Rick Perry 10: The final countdown

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/10/nation/la-na-1111-perry-20111111/2

Rick Perry’s unconventional bid for the GOP nomination is, sadly, all but over. The religious right’s answer and top Republican competitor to Mitt Romney has torpedoed his once promising campaign with weak performances in his last debates. His poor showing in debates has created fear in many of Perry’s supporters. One supporter went as far to say that, “I think the Perry campaign is over…I like him, I admire him … but the reality is he is consistently the weakest performer in these debates and does not, unfortunately, pass the test of presidential acceptability. Close your eyes and think of Rick Perry and Barack Obama on a debate platform, and I don't think you have to say much more.” Even more pressing for Perry, are some of his largest benefactors, jumping ship and redirecting their financial support to other candidates. Perry’s only hope for survival would be winning the early state caucuses particularly Iowa. A resounding win in the Evangelical strong Iowa could provide the momentum to put Perry’s campaign back on track. According to a poll conducted at the beginning of the month, Perry trails Cain, Romney, and Gingrich in Evangelical support but perhaps a win in Iowa could turn the tide. With that being said, Perry still faces an arduous if not impossible struggle back into GOP relevance. Whatever the end result may be for Perry, it was an interesting albeit entertaining journey following his candidacy for President. 2016? 

Rick Perry 9

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2011-11-12/rick-perry-jobs-energy/51153894/1

           Rick Perry may have lost momentum in the Presidential race, but that has not stopped him from promising 2.5 million new jobs created if he is elected President. How you might ask, will Perry make good on his promise? Energy. America has always been a massive consumer of global oil, but never has it been one of the largest suppliers. Gov. Perry spurred by his experience with oil corporations in his native Texas, believes he has found a way to create more jobs and stimulate a flailing economy. Perry proposes that domestic oil and natural gas has the potential to supply the U.S. with millions of new jobs and enormous revenue. If elected to the white house, Perry vows to open federal lands to oil and natural gas exploration and expedite the necessary licensing and permit processes. As President, Perry would be able to roll back intrusive regulations and allow oil companies to start building and drilling as soon as possible. Other candidates like Romney, Bachmann, and Cain have addressed the issue of energy production as a necessary area of reform, but none have been as active and specific as Perry in their plan to incorporate energy into their economic policies. Similar to his fellow Republican candidates, Perry supports supply-side economics with minimal government interaction with the market. Perry promises to reduce corporate taxes and only dictate the conditions of the economy and not the outcomes. With public unrest swelling over President Obama’s failure to stimulate the economy and job creation, Republicans are being pressed to submit a new plan for financial recovery. While Perry’s idea of millions of new jobs from the oil industry is promising, it is unlikely to reach fruition. He is a doubtful to win the GOP nomination and on top of that, domestic oil/natural gas industries are extremely volatile. The boom-or-bust nature of the industry seems fitting for the bravado of the Texas governor, but unfortunately Perry’s economic “game changer” seems and is too good to be true. 

Rick Perry 8

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/13/MNB31LUCD8.DTL


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            This past Saturday, a Republican foreign policy debate was held at Wofforrd College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Among the candidates present at the debate were: Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, Huntsman, Paul, Perry, Romney, and Santorum. The majority of candidates focused their talks on denouncing President Obama’s current foreign policy. Rep. Bachmann described Obama’s foreign policy “miscalculations” as the possible cause of a nuclear world war against Israel. Mitt Romney, also chimed in on the President’s polices and criticized Obama’s handling the conflict in Iran as his greatest failing as commander in chief. The four main arguments in the debate were over: prisoner torturing and water boarding, U.S. aid to Pakistan, relations with China, and the war in Afghanistan. Gov. Perry was noted as being very forceful and assertive in this debate. His powerful demeanor on Saturday is most likely the result of a weak showing and mental gaffe in last Wednesday’s debate. His strong presence may be an attempt to reaffirm his supporters that he is indeed a viable candidate for President, but that moment may have passed him last week. Perry harshly criticized Ron Paul’s call for a reduction in controversial interrogation techniques such as water boarding. Perry defended interrogation as a necessary aspect of a nation at war, “This is war, this is what happens in war, and I will be for it until I die.” The other candidates attacked Perry on his lack of foreign policy experience, a major flaw in the governor’s campaign. Perry responded by referencing his leadership and experience as the “commander in chief of Texas” and its 20,000 National Guard soldiers. In unison with his forceful demeanor, Perry called for sanctions against Iran’s national bank and compared China to the USSR in that China will eventually meet its demise and end up as an “ash heap of history”. Perry also advocated dissolving current U.S. aid to foreign countries, until they can explain why they need U.S. assistance. Overall, Perry delivered a very abrasive message on foreign policy and the distribution of U.S. aid. His strong positions on Saturday may be an attempt to force Republican supporters back into his camp after his brain fart in the last debate, or they may be an indication of just how little Gov. Perry knows about U.S. foreign relations and the national scope of government. 

Rick Perry 7

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/rick-perry-is-getting-slow-embrace-from-women/2011/09/15/gIQAeuWqXK_blog.html

Recent polls have shown, Republican candidate Rick Perry not performing well among female voters. The polls indicate that Perry is trailing fellow GOP candidate Mitt Romney 37% to 40% in female voters. The results of this poll are not all negative for the Perry camp, as the poll also shows Gov. Perry leading Romney in male voters 31% to 20%. Perry has traditionally won the support of male voters because of his aptly displayed “Texas swagger”. John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster described Perry as “a man’s man, doesn’t hold back, says what’s on his mind, risk taker, Macho.” Many of these qualities do not appeal well to female GOP voters, as they are more likely to rally behind Romney’s more comforting, safe, and mature demeanor. Women as a voting block are very diverse and not well united, that being said, in the recent elections, women have tended to lean towards Democrats. Swaying female voters to the GOP will be a focus of Republican candidates in the upcoming election. Perry’s weak appeal to female voters could be a cause of concern for the GOP, should Perry win the nomination. Women are a massive voting block, and despite Perry’s large support among Evangelicals and Latinos, he may fall short in the election if he does not improve his approval among women. Besides concerns about his character, women voters are reluctant to support Perry because of his political decisions, specifically mandating HPV vaccinations for young girls in Texas. With all the negative attention surrounding Perry and women voters, let us not forget that it is still early in the election process, and Rick Perry could very well win over female voters by the time it’s all said and done. Should Perry find a way to receive equal support from both genders, he would be a serious force in the GOP, and a strong candidate for President.