Meet Rick Perry, the Teastablishment Candidate
The Republican Presidential field has a problem. The top two candidates are Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann.
Romney’s issue is that he’s the same Mitt Romney who signed a health care law that the Tea Party considers a Bay State knock-off of President Obama’s “tyrannycare.” Michele Bachmann’s issue is that she has a history of saying and believing fringe things (remember her flirtations with birtherism?) that render her less electable than a Marxist seeking the presidency of the F.A. Hayek Fan Club.
It’s pure Establishment versus pure Tea Party. That’s not going to end well...
Meet Rick Perry, tea party activist . He’s the guy who signed the cut, cap, and balance pledge, suggested that Texas could end up seceding from a big-government Union, and scorns the existance of “163,000 pages of federal regulations” and a “9 million word” tax code.
Meet Rick Perry, three-term governor of Texas. He’s the governor who signed a tough tort reform law, responsibly built up his state’s rainy day fund, and presided over an economy that created 38 percent of all new jobs in the United States since the economy began recovering.
A Tea Party loyalist who believes in governing? A guy who can meet with the Tea Party Patriots and networks with old GOP bulls like Don Rumsfeld? Somebody with access to the base and the big-money donors? A candidate who has an economic record better than Romney’s Bain days and throws red meat with all the fervor of a Minnesota congresswoman?
There’s a reason why Perry has quickly shot up in the polls, scoring second in the latest Fox and CNN national surveys. He offers something tangible to both wings of the party.
If you’re angry at the Obama administration and value tough talk and tea party cred, Rick Perry has something for you. If you’re interested in a candidate with governing experience and a record of substance, Rick Perry has something for you.
Throw in Perry’s good looks, fundraising prowess, and strength on the stump. Suddenly, you have a guy with a damn solid chance to be the Republican nominee.
