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Posted on 01/09/2012 8:25:23 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Is Rick Perry the Tea Party’s last hope in the 2012 election? As he prepares for his Alamo-moment in South Carolina, the longest serving governor in Texas history makes the case for limited government.
It’s a deliberate play for South Carolina’s once powerful Tea Party to come to his aid. During the 9AM MSNBC debate today with David Gregory, Rick Perry promised the Tea Party across the country that he would have their back against big spending Republicans. But will they have his?
Today, Amy Kremer of the Tea Party Express promised on Breitbart.tv that the organization will endorse before the January 21st.
Perry’s proposals of cutting the pay of Congress and prosecuting congressmen for insider trading have been popular among Tea Party supporters. Indeed, in November, Perry was accused of “pandering to the tea party” by none other than House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). The Texas Tea Party, however, withdrew their support of the governor for his support of sanctuary cities for illegal aliens. An October Washington Post/ABC poll confirms that his support was cratering among Tea Party activists, placing him just above Romney and Ron Paul. Perry is hoping that South Carolina is a bit more generous.
Only a few of the Republicans swept into power in South Carolina by the Tea Party have made endorsements. Tea Party darling, Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Mitt Romney and has been an active surrogate for the former Massachusetts governor as far afield as New Hampshire. Haley’s support in South Carolina, however, is cratering. A poll conducted by Winthrop University between Nov. 27 and Dec. 4 showed only 34.6 percent of those surveyed approved of Haley’s job performance, making her one of the least popular governors in the country.
Haley’s support for Romney may be pecuniary or payback. Romney’s “Free and Strong America” political action committee donated $36,000 to Haley’s campaign in 2010. More than 35 other Romney-backers received PAC money from the former Massachusetts governor before making their endorsements. Perhaps they were merely returning the favor. Or perhaps their campaigns were paid for that favor early in the process.
Thus far, the very popular Tim Scott has declined to endorse anyone for president. Rep. Scott’s highly coveted endorsement is seen as something of proxy for Senator Jim DeMint, the godfather of both the Tea Party and the South Carolina. In 2008, DeMint endorsed Mitt Romney, but in 2012, he has remained deliberately on the side lines.
Of the federal legislators in South Carolina, only freshman congressman (and Tea Party favorite) Mick Mulvaney has endorsed and he has endorsed Rick Perry. Mulvaney reportedly decided to support Perry after seeing his 20% flat tax proposal. “It’s very, very similar to what we’ve been talking about in terms of the Republican Study Committee, the conservative group within the House Republicans, and he went a little bit further than I think we’re going to go even. I was enthusiastic about somebody actually taking some bold steps,” Mulvaney told MSNBC. Perry also won the support of Bobby Harrell, South Carolina’s Speaker of the House.
South Carolina’s Tea Party groups hold their own convention in Myrtle Beach on Sunday, Jan. 15, and Monday, Jan. 16, the same day that the next– the 16th– of the presidential debates takes place.
Perry’s sure to be helped by his South Carolina advisors, which include former state GOP chairman Katon Dawson, who believes that Perry will play well with both evangelical and military voters who make up the Palmetto State’s Republican electorate. “Iowa picks corn, New Hampshire picks presidential campaign pockets, and South Carolina picks Republican presidents,” Dawson told reporters after Perry’s fifth place finish in Iowa.
Though there is no clear Tea Party candidate in South Carolina, Tea Party groups are pretty clearly opposed to Mitt Romney. Karen Martin, the head of the Spartanburg County, S.C., chapter and other Tea Party leaders put it simply in an interview with National Public Radio:
“There’s no Tea Partier that I talk to in the state or nationally that would want to promote Romney. Other than the people that have come out publicly and endorsed Mitt Romney and the people left over from his 2008 campaign, I do not personally know anyone that does not despise Mitt Romney and doesn’t hate the idea of him being our nominee.”
Governor Perry will be sure to keep proclaiming his conservative bona fides, especially on the Tenth Amendment, which is popular among Tea Partiers. To capitalize on that vote, Perry would do well to throw his backing to South Carolina’s fight against the Justice Department over voter fraud. He would also do well to speak out against President Obama’s unconstitutional recess bids, especially as those recess bids governing the National Labor Relations Board which is at war with Boeing over relocating their plant to a right-to-work state.
But two of them had better be prepared to bail should it become apparent the split conservative vote is enabling Romney.
You are so right.
Rick Perry = The Tea Party Candidate???
NOT if you ask IA, NH, SC, or Florida!!!
Florida Republican Presidential Primary Quinnipiac
Romney 36, Gingrich/Santorum 40, Paul 10, Perry 5
SC newest polling...
1/5 - 1/7 1112 LV 30 19 23 9 (5 Perry)
I know, that’s one reason I was so gobsmacked, LOL. Chris Wallace recognizes the truth, but conservatives don’t.
Do you ever get tired of spending so much time and effort searching for Perry threads so you can bash a good conservative man? I have to admit, I can’t imagine doing the same on Gingrich or Santorum threads.
Thanks CC you’re always so good about bring me the polling news.
NH newest polling..
New Hampshire Republican Presidential Primary Suffolk/7News Tracking
Romney 33, Paul 20, Huntsman 13, Santorum 10, Gingrich 11, Perry 1
What yardstick do you use to judge the candidates?
I agree with every word you said.
More so is the caustic environment whipped up around here to destroy anything or anyone not toeing the purist conservative line....and then a thread the other day expressing shock and wonder “taking stock” as to what to do now looking over the ruins and ashes of that scorched earth circular-firing squad policy.
The 11th commandment is roundly ridiculed, and Reagan’s “He’s not a 20% enemy, he’s an 80% friend” is ignored.
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Mitt's only chance (and his game plan) is for the anti-Romney vote to be divided up until it's too late. Conservative candidates should not oblige him.
It’s called reality. Something Perry does not realize.
If Willard wins SC in a squeaker while Spoiler Perry grabs a whopping 5% in SC, the Texas gov couldn’t care less.
Perry obviously only wants to be Willard’s VP.
Pathetic.
I'm a proven conservative in the Florida tradition of Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.
However people feel about Marco and Jeb, most just hear "Bush" and that's all. His record also states he backed Giuliani in 2008. Not the most popular move among conservatives.
Exactly.
Some days it seems like it’s by design.
I get my threads “dumped” into GOP Chat etc and insulting comments if I look side-ways at the flavor of the month, to tell me to stay out of their way.
But....they freely come onto Perry threads and leave their condolences or drop some half-truth or say how superior their moderate is because they CAN win (the 3rd or 4th one that they’ve said the same thing about).
Hm.
I must have missed something, but what’s wrong with O’Donnell? A few years ago, everyone was excited about him winning in Virginia. Now, I keep reading about what a disappointment he is, or what a flop he is! What happened? Do you know?
Indeed, Perry backing pro abortioner Rudy 100% in 2008 was a killer.
Perry is faithful to his wife which tells a LOT about a candidate. What is yours faithful to?
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