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Campaign Crawlers
The Phantom Menace
Rick Perry’s Texas shadow looms over the Iowa Straw Poll.
DES MOINES — Tim Albrecht likes to tell a joke about an Iowa Republican being asked whether he’s going to support a certain presidential candidate in the Ames Straw Poll. “I don’t know,” the Iowan replies. “I’ve only met him twice.”
The joke by Albrecht, spokesman for the state’s popular Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, refers to how accustomed Iowans are to being personally solicited for their support in this state whose first-in-the-nation caucuses have long been a crucial proving ground for presidential candidates. While most Americans go their entire lives without ever meeting a serious candidate for the nation’s highest office, campaigning here is a face-to-face business where voters expect to shake hands and talk directly with those who seek their votes.
That tradition of old-fashioned politicking is what the Ames Straw Poll is all about, which explains why some Iowa Republicans seem a bit miffed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s long-rumored entry into the 2012 presidential field. Last week I began calling him the “Phantom Menace” of Iowa because, like the sinister Sith of the “Star Wars” series, he seems omnipresent even though he is far away. Ads promoting Perry’s candidacy have been running in fairly heavy rotation on Iowa TV recently, and his shadow campaign has been soliciting write-in votes for Saturday’s straw poll. However, the governor himself hasn’t yet stumped here, while the other GOP candidates have been frenetically crisscrossing the state imploring Iowans to “join me here in Ames,” as Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann says in her own TV ads.
A single headline best summarized the attitude of some locals: “Perry’s South Carolina Announcement Is a Slap In the Face to Iowa Republicans,” declared Craig Robinson on his website, TheIowaRepublican.com. The fact that the Texas governor would chose a Saturday event in South Carolina to announce his candidacy — and thus evidently try to steal the thunder from the Ames event the same day — will surely irritate many Iowans who feel that their state deserves first honors as a matter of right. “Perry now risks alienating the very people he needs to support him in order to win the nomination,” as Robinson wrote.
Perry will come to Iowa the day after the straw poll, but it remains to be seen whether the Texas governor will receive a hero’s welcome. Certainly many Republicans nationally see Perry as a conservative cowboy on a white steed riding to the rescue of a party whose 2012 presidential field has been dismissed by some pundits as lacking in star power. But many of those same pundits are (like Walter Shapiro of the New Republic) equally dismissive of the Ames Straw Poll, an event the chattering classes are wont to deride as a carnival sideshow, and Perry’s Carolina maneuver could be interpreted as ratifying that view. Which is not to say, however, that Perry’s campaign is ignoring Ames altogether.
During a Tuesday event at the state capitol here, where former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty joined pro-life social conservatives promoting a “Values Voter Bus Tour,” a group of college students wearing “Americans for Rick Perry” T-shirts worked the crowd soliciting write-in votes at Ames for the Texas governor. They distributed a flyer that touted Perry as a “proven conservative who will win” and highlighted a list of the governor’s accomplishments, including the fact that “45 percent of all jobs created in the U.S. since June 2009 were created in Texas.” That’s certainly a powerful political argument in a nation plagued by high unemployment and an anemic economy.
Exactly how many straw-poll votes Perry could get as a write-in is anyone’s guess, but Albrecht pointed out that the magic threshold might be 203 — the number of votes former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson got at Ames in 2007. Thompson’s name was actually listed on the ballot sthat year, so if Perry were to garner more votes than that as a write-in, he could claim a minor victory. But Albrecht also pointed out that Perry actually has twice as many staffers now working in Iowa as does the national front-runner, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, whose name will be on the Ames ballot even though Romney isn’t actively campaigning for straw poll votes. It is therefore a possibility, Albrecht suggested, that Perry could out-poll Romney at Ames — which would then be spun as a huge upset win for a late-entry write-in candidate, even if it amounted to only sixth or seventh place in the overall vote.
Whatever the number of votes Perry receives in Ames, if he wants to compete seriously for the votes of Iowans in next February’s caucuses, he is “going to have to come here and he’s going to have to work for it,” Albrecht said. “He’s going to have to make his case to every voter one-on-one and say why he needs to be the next president. And while it’s late, it’s not too late. There’s still a chance that the ground may be fertile for him here in Iowa, but Iowans do recognize the value of hard work, and if he doesn’t work as hard as the candidates who have already been here working hard, then he’s not going to get traction.”
About the Author
Robert Stacy McCain is co-author (with Lynn Vincent) of Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party (Nelson Current). He blogs at The Other McCain.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (78) | Leave a comment
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Richard| 8.10.11 @ 7:16AM
A note to the charming and presumably well-intentioned ladies with the "Americans for Perry" t-shirts in the photo that accompanies this article: Lose the Orange.
Governor Perry is an Aggie. The proper color is maroon. Orange - especially burnt orange - is a color best not worn.
Con Chef (NB) | 8.10.11 @ 8:21AM
There's only ONE color of orange. UT VOL ORANGE!!!!
Bo| 8.10.11 @ 1:28PM
You have to at least let Syracuse in there. They call themselves the Orange after all.
Cosmo| 8.11.11 @ 2:26AM
I'm sick of Iowa and New Hampshire controlling
the nomination...Last time we in Texas didn't get to vote...McCain was selected before our primary.
We need a national primary in July 2012. Wake up Republicans and stop these babies from cutting the other states out....
john dubose| 8.11.11 @ 11:00AM
You have made an important - serious point. Iowa and New Hampshire have NO vaild claim to first in the nation primary/caucus. There are many ways to right this wrong. Try this one.
1. divide all the states into about 7 groups ( spread around the country and varying in size )
2. pick 7 dates for primaries or caucusses
3. by random means, assign a group to each date.
4. Have the voting on those days
5. when the next cycle comes aroung, move all the groups up one date except for the first gropu which moves to the rear.
All this would be VERY difficult politically because states have the right to set their own election laws. But it would be the right thing to do.
Alan Brooks| 8.10.11 @ 10:10AM
Texas, the state that gave us LBJ and the Bushes.
Blunderful, just blunderful.
Michael Tomlinson| 8.10.11 @ 11:04AM
Not sure where you're from Brooks probably some failed New England, Northeastern or Left Coast Mecca of over taxation, deficit spending and ignorant hubris.
Perry-Rubio in 2012.
Alan Brooks| 8.10.11 @ 2:00PM
Don't care what you write.. I wont vote for your candidates, ever.
Doctor Right| 8.10.11 @ 3:20PM
That's OK, Alan...You're not a fan of freedom, we already know that.
Alan Brooks| 8.10.11 @ 4:38PM
You wrote freedom, without writing anything else such as,
ethics
responsibility
What good is just freedom? Manson would agree with merely freedom.
PsychoDad| 8.10.11 @ 10:10PM
Freedom is where everything else must proceed from.
Quartermaster| 8.10.11 @ 8:28PM
I'm not a leftist, and I will not vote for another Bush type candidate. For Perry is not just no, but "Oh H3ll no!"
Michael Tomlinson| 8.10.11 @ 11:01AM
Richard AMEN!!!
Michael L. Hauschild| 8.10.11 @ 12:50PM
Purple for royalty, White for a clean game.
Occam's Tool| 8.10.11 @ 1:00PM
Thanks, Mike---TCU's Colors are Purple and White.
idalily| 8.10.11 @ 4:31PM
And that purple is going to look great splattered all over The Blue on November 12. Go Boise State!
Mriordon| 8.10.11 @ 7:39AM
Seems like everyone in Iowa requires a handshake and a free meal for their support- why not think about what's best for the country. Iowa's influence on Republican politics is blown way out of proportion by a media that thrives on making up big stories, crises and controversy.
Mimi| 8.10.11 @ 8:45AM
Gov. Perry has been recovering from Back Surgery that is the cause of the DELAY, I believe although he's late on the scene he deserves a LOOK-SEE. He could be a strong candidate...and not overlooked!....The eye-ball to eye-ball greet and meet in Iowa and New Hampshire , give us a good idea of who is a good possibility.....exiciting time in America....Now "The People" speak!!!
Alan Brooks| 8.10.11 @ 10:35AM
Perry has the looks, and it today's celebrity culture world that means everything. It got Schwarzenegger the governorship of California, and all he did was play the Terminator and Kindergarten Cop.
Alan Brooks| 8.10.11 @ 4:40PM
as far as we know, they might ALL be Scharzeneggers today.
PsychoDad| 8.10.11 @ 10:11PM
Look what else a fawning media did -- elected a no-talent loser Sock Puppet to the White House.
A. Doer| 8.10.11 @ 1:32PM
Back surgery may be the official story but the delay is brilliant. Iowa wants tea party rhetoric, and Perry is weak there. He's not as moderate as Romney but his movement in the tea party direction on issues like immigration is "conveniently" recent. By skipping Iowa he avoids having a lot of scrutiny.
Another brilliant thing he's doing is making his announcement at the Red State gathering. Perry is the kind of candidate that Erick Erickson could either love or hate. Erickson is fickle. Giving Erickson some great publicity guarantees that Perry will have redstate on his side.
JimP| 8.10.11 @ 9:20AM
I agree that Iowa, and New Hampshire, have way to much influence on the nomination process. Iowans sound pretty spoiled too, judging by the comments quoted. Neither of these states have large populations (relatively) and are minimally diverse ethnically. Since the establishment GOP will likely never place these states in their deserved order I am happy to see Perry "snub" Iowa. Take a cue from Perry future candidates, larger more diverse states deserve your attention more than these two states.
Michael Tomlinson| 8.10.11 @ 11:05AM
Same goes for New Hampshire.
Clint| 8.10.11 @ 7:40AM
Isn't Perry a former redpot ?
POST American| 8.10.11 @ 8:13AM
----Take a GOOD look.
Putting aside his support for 'Banker Bailouts',
Glow-ball--ism, mandates for the deadly gardasil
shots, ILLEGAL attendance at Bilderberg,
NAFTA and GATT support, and his early
days fronting for Al Gore-------would you even
buy a used air conditioner from a face like
that?
WOULD YOU-----------------------------------------?
Michael Tomlinson| 8.10.11 @ 11:06AM
Better than Federal pork loving the "Wild Shrimp Cowboy" Ron Paul or author of Romneycare.
Clint| 8.10.11 @ 7:54PM
Do Your Homework RINO-CINO PropagandaBoy.
Dr. Ron Paul has never voted for an earmark. His Principled Stand is about The Constitutional Congressional Responsibility for Spending & Not Handing Tax Payer Money To The Executive Branch To Spend.
"REP. RON PAUL, R-TEXAS:
But I think you're missing the whole point. I have never voted for an earmark. I voted against all appropriation bills. So, this whole thing about earmarks is totally misunderstood.
Earmarks is the responsibility of the Congress. We should earmark even more. We should earmark every penny. So, that's the principle that we have to follow and the — and the responsibility of the Congress. The whole idea that you vote against an earmark, you don't save a penny. That just goes to the administration and they get to allocate the funds."
The Tea Party Rebellion Ramps Up For The 2012 Elections.
Stand & Fight.
PsychoDad| 8.10.11 @ 10:12PM
Paulifarians are more annoying than Jehovahs Witnesses.
JGwen| 8.10.11 @ 8:40AM
There are many facets to the Perry story. Opt Outs for Gardasil (recall Polio shots had bad effects for some as well) and the Gore experience leading him to becoming a Republican. There is value in knowing where and what others are about. As for his support for given initiatives as a Governor, at a place in time, in view of the O alternative, shouldn't we find out where he would stand as a Presidential Candidate? Do some really full researching and close listening going forward. We NEED a change in Presidents!
WJ| 8.10.11 @ 8:42AM
I would vote for him over the current nightmare in office. That's the only good I can say about him.
In the name of all that is holy, Mr. Perry , don't do it.
John Navratil| 8.10.11 @ 11:05AM
WJ,
He can't be all bad. The Bushes don't like him.
toadold| 8.10.11 @ 8:58AM
There some states with a large number of electoral votes and a majority of conservative voters who have long resented the results from the Iowa and New Hampshire primary process and the candidates they have tossed up. The two are not thought of being all that reflective of the country at large anymore. Iowa in particular has been thought to have been gamed hard in the recent past. The party for super early primaries may be ending.
Dai Alanye | 8.10.11 @ 9:10AM
Perry's coy attitude with regard to making a run reminds me of a certain politico who likes to vote "present." It's his way of eating his cake and still having it. If Perry makes some kind of showing in the straw poll he can brag it up, while if he doesn't he can point out he wasn't running.
My instincts tell me Perry is just another Romney with a slightly different emphasis.
David| 8.10.11 @ 9:12AM
I won't vote for Perry.
I live in Texas and I like him as Governor, but he's a RINO.
Alan Brooks| 8.10.11 @ 6:02PM
Vote for Obama.
PsychoDad| 8.10.11 @ 10:12PM
Isn't it sad when cousins marry?
canuckistani| 8.10.11 @ 9:16AM
Yes, that's the solution, another stuffed suit from Texas. Fool me thrice.....we won't get fooled agin'....er, sumthin' like that.
Alan Brooks| 8.10.11 @ 6:00PM
For two decades they have run those dynasticists from Texas; now they want Perry to waste another 4 or 8 years.
Solo| 8.10.11 @ 9:46AM
Any Straw poll which lists Ron Paul as a possible winner should never be taken seriously.
Screw Iowa and its Tractor-Riding Welfare Queens! The whole process there is a zoo.
The straw poll draws hyped-up supporters by the bus-load (see Ron Paul and Michelle Bachman) but the actual Caucus almost always produces a RINO promising corn subsidies.
It's a joke!
Jack in Wi.| 8.10.11 @ 4:02PM
Ron Paul is leading in actual polls against Obama. He is usually in the top 3 Republican candidates in most polls. He has a lot of funds, the most financial support from military families by far, and the only sane solution to this financial meltdon. He has also been right on foreign policy for 20 years. He is by far the best man running. Ron Paul for President. Rand Paul for vice President.
TURK| 8.10.11 @ 11:08AM
David ! Your slinky body has hung around Am Spec before! You should use a different name when you crawl onto a conservative site!
Perry a rino?????????????????
You marxists always labor to destroy conservatives who rise in the repub party. Like the left media you much prefer the likes of a Wilkey--Dewey--Ford--et al. Orrrrrr--a rockefeller or nixon who will do the bidding of the leftist dem's. In the run up to '08 you HAD TO destroy Geo Allen because he would have cleaned Hussein Obama's clock. You guys just loved McCain! Now you slink around trying to take down ANY repub that might threaten another 4 years of your marxist buddy and his minions. GO AHEAD take your shots at Perry ala your vituperation as heaped on Palin! It's all out in the open now! I do not believe it works in the mass chaos of today, but do your damndest!
P.S. If he's a rino, how come the 2 premier rino's Bush/Rove tried to defeat him in the last Gov race in Texas?? Huh??
Sean| 8.10.11 @ 11:34AM
Yes Perry is a RINO.
Michael Tomlinson| 8.10.11 @ 11:17AM
Will it take another former Democrat with dark wavy hair to pull a Ronald Reagan in 2012? Definitely if that Republican is Rick Perry.
Here are few things many conservatives may not know about Reagan. He was an FDR New Deal Democrat who loved it when Harry Truman gave Republicans hell. Then he came to his senses and became a Republican. As Republican Governor of California he raised taxes and signed the most liberal abortion law in the nation that set the stage for the outrage of Roe v. Wade. He was always an open border's politician as he proved with blanket amnesty and citizenship for illegal aliens.
Yes Rick Perry supported Al Gore when Gore was a conservative Democrat or a James Antle III Blue Dog Democrat. Did Perry make mistakes as Governor of course, but if we look back to Reagan as Governor and President it is easy seeing Rick Perry following in his footsteps to rebuild America after the disastrous Obama or Jimmy Carter II.
As a US Air Force veteran Perry will not tear down the US military and he’d obtain Congressional support before going to war.
Under Perry’s stewardship Texas has created more jobs than the rest of the US. Significant tort reform signed by Perry has losers paying court costs blocking the ALCU, labor unions, environmental extremists and other Democrat special interest groups from killing jobs. Perry signed into law eminent domain legislation to protect property owners from state and local governments. Perry signed voter ID legislation that requires Texans to show photo identification to vote. Perry signed into law pro-life legislation that requires women seeking an abortion to first get a sonogram. Under Perry Texas has balanced the books each biennium and slashed spending to reconcile the numbers. The libertarian leaning CATO Institute over his years in Austin give him an average of 60 and he has an A+ NRA rating.
Between 2001 and last June, Texas — a right-to-work state that taxes neither personal income nor capital gains — added more jobs than the other 49 states combined. And since the recovery began two Junes ago, Texas has created 37 percent of America’s net new jobs.
During Obama’s first year in office, more than half (119,000) of all the new jobs in the United States were created in business-friendly Texas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between January 2001 and June 2010, the BLS calculates, Texas’ non-farm employment grew from 9,542,400 in January 2001, when Perry took office, to 10,395,800 in June 2010 — an increase of 853,400 or 8.9 percent. Big-government California simultaneously lost 827,800 jobs. Employment in Texas grew more than in the other 49 states combined. Since June 2009, when the Great Recession officially ended, Texas has produced 265,300 net jobs, equal to 36.7 percent of the 722,200 positions created nationwide.
As America’s No. 1 exporting state, Texas shipped $206.6 billion in goods abroad last year, composing 16 percent of America’s $1.28 trillion in exports. California’s $14.4 billion in exports ranked it second, with 11.2 percent of U.S. outflow.
Texas with Republican governors (1996-2009) who refused to raise taxes and restrained spending saw per capita income jump by more than 42%. Employment was up 10.5% in Texas
Supposed examples of Perry’s extremism evaporate in sunlight. One is that he intimated support for Texas’s secession from the Union. After people shouted “Secede!” at a rally, he said that he understood their frustration but added: “We’ve got a great union. There is absolutely no reason to dissolve it.”
Here is a quote from the Governor that shows the kind of steel he’s made of: "Abolishing sanctuary cities in Texas, using the federal Secure Communities program and ensuring that only individuals who are here legally can obtain a valid Texas driver's license sends a clear message that Texas will not turn a blind eye to those breaking our laws." It may not be as monumental as “Tear down this wall Mr. Gorbachev,” but it is pretty damn good.
BackToBasics| 8.10.11 @ 6:41PM
Here's a video where Perry intimates future secession, if.....
http://www.ivorytowerz.com/200.....ssion.html
Here's a quote where Perry criticizes Arizona's law enforcing existing federal immigration laws:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-.....-for-texas
Seems ambiguous to me, tough posturing in one case, weak on enforcing immigration laws against illegals in the second.
As I've posted before, he's a center-right establishment politician but he's still establishment.
I continue to back Bachman or Cain in the primaries. I'll vote for Perry only in the general election if he gets the nomination.
But I'll guarantee that he will do nothing about illegal immigration if he wins the presidency. Once the illegals get amnesty sometime in the future, its Democrats forever.
Why is that so hard for RINO's and establishment-republicans to understand?
TrueBlue| 8.10.11 @ 7:28PM
Perry also knowingly signed legislation that produced a $5 billion a year deficit in the state. I'm all for lowering taxes, but you don't remove a tax when you know it'll make it impossible to cover your bills.
BackToBasics| 8.10.11 @ 11:43PM
I all for cutting spending to get rid of deficits. Painful, yes. Will it cause the economy to slow? In the short term, yes. In the long term a smaller government and a larger private sector would create a booming economy. Just free up the people without the high taxes and too many regulations and see how many small businesses will start up with many being successful and hiring.
The Home Depo CEO said recently that Home Depot could never have even started in the current high-tax, high regulation environment we have now.
Someone on this site was in China recently and he said they have less business regulations than we do in America.
BackToBasics| 8.10.11 @ 11:43PM
typo = I'm all
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.10.11 @ 11:17AM
I'm really tired of the oafs blasting Governor Perry!
He is a good man...that has made his priorities extremely clear.
See his speech video on my blog-site .
www.txbooks.blogspot.com
I'm one of the "victims" of the polio shots mentioned above. The darned vacine gave me polio. Still, the darned vacine kept hundreds of thousands of children out of iron lungs and an early death.
I gladly pay that rent.
You people need to get your heads out of your butts.
I am still praying earnestly that Sarah runs. I would LOVE to see her and Perry on the same ticket.
They would both recruit Bolton as Secretary of State.
Either Perry or Sarah would be splendid Presidents.
Late into the race? Duh!
Both of them already have national name recognition. Both of them have outlined their view of the presidency and the policies and principles they would pursue... dilligently.
You quiblers need to shut the hell up and get on board with winners.
See Perry's tea-party speech on my blog.
Sean| 8.10.11 @ 11:38AM
Polio is not HPV, it isn't even close. No governor should ever try to make an HPV shot mandatory.
Occam's Tool| 8.10.11 @ 1:04PM
Polio and you played baseball! I admire you even more, Ken.
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.10.11 @ 1:24PM
Heh, Tool,
those wind-sprints got to be a bitch.
Finally, at age 14, I went to a three week baseball camp, and an old pitching coach took pity on wimpy (lefthanded) me and taught me a knuckle-ball.
.....the "wimp" pitch that no one could hit.
TA DA...free college education at one of the finest Universities in America. (Baylor)
Heh, TCU had a big FAST lefty I faced three years.
...TCU another of the finest.
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.10.11 @ 11:33AM
PS:
The only declared R candidate with balls...is Bachman.
The rest are merely wimps with their fingers in the wind.
We don't need to settle for them.
Occam's Tool| 8.10.11 @ 1:04PM
I surely do love Bachmann. Fine lady. As usual, correct, Ken.
A. Doer| 8.10.11 @ 1:37PM
As a liberal I can join you in hoping that Bachmann gets the nomination!
Doctor Right| 8.10.11 @ 11:37AM
Perry is a HUGE improvement over most of the GOP field.
Except for Bachman, they're all RINOs or cranks (like Paul).
And I don't think Palin is running.
TrueBlue| 8.10.11 @ 7:31PM
Palin has too much baggage now unfortunately, and she makes some serious gaffs every now and then. The few mistakes Bachmann has made in her speeches are minor. Palin would do a much better job supporting a good candidate and assisting with their campaign than running herself.
Clint| 8.10.11 @ 8:02PM
"Ron Paul Wins Texas GOP Poll
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex), a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, won a poll of 882 “highly active” Republican voters in Texas. Paul won the poll with 22 percent of the Republican vote. Texas Governor Rick Perry grabbed second with 17 percent of the Republican vote, while pizza magnate Herman Cain took third with 14 percent of the vote."
The Tea Party rebellion RampsUp For The 2012 Elections.
Stand & Fight.
fwb| 8.10.11 @ 11:44AM
Rick Perry is a big government politician. He pushed through forcing young girls to take shots for HPV at the behest of the corporations. HPV cannot be contracted except through unprotected sex. It is not the government's place to get involved in our personal lives and the state of Texas with Rick Perry needs to shut up and get out of the lives of the people.
He will be no different as President. He will continue the move to complete control by the feds and the continued destruction of the liberty of the people.
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.10.11 @ 12:19PM
fwb,
you are a stupid stupid person.
Dumbshet! we have several thousand little girls in Texas raped by mommie's boyfriends...who have the disease.
The polio vacine was equally controversial.
Read my comment above.
Perry was trying to protect them...at least a little.
Purple Lips| 8.10.11 @ 4:31PM
Funny, never heard that one. Kind of like the stories that went around during the early 1960s about millions of children being bitten by rats. You see, activitsts wanted Congress to spend millions on exterminating rats. As it turned out, it wasn't millions of children being bitten.. Of course, the "study" was scientific, but all numbers statistically derived. Fifty years and tens of billions later, our cities and swamps are still filled with the vermin.
Never accept any figure from the government.
Occam's Tool| 8.10.11 @ 1:03PM
Why should a little girl suffer cancer because she was raped? Agree with Ken. But Ken, are you sure it wasn't the Sabin vaccine (oral)? Salk's was a shot of killed virus.
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.10.11 @ 1:41PM
Doctor,
honestly I forget which was which. As I understand it, the needle injected vacine was a "live virus". That's the one that got me.
The following year we got the "sugar cube" instead of a booster needle.
Maybe the first one wasn't quite all "killed"?
John Navratil| 8.10.11 @ 6:54PM
Ken, Occam's Tool,
I thought Gardisil was a good idea and got it for my daughter. My problem with Perry's actions were:
(1) He did not go through the legislature, but passed this by executive order. If this was a good idea it could and would have passed normal legislative channels. There was no emergency.
(2) There was no public health issue as with polio. No one was going to catch HPV in Math class.
(3) I am not pleased when elected leaders rule by diktat.
I assume Perry's motives were pure; I don't buy into the Merck scandal theory. He claimed cervical cancer ran is his family. HPV is a problem. Gardisil is a good, in my opinion, solution. More government intrusion, well intended as it may be, is not acceptable to me.
Stefan Stackhouse| 8.10.11 @ 12:12PM
If Iowa votes only go to people who paid for them, then I am not at all sure that I want as President anyone who has done well in Iowa. A President that obtains office by buying votes would seem to me to be the last thing this country needs.
Solo| 8.10.11 @ 12:20PM
Check the record more carefully.
The HPV shots were NOT mandatory. There was an opt out provision.
Perry wanted the Gardisil vaccine declared as a state vaccination initiative so as to force insurance companies to pay for the vaccines without requiring a co-pay and for the vaccines to be included in the coverage under Medicaid (which it otherwise would not have).
If you're going to harp on a conspiracy theory, pick one which doesn't have easily verifiable counter-evidence; like Aliens from some secret base on the moon actually run the Bildeberg Group.
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.10.11 @ 1:02PM
Solo,
thank you. I forgot to mention the "opt-out" provision for HPV in Texas.
Our whole legislature passed the damned bill...THEN Perry signed it.
Right or wrong, it was to honestly give our little girls some protection....from pedophiles.
COPY GIRL| 8.10.11 @ 1:13PM
C'mon Iowans, show us what you're made of! You have been slapped in the face by the most viable candidate the Republicans, Just sit out the election or vote for Obama in retaliation!
That is how we got Hope and Change. Echos of the "I just thought we needed a change. . ."
Michael L. Hauschild| 8.10.11 @ 1:21PM
There is a phantom coming in October. She will not be a menace unless you are a RINO, Obama, or the current crop of incumbent clowns masquerading as "representatives."
COPY GIRL| 8.10.11 @ 1:47PM
Occam's Tool - - Dinah Shore had polio and so did Doris Day. Mild, it didn't affect their lungs or much else. Shore had a residual slight limp from a shortened leg, she said. Apparently didn't affect her golf game!
My friend, on the other hand spent years on what they called a quilt frame, rotating her to keep her circulation going and her muscles from contracting in a grotesque fashion. I pushed her in a wheelchair through two years of high school. We called it infantile paralysis back them
I am not surprised Old Texican rose above it play baseball. Good for him! I knew many kids who had light cases and one who was devastated. She wore a heavy body brace to keep her in a sitting position. And she was Valedictorian of our class. Living was difficult. She died in her forties.
Isn't it odd that Jonas Salk received so little recognition for his contribution to medicine?
Purple Lips| 8.10.11 @ 4:24PM
Rick Perry looks an actor from those old Hai Karate commercials.
David| 8.10.11 @ 4:44PM
Turk, I don't know who the above "David" is, but it is not me, the David who regularly posts on this site.
Dave Francis | 8.10.11 @ 5:36PM
Currently these are the 12 contenders for the presidential candidacy, regarding one of the highest issues that will hit the campaign trail for 2012. Chris Christie present Governor of New Jersey has not decided on this path yet. The majority of competitors will debating about jobs, the economy, foreign policy and many other issues in Ames, Iowa straw poll. There is dilemma that we cannot escape from, as it causing a major displacement of working Americans. According to a report there are an estimated 8 million illegal workers in mostly low income jobs throughout the United States, yet 14 million Americans have little chance of finding work in this dark recession. Even so with these figures in mind, the left still wants to enact an amnesty that could cost according to the Heritage Foundation 2.6 Trillion dollars. We hear almost every day from the Liberal academia, which by passing an amnesty, including a covert amnesty called the Dream Act that the economy will grow.
How can this be, when analysts within (FAIR) Federation of American Immigration Reform that federal costs are designated at $113 Billion dollars a year and this is exempt from what states are also paying out. The Sanctuary State of California and its Liberal legislators have transformed the State in a haven for illegal alien families and carry’s a hefty price tag of $21 Billion. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has the best grade for her stand on the illegal immigration major problem and should cite illegal Immigration as a one of the causes of Unemployment. VDARE.com’s Ed Rubenstein has been monitoring immigrant displacement of American workers since 2001. Here I want to show more evidence that immigration is linked to high unemployment .http://www.vdare.com/rubenstein/041116_nd.htm
This is a appraisal of competing lawmakers on their stance about illegal immigration from NumbersUSA.
Michele Bachmann, U.S. Representative from Minnesota (B- ); Tim Pawlenty, former Governor of Minnesota (C+) ; Herman Cain, former Federal Reserve banker and businessman from Georgia (C-) ;Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts (D) ; Sarah Palin former Governor of Alaska ( D) ; Rick Perry Governor of Texas (D-) ; Jon Huntsman, Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to China and former Governor of Utah (D-) ;Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives from Georgia ( D-) Rick Santorum, former Senator from Pennsylvania ( F ) ; Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico (F ) ;Ron Paul, U.S. Representative from Texas ( F) ; Chris Christie Governor of New Jersey. (F) ; Barack OBama, Present President from Illinois ( F-)
Here is an example of expenditures in the small state of Rhode Island that has a limited state budget but still burdened with illegal aliens. Because of the 14th Amendment, children born in the United States get instant citizenship. This is something that has become comparable to the free education and free uninsured health care that taxpayers are the recipients taxed.
This is truly stomach churning when citizens and legal citizens have no jobs, but have a family to feed. This is encouragement on a grand scale, which epitomizes the major problem inherited from previous administrations and leftist activists in the court system? Each year it’s so estimated that 300.000 pregnant women slip past the border patrol, with another 40 percent entering America with tourists and students.
The fact is that it’s perfectly legal for a destitute, pregnant illegal alien, who presents herself as such, to receive state aid in Rhode Island. As Rep. Peter G. Palumbo (D-RI) reported, if pregnant illegal aliens show up at a Human Services office in Rhode Island, they are given the option of Blue Cross, United Healthcare, or Neighborhood Health insurance. They also receive a $450 a month debit card, and $275 a month in food stamps. According to Palumbo, the extension of such entitlement programs to illegal aliens is costing the state approximately $150-$350 million a year.
Think of the cost nationwide, specifically in Liberal controlled capitols such as Sacramento, California where the cost monthly is beyond understanding. Return to a Democrat House and senate, with Liberal entices, would bring us even more entitlements forced from Americans in taxes, to pay for the invading aliens. Rep. Michele Bachmann will end these travesties to our laws, halt small clandestine amnesties, Dream Acts, sanctuary cities and States and return this nations sovereign government to the people. Learn more to make your vote count in the Ames Straw poll and forward to the 2012 election. Many voters think there one vote doesn’t count, but your State and federal Representative wants that vote. Call them and tell them you want an end to the illegal immigration occupation. Investigate for yourself the costs and statistics unresolved problem at NumbersUSA, American Patrol, Judicial Watch and VDare.
The TEA PARTY has become an immense grassroots movement of tens of millions of one- mind Americans from all racial and religious backgrounds, political parties, no matter what the adverse pundits say? The TEA PARTY members share the focused philosophy of limited government, individual freedoms, personal responsibility, "fair" free markets and above all else returning power to the States and the people. The TEA PARTY is about reforming all political parties and control, so the key principles of our Constitution, once again is the foundation of which this nation stands.
MY EARLIER BLOGS: http://brittanicus-enoughisenough.blogspot.com/
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Mike| 8.10.11 @ 10:54PM
Iowa's influence on Republican politics is blown way out of proportion by a media that thrives on making up big stories, crises and controversy.
http://www.summer-products.com
http://www.ainibag.com
Mike| 8.10.11 @ 10:55PM
Rick Perry looks an actor from those old Hai Karate commercials.
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http://www.honey-gifts.com
POST American| 8.11.11 @ 12:44AM
--AS we survey the latest capstone instigated
and provocateur directed 'benny violence' in
Britain, I think one and all can agree, we DON'T
need any more Bilderberg GO-fers representing
Republican, much less American, values.
--------------HUAC meets NUREMBERG-------------
When you've had enough-------------------------------
POST American| 8.15.11 @ 12:08AM
---------------------BOTTOM LINE---------------------
DO check out ALEX JONES'S latest vids on
Rick Perry's record as Al Gore's fmr chief of staff,
David Rockefeller vetted Bilderberg lackey,
NAFTA/GATT and 'Banker Bailout' pusher,
Texas infra-structure sellout artist ----the long groomed
Karl Rove 'Creation' (and probably full-blown
Freemason) -----TTTTTT----Rick PAIR--HEE
-------------------------------------------------------LOL!