At this point, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that Rick Perry, the Governor of Texas is looking long and hard at a Presidential run. Many have been predicting this could happen and some here on Tea Party Nation have said it would happen.
What does this mean for the Tea Party?
Rick Perry in some circles is a lightning rod for criticism. Interestingly enough, even though he is not a declared candidate, Rick Perry came in second in the recent TPN presidential poll, beating out Tea Party favorites Sarah Palin and Herman Cain, though bagging less than half the votes of Michele Bachmann.
Perry has strong support. He has been supportive of Tea Parties in Texas, speaking to a number of them. He has also been criticized for being a former Democrat and being soft on immigration.
Perry showed some backbone this week, ignoring pressure from Obama, Mexico and the United Nations and refused to block the execution of a Mexican national who had been convicted of a brutal rape and murder of a teenaged Texas girl.
Perry’s entry into the race will cause Tea Party members to make a hard choice. The Tea Party vote is split with Michele Bachmann clearly in the lead, followed by Sarah Palin, if she runs and Herman Cain.
We would all love to see a Tea Party candidate win but the question is going to be can someone like Bachmann win the primary and then win the general election against Obama?
Bachmann is clearly winning the Tea Party vote but what many in the Tea Party do not realize is that the Republican vote is not made up exclusively from Tea Party members.
The GOP establishment does exist and there are GOP moderates. The polls that show Mitt Romney in the overall lead among Republican candidates is not simply an exercise in creative writing. The $18 million dollars Romney just raised was not monopoly money.
There are vested interests that want to see an establishment candidate elected. We in the Tea Party can rant and rave all we want about how terrible the RINOs are but the simple fact is they do exist and in many areas control the GOP.
A Perry candidacy really throws a curve ball into the race. For Michele Bachman, as the leading Tea Party candidate to win, among other things, she would need the RINO vote split among the leading RINOs.
That isn’t happening.
Tim Pawlenty’s campaign is flailing like a fish caught by a Minnesota fisher on a frozen lake. At this point, the only real question is, when is he exiting the race. Newt Gingrich’s campaign limps along. He will stay longer but his campaign is doomed too. Jon Huntsman is zipping along on his motorcycle in the Utah desert but so far his supporters could probably all fit on the back of his motorcycle.
That leaves Romney, who is to put it mildly, a very seriously flawed candidate.
Right now, in a one on one campaign, Bachmann probably loses to Romney. But do not underestimate Bachmann. While everyone thinks of her for her fiery Tea Party rhetoric, she has been quietly assembling a team of serious Republican insiders and is building a formidable campaign.
Enter Rick Perry. Many establishment Republicans know how flawed Romney is, but do not have an alternative to him. Perry could provide that alternative. More than one analyst has said that Perry might be the one candidate who could appeal to both the Tea Party and the establishment.
For many looking at the numbers for 2012, Texas cannot be ignored. Obama has said he believes Texas is in play in 2012. Is that just talk? Perhaps. But as we have said on TPN before, Texas is crucial. There is simply no way ANY Republican candidate can carry the day without Texas.
Texans will protest and say that Texas will never go blue. Among the live Texans, that is very true. But when you count the dead Texans that will be voting, the fictional Texans that will be voting, the illegal Texans that will be voting and the blue Texans who will be voting early and often, victory is not certain.
Perry does ensure that a Republican will win Texas with a fraud proof majority. As we move into the serious part of the election season, that is something conservatives cannot ignore.
Tags: 2012, Huntsman, Pawlenty, Perry, Rick, Romney, gop, iowa, obama, palin, More…
Permalink Reply by Eph 6:12 on
Yes Steve he is a Bilderberg or Globalist and that is something we do not need as President of this United States of America. We want a president who is pro-America ONLY! Let's get someone who thinks AMERICAN.
Permalink Reply by Lois K. Knoffer on 
Permalink Reply by Nevadastu on In the article you linked, Tucker is suggesting that Bilderberg wants the recession to continue even though it will mean that Obama is a 1 term prez. If Bilderberg is so intent on creating a global government, then why would they want Obama out? He is the greatest force for implementing their agenda that they could possibly hope for. Also, it is Obama that is causing the recession to linger. Personally, I think the conspiracy theories surrounding this group are more a manifestation of Libertarian paranoia. All of the candidates in this race are flawed, but I believe that whoever is nominated will pull this country out of the hole it has been pushed into. Providing, of course, that we can stop the infighting and get behind the Republican candidate with our full support, and win the presidency.
Permalink Reply by C Entin on Permalink Reply by Dave Mason on Permalink Reply by usfrog on 
Permalink Reply by Jim McGovern on Permalink Reply by Laura Alford on You are so right! Can we say that Obama was made to look so bad that the son of perdition would take over? Be careful, very careful.
Why am I afraid for even posting this? Things happen like Foster being positioned under Clinton's tree; but, no worse than my head being cut off by libs or muslims. We all live forever. Where will it be?
Permalink Reply by Annette Sieve on 
Permalink Reply by Vern Shotwell on Not sure of the TSA thing, Lisa.....looks like it stalled in the legislature. Many articles inthel last couple weeks, likeTexas Gov. Rick Perry revives TSA pat-down bill
Provide verifiable links, please.
Permalink Reply by Eph 6:12 on Vern
Rick Perry was AWOL in Louisiana when the vote came down. Straus and Dewhurst ran the show and killed the bill. To make it very clear the leiutenant gov and speaker has as much if not more power than the gov. in most instances. Straus and Dewhurst are liberals.
Permalink Reply by heidi pascal on © 2013 Created by Judson Phillips.
