Overview for rick-perry

Seriously, Why Won't Perry Drop Out?

So it looks like the indications are that Rick Perry, former front-runner, last place finisher in the 2011 Republican Debate Tournament, is not hanging up his brush jacket yet. Despite his very melancholy nigh-concession last night, the Texas governor seems to be headed to South Carolina instead …

Written by Zac Morgan on Wednesday January 4, 2012

Don't Blame Romney for Ballot Trouble

The Republican Party of Virginia is on the verge of the appearance of a significant scandal. Allegations , fueled by a post by Richard Winger at Ballot Access News , are swirling, suggesting that the Virginia GOP changed the rules for the validation of signatures in October 2011: But what has …

Written by Fred Bauer on Tuesday December 27, 2011

Rick Perry's Little Trick

Mike Huckabee has not endorsed Rick Perry for president. On the contrary, there's a long, rich record of Huckabee jabs at Perry. Yet take a look at the new Rick Perry ad, "President of Honor," aimed at the Iowa caucus-voters. The ad montages endorsements and testimonials from winners of the …

Written by David Frum on Friday December 23, 2011

Criticizing Holder is Not Racist

In a New York Times piece ostensibly characterizing Eric Holder's Justice Department tenure as tenacity in the face of partisan beligerence, the US Attorney General gives opponents the equivalent of manna from Heaven: “This is a way to get at the president because of the way I can be identified …

Written by Jay Gatsby on Tuesday December 20, 2011

Why Was the $10,000 Bet Moment so Bad?

Ed Morrissey observes at HotAir.com: If Romney wanted to make himself look rich, arrogant, and clueless, he could hardly have done a better job. When was the last time someone challenged you to a ridiculous bet in order to intimidate you out of an argument? For me, I think it was junior-hig…

Written by David Frum on Monday December 12, 2011

Perry's Money Machine Sputters

Back in August, which was a couple of political lifetimes ago, I wrote a piece about Texas Governor Rick Perry's strong fundraising base, specifically his unique ability to access a key part of the GOP's fundraising base--wealthy Republicans in Texas. Well, it looks like that money machine is …

Written by Mark R. Yzaguirre on Friday November 18, 2011

Rick Perry's Chutzpah

Rick Perry is calling for legislators to be thrown into jail for insider trading. Perry's comments are particularly bold given that allegations of insider trading have followed him through his own political career. Most people forget that Michele Bachmann's original criticism of Perry's HPV …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Tuesday November 15, 2011

The Free Market Can't Clean Up This Nuclear Mess

Eli Lehrer ably defends the Department of Energy, the flawed and unloved agency whose name fell away from Rick Perry's lips when his neural network took an inopportune coffee break. As Lehrer pointed out, about half of DOE's budget is allotted for watchdogging our nuclear arsenal and cleaning …

Written by Jim DiPeso on Friday November 11, 2011

The GOP's Best Case/Worst Case

In my column for CNN, I discuss how the Tea Party will react to the different possible outcomes of the 2012 election: A new CNN poll finds that about half of Republicans sympathize with the tea party movement. The other half either remain aloof or (5%) even express hostility. That second …

Written by David Frum on Monday October 31, 2011

Perry's Plan: Politics not Policy

In my column for The Week I explain that Rick Perry's tax plan is designed to appeal to voters in the Republican primary, not to policy wonks who care about whether or not the plan makes economic sense: The wonks point out that (as conventionally scored) Perry's tax plan would blow a giant …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday October 26, 2011

The Alternative to Rick Perry: Trickle Up

Perhaps the greatest single threat to both conservatism in American life and the nation's economic vitality is not Ivy League professors or Hollywood elites or a sinister "progressive" conspiracy but the economic decline of the middle class. Take away hope in the churning of the free market, and …

Written by Fred Bauer on Wednesday October 26, 2011

There is Nothing Simple About Perry's Tax Plan

Rick Perry's proposal to make his flat-rate tax plan optional seems like a political master-stroke: it lets him propose the type of flat-rate, broad-based tax plan that most economists like while simultaneously promising that nobody will need to pay more. Nice as this sounds, however, it …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Tuesday October 25, 2011

Admit it, The GOP Needs a Smart Nominee

Mitt Romney is the most intellectual of the leading Republican presidential candidates (Romney, Cain, Perry). That can’t be questioned. His masterful debate performances – capped by the October 18th debate's one-on-one destruction of Perry – have evinced quick-wittedness, a deep grasp of policy …

Written by Stephen Richer on Monday October 24, 2011

Perry's New Gambit

Perry’s chances of winning the Republican nomination depend entirely on his ability to sell himself as a Teastablishment candidate. Perry has a ten-year record in Texas that shows an interest in governance, and he has way with sharp rhetoric (“treason”) that sends thrills up the leg of your …

Written by Zac Morgan on Friday October 21, 2011

Immigration Attack Could Backfire on Perry

In the short term at least, it seems hard to deny that yesterday's debate was good to Rick Perry. The leading un-Romney contender, Herman Cain, sank underneath withering attacks on his 9-9-9 plan; his inability to defend the details of this plan with anything other than assertions that his …

Written by Fred Bauer on Wednesday October 19, 2011

Mitt Romney: Constitutionalist

On the Las Vegas stage, Anderson Cooper asked the candidates about the role of faith generally and then specifically to the disparaging comments about Romney's Mormonism by the pastor who introduced Rick Perry at the Values Voters Summit. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich used the opportunity to …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday October 19, 2011

Cain's Immigration Plan is Not Enough

Last night’s free-wheeling, barely moderated debate was a joy to watch. We learned that Michele Bachmann thinks Libya is not in Africa. We learned that Herman Cain might have another set of numbers besides 9-9-9: 171 -for-1...the number of Gitmo detainees that he might be willing to swap for a …

Written by Zac Morgan on Wednesday October 19, 2011

GOP: Pick Romney!

If it wasn’t clear before, it should be now: Mitt Romney is the only sensible choice Republicans have for their presidential candidate in 2012. The exciting choice would have been New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who, in any debate or personal appearance, would have demolished rivals – Republican …

Written by Peter Worthington on Tuesday October 18, 2011

About that Perry Jobs Plan

The governor's jobs plan is to open more of the US to energy exploration and production. He promises that such a policy will create 1.2 million new jobs. When I heard this, it seemed to me utterly implausible: the US oil and gas industry employs 2.1 million today, coal under 100,000 - and these …

Written by David Frum on Monday October 17, 2011

No Disrespect But...

Who produces the first big analysis: Why the Tea Party could not produce a credible presidential candidate?

Written by David Frum on Wednesday October 12, 2011