Free Republic

Rick Perry has counted on the staunch support of Texas conservatives during his two decades of statewide triumphs in Texas. He’s an anti-tax, anti-spending, anti-regulation, anti-Washington stalwart. Richard A. Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com and a leader on the right since the days of Ronald Reagan, called Perry a “committed conservative” whose presidential announcement “brought a wave of relief to conservatives.” Then why are some conservative bloggers and activists warning others on the political right about a Perry presidential candidacy? “Before Republicans start salivating too heavily, it is important to examine Perry closely,” says conservative talk-show host David Zublick. “His conservative...

Move over Mitt Romney. Rick Perry has a bigger problem to defend from his tenure as governor. Remember the NAFTA Superhighway project? It was to consist of a two-mile wide $184 billion transit system of toll roads, rail lines and utilities from the Texas-Mexico border all the way up to the Minnesota-Canadian border, to make it easier to ship foreign goods from China and other countries into North America. It became so unpopular in Texas that the Texas portion of it, called the Trans-Texas Corridor, was renamed and mostly disbanded a couple of years ago. Perry was the only gubernatorial...

......The last attempt to campaign on the appeal of the 10th Amendment was made in 1996 by Bob Dole, who carried a well-worn version in his breast pocket. The strategy amounted to unilateral policy disarmament. While Bill Clinton described improvements in education and public safety, Dole talked of procedural limits on federal power. The domestic centerpiece of Dole’s campaign was a void, a negation. Given President Obama’s record of federal overreach, the 10th Amendment may have more political appeal this time around. But the problem with a sweeping application of the amendment is not merely political. [snip] For the most...

Despite what's at stake in the debt ceiling negotiations, however, the Republican presidential candidates have been missing in action, preferring to stick to vapid talking points or, in the case of the frontrunner Mitt Romney, choosing not to comment at all on the different proposals being offered. Perry's machismo is much mocked. A popular Twitter account called rickperryfacts blasts out tongue-in-cheek examples such as "Rick Perry's boots weren't made for walkin'. They were made for kickin'" But for Republicans who see a vulnerable Obama and doubt whether a safety-first opponent can beat him, an injection of testosterone into the 2012...

4 ways Rick Perry could shake up the GOP race The Texas governor is flirting with a run for the Republican presidential nomination — and he'd arguably make the contest a lot more interesting July 21, 2011 Republicans disappointed with their party's current slate of presidential candidates are stepping up the pressure on Texas Gov. Rick Perry to enter the race. And it's looking increasingly likely that Perry will declare his candidacy soon. "I'm getting more and more comfortable every day that this is what I've been called to do," Perry told the Des Moines Register recently. "This is what...

http://timeforperry.com/

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...

According to the New York Times’ David Brooks, Republican hardliners against tax increases are turning the GOP into a “psychological protest” rather than a “normal political party.” Brooks is upset that after having forced Democrats to come far closer to their position on taxes and spending in order to cut a deal to extend the national debt ceiling, there is little chance the House majority will embrace what he considers to be “the deal of the century.” To Brooks, the Democrats’ offer on the debt ceiling is the “Mother of All No-Brainers,” and his anger at the GOP’s insistence that...

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...

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.

Gov. Rick Perry may or may not try to become the leader of what was once called the free world. In the meantime, he has cemented his reputation as one of the most powerful governors ever to walk the corridors of the Texas Capitol. As the longest serving governor in state history, Perry has named more people to boards and commissions than any predecessor — 5,495 at last count, Legislative Reference Library figures show — allowing him to put his conservative stamp on every corner of state government. The reach of his power, and his willingness to use it, have...

A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.- Bertrand de Jouvenel des Ursins, usually known only as Bertrand de Jouvenel (31 October 1903, Paris – 1 March 1987) was a French philosopher, political economist, and futurist. G u l a g B o u n d Video, "Gov. Rick Perry’s amazing speech to RLC 2011" at TheRightScoop.com James Richard "Rick" Perry assumed the governorship of Texas in 2000 when he took over from George W. Bush, who resigned to take the oath of office of President. He holds all records for Texas gubernatorial tenure. Perry has...

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry told a Boy Scouts ceremony on Wednesday that the federal government is rudderless, kicking off a trip to California that has stoked speculation that he will enter the Republican contest for president. Perry fondly recalled his boyhood as a Scout in Texas, including his first visit to Washington, and applauded the group for promoting values such as fellowship, self-reliance, dedication and perseverance. "I really wish we saw more of that sort of courage throughout our society, yep, including in Washington, D.C.," he said. Perry didn't mention President Barack Obama or any politician...

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...

I recently got into a discussion about free trade in which the other person was absolutely convinced that free trade destroyed the british empire. Which makes no sense. Who here remembers the post ww2 german years and the Wirtschaftswunder? As Reagan noted at the Brandenberg gate,(link below) free trade was an important part of the Wirtschaftswunder. Now, onto the flip side. Big government. It destroys everything. It destroyed the roman empire. Yes, the nazis were big government. Big government is currently destroying the United States under Barack Hussein Obama.(Mmm! Mmm! MMMM!!!) Now, the free trade doom and gloomers will routinely...

Will the governor sign the death certificate for his brainchild? The House unanimously voted late Monday to accept Senate changes to House Bill 1201, Rep. Lois Kolkhorst's legislation that would remove all references to the Trans-Texas Corridor from state statutes. And, oh yes, allow an 85 mph speed limit on certain roads completed after June. The bill now goes to Gov. Rick Perry for his signature, or his veto. For now, the only road likely to qualify for the 85 mph limit will be the southern 40 miles of the Texas 130 tollway, now under construction between the southeast outskirts...

AUSTIN — The ceremony was brief and drew few mourners, but the Trans Texas Corridor is finally dead. The Senate unanimously passed a bill that strikes from state law any language, reference and authority once connected to the massive highway envisioned to slice a swath through Texas. The same measure already has passed the House. There are some minor differences that still need to be reconciled, but the bill is expected to go to Gov. Rick Perry, who will have to decide whether to join in the final rites for his once-prized project. Legislators did keep a provision that was...

Bill: HB 3789 Legislative Session: 82(R) Last Action: 03/30/2011 H Scheduled for public hearing on . . . Caption Version: Introduced Caption Text: Relating to the development of toll projects through public-private partnerships. Author: Phillips Subjects: Highways (I0390) TOLL ROADS & TOLL BRIDGES (S1090) House Committee: Transportation Status: In committee Actions: (descending date order) Description Comment Date Time Journal Page H Scheduled for public hearing on . . . 03/30/2011 H Referred to Transportation 03/23/2011 1064 H Read first time 03/23/2011 1064 H Filed 03/11/2011 Read the bill here

Houston trial lawyer Steve Mostyn will open a new front in his election-year war against Gov. Rick Perry today by launching a television commercial that criticizes Perry's pursuit of the Trans-Texas Corridor. Mostyn is fast becoming the pre-eminent donor in Texas Democratic politics and a key player in the race for governor. He has put more than $2 million into Democratic causes and campaigns in this election cycle and appears poised to spend several million more. Much of that money has gone to the Back to Basics Political Action Committee, which has already aired two statewide television commercials critical of...

Interstate 69 is a planned 1,600-mile national highway serving the United States between the borders of Mexico and Canada. Eight states are involved in the project. In Texas, I-69 will be developed as part of the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) master plan. The proposed I-69/TTC study area extends from Texarkana/Shreveport to Mexico (possibly the Rio Grande Valley or Laredo).