Posted on 07/16/2015 11:48:07 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The hardest shot yet at Trump from a fellow candidate.
“Donald Trump continues to demonstrate his fundamental misunderstanding of border security. Make no mistake – border security is a federal responsibility, but when I met with President Obama last year and it became clear he would not act, I told him if he would not secure the border, Texas would. Rather than thanking Texas for stepping into a gap it shouldn’t have to fill, Mr. Trump has made clear that he believes the states should fend for themselves on border security. Not only is this wrong, it perpetuates the same failed policies that have left our southern border porous and vulnerable.
I have a message for my fellow Republicans and the independents who will be voting in the primary process: what Mr. Trump is offering is not conservatism, it is Trump-ism – a toxic mix of demagoguery and nonsense.
America doesn’t need another president who pays lip service when issues of national security are at stake. America doesn’t need another president who will pass the buck on border security. We need a president who will finally act to secure the border after decades of failed leadership in Washington, D.C. And Mr. Trump has done nothing to prove that he is the president America needs.”
Lots of buzz on Twitter this afternoon from media types along these lines:
Rick Perry, who is on the cusp of being in the first debate, goes after Trump hard. Coincidence?
— Ryan Teague Beckwith (@ryanbeckwith) July 16, 2015
Perry’s been smacking Trump for the past two weeks. He went on Fox News on July 2nd, not long after Trump made his famous comment about rapists coming in from Mexico, to criticize him for his rhetoric. A week later, he posted a “video letter” to Trump on YouTube knocking him again and insisting that his views of Mexicans don’t represent the GOP. Now, a week after that, he’s dismissing Trump as a clown and a demagogue. The first debate is three weeks away and Perry’s currently 10th, right on the bubble for inclusion, in the RCP poll average. He’s searching for a way to put some distance between himself and the Santorums and Fiorinas of the world and a media war with Trump is, he figures, his best bet, assuming Trump finally takes the bait and starts swinging at him in forums more prominent than Twitter. This is part of the strategy too:
[I]n part thanks to Trump, Perry could be another candidate able to court Hispanic voters. Trump hurled a fireball into Perry’s court. Now it’s time for him to show us what he’s got.
He could start by showing the GOP how he managed to maintain a hard-line border security stance without alienating Hispanic voters, a fine balance that gained him 38 percent of the Hispanic vote in his last bid for governor. Or he could help them understand that calling undocumented immigrants criminals is offensive, as he did in his response to Trump. Perry has consistently offered measured responses about immigration policy, proving that you can both advocate for strengthened borders and remember that you’re talking about human life.
Another benefit: Going after Trump creates a contrast with Ted Cruz, a rival for Texas donors and tea-party voters, who’s been hugging Trump lately in hopes of inheriting his voters once Trump quits the race. Perry’s grand plan here, I guess, is to make the debate, pick a fight with Trump onstage, get lots of Strange New Respect from the media and a bounce in the polls from conservative voters who dislike Trump, and hope that that lands him in the top tier with Bush, Rubio, and Walker. Success then breeds success. If he can edge past Cruz in the polls, he might end up being perceived by conservatives as their best shot against Jeb, which will boost his numbers further. And because he has the most obvious border cred of any of the contenders, he’s theoretically in a position to win over some Trump voters as the true immigration warrior in the field.
In reality, I think it’s more likely that the Strange New Respect will happen but most righty voters will shrug, either because they’re Trump fans and resent Perry’s criticism or because they dislike Trump yet prefer one of the many other Not Trumps in the field. (How do you go from “Rick Perry’s right about Trump” to “I’m backing Rick Perry for president”?) Trump himself will apparently be looking to turn the debates into a “Trump vs. Bush” headline, leaving Perry a forgotten man. Besides, I think Perry’s core assumption, that Trump’s popularity is due to his stance on immigration and therefore might be transferable to another border hawk like himself, is fundamentally wrong. Trump is polling well for two reasons: One is simple name recognition, the other is that he’s politically incorrect, and not just politically incorrect but politically incorrect about a topic that Beltway Republicans have been straining for years to make the party “correct” about. Perry’s right that Trump’s conservatism is an inch deep, but by pitting himself against the politically incorrect guy on immigration, I think he risks righties overlooking his own record on the border to lump him in with all the other D.C. RINOs who are desperate for amnesty. Hope I’m wrong about that.
Go home, Rick.
People in Haskell haven’t seen Rick in months. They are waiting.
Actully thus far, I have ruled out only Jebbie and Lindsey Graham and Haley for V.P. I will consider all others, including Crispy Creme, but I hope he goes nowhere fast.
Shuddup perry already.
lol if perry is conservative then the meaning is lost !
Mr. Trump has made clear that he believes the states should fend for themselves on border security.
Perry needs to get out of politics now, and go get one of those jobs he created. As long as he tries to hang around the political scene, his is worth will keep going down.
Perry, Mr. in-state tuition for illegals, is selling himself as tough on immigration? Have you come up with any more magnets to lure them in with, LaRaza Rick?
Perry really is a stupid bastard.
Obviously Rick wasn’t paying attention when Ronald Reagan said, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” (The Republican 11th Commandment.)
Perry was right to step into the void with Obama; Trump is right as to the retained State war powers, when a State is actually invaded.
we do not need Trump.
He isn't a true conservative. he is a mouth.
I am not Defending Perry, I am disappointed.
When ever you see La Raza Rick you should always think Trans Texas Corridor.
Perry, have another drink. Trump has taken your fire. Trumpism is also known as Leadership, Guts, Boldness, etc... You once had it but it got lost someplace when you lost to——Mittens. If Trump is gathering the “crazies” it only means there are a great many “crazies” in the GOP who have no voice. The RINOs are being led out to pasture—and it looks like, maybe, you are one of them. I expected much better from you Rick.
That’s right Rick...insult the base.
Bye Rick. You’ve had two chances at bat, struck out each time on one pitch.
Looks like Perry is going for broke. I don’t think it will pay off, since he has refused to attack Obama with the same vigor and Obama has more issues to attack.
Trump is a loud mouthed publicity whore who has donated a lot of money to Democrats. Much as I like the stuff he is saying, I don’t trust him. I can see him being used to drag the ‘Pubbies beyond the realm of the “politically possible” then bailing.
But he is saying stuff the rest of GOP lacks the testicular fortitude to say, and which people would like to hear. Further, he does not back down and apologize when some pissant Democrat or race pimp gets “outraged.” This, naturally, strikes a chord.
If folks like Perry want him to go away, they need to pick up the load and carry it. Otherwise, Trump will gain more traction.
Is that so? Well, Perry-ism sure as hell isn't conservatism.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.