Free Republic

Fundraising figures released over the weekend demonstrate that only two Republican candidates -- Mitt Romney and Rick Perry -- enter the dash to the nomination with both the financial support and the campaign infrastructure that equip them fully to compete. And the Obama campaign -- eager to ensure that no candidates get free rides in the primaries -- has already begun making assumptions about whom President Obama is likely to face in the general election. That means Romney is coming under pressure from both sides, even as he seeks to consolidate Republican support early in the process. Before we get...

The Fox commentators noted that Rick Perry's best moment was his anecdote about a cancer survivor whose "lobby[ing]" convinced him to mandate Gardasil. It appeared to be his one good moment in an otherwise dreadfully bad debate performance. Unfortunately, as National Review Online contributor Katrina Trinko exposes, it was all a fib: When Michele Bachmann lobbed the crony capitalism charge at Rick Perry, he said that the lobbyist who had impacted him was 31-year-old Heather Burcham. “I got lobbied on this issue,” Perry said. “I got lobbied by a 31 year old young lady who had stage 4 cervical cancer....

It’s amazing, isn’t it? Just a few weeks ago, I was reporting to you on Karl Rove and others who claimed that if Sarah Palin didn’t get into the race on September 3rd, during her speech to the Tea Party of America in Indianola, IA , she’d just as well forget it. I told you back then that Rove was playing games and trying to position a candidate for a run in late September, and he wanted to gain the momentum often accompanying the last person to get into the race. Now we read talk of Chris Christie getting in...

Rick Perry entered the Republican presidential race like a jackrabbit bounding out of the West Texas prairie. He quickly hopped past longtime leader Mitt Romney, who was deliberately, step by step, inching his way toward the nomination he felt was his to win. Now, Romney's strategists are hoping that the former Massachusetts governor plays the tortoise to Rick Perry's hare, slowly and steadily working to win the long race, and that Perry fades in the stretch. But presidential contests are not fables, and it'll take a lot more than hope to make Romney finish first.... [snip] Some of the contrasts...

I realize we're all supposed to be in the tank for Mitt Romney, but when the heck did we suddenly love Social Security? We've got Karl Rove out there denying it is a Ponzi scheme solely because he hates Rick Perry. It's all politics, not principle. Mitt Romney says that millions of Americans being dependent on government for their retirement is the definition of a successful program. And we've got a solid segment of the conservative movement falling in line behind them. It's all so confusing. Are we all so damn scared of Rick Perry that suddenly we're going to...

Fox News Poll: Perry Overtakes Romney as Top GOP 2012 Pick; Most Say Palin Should Stay Out of Race By Dana Blanton September 01, 2011 | Even as Texas Gov. Rick Perry moves into the lead as Republican voters’ preferred presidential candidate, a Fox News poll released Thursday shows that voters are more likely to view him as “too extreme” than former frontrunner Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney. Even as Texas Gov. Rick Perry moves into the lead as Republican voters’ preferred presidential candidate, a Fox News poll released Thursday shows that voters are more likely to view him as “too...

Rick Perry's campaign just responded to the attack ad that a pro-Michele Bachmann super PAC unveiled last night, which it is airing in South Carolina, and which hits him on his spending record as Texas governor: “Gov. Perry is a proven fiscal conservative, having cut taxes, signed six balanced budgets, and led Texas to become America’s top job-creating state,” said Ray Sullivan, RickPerry.org’s communications director. “Congresswoman Bachmann’s front-group ad is patently and provably false. Unlike Washington, the Texas budget is balanced, does not run deficits and limits spending, even as Texas added jobs and population in big numbers.”

Perry Panic Grips Romney Campaign John Ellis August 31, 2011 ...... Taegan Goddard (who edits the excellent Political Wire website) neatly summarizes the Romney campaign's stop-Perry plan: "1)...Sarah Palin jumps into the race and pulls Tea Party voters away from Perry, 2).... Michigan moves up its primary in the GOP calendar, and 3)....Perry (makes) a mistake in the series of post-Labor Day debates."Seems a bit thin, as three-pronged strategies go, no?   Let's look at each of the parts:1) Regarding Sarah Palin, most political observers think that she will not run for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination and that she...

Just as I said. According to O4P insiders , Palin lured Perry into the race to pop Romney's bubble and are relying on Romney to go negative on Perry and pop Perry's bubble and thus the reason for Palin's late entry. Read the article , Team Romney is getting ready to pull the trigger.