Free Republic

A daring Michele Bachmann appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and faced grilling questions on the HPV vaccine, gay marriage and homosexuality. As the liberal host of the late night talk show thanked the GOP presidential hopeful for being a “good sport,” he said, “We’ve done a million jokes. Hopefully, you haven’t been watching any of them.” However, soon thereafter Leno appeared unusually serious as he threw questions at Minnesota Congresswoman Bachmann. Leno’s first question Friday evening concerned Bachmann’s attacks on Texas Gov. Rick Perry for supporting the HPV vaccine. “Is that bad? It’s a vaccine to prevent...

John King CNN interview: 5:19 minute video: Could Rick Perry shake up GOP W.H. race?GUESTS: Erick Erickson [Red State] and Mimi Swartz [Texas Monthly] discuss the potential presidential candidacy of Texas Gov. Rick Perry.Swartz: “Formidable campaigner. People on the East Coast underestimate him at their peril. He’s relentless. Perry will fight to the death if he wants this.” King: If he gets in, who gets hurt? Erickson: Pawleny has most to lose. Bachman loses. Hurts Romney -- explains in detail. Palin and Giuliani won’t get in if Perry gets in. Swartz: quoting another pundit re: Bush/Perry -- Bush aristocratic –...

Perry and Bachmann on GOP Ticket? By Paul Stanley | Christian Post Reporter July 18,2011 Texas Governor Rick Perry seems to be getting closer to entering the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is already a committed candidate and in all respects, has earned “frontrunner” status. This leads many political analyst and pundits to wonder: Could Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann be the ideal “Dream Team” for Republicans in 2012? Perry successful executive experience, combined with Bachmann’s conservative legislative credentials could make an interesting combination, but could present some challenges at the same time. Kyle Kondik, a political...

(YBH) – Surely if the Republican party knows what is good for it, it will clear the path for Governor Rick Perry of Texas to take on President Obama next year. He is the guy. Texas’s economic story is amazing, especially compared to Barack Obama’s performance with the economy. I know. I know. The naysayers will say Rick Perry loves Jeebus (the left’s name for Jesus Christ) too much. But Barack Obama loves Rev. Wright. They’ll say he lives in a mansion that costs the tax payers of Texas over $10,000 per month. Well Obama got away with a shady...

Maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise that God called Rick Perry to serve in his present capacity, but I always thought the governor answered more directly to Houston home builder Bob Perry. As my colleague, Patricia Kilday Hart, reported Thursday, Perry — the governor, not the home builder — told a group involved in planning an Aug. 6 prayer rally in Houston that God "put me in this place at this time to do his will." Turns out some of that work involved too much government regulation and "a legal system that's run amok." Before we dismiss what the...

Don’t expect any Mitch Daniels-like concerns to keep Rick Perry out of the presidential race. In an interview with Janet Mefferd on the Salem Radio Network (owned by Salem Communications, also Hot Air’s parent company), Perry told the audience that his wife is not only enthusiastically supporting the idea of a presidential bid, she’s inspiring it. A former nurse, Anita Perry is “disheartened” about ObamaCare and the government intrusions into health care that have accelerated in this administration. While Perry says that being governor of Texas is “one of the great jobs in the world,” he’s feeling the call to...

.......The conventional wisdom has been that a sizeable portion of the party’s base wants to defeat Romney. Rather, the Republicans interviewed said, many in the party are satisfied with Romney but waiting to see if a stronger candidate emerges. “People are for him in the same way they were for Bob Dole” in 1996, said Tom Perdue, a longtime Georgia strategist. “They’re for him, but they’re looking far over their shoulder hoping somebody else is going to step up.” He said that some major Atlanta donors backing Romney have told Perdue privately that they would “jump ship really fast” if...

Scott said he talks to his counterpart every two to three weeks. Florida Gov. Rick Scott: State jobless rate: 10.6 percent; Texas Gov. Rick Perry: State jobless rate: 8 percent. Florida Gov. Rick Scott: 7,000+ jobs lost at Kennedy Space Center due to shuttle end; Texas Gov. Rick Perry: 4,100 jobs lost at Johnson Space Center in Houston. [Obama is killing jobs in both Florida and Texas] Florida Gov. Rick Scott: Was a co-owner of the Texas Rangers; Texas Gov. Rick Perry: Dispatched Texas Rangers to protect U.S. border. Florida Gov. Rick Scott: Led the nation in job creation in...

If Rick Perry does mount a successful bid for the U.S. presidency, it will be interesting to see whether he can translate his past and present criticisms of the federal government into concrete changes to the sprawling bureaucracy. Perry has yet to say he will or won’t toss his hat into the Republican race for the right to square off against President Barack Obama in 2012. He is, however, making all the moves of a potential candidate testing the waters. Insiders are mixed on the odds. Some say he’s definitely in; others put the odds at 50-50. But the mere...

Christian Right leaders are not rallying behind Michele Bachmann for president and it’s “probably” because they are sexist, contends a writer for Time. .....“Totally unfair and inaccurate” is how Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America, described [Amy] Sullivan's characterization. Nance was invited to join the conference call but was unable to do so. “Social conservatives are ready for a woman president,” Nance said. “In fact, the McCain campaign really took off,” added Nance, “after Sarah Palin was nominated.” Nance remembered that during the 2008 election she was mostly standing on the sidelines until Palin was added to the...

And, now, the group Americans for Rick Perry reports it has raised a fair amount of money in a short amount of time. Bob Schuman, a senior strategist for Americans for Rick Perry, said Thursday that the group is expanding its fundraising operation outside of Texas to include Miami, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. The group can accept unlimited donations but, under federal law, can't strategize with Perry himself.

WASHINGTON — Rick Perry is the 100 million dollar man of Texas politics. Over the past decade, he has been a political money machine, raising more than $100 million for three gubernatorial campaigns and another $50 million for GOP candidates as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2007-2008. But the Texas governor's fundraising prowess will be tested as never before if he runs for president in 2012. While he's raised more campaign cash than anybody not named Bush in Texas history, Perry faces different rules and greater demands should he set his sights on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. "In order...

A number of Pro-Perry articles have been posted today, with some comments saying "no, no, no". Here's the other side of the coin.Supporters of Texas Governor Rick Perry are not going to like this article at all. Right now, Republicans all over the United States are touting Rick Perry as the "Republican messiah" that is going to come charging in to save America from the presidency of Barack Obama. Many believe that if Rick Perry enters the race, he will instantly become the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Perry certainly looks the part and he knows how...

Rick Perry may just be the guy. The country's longest tenured governor, from its second-largest state, is generating a lot of buzz in conservative circles as he contemplates entering the wide open Republican presidential primary. There are plenty of reasons that Perry is an attractive option: he is a no-nonsense decision-maker with solid conservative credentials. A man who not only speaks about family values, but lives them, Perry's power to persuade voters to see things his way is proven -- battle-tested in a state known for independent-minded citizens. But what serious political analysts on both sides of the aisle will...