The act of running for office is an education in itself. However, there’s nothing like experience, as we’ve seen historically.
We know how Romney governs. We’ve seen the results. He did no favors for Mass. or the US. We will all soon live with the results if we can’t get rid of Romneycare.
We know how Rick Perry governs. He has not harmed Texas in any way and has protected us from the worst of Obama, at the very least blunted the effects of Federal neglect at the border, and controlled spending while preventing the institution of an income tax on the fiscal side and protected life and marriage on the social side.
Perry, Bachmann, Santorum, Gingrich, Paul and Huntsman have all led political lives; Romney grew up around politics, served 4 years as Mass gov, run for president for some time now - is a politician/businessman; Cain's career is as a businessman but also includes political organizing and running for political office.
So it would seem, being President of the United States isn't for political novices?
So who has been the most successful politician?
Answer: Governor Rick Perry.
Rick Perry started as a Democrat in West Texas (essentially THE only party). He served in the Texas legislature - was known as one of the "pit bulls," conservative members who sat in the lower pit of the House Appropriations Committee and bitterly fought spending increases.
Perry changed parties in 1989, joining Phil Gramm and other conservative Texas Democrats, who now had a true ideological party with a burgeoning Texas GOP.
When Perry campaigned for Lt. Gov. [1998], he and his campaign staff were in it to win and his hard-nosed style was against the "friendly" advice and request of GWB [in re-election bid for Texas Gov] and Rove to run easy against Sharp, a popular democrat (and Aggie friend of Perry's from their A&M years together). Rove wanted to broaden Bush's base for his upcoming White House run. Perry told them he'd run his campaign his own way, because he knew the voters would vote for Bush for Gov. and then cross back over and vote for Sharp (D) for Lt. Gov, if he just walked through the motions like the Bush-Rove team asked him to do.
Perry won the seat for Lt. Gov. -- the first Republican elected to that office since Reconstruction. Now 13 years later and into his 3rd term as Texas governor, the GOP holds a super majority. So Perry has earned his conservative spurs -- fighting both parties!
[The Bushes and Rove supported Kay Bailey Hutchison's primary challenge against Gov. Perry in the 2010 election too]