romney and liberal Perry. And that if they somehow spend enough to buy the nomination the rest of us will simply fall in line and vote for the winning liberal. Guess again.
You got to have more than a blank resume slate. You’ve got to have governored a state like Palin or Perry.
And what did Cain win before?
Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association
His early stumbles will probably help him focus and sharpen up.
Red Meat voters would go with someone like Herman Cain because he tells them what they want to hear and they never consider the fact that the man has no record to judge him on regarding any policy or issue because he was never elected to an office to enact a policy or to vote for a policy. Even Obama was elected to the Senate before he ran for President.
Bold I agree with. Fast, OK, but not rushed. It's got to be well thought out, and delivered confidently and smoothly, perhaps over several days. Maybe a seminar or a conference would be a good launch platform.
Apparently some of these debates judging by his rise in the polls. Debates are important despite what team Perry is saying. It is a first intro to these candidates to a lot of people. If Perry is not good in them, he had better step it up in other ways to make up ground. Bold policy moves would be a great start. He needs an Art Laffer's cocktail napkin.
Perry’s only function is to suck votes from Cain at this point and assure Romney’s nomination - just like Bachmann and Santorum and Ron Paul are doing. They are dividing the Conservative vote.
“Then McCain came back strong and won the nomination by March 2008.”
Just lovely. :/
Within the Republican Party, I see Romney as a progessive statist, far on the far left wing of the GOP. Perry is more of a center right conservative within the party, more in line with the new breed of Republican we saw elected in 2010.
I hope somebody smacked him upside the head! :)
Regarding the 9-9-9 tax plan it is politically foolish and big loser because it is going to force the 50% of the people who are not paying any tax now to pay a lot more in taxes. Many of Cain supporters are among those 50% of the population and they will be paying much more in taxes under his plan but the guys is giving them red meat rhetoric so logic be damned.
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