Dude. I had to turn it off last night. Not only was the noise streaming from the computer messin’ with my head while I made dinner, but I couldn’t take it any more.
Rick Perry, you are my candidate. Why? Because I believe you possess the political courage to make the necessary and likely unpopular decisions the next President will have to make. You don’t believe government is the answer. But hire a damn debate coach and get with it. Saying “look at Texas” worked when you’d been running all of a week, but now it doesn’t. Have a plan for the love of God. And calling me heartless because I oppose discounts for illegal college students? I might as well have watched a Democrat debate. Come up with a better line of reasoning than the tired liberal track.
I loathe Mitt Romney and everything for which he stands (or stood, depending upon the day). He’s slick on stage, to be sure. But I don’t need another slick President. I don’t want Obama-lite.
Pundette is my shipmate on this lonely boat:
I couldn’t watch the debate last night but after reading analysis from Michelle Malkin (here and here) and Philip Klein (“Perry is blowing it”) I’m a bit discouraged. Because if Rick Perry, my 70% solution, can’t rise to the occasion, what we’re left with is Mitt Romney. He may be a great family man and a very able businessman, but I can’t believe he’s a true conservative. I have trouble believing him, period.
His positions are tailored to whichever office he’s currently running for. His horrible stance on abortion as a candidate for governor in 2002 — “I don’t accept either label, pro-life or pro-choice. Instead, I make it clear that I will preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose.” (conveniently jettisoned when he ran for president last time) — is a disqualifier for me. Toss in Romneycare (a sufficient disqualifier all by itself), his granny-scaring tactics on Social Security, his accusations that Perry is too conservative, and his general all-round RINO-ness, and he drops below 20%. Smooth debate performances can’t change any of that.
Perry has his glaring negatives, too: charges of crony capitalism, his weak stand on illegal immigration (which he defends with lame, insulting rhetoric about “compassion” and “last names” taken directly from the left), and his disturbing mandate on Gardasil. But I have hopes that Perry possesses the three most important qualifications needed in the next president: He sees the extreme urgency of the mess we’re in; he sincerely believes that monster government is the problem, not the solution; and he’s willing to engage in the fight to beat it back.
Romney has never been a courageous politician.
Nor will he ever be. Read the rest.
A Pundette “Recommended Read.” Thanks!
Politicaljunkie Mom 
Oh dear, well, he does actually believe government is the answer (there’s a reason that a lot of those Texas jobs are state gov’t jobs); the executive order on HPV vaccine proves that in spades. If it was the right thing to do, why not go through the legislature? Why think he doesn’t have to answer to the people’s body or the people? Because he saw himself as the one anointed to make that decision for the greater good. Sounds a bit like BO, no?
And on that heartless comment (and don’t forget he also sneered at parents who objected to his decree as not being able to understand or “get” opt-out), that’s not something conservatives do. Conservatives don’t attack people on ad hominem “grounds” simply for disagreeing with them; conservatives don’t use “heart” as the sole criteria for decision-making; and conservatives absolutely do not insult, sneeringly and from a self-appointed mountaintop of moral superiority, the American people.
I loathe and despise Mittens, but I am quite certain that he would never ever insult the American people as BO has done for three years and as Perry would certainly do for four more. I will never cast a vote for Perry. He clearly should have stayed a Democrat.
There are things about him and his record that I don’t like. But, sadly, he is the best of the bunch that has a realistic shot at beating Obama.
I also think getting bogged down on the in-state tutition issue is a mistake. That has nothing to do with the presidency. With the current make up of the house (which will not go back to dem control next year) there is no way that any sort of amensty will pass. So it isn’t an issue that will affect his job as president.
Actually, the in-state tuition thing has everything to do with the presidency because it reveals his stance on a key issue in this country: illegal immigration.
Unlike conservatives, he obviously thinks that the American taxpayer should indeed pay benefits, including in-state tuition to illegals. To conservatives this is wrong-headed on several counts, not the least of which being that it acts as an incentive to emigrate to this country illegally. Further, this is not really a “state” issue for as long as the federal government is in charge of all student loans (part of the ObamaCare monstrosity). I’d rather my tax dollars went to help American citizens get a college education, went to help American citizens fulfill the American Dream (that include welfare, foodstamps, and every other “benefit” that we currently waste millions on subsidizing illegals). It’s an outrage.
I’m sorry PJ. Perry lost me last night. I’ve now committed to Romney. Look, I’ve got agreements with both and disagreements with both. But up on that stage, Rick Perry proved he was not ready to run for the presidency. He stumbles constantly, is unsure of his answers, and frequently makes huge gaffes. Obama must be defeated. I do not believe Rick Perry can do that. I know Romney is not perfect, but I am convinced Romney can defeat Obama. .
[…] Political Junkie Mom has issues, too: I was, uh, for Perry before I was, uh, against his bungling of uh, um, everything […]
Is there some reason Herman Cain won’t work for you?
I dislike Perry and Romney and would never vote for them.
I’m always impressed with Cain. But I guess I’m realistically enough to know he will never capture the nomination. I hope he stays in the race because he tilts the field farther to the right. And he is able to articulate answers (I.e. obamacare last night).
I have had a hard time getting behind Perry ever since reading his state-mandated Muslim-education curricula.
Gradually, I have been allowing myself to hear arguments on his behalf by Perry supporters whom I respect (and who live much closer to/or in Texas) seep into my consciousness, softening me up to support Perry if necessary.
But I am not ready for another president who is going to get behind his podium and tell me that I have no heart.
Been there, doing that.
That line about people not having heart for illegals was the final straw for me. That was a huge gaffe, and between that and his gaffes on social security, I cannot see how he’s electable.
Me, too, that was the absolute worst thing he could have said, but I’m so glad he said it now. We can see he’s just as egotistical, just as sneering, petty, and nasty as BO. As QR said, been there, doing that. No more.
[quote]his state-mandated Muslim-education curricula.[/quote]
Also a huge problem. One we may have to revisit if Christie does change his mind (I hope he doesn’t, between his blindness to the Muslim agenda, his sneering at people who don’t believe in AGW, and his lack of support for the 2nd Amendment, and his support for amnesty, I’d just rather not have to deal with him at all).