Posted on 01/11/2012 1:23:47 PM PST by Qbert
Following much thoughtful consternation, I have decided to pull my support and endorsement of Texas Governor Rick Perry for the GOP presidential nomination. I realize the redstate diary commenters, won’t be kind but this needs to be said. This decision wasn’t easy but a serious evaluation of the field should inform us that Rick Perry has no realistic path to victory in South Carolina, Florida and beyond.
I realize that redstate.com’s Erick Erickson continues to stick by him, that South Carolina is Perry’s state and that he has re-tooled his staff. But it is too little too late and at this point, Mitt Romney is all but certain to capture this nomination. I realize that he is one of the only smaller government conservatives in this race, but he has blown this race through his own actions and we can no longer help him.
I have been an ardent Perry supporter. On griffinelection.com, we have over 35 positive pro-Perry-for-President articles. But no matter how much we have tried to help Perry from the grassroots up, his campaign staff has been plagued with incompetency and Perry himself let us all down with his terrible debate performances.
The truth is that, this race was never about Rick Perry the person, we got behind him because he was the only candidate that had governed a state successfully and was also a strong advocate for smaller government. But his time is gone. Outside of the conservative blogosphere echo chamber, there is almost no support for Perry. As intelligent political thinkers we need to know when to fight and when to live to fight another day.
I chose Perry because I thought his bravado, record as a job creator and social conservative views would be the ultimate contrast to President Obama. Unfortunately, he has instead seemed aloof, asleep and shallow in debates. I above all people, hate to admit it, but neither Perry nor his team were ready for prime time. In fact, none of the campaigns, save Romney have been ready — but others have survived.
Perry was the ultimate Christian leader who held open prayer in Texas and held socially conservative views on almost every issue came in fifth place in Christian Iowa. In all honesty, he should have displayed the same responsibility that Ms. Bachmann displayed in bowing out then. Now, Perry goes limping into South Carolina even more injured.
He received 1% in New Hampshire last night.
But it isn’t simply his past failures that have brought me to this point. It Perry’s dismal chances of future success that has forced us to embrace someone new. Perry is polling at 5% support in South Carolina, his strongest state, his “last stand” state, the state where he announced he would run. I love Governor Perry. I wish he had never had the “oops” minute, but he is now polling at fifth place in South Carolina without any momentum at his back. With less than two weeks to go and a six person race, Perry simply has no chance to make a comeback this late in the game.
Even if Perry had a strong uptick in support, it wouldn’t be enough to slay Romney who is receiving over 30% of support in South Carolina. There is simply no alternative.
So, what candidate should voters support if they don’t support the candidate who is:
The father of universal healthcare and the individual mandate in America, the father of Gay Marriage in America, a candidate that supported abortion his entire career and still doesn’t think Roe v. Wade should be reversed. If you think gun rights are protected under the Second Amendment and that Ronald Reagan was the best modern day president, who do you go with? Certainly not Mitt Romney, he opposes your views.
There is only three other guys – Huntsman, Santorum and Gingrich.
Jon Huntsman had an above average night in New Hampshire last night, but losing to Ron Paul in his “must-win” state isn’t going to raise him above 3% support in South Carolina.
That leaves two. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are the guys left standing going into South Carolina.
They both bested Perry in Iowa and New Hampshire. They are both getting the necessary press time. And in South Carolina, they are both receiving 20% support. Rick Perry is receiving 5%. If that 5% could go to either of these candidates, we would have someone who could compete with Romney’s 30%.
Let me reiterate, that this isn’t a normal race. If there is one clear alterative to Romney, that person can rise from the ashes and still win this thing. There has never been such a weak yet inevitable frontrunner in modern American politics. Because of this Romney will lose in November. The voters who stayed home in 2000 after learning of Bush’s DUI, aren’t going to vote for a pro-abort, individual mandate, Massachusetts Moderate. Romney will campaign without a passionate base. Sure, our leaders from elected officials to tv personalities will get in line, but many conservative voters still think for themselves and won’t. So anyone interested in winning should consider alternatives.
Overall, the base is just to unenthused about Romney to give him the nomination this early. His delegate count is still very low. We need to make this a fight. After South Carolina we have Florida, where Rick Perry is garnering 4.5% support from likely voters compared with 20% apiece with Santorum and Gingrich.
I ask that all Rick Perry supporters in South Carolina and Florida join me in leading. Please make the difficult decision to back a new candidate that can actually beat Mitt Romney.
Santorum and Gingrich are both infinitely better than Romney and a two-man race will make it easier for a victor to emerge. Over half of us are against Romney, imagine what we could do if we could unite under the umbrella of conservatism. There is still time.
(Emphasis added)
Nope.
Nope or not yet?
If Rick Perry gets under 10% of the vote in both SC and FL will you switch then?
When Perry talked about going back to Iraq, I said he was only going to get 1% of the vote.
And then he did!
No
If Romney takes SC and FL (after already taking NH and supposedly, IA), and then wins NV (where he is favored), it will be very, very difficult to stop him after that point.
The numbers are the numbers, unfortunately.
In FL primary, Perry had my vote, but it looks like he won’t be in it by then. I expect him to drop out after SC.
Santorum has my vote now in FL.
Perry is sounding too much like an occutard with his Bain bashing. Romney isn’t a conservative, and his record as a Massachusetts progressive should be a target rich environment. Instead of focusing on Romneycare and Mitt’s liberal record, Perry has for some reason gotten off on this whole “vulture capitalism” thing and it isn’t going to work and is only alienating any support Perry may have had from Rush and others. It’s sad too, because I was very enthusiastic for Perry early on and even though his miserable debate performances I’d hoped he could come back. Attacking Romney from the left just tells me Perry is in desperation mode and willing to say pretty much anything no matter how ridiculous.
I like Perry a lot better than Santorum, but it doesn’t seem as if Perry is going to be able to get any traction. Santorum was a fluke in Iowa, and we’ll probably see him dropping in the next round, too.
That said, the one who should simply get out is Ron Paul, because he is not a Republican, there is no way he should be running in the GOP primary, there is no way this 77 year old nutcase is going to get the nomination, and he is just preventing any of the three non-Romney possibles from getting enough votes to coalesce as the leader.
I want a strong leader, with a proven record of accomplishments and a clear vision of the future. I want a president that will turn this country around intelligently and quickly.
I will continue to support the one man that I believe in my heart and head can turn this country around and set the right course for my children and grandchildren to have a better future........ that man is Newt Gingrich.
GO NEWT GO.........
I guess you know that your are ‘voting’ for ‘Bammy’? If not someone will be along shortly to explain it to you. (sarc)
After SC MAYBE Fla. it will be too late and Romney will take the crown.
I liked Perry and still do. But his campaign has been a clusterf**k.
His latest reincarnation as a occupy wall street type was a huge mistake.
This can’t work. If you simply urge Perry supporters to drop him and “support another candidate”, at best you get half to quit, and they spread out among the other candidates, INCLUDING Romney, so nobody really gets ahead.
What would need to happen is for Rick Perry to quit and endorse. But he won’t do that until after South Carolina, because for some reason he feels obligated to compete there. And since South Carolina is a proportional state, he’s not really hurting anybody by staying in the race. He can spend his money attacking Romney, which he couldn’t do if he dropped out.
Perry doesn’t have enough support to push either Gingrich or Santorum over the top right now.
Santorum/Martinez with Newt in a very high cabinet position and Palin as energy secretary.
But he never received “flavor of the month” like the rest of them.
The one who should get out is Hartman. And if Perry drops out, the votes would go to Santorum. Santorum is not perfect but he can win against Obama.
Gingrich offers a good debate show with the stuttering ahhhh ummmm Obama but after that he will be painted as an old DC Insider.It will be left vs right no matter which man gets it.Rgwt will paint either one as extremists.I’ll take Santorum or Gingrich but my first choice is Santorum.Besides... Obama cannot win without the communist wealth state of PA.I predicted many months ago Santorum would rise.
Gingrich offers a good debate show with the stuttering ahhhh ummmm Obama but after that he will be painted as an old DC Insider.It will be left vs right no matter which man gets it.The MSM will paint either one as extremists.I’ll take Santorum or Gingrich but my first choice is Santorum.Besides... Obama cannot win without the communist wealth state of PA.I predicted many months ago Santorum would rise.
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