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Michele Bachmann, Mitch Daniels, Mitt Romney, President 2012, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Sarah Palin
President 2012: CNN/Tea Express GOP Debate Winners and Losers
David Brody interviews former Pennsylvania Senator Rick SantorumAfter watching last night’s GOP Presidential debate, I am wondering how and where the GOP got to this place with the top two candidates being Rick Perry and Mitt Romney with an assorted supporting cast. The field could use another candidate or two – calling Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels or Representative Paul Ryan – PLEASE RUN.
The current GOP Presidential field is very weak, each candidate has a track record that can be exploited in the primary elections and by the Democrats in the general election. But, with that said, Sarah Palin has said it is a time for choosing and choose we must.
Winner: Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney appeared Presidential, looked good in his skin and his suit was impeccable. Romney shows that he is a cool, calculated character who is not easily rattled. His experience in running for the Presidency these past 6-8 years shows. RomneyCare looms in the background and is very exploitable by the Obama team – they can hardly wait as a matter of fact. But, it might not help Obama and Axelrod with this very poor American economy.
Romney was able to attack Rick Perry with a smile on his face and the nasty direct mail in his back pocket. The attack television ads, especially in Nevada and Florida are just a few months away. Everyone knows they are coming. The issue will be Social Security and Romney will drive Perry into the ground with the term Ponzi Scheme.
Biggest Loser: Rick Perry
Rick Santorum’s quote in the video above is the most telling, “The more I find out about Rick Perry the more concern I have.” This was my feeling and that of the Twitterverse last night. This morning the MSM is piling on Perry.
The Texas Governor continued his folksy way, but did not answer the Social Security Ponzi Scheme questions. Perry has put forward no entitlement reform plan. Romney attacked the issues and the others piled on.
The Gardisil, “government injection” flap was devastating to Perry. We all knew it was coming and exploitable, but Michele Bachmann thrust in the knife and Rick Santorum twisted it. Perry made a poor policy decision, and certainly not a one that will endear him to conservatives – or anyone for that matter. Bachmann’s framing of the issue as “crony capitalism” and a pay off from lobbyists will be replayed time and again.
Next, was the illegal immigration issue and the Texas Dream Act. Perry signed the bill giving the children of illegal aliens an entitlement paid by American citizen taxpayers and was booed by the Tea Party crowd. Immigration is not a primary issue because the GOP controls the House, but conservatives and the Tea Party have to be wondering if this former Al Gore supporter will not be another Bush and/or McCain pushing comprehensive immigration reform. Being booed by the Tea Party is NOT a good thing for Rick Perry.
None of these single issues are fatal to the Perry campaign, but voters have to be wondering, why is Rick Perry considered the front-runner?
Losers: All of the rest
Michele Bachmann did OK and I can see her doing well in Iowa. But, her vision is narrow, has no executive experience and her voice grates on me after a few minutes.
Jon Huntsman – made wise-ass jokes about Nirvana and immigration (to Perry) and has revealed him as the rich, arrogant ass that he is. Huntsman is through with his Presidential run for this year and all time. Done – put a fork in him.
All of the rest have NO chance and debate organizers should limit the number of participants to 3 or 4, plus any newcomers.
Another candidate:
The GOP Establishment must be scrambling this morning after Rick Perry’s implosion. There are better GOP candidates out there and they should be asked to run. Mitch Daniels, Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani, Paul Ryan are all better candidates, than any in the field. Sarah Palin probably won’t run, but she could beat these characters.
If this is the best field, then you go with Romney, run the Senate races hard and keep your fingers crossed that Obama is so weak that Romney can manage a small win. The GOP will hedge its bets by winning the U.S. Senate and effectively blocking the lame duck Obama.
I was very disappointed in this debate and am certainly not as optimistic that Obama will be a one term President as I was prior.
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President 2012: Perry 31% Vs. Romney 21% Vs. Paul 12%
Rick Perry supporters in California last week
According to the latest CNN/Opinion Research Poll.
Hours before the start of the first-ever CNN/Tea Party Republican debate, a new national survey indicates that Texas Gov. Rick Perry is maintaining his lead in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.
And according to a CNN/ORC International Poll, what appears to be Perry’s greatest strength – the perception among Republicans that he is the candidate with the best chance to beat President Barack Obama in 2012 – seems to be exactly what the GOP rank and file are looking for.
It looks like GOP Primary voters have chosen their candidate.
With Palin out of the running, the headline stays the same: Perry 32 percent, Romney 21 percent, Paul 13 percent and all other candidates, including Bachmann, in single digits.
“Perry doesn’t simply have the most support in a hypothetical ballot – he also tops the list of GOP candidates on every personal quality tested,” adds Holland.
Thirty-six percent, for example, see him as the strongest leader in the field, with Romney second at 21 percent. According to the poll, 35 percent say Perry is the Republican candidate most likely to get the economy moving again, with Romney in second at 26 percent.
Nearly three in ten say that Perry is the candidate who is most likely to fight for his beliefs, with Palin in second place at 23 percent and, significantly, Romney in a distant tie for fourth at just 11 percent.
But Perry’s biggest strength may be the electability factor, with 42 percent saying he has the best chance of beating Obama next year. Some 26 percent say Romney has the best chance of defeating the president.
It looks like this race is over, unless Rick Perry manages a huge GAFFE and blows it.
The Tampa, Florida GOP debate will be tonight at 5 PM PDT on CNN.
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President 2012 GOP North Carolina Poll Watch: Rick Perry 46% Vs. Barack Obama 46%
According to the latest PPP Poll.
Barack Obama’s approval rating in North Carolina has fallen to 43%, with 53% of voters disapproving of him. That’s the lowest PPP has found in monthly polling of the state since the weekend before last year’s general election when Democrats were annihilated at the polls.
Obama’s got 2 big problems: independents and a loss of support with his party base. Only 31% of independent voters think he’s doing a good job to 62% who disapprove. He was at an already bad 38/56 a month ago and things have only gotten worse for him. Obama’s other issue is that he’s losing support from Democrats. He was at 79/16 and now he’s down to 75/20. He also has only a 7% approval with Republicans but that’s really par for the course at this point- we’re well beyond the point where he can expect to get any support across party lines.
Despite Obama’s atrocious approval numbers he remains competitive with Rick Perry and Mitt Romney in the state, at least on the surface. He’s tied with Perry at 46% and holds the smallest of advantages over Romney at 45-44. Those numbers aren’t as rosy for Obama as they appear to be though. Only 5% of the undecideds in the Perry match up approve of him to 83% who disapprove and on the generic legislative ballot they support Republicans by a 57-21 margin. It’s a similar story in the match up with Romney. The undecideds there disapprove of Obama by a 10/81 spread and support a generic Republican 62-14. When those folks come off the fence they’re going to be voting GOP which means if the election was today Obama would lose the state.
Looks like North Carolina which Obama won in 2008 is trending toward the GOP. One less key battleground state the Republicans have to contend perhaps.
As the number of key battleground states shrink, the more hotly contested will be the remainder – most notably Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, Nevada and maybe Florida.
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President 2012: Rick Perry Gets Physical …..Against Ron Paul
I missed this since I wasn’t at the debate.During the Sept. 7 Republican debate, Ron Paul clashed with fellow Texan Rick Perry once again.
This time, things got physical.
During a commercial break, Perry walked up to Paul’s podium, physically grabbed Paul’s wrist, and pointed at Paul’s face with his other hand (photo below from Reuters).
Perry and Paul were placed next to each other at the center for the Republican debate.
Before the physical exchange, the war of words between Paul and Perry was perhaps even more heated.
Now all of the Ronbots who already hate Rick Perry will be all over him….
Looks like Perry is telling Dr. Paul to take his meds.
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President 2012: The Reagan Presidential Library Debate – Winners and Losers
I watched the debate at home and tweeted my comments at the time. Here are my picks.WINNERS
Rick Perry: For the first hour or so the Texas Governor did well for the new guy on the block. Perry appeared poised, well rehearsed and prepared. He quite readily mixed it up with Mitt Romney on job creation without getting too nasty. He stumbled during the second part of the debate on the climate change and social security. He is the front-runner in the polls and he did not hurt himself too badly to dislodge the conventional wisdom.
Mitt Romney: Mitt appeared relaxed and Presidential. In contrast to Perry, he appeared the more avuncular choice for President. He made no major gaffes and bettered Perry on illegal immigration and social security. I would not be surprised if he does not pick up a little in the polls after the debate. However, RomneyCare will continue to drag Mitt down.
LOSERS
Really all of the rest: The remaining field do not have the gravitas to be in this race. You can go away now.BIGGEST LOSER
Michele Bachmann: She started out of the gate well after the first debate and won the Ames, Iowa Straw Poll. But, where was she last night? She like the others in the field will probably continue in the race. But, why?So, there you have it – a two candidate race: Rick Perry Vs. Mitt Romney.
Take your pick because there is probably not too much difference between either of them. They are both experienced, somewhat conservative Big Business type Republicans, who have some baggage and have flip-flopped on the issues over the years.
I say end the race, draw straws as to who will be President and team up to beat President Obama, who looks like the walking wounded at this point.
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President 2012 Video: Texas Governor Rick Perry in Camarillo, California
Texas Governor Rick Perry at post-Regan Presidential Library debate September 7, 2011 in Camarillo, CaliforniaThere were around 300 people or so in this modified airplane hanger at the Camarillo airport. It was a fairly standard stump speech and the Governor was introduced by Edward Atsinger, the Chairman of Salem Communications.
To be honest, for an experienced POL, Perry read from his notes way too much and needs to step up his speech preparation.
But, maybe he was tired from the nationally televised debate an hour or so previously at the Reagan Presidential Library.
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President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Rick Perry Best-Positioned Candidate
According to the latest Gallup Poll.Perry’s combination of high name recognition and a high Positive Intensity Score help make him the best-positioned candidate for the Republican nomination at this point, underscored by his lead in Republican nomination preferences. Cain’s enthusiastic support is offset by his low name recognition, and other well-known candidates like Romney, Michele Bachmann, and Ron Paul, do not generate the same level of intense feeling as Perry.
It is CW that Texas Governor Rick Perry is now the front-runner for the GOP Presidential nomination. Will the rest of the GOP field start to pick on him, in concert, tomorrow night during the debate?
I would say YES.
Perry’s rise in the polls makes him the candidate to beat for the Republican nomination at the moment. His front-runner status means he will increasingly come under attack from his rivals on the campaign trail and in coming Republican candidate debates. The increased criticism could have a negative effect on the way Republicans view him, though if he responds well Republicans may view him in a more positive light.
As the campaign unfolds, it will be clear whether it is sufficient for Republicans to like someone in order to tap him or her as their party’s presidential nominee, as would appear to be the case if they nominate Romney or one of several other candidates including Bachmann, Paul, and Palin or Giuliani should they run. Or does the nominee need to generate a sufficiently high level of enthusiasm among the party base in order to win the nomination, as is the case for Perry, even if he is no better liked in a broad sense than many of the other contenders.
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President 2012: Texas Governor Rick Perry to Meet with Ventura County GOP
The event will be after the Presidential debate at the Reagan Presidential Library and in Camarillo.We have exciting news to share with you! The Ventura County Republican Party is hosting a “meet and greet” with Texas Governor Rick Perry this Wednesday, September 7th in Camarillo immediately following the Republican debate.
Please come and join us for a debate watching party at 5pm at the Camarillo Airport. Governor Perry has chosen Camarillo as one of his stops on his California tour, and will be meeting with us following the debate at the Reagan Library. See below for all of the details.
Important
There is NO COST for this event but attendance is LIMITED and RSVPs are REQUIRED through www.venturagop.org/rickperry. For security reasons, there will be no on-site registration. No exceptions. So RSVP today!Looks like a great event and I will try to make it.
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President 2012 GOP Nevada Poll Watch: Perry 29% Vs. Romney 24% Vs. Cain 7% Vs. Paul 6% Vs. Bachmann 6%
According to the latest Magellan Strategies Poll.
Magellan Strategies today released the results of an autodial survey of 631 likely 2012 Nevada Republican Presidential caucus attendees. The survey finds Rick Perry leading Mitt Romney by 5 points. Among all voters, Rick Perry has 29% support and Mitt Romney has 24% support. The rest of the Republican field rounds out with Herman Cain with 7%, Michele Bachmann with 6%, Ron Paul with 6%, Newt Gingrich with 5%, Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman with 1% each, the generic “other candidate” with 2%, and 19% are undecided.
There are 19 per cent undecided here and most pundits have already written off Nevada for Romney due to the large LDS/Mormon population in the state. But, now with surging poll numbers, will Rick Perry come to contest Nevada?
The media market in Clark County is ripe for a media war and unemployment is the highest in the nation.
Perry looks like a player in Nevada. But, will he play against Romney?
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President 2012: Rick Perry Strikes Back at Michele Bachmann Ad
Texas Governor Rick Perry is answering Michele Bachmann’s Super PAC ad now airing in South Carolina.
From the press release:
AUSTIN – A committee supporting Michele Bachmann has released a blatantly false ad that completely misrepresents Gov. Perry’s fiscally conservative record in Texas.
“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.”
FALSE CLAIM: “Rick Perry doubled spending in a decade.”
TRUTH: State spending – the non-federal dollars state lawmakers can control – is six percent lower under Gov. Perry than it was under the two-year budget in effect when he took office, adjusting for population growth and inflation. In unadjusted amounts, state spending is $80.5 billion for the 2012-13 biennium compared to $55.7 billion for the 2000-01 biennium. Texas’ population growth plus inflation since 2001 is 54 percent. The current Texas budget funds the state’s vital needs by operating within available revenues and providing tax cuts for small businesses. Gov. Perry is the only Texas governor since World War II to cut state (general revenue) spending.
FALSE CLAIM: “This year, Rick Perry is spending more money than the state takes in.”
TRUTH: Texas’ budget has been certified as balanced by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, with an estimated $6.5 billion remaining unspent in the state’s Rainy Day Fund. Every budget Gov. Perry has signed has been balanced.
FALSE CLAIM: “Covering his deficits with record borrowing.”
TRUTH: Texas does not have a deficit. The state’s recent sale of Tax and Revenue Anticipation Notes (TRANs) is cash-flow management tool that dates back to 1987. These notes are sold every fiscal year to manage cash flow and to provide up-front payments to public schools. They are repaid within the fiscal year with tax revenue that comes in after the upfront school payments are made. Texas earned the highest possible ratings in anticipation of this offering, receiving a rating of SP-1+ by Standard & Poor’s, MIG 1 by Moody’s Investors Service and F1+ by Fitch Inc. Texas’ net interest rate of .27 percent is down from last year’s rate of .34 percent, representing the state’s lowest net rate ever for these notes.This ad began running yesterday, so Perry’s response is a little late.
But, it is apparent as we go into Labor Day weekend, this race is just getting started.
Let the media fly…..