Free Republic

The Texas governor is first out of the gate with a statement commenting on Muammar Qadhafi's imminent demise, but not taking a position on the overall wisdom in the mission in Libya (and using a spelling of Qadhafi that I have not seen before): "The crumbling of Muammar Ghadafi’s reign, a violent, repressive dictatorship with a history of terrorism, is cause for cautious celebration. "The lasting impact of events in Libya will depend on ensuring rebel factions form a unified, civil government that guarantees personal freedoms, and builds a new relationship with the West where we are allies instead of...

Gov. Rick Perry, a no-apologies conservative known for slashing government spending and opposing all tax increases, is about as Republican as you can get. But that wasn’t always the case. Perry spent his first six years in politics as a Democrat, in a somewhat forgotten history that is sure to be revived and scrutinized by Republican opponents if he decides to run for president. A raging liberal he was not. Elected to represent a slice of rural West Texas in the state House of Representatives in 1984, Perry, a young rancher and cotton farmer, gained an early reputation as a...

Texas Gov. Rick Perry may have forgotten a thing or two about the Al Gore presidential campaign he helped lead in 1988. In an interview with an Iowa radio station on Monday, the Republican presidential contender explained his role as the Gore campaign’s Texas chairman by saying that “this was Al Gore before he invented the Internet and got to be Mr. Global Warming.”

1 pm EDT -- moments from now -- awaiting Perry speech announcing he is officially running for president

Last night's big winnner? Easy -- Rick Perry Bryan Fischer August 12, 2011 The big winner in last night's GOP debate was Rick Perry. This is for the simple reason that no one else won. The race from this point forward is Rick Perry and the Eight Dwarves. The exchange between Pawlenty and Bachmann was spirited, and there was nothing inappropriate about it. Politics ain't beanbag, as Lincoln famously observed. It's a contact sport, and part of what you must do in the primary season is distinguish yourself from your competitors. You have to throw some elbows to do that....

In 1986, I was running the Texas Democratic Party primary, and in walked an attractive rancher who submitted his filing to run as a Democrat for state representative for a district in rural West Texas. That rancher is now the state’s Republican governor, Rick Perry. I have known him for 25 years off and on, and I know his staff very well. And Perry is about to become a dominant force in the Republican nomination process for president. Nearly a year ago, I wrote a column for National Journal saying that we need to watch out for Perry, that he...

A pro-Rick Perry independent expenditure group, which is now putting some focus on other early states, says it was denied a booth on the grounds of the Ames Straw Poll because the governor's potential rivals didn't want it to happen.Bob Schuman, the main organizer for Americans for Rick Perry, made the charge in an interview with the Texas Tribune:Schuman said the declared candidates in the contest did not want the party to give any space to Americans for Rick Perry on the grounds at Iowa State University in Ames, where the event will be held. He said Iowa GOP officials...

Jul 20, 2011 — Will the Texas governor elbow his way into the crowded presidential race? Longtime Perry watcher Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune talks about why he thinks Perry will run and what kind of candidate he'd be. [snip] We spoke with the Texas Tribune's Evan Smith about the man he has followed since the early 1990s. A former editor of Texas Monthly magazine, Smith says he's convinced Perry will make a run at the White House, and tells us why other Republican hopefuls should be worried.

As he weighs whether to jump into the 2012 Republican presidential race, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been dialing GOP establishment bigwigs across the country. In phone calls that sometimes stretch more than a half hour, Perry asks the same questions: Is the door open for a new candidate? And how wide is it open? Perry is finding that a vast reservoir of the Republican Party establishment — broadly defined to include elected officials, donors, strategists and activists whose support fuels presidential campaigns — is so far untapped, according to interviews conducted Monday and Tuesday with 19 major donors, strategists...

Rick Perry has started calling Iowa Republicans and a former RNC finance chairman is helping to convene a meeting of national donors later this month in Austin to discuss financing a potential 2012 campaign — signs that the Texas governor and his allies are stepping up their exploratory efforts. The developments come as Perry is being watched by a string of donors, early-state voters and elites who say they're disenchanted, and in search of a stronger candidate. Continue Reading Republican activist Joni Scotter told POLITICO she got a surprise phone call this afternoon from Perry, asking about the political landscape...

A California lawmaker who endorsed Mitt Romney for president has now signed a letter asking Texas Gov. Rick Perry to get in the 2012 race. The Los Angeles Times reported that Assemblyman Paul Cook, a Yucaipa Republican, joined more than 20 people in signing the letter. The paper added that “more potential Romney defectors may sign the letter in coming days, according to a GOP source familiar with the meeting.” (GOP candidates’ fundraising starts slowly) Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, is viewed by many as the closest thing to the front-runner in the crowded race.

Rick O'Donnell, a former special adviser to the University of Texas System who received a $70,000 settlement, this week skewered top UT officials for trying to block the release of faculty productivity data, accusing them of orchestrating a scare campaign to pit donors and alumni against regents pushing for changes at the system. He also took shots at state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, who chairs the higher education committee, saying she went to bat for university brass due to overly cozy relations between lawmakers and public universities. Faculty and administrators "basically want to be left alone," O'Donnell said. "They push...

Whether Gov. Rick Perry of Texas takes the stage wearing a suit or jeans, he walks with a confident swagger in cowboy boots. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie owns any stage because of his blunt talk and seemingly unpopular remedies. Outspoken former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin breaks political stereotypes with her unpredictability. These three share something: They are popular Republicans who are not seeking the party's 2012 presidential nomination — yet. Republican voters and political strategists lately are speculating whether one of the three might be a better choice than any of eight declared GOP contenders. People are thinking about...

June 26, 2011 Why It Will Be President Perry in 2013 By Kevin McCullough 6/26/2011   Current Texas Governor Rick Perry will, in all likelihood, be President of the United States in January of 2013.    Having already said that on Fox News and the nationally syndicated Mancow Radio Experience, I guess it's time for me to now put into print what I see forming in front of me.    So I did.   I did this in December 2006 too. I was the first pundit to predict that Barack Obama would be President, and I said that would...

A Republican campaign veteran tells us that Texas Governor Rick Perry has decided to run for President, though the official word from Team Perry is still a definite maybe. Our normally reliable Republican source reports that Mr. Perry has surveyed the field and decided to get in the race later this summer, perhaps around the time of the national prayer meeting that Mr. Perry is hosting on August 6 at a Houston football stadium. Our source also reports that Mr. Perry is aiming to compete in the Iowa Straw Poll, even though it occurs just a week later, on August...

Wednesday, June 22, 2011 Great Middle American revolt gives rise to Bachmann, Perry Jeffrey T. Kuhner The winds of change are blowing. A political rebellion is brewing. The 2012 Republican presidential nomination is taking place within historic times: The decline and fall of big-government liberalism. President Obama’s attempt to transform America is finally creating a powerful backlash. The Obama presidency lies in rubble; failure has been its defining characteristic. The country is facing an economic crisis. Unemployment is high. Growth is anemic. Gas prices are sky-high. America is choking on its debt. We are bogged down in three failed wars....

Maybe some of our fellow Freepers down in Texas can tell us about this guy? I believe he's going to run. And if he runs.. what kind of chance does he have? He seems even slicker and more polished than Romney. And what's up with Perry attending the Bilderberg meeting????????????

Texas Gov. Rick Perry sounds more like a presidential candidate by the day. This weekend he gave a rousing speech at the Republican Leadership Conference in which he blasted the Obama administration as a bunch of smarty-pants busy-bodies. “They clearly think they know best,” said Governor Perry. “And let me tell you, I vehemently disagree. They don’t know best.” As he kept speaking he was interrupted by audience members chanting “Run Rick, Run!” But here’s a question: Is it too late for Gov. Perry to throw his drawl into the ring? It gets late early when it comes to running...

(CNSNews.com) – A standing ovation and cries of “Run, Rick, Run” greeted Texas Gov. Rick Perry following his campaign-like speech to a gathering of conservatives in New Orleans on Saturday. Addressing the Republican Leadership Conference, Perry wasted no time in criticizing the Obama administration for believing that government is the answer to every need and is most qualified to make essential decisions for individual Americans. “That mix of arrogance and audacity that guides the Obama administratino is an affront to every freedom loving American and a threat to every private sector job in this country.”

Texas Governor Rick Perry Wows GOP Crowd, Sets Stage For 2012 by Andrew Zarowny June 19, 2011 On Saturday, Texas Governor Rick Perry delivered the keynote address in New Orleans at the Republican Leadership Conference. Some 2,000 party activists from 38 states attended, hearing from several 2012 GOP presidential candidates on Friday as they argued why they want to replace Barack Obama in the White House. But no speech came close to getting the positive response as Perry did on Saturday. When finished, Rick Perry was met with chants of “Run, Rick, Run!” and “Perry 2012!” The highlights of Rick...