Rick Perry to Kick Off Campaign Saturday
**Written by Doug Powers
It’s no secret that Texas Governor Rick Perry intends to run for president, but now it looks like Perry will kick off his 2012 campaign tomorrow in South Carolina. He’ll then travel to New Hampshire followed by a few days in Iowa, at least according to the Associated Press:
Months behind other GOP candidates, Rick Perry has something most of them don’t: Buzz. The Texas governor will enter the race Saturday with splashy appearances in South Carolina and New Hampshire.
At the same time, he is putting together what looks a lot like a traditional presidential campaign. The path he hopes will lead to the Republican nomination starts here, in the leadoff caucus state of Iowa, with a message of jobs and values as he tries to set himself apart from GOP front-runner Mitt Romney.
[...]
“We cannot and must not endure four more years of rising unemployment, rising taxes, rising debt and rising energy dependence on nations that intend us harm,” Perry is to say Saturday in Charleston, S.C., according to remarks prepared for delivery.
Notice I didn’t say Perry will formally announce his candidacy, because I don’t quite know what’s going on with the formals and informals. Though Perry will by most accounts enter the race this weekend, a “formal” announcement could be coming next week in Houston — or maybe not:
Politico, the New York Times and the Statesman of Austin, Texas reported that Perry would make his plans to seek the nomination known on Saturday, though they suggested he would likely stop short of a formal announcement. Statesman reporter Jason Embry Tweeted late Monday, “I’m hearing from several GOP sources there will be a formal announcement of Perry’s campaign next Wednesday in Houston.” A Perry advisor, however, told CBS News: “We won’t be making much news in Houston next week.”
To-may-toe, to-mah-toe. Bottom line: Perry’s running, and the dynamic of the GOP race will immediately change a great deal:
With Texas Gov. Rick Perry widely expected to announce his plans for a presidential bid this weekend, he’s still sitting pretty near the top of the GOP pack, according to a new CNN/ORC International poll released today.
The poll finds 15% of Republicans and right-leaning independents picked Perry as their top choice for the nomination — just two points behind frontrunner Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor’s slim lead is within the survey’s two-point margin of error.
Perry was in an almost identical polling position just last month, when he trailed Romney 14% to 16% in another CNN/ORC survey.
By the way, for Perry, the phrase “laser-like focus” takes on a whole new meaning.
If you’re not very familiar with Rick Perry, here’s a terrific speech he delivered at CPAC earlier this year:
*****
Check back in tomorrow and we’ll catch up on the Perry announcement, Iowa straw poll results and more.
Update: Here’s a good reason for conservatives to like Perry: You’ll never see him on a love seat next to Nancy Pelosi in a global warming PSA. Sure, he was Gore’s Texas campaign manager in ’88 (which will be a sticking point for Perry), but I don’t think Gore was nearly as nuts then.
Update II: Text of Perry’s speech Saturday is here.
**Written by Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
See what others have said
Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Obama’s latest campaign angle: I’ve been saving America from wild Republican debts
May 24, 2012 04:33 PM by Doug Powers
54 CommentsBiden: Tea Party stopped us from growing the economy
May 23, 2012 01:55 PM by Doug Powers
44 CommentsCatholic lawsuit against Obamacare mandate cites 1993 legislation written by Ted Kennedy and Chuck Schumer
May 22, 2012 04:35 PM by Doug Powers
48 CommentsA 2012 campaign must-read: The conservative survival guide to Mitt Romney
May 21, 2012 10:23 AM by Michelle Malkin
159 CommentsBiden: Hey, I don’t blame people for voting for a convicted felon instead of my boss
May 18, 2012 01:21 PM by Doug Powers
73 CommentsElizabeth Warren touted Cherokee heritage in 1984 collection of recipes
May 17, 2012 10:26 AM by Doug Powers
124 Comments
Categories: 2012 Campaign



JustOneMinute
» Patterico And The Brett Kimberlin Gang
Babalu Blog
» U.S. Manned Space Flight in The 21st Century
Villainous Company
» Must Read Post of the Day. Possibly, the Year















FIFM
I’ll take your word for it. I haven’t bothered to go back and look it up.
The usual reason given is that the population is growing faster than the job production.
I can’t tell you how much I hate this computer. I just typed out a response, hit the return, and the whole thing disappeared.
As far as I know, there’s never been a court ruling at any level to support your point of view, but you’re welcome to your opinion, and for that matter to try to get a court to support it.
For anyone interested, http://peskytruth.wordpress.com/ has some fairly extensive info on Perry. I`m in the middle of it, so far, no mention of the Dream Act.
Still not a fan, but I want to know more about him since he does have a lot of positives.
Perry has a story to tell about his support for Al Gore.
Winston Churchill’s conservatism was sometimes in the center. He went from conservative to liberal to conservative — it’s all about timing and whether one’s party is moving too far left or too far right.
Three Presidents have already ejected millions of illegals, the last serious one being President Eisenhower. He successfully evicted millions of illegals after WWII in order to guarantee jobs for returning vets, all prior to the availability of computers. It can be done, but the clowns that we seem to elect really don’t want to do it.
Ye Gods. I’d never seen Perry speaking before. He’s an articulate, better looking version of GWB. The extreme similarity of their speaking mannerisms is hilarious.
The Left is really, really going to hate this guy.
I just hope he’s more serious than GWB was about limiting the power of the national government.
And they’ll do everything they possibly can to link the two of them together in the public mind.
(then again, that might cause him to benefit a little from the “Miss Me Yet?” effect, so who knows)
Rick Perry has one thing going for him. His nemesis Molly Ivins died in 2007.
Conservatives should judge Perry on his actions, not his speeches…Remember, that’s how we got Obama.
Perry’s support of the DREAM act in Texas is very concerning, and frankly, so is the fact that he worked for Gore. While people should be allowed to change, we should be very familiar with the markings of a political opportunist. Such markings include changing parties based on the shifting political winds and supporting legislation that caters specifically to a special interest (particularly one carved of ethnicity). He has two of those marks, so in my mind, all the public prayers, anti-Obama rhetoric and anti-federal government rhetoric should be considered just that, rhetoric…empty words.
All I’m saying is that he needs to support his claims with concrete action or he should not receive a minute of consideration. Writers write speeches, Politicians just read them.
Perry has a soft spot for the Religion of Pieces as well, haven’t we been down this road before?
http://www.rightsidenews.com/2011081614297/editorial/rsn-pick-of-the-day/rick-perry-and-islam.html
Islam is incompatible with Western Civilization. Notions like equality for women and free speech will get one killed by the Religion of Pieces.