Texas Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry talked with a friend
in September 1991 while visiting a ranch outside Austin.
Posted on 11/06/2011 1:18:25 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Democrats had ruled the state Agriculture Department for a hundred years. Perry immediately ejected Hightower loyalists and Democratic operatives from the agency. He pledged to cut the department’s staff by 20 percent and scale down the number of regional offices around the state.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry talked with a friend
in September 1991 while visiting a ranch outside Austin.
After Rick Perry switched from Democrat to Republican in 1989, he set out to become, in the words of his mentor Phil Gramm, more Catholic than the pope.
During the next 22 years, as he rose to the top of Austin’s power grid, Perry not only left his Democrat friends behind — he helped destroy them politically. And Texas evolved into a redder-than-red state.
Perry and the GOP took down U.S. Rep. Charlie Stenholm, Texas House Speaker Pete Laney , Texas Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower , Texas Comptroller John Sharp and many other Democrats...
Perry has portrayed his move as a matter of principle, while those Democrats, and others, say it was the result of political ambition. Expressing grudging admiration, Stenholm said, “Rick has become a master politician.”
Stenholm and Perry grew up where pump jacks, cattle and rows of cotton exist side by side on the plains of rural West Texas. Stenholm, a conservative “blue dog” Democrat, was already in Congress when he helped recruit a 33-year-old Perry to run for state representative in 1984.
....After graduating from Texas A&M in 1972, Perry spent six years as an Air Force pilot and then returned to Haskell County in 1977 to work the farm and ranch with his dad. He had gotten a taste for politics after joining the American Agriculture Movement, which brought the problems of family farmers and ranchers to public attention...........
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
“Because that would be totally false and his record and statements prove it. Perry opposes amnesty but you oppose Perry so you lie about his positions.”
Again, I NEVER said that Perry wanted Amnesty, directly. I have said that the Dream Act MUST lead to Amnesty, unless the plan is to have INS people at their graduations to handcuff them and put them on a bus to Mexico.
I have also NEVER said that this plan to LEGALIZE 10,000,000+ people, rather than get rid of them is Amnesty - but I have said that as long as they remain in the country, we will ONE COURT RULING from having them declared citizens (or a future president/Congress doing the same).
What Perry is saying that these illegals will now be allowed to work here for decades into the future, but NEVER allowed to vote. What are you smoking this morning?
“Newt and Cain are in favor of a guest worker program, too.”
So am I. They apply in their home countries, come here alone, when they have sponsors, and leave at the end of their visa. No problem there.
I simply want the 12,000,000 ILLEGALS that are here to be sent home and Perry wants ALL of them to stay, forever.
I know Gov. Perry’s record. I will take his word over yours any day of the week.
You are from a state that has more illegals than Texas.
Because it is the Federal Gov't's place to protect the borders, what have you done to pressure YOUR Congressmen and losers for Senators to protect the border from illegal immigrants?
What have you done to stand up for the border states, including your own, when they are sued by the Feds when they pass laws against illegal immigrants?
Is CA being sued by the Feds? Has CA even done anything to fight illegals?
“Not only that but Perry has made it crystal clear that SEALING the border will be NUMBER ONE! He is the only candidate who will make this happen. “
Well he could start by setting an example in Texas, rather than coddling them and calling the rest of us ‘heartless’.
Cincinatus’ Wife,
That’s a lot of history in that article, some good, some not as flattering, but a good honest assessment of Rick Perry’s overall political history in Texas.
What I find amazing, and this is not here in this article but is hinted at, is that Rick Perry, once a Texas Democrat (understandably more of a Southern conservative but still a Democrat), made his switch to the GOP, taking those Southern conservatives with him right over to the Republican Party?
I moved here to Texas in 2006, and from what I see here now, I just can’t even imagine a Texas that would EVER go the Democrat “way”! LOL I know there are some Democrat nutzos here too, and maybe a few of the old kind of Southern conservatives who just never made the official switch of parties, but as the article here said, Texas is the reddest of red states.
And those historical changes within this state’s history seem to almost run parallel to Governor Perry’s transformation from a Southern conservative to an inspirational GOP governor of The Great (Conservative) State of Texas.
Just an awesome story when all is put into the perspective it deserves to be put in.
Michele Bachmann applauds your efforts but you have to lie to post that.
The telling line comes from trying the lefty statement of saying laws against illegals are like the jim crow laws. You are a sad individual, the Constitution says we have the right to protect out country from invasions. You are saying the Constitution is the same thing as a jim crow law. You need to crawl back over to DU.
Perry voted for George HW Bush, not Dukakis. That Al Gore was considered not leftist enough by Dems who thought Dukakis was just the ticket, was one of the last straws for Perry as a Dem. In fact, the facts are that the Dems put a famous Texan, Lloyd Bentson on the ticket to try to lure Texans, and it did not work, Texas went Republican and so did Rick Perry.
If you were in the voting booth with Perry and saw his ballot, it wouldn’t matter.
Your life consists of what you do here, and until you get another one, you wouldn’t change on a truth or dare.
Your comment about Democrats trying to impeach Reagan over Iran Contra, which Perry obviously would’ve disagreed with is ridiculous. You can’t order someones timing on when they switch parties as if they never did switch when they actually did do so. Who cares what you think about when?
Herman Cain voted for Bill Clinton and Al Gore on a ticket, after Rick Perry had become a Republican, and Cain was still a Democrat at that time.
What proof do you have the Gov. Perry has not worked to secure the border, wants the border sealed and is against amnesty?
That's almost funny.
And that relates to Gov. Perry in what way?
“I know Gov. Perry’s record. I will take his word over yours any day of the week.”
You know what they spoon-feed you. I have to live under this potentate.
LOL
You use Gov. Perry’s fight to strengthen GOP power in Texas as a negative.
Time for you to take a nap.
“Michele Bachmann applauds your efforts but you have to lie to post that.”
Did I misread something in Perry’s plan. He said he would LEGALIZE them so they can stay and work here. What part of his plan involves deportations or anything else to get them to leave?
Perry misses algore, oh how sweet, algore will still help him with his global warming and his work visa amnesty program.*******
Are you talking about Perry’s support for global warming? No politician in America has made stronger public statements condemning AGW as a scam than Perry, and that goes back to at least 2008 that I’m aware of.
I’ve lived in Texas over 20 years.
And earlier I lived in Arizona (20 years).
I expect I’ll die a Texan.
“The telling line comes from trying the lefty statement of saying laws against illegals are like the jim crow laws. “
Good point...that one got right past me. We’re definitely NOT dealing with conservatives here, at least on this thread.
What is Michele’s plan?
Perry is not calling for amnesty and making illegals citizens.
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