Perry stays in presidential race, says it ‘wasn’t a hard decision’

Austin American Statesman ^

[wk4bush2004]

Gov. Rick Perry said today he will continue his presidential campaign despite a fifth-place showing in the Tuesday Iowa caucuses and serious questions about whether he can continue. “I re-assessed,” Perry said as he left his West Des Moines hotel at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. “We’re headed to New Hampshire and South Carolina.” Perry surprised the political world - and many of his advisers - when he Tweeted this morning that he would stay in the race. His Tweet included a photo from his morning jog.

“I was out on the trail when it kind of came to me,” Perry said.

Perry has scrapped campaign events over the next couple of days in South Carolina but will take part in two weekend debates in New Hampshire. He is unlikely to do well in New Hampshire’s primary next week, so he will instead focus on South Carolina’s Jan. 21 primary.

“It’s clearly there,” Perry said. “South Carolina is a place where I feel very comfortable that the values and the people and the time that we spent there. We’re going to give the people of South Carolina, New Hampshire and America a choice in this election.”

[World'sGoneInsane]

[kenavi]

Didn't Roy and Dale have their horse stuffed?

Or was it the other way around??

[teddyballgame1]

Perry “re-assesses” and decides to drop out after SC.

What a doofus.

[South40]

Pro-ILLEGAL alien - check

Pro-nanny-state medicine -- check

Weak as they come as a presidential candidate -- check

Seen as aloof and out of touch -- check.

Unable to construct a three word sentence w/o making a complete fool of himself, -- check.

Staying in the race is only helping the liberal Mitt Romney -- check.

Rick Perry will never be POTUS.

[KarlInOhio]

Perry is just waiting for Romney to turn the full attention of the Mitt-Stream Media on Santorum to scatter his supporters like Newt's were. Then Perry will be there to scoop them up on their a second lap around the Not-Mitt track.

[TADSLOS]

LOL! Only in Perryworld is 5th place a win.

[af_vet_rr]

Why shouldn't Perry continue on? He should do better in SC than Iowa and why should we be calling this nomination process over after the first caucus?

Except that the polls say he's not doing better in SC. He might get a slight bump from Bachmann leaving, and I have a feeling that Bachmann leaving helped him to decided whether or not to say in the race today, but even if he got all of Bachmann's folks, that still only puts him ahead of Ron Paul. It doesn't address the definite surge Santorum will get, and Perry won't get all of Bachmann's backers. In fact, Bachmann's supporters could easily push Santorum past Perry and into 4th or 3rd place.

And let we forget, there were FReepers and others saying that Perry was doing a lot better in Iowa than the 8% - 12% polling that we were hearing, and that he had an amazing ground game and was spending millions on advertising.

He finished with 10%. That is not doing better than the polling indicated. In fact, it's worse than some of the polls indicated, but it's uncanny how Perry was within a percentage point of the last two weeks of polling.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

So,what does it matter? We’re just starting and already amazing things have happened and they continue to happen.

[af_vet_rr]

Actually I think anybody who still has money and has 5% or more should stay in it. That's why I was so surprised last night when Perry indicated he wasn't sure whether to continue or not - normally he can be decisive, but it sure sounded like he was throwing in the towel.

It's also why I'm surprised that Bachmann threw in the towel. I think she needed to go though - her attacks against other Republicans were just plain ridiculous and sleazy. Perry hurt himself with his mistakes and views, but Bachmann on the other hand hurt herself by her attacks on others, and that was a travesty.

[CatherineofAragon]

“Perry “re-assesses” and decides to drop out after SC.

What a doofus.”

So who do you support? I saw you on another thread, upset that Gingrich didn’t congratulate Romney on his “victory.”

[John Valentine]

Perry was the only candidate in Iowa other than the “big three” to cary a county - he carried 2, and was a strong second place finisher in several more.

He needs to send his campaign pollsters into these counties to find out what went right - and use that information to tweak his campaign message.

I think SC could be very fertile ground for Perry. He is absolutely right on each and every issue that I care about, and he has the executive experience to back that up. I think that he could be the most electable candidate on the field. He certainly does not have any of the negatives that plague Romerry, Gingrich, and Santorum - all talkers. Or Paul, either, whose cotton stuffing is showing through the seams.

[World'sGoneInsane]

So who are you supporting this week?

[naxetevitan]

My guess is that GHWB & Son made calls to Perry and asked him to stay in the race to siphon votes and $$ from Santorum.

The Bush clan and Perry don't like each other. At ALL. Perry views them as northern transplants who are an integral part of the "GOP-Establishment-Elite D.C.-Insider" club. (Don't bother googling; i just made that up).

Likewise, GHWB and kin (and Rove et al) think of Perry as a hayseed Texas plowboy who couldn't possibly live up to their elite standards.

That phone call would never happen, not even by proxy. I have as much chance of winning the Texas Lotto this week, which is NO chance because i didn't buy a ticket.

[South40]

So who are you supporting this week?

You say that as if to imply I have switched many times. We both know that isn't true...nor is who I support relevant in this discussion of RINO Rick Perry and his abysmal performance both as governor of Texas and as a presidential candidate. I support Santorum and did before yesterday. And I do so because he's a conservative, not a RINO turd like your hero Perry.

[af_vet_rr]

Perry was the only candidate in Iowa other than the “big three” to cary a county - he carried 2, and was a strong second place finisher in several more.

He needs to send his campaign pollsters into these counties to find out what went right - and use that information to tweak his campaign message.

You didn't bother looking at the actual results, did you?

Out of the two counties he won, in Taylor County, he beat Ron Paul by 18 votes. In Union County, he beat Rick Santorum by 7 votes.

If he tweaks his campaign message for South Carolina or the nation on the basis of 25 votes in Iowa or the counties in which he was close, then it would be undeniable proof that he's an idiot. Iowa is not SC or the rest of the nation.

If Perry wants to learn anything from Iowa, he should try and figure out why it cost him $480 per vote, while Willard Romney only had to spend $155 per vote and Santorum only had to spend $20 per vote. He should try and figure out why those hundreds or possibly a thousand volunteers from Texas couldn't help him do any better than 5th place.

He should try and reassure his money people that it will not cost him nearly $480 per vote in future contests.

He should also try and figure out what to do about the fact that the polls in Iowa leading up to the caucus had him consistently between 8 - 14 percent, with the end result being him getting 10.3% of the votes, and how that might be reflected in SC showing him at under 6% and FL showing at 4%.

He benefits from Bachmann dropping, but she had already been polling low in both SC and FL, and he definitely won't get all of her supporters, which could still leave him in 4th or 5th place behind Romney, Gingrich, Paul, and Santorum. Bachmann tried to poison the well when it comes to Perry, so her supporters probably won't flock to him.

[af_vet_rr]

He certainly does not have any of the negatives that plague Romerry, Gingrich, and Santorum - all talkers. Or Paul, either, whose cotton stuffing is showing through the seams.

If he doesn't have any of the negatives, then why has he done so poorly, so consistently in the national polls and then in Iowa? For months Perry supporters have been talking about a surge and some even pushed Iowa as that surge manifesting itself, and that surge turned out to be not even a ripple in a small pond.

Which brings up another point that I forgot to mention in my other post to you: Some FReepers claimed that Perry's internal polling had him doing much better in Iowa than what the MSM polls were showing.

Given that he actually did worse than several of the MSM polls, either those FReepers were lying, or Perry's pollsters are incompetent.

Perry should be deeply concerned that they were so far off, if in fact his internal polls showed him doing better. I wouldn't put it past a few of those FReepers to claim that his internal polling showed him doing better just to try and help his image out.

[MissouriConservative]

Santorum shot his wad in Iowa. Won’t see another first place finish...ever.

[World'sGoneInsane]

And I do so because he's a conservative, not a RINO turd like your hero Perry.

Wow, out of the mouth of a supporter of Christian conservative. I'm sure Santorum and the Duggars would be so proud, not.

[thecodont]

Perry was the only candidate in Iowa other than the “big three” to cary a county - he carried 2, and was a strong second place finisher in several more.

He needs to send his campaign pollsters into these counties to find out what went right - and use that information to tweak his campaign message.

I think SC could be very fertile ground for Perry.

Exactly! Good seed and good ground. Spread it wide.

[South40]

I'm sure Santorum and the Duggars would be so proud, not.

I don't post to make Santorum or the Duggars proud, I post the truth. If you or any other RINO Perry supporter don't agree, that's good also.