Overview for rick-perry

Perry Has it Both Ways on Every Issue

Last night’s debate showed that, in 2012, Rick Perry may be what Phil Gramm was in 1996: an overrated, negative candidate with a lot of money who goes nowhere very fast. It gives me no pleasure to say that. I am not committed to any one of the GOP presidential candidates. But no one could watch …

Written by John Guardiano on Tuesday September 13, 2011

Perry: Slow on His Feet

Here's a sharp observation at National Journal about last night's GOP debate: In the most pivotal moment of the debate, Romney laid a trap for Perry by asking if he was going to “retreat’’ from the idea that Social Security is an unconstitutional federal program that should be turned over …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday September 13, 2011

Perry Gets Targeted at GOP Debate

It's difficult to see how Governor Perry walks away from this debate without any chinks in his armor. Ron Paul's dig as a Texas resident in particular drew some blood, and even what sounded like gasps from the Tea Party crowd. However, his later ramblings about Saudi military bases may have …

Written by Corey Chambliss on Monday September 12, 2011

Romney's Task: Show Perry isn't Electable

Republicans watched Rick Perry's stumbling, unprepared performance in last week's debate - and decided they were watching a president in action. The latest CNN/Opinion Research poll has Perry at 32% among Republicans nationwide, Romney tumbled deep into second place at 21%. (If Palin entered …

Written by David Frum on Monday September 12, 2011

Perry Trusts Scientists, if They Help Him Win

Rick Perry may think his opinions on climate change makes him a modern day Galileo, but there is one field where he is willing to concede ground to the experts: the political science of how to run a campaign. Political scientists who study elections are interested to measuring the effectiveness …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Friday September 9, 2011

Perry's Immigration Problem: Even Bigger than it Looks

Byron York has some astute things to say this morning about the immigration issue and its potentially negative impact on Gov. Rick Perry's presidential candidacy: Start with the border fence. Perry opposes it. "Building a wall on the entire border is a preposterous idea," he said recently …

Written by David Frum on Friday September 9, 2011

The Mother of all Unforced Errors

During the September 7th Republican Presidential debate, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas repeated an earlier assertion of his that Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme. Read that again: in the age of Bernie Madoff, Rick Perry called Social Security a Ponzi Scheme. When the GOP nominating season was …

Written by Jamie McFadden on Thursday September 8, 2011

Perry's Goldwater Gambit

Over at Contentions , John Podhoretz says that “Perry’s handling of the [Social Security] question was crude last night.” However, he adds, Perry’s critics are foolish -- including Mitt Romney’s team -- to imagine that a candidate who says Social Security is unsustainable in its current …

Written by John Guardiano on Thursday September 8, 2011

Perry's Wind Energy Mandate

What would a President Perry mean for the U.S. energy-wise? First, Perry's election would mean environmentalists might as well scrub "climate change" and "global warming" out of their vocabularies for four years. There would be no climate initiatives offered or accepted as such by a president …

Written by Jim DiPeso on Thursday September 8, 2011

In the Shadow of Ronald Reagan

Twenty years ago, historian William Leuchtenberg published a book with the poignant title, In the Shadow of FDR . Leuchtenberg's point: President Roosevelt raised expectations for the modern presidency that his (Democratic) successors could not hope to fulfill. From Truman to Clinton , they …

Written by David Frum on Thursday September 8, 2011

Perry: Unprepared, Underwhelming

The revelation from the Republican presidential debate: Rick Perry and his team utterly failed to prepare answers to utterly predictable questions on "military adventurism" and Social Security. Worse than that, Perry's Social Security answer delivered President Obama the perfect clip for a 2012 …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday September 7, 2011

Perry Comes Unprepared to the GOP Debate

GOP Reagan Library Debate Pre-Debate Analysis: ---------- Tonight will be Rick Perry’s debut at a GOP presidential debate. As we have seen in this cycle, a good debate performance can provide a real boost to candidates and change the dynamics of the race. Michele Bachmann’s strong …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Wednesday September 7, 2011

With Rick Perry: Hope for the Best

The campaign for the Republican nomination for President now gets serious. A variety of polls indicate that Texas Gov. Rick Perry currently has the lead. Perry’s surge has drawn a range of reactions—fear from his fellow GOP contenders, scorn from the “Progressive” wing of the Democratic Party, …

Written by Steve Bell on Wednesday September 7, 2011

Huntsman: The Truer Conservative

Here’s a brief biography of two candidates: One of them presided over arguably the best business climate in the nation, so good that Forbes magazine ranked it as the best state for business and careers. As governor, he enacted free-market health care reforms, balanced the budget, and thus …

Written by J.D. Hamel on Wednesday September 7, 2011

Rick Perry, The Anti-Bush Texan

Frum Forum's contributors have been asked to provide their thoughts about Texas Governor Rick Perry's candidacy and what it might mean for the GOP. Regardless of one's political stance, one can see a difference between Rick Perry and former President George W. Bush with respect to how they …

Written by Mark R. Yzaguirre on Tuesday September 6, 2011

If it's Perry: Anti-Science Label Sticks

If Rick Perry is the nominee, we will hear stepped-up criticism that there is a Republican “ war on science ,” that the GOP is anti-intellectual and antipathetic to facts and analysis. Such criticism will resonate with many voters, precisely because Perry’s nomination will be evidence that it’s …

Written by Kenneth Silber on Tuesday September 6, 2011

Res Judicata: Perry's Faux Federalism

Is Rick Perry a real supporter of federalism? I have my doubts. As I wrote last week, the concept of federalism is based upon the allocation of powers between the federal government and the states. Article I §8 enumerates the specific subjects reserved for Congress. The Tenth Amendment …

Written by Howard Foster on Tuesday September 6, 2011

What if it's Perry?

On Election Night 2012, I expect that Republican Presidential nominee Rick Perry will turn into President-Elect Rick Perry. My inbox will fill up with emails from both enemies and frenemies declaring: " Frum Forum Lost! Your cause is doomed and you have failed!" Why do I expect this? First, …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Tuesday September 6, 2011

Rick Perry's Land Deals: Why They Matter

Jim Geraghty replies to our blogposts on Texas Governor Rick Perry's uncannily successful land dealings: Last year the Democrat gubernatorial candidate in Texas, Bill White, tried to make an issue of it , and Texans largely yawned. Some of these deals go back to Perry’s time as Texas …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday August 31, 2011

Perry's Land Deals: He Discloses, You Decide

What does the law say about Gov. Perry's land transactions? Simple: they are clearly legal. As long as the profits from the sales were not contingent on Perry doing a specific favor for whomever he sold the land to, Perry has nothing to fear from the law. Connections, favoritism and inside …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Tuesday August 30, 2011