« BACK  |  PRINT

RS

EDITOR OF REDSTATE

A Singular Overlooked Advantage for the Perry Team

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  August 14th, 2011 at 05:52 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Let me give you some quick and dirty info about the Perry team that, in talking to a number of reporters in New Hampshire and Iowa, is being corroborated.

Perry has a team in place that he has used for a number of years. While Governor Perry really did legitimately stand down after the November 2010 election and, until a few months ago, had no intention of running for President, his team never really did stand down.

While many of the campaigns have been going for a while and are still struggling to get the look and feel of a Presidential campaign, Perry’s team has it already. One of the best examples is that the Perry team was able to get Governor and Mrs. Perry’s college roommates flown into Charleston and into the hotel ballroom without the Perry family ever knowing until they too arrived in the ballroom. They were completely surprised.

Few teams could pull that off well, let alone pull it off without the candidate or press finding out about it.

Additionally, the Perry team has been with him so long, there is no kicking the tires or vetting the candidate or getting to relative comfort levels.

His first event, at RedState, and his second in New Hampshire were put on the acumen and professionalism of a general election candidate and it really does make a subconscious impact with both the press and spectators.

The Perry campaign went from nothing to everything in a matter of weeks without skipping a beat because they have been with the candidate for so long.

And the really striking thing is that Romney’s campaign never really stood down in 2008, but still does not seem to have the energy and polish the Perry campaign never really surrendered after winning re-election in 2010. These little things actually make big differences.

Tags:

COMMENTS

POSTING RULES  |  LOGIN TO COMMENT  |  REGISTER TODAY
  • Michael_Handley

    A organized and well run campaign, especially early on, is a sign of a candidate who kows how to pick the right person for the right job. So for i’m impressed with Gov. Perry. He seems like he might be the right man. I wish him well…

  • swami7774

    This line of thinking could be a variation of Obama’s claim that because he ran a good campaign, he’d be a good president.

  • Darin_H

    It’s not the entire reason for Perry’s candidacy, unlike Obama.

  • maxwell105

    I Albert Arnold “Al” Gore, Jr. am pleased to endorse my good friend Governor Rick Perry for president of the United States of America.

    Rick worked very hard as my campaign manager and his dedication his loyalty to me is a terrific example why Americans can place their trust in him.

    Let me list the many reasons why Rick Perry would make a great president for our country a country in dire straits.

    Trans-Texas Corridor NAFTA Superhighway.
    Rick put so much work to make this great project a reality.
    Although for now he failed in his dream but I am sure as president Superhighway can go ahead and become a success story providing many much needed jobs.

    Open border.
    Rick allowed millions of hard working friends from Mexico and other Latin American countries enter the great state of Texas and take jobs nobody wanted.
    Our friends from the south clean our houses work on our farms in slaughterhouses pubs and restaurants and they lovingly care for our children.

    Vaccines for our daughters.
    Rick issued an executive order mandating that Texas girls receive HPV vaccine.
    I am sure as president he will be able to vaccinate every man woman child domestic pet as well as farm animals.
    We are in the Twenty First Century and progress must be attained.
    The old ways of thinking must be put in the dust bin of history.

    Rick is a visionary.
    True statesman ready to take on the unfinished job George Bush and Barack Obama left behind.
    So many nations crave our democracy they plead for our brave troops to bring them freedom.
    I believe Rick Perry a man of wisdom with common sense and with friends in high places can do the job.

  • c16rocksteady

    to see if Perry is as good a dancer on his crony-capitalist and open borders tendencies, as Romney is on Romneycare.

  • JSobieski

    24 years is a long time, and Al Gore campaigned as a conservative in 1988 … unrecognizable from his current incarnation

  • GordonTaylor

    but, not this time. I absolutely love the guy, but I don’t think he’s electable. If he makes it all the way, he has my vote, but I’m thinking we should let BO finish killing America so it won’t get blamed on a good man like Rick.

  • gekster

    who you will support and why.
    You are not bringing anything new to the game, and in fact you are rather behind the curve.
    (search Rick Perry RedState)
    For the past two weeks we have been all over the items you posted, and all of them have been shot down and answered
    Try to catch up and then keep up.

  • rememberthealamo

    Perry’s team is helped to a large degree by the fact that they have a disciplined candidate. This guy is very good on the stump and in front of the mic. He won’t make freshman mistakes.

    Congresswoman Bachmann will find out Rick Perry is no T-Paw. And she will also find T-Paw will endorse Perry at the worst possible time for Bachmann.

  • atlracer35

    Not sure if he’s electable or not but Red State & Erick (whom I value & tend to agree with) already have him nominated. Not so sure in my crowd. Everyone I speak with are tired of career politicians & even though I know he’s not…he’s seen as George Bush III. We’re 30-45 & tired of the same old thing & willing to sit it out based on the RNC’s pick.

  • lineholder

    This is NOT the time to be “sitting it out”.

  • pantera

    It’s amazing how much winning also energizes a team.

  • gekster

    not another Govenor from Texas.
    You go ahead and let them make your decisions.

  • maxwell105

    It’s funny too watch people like you scrambling trying to apologize for and explain why Perry is an establishment elitist. I guess we’re supposed to just brush the fact that he campaigned for Gore right under the proverbial rug, right? The truth is that Perry is nothing but a lying, plastic-faced, quasi-liberal statist. He is a carefully crafted corporatist who will only be a tool of the elite just like Obama and his good buddy Bush. And that is the simple truth. Now go crawl back in the big government hole you came out of!

  • Tbone

    Either would explain your lack of coherence.

  • lineholder

    you want to do a little back ground check to make sure you have your facts right.

    Otherwise, it usually turns any point you’re trying to make into nothing more than a vicious, emotional personal attack of little substance.

  • gekster

    http://peskytruth.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/rick-perrys-negatives/

    Read it, educate yourself, and then come back.

  • oilman

    Thank you Erick for the very good piece on Governor Perry’s snappy and highly competent campaign team. Now political commentators outside of Texas may start catching on to something we Texas political junkies began to realize a few years back, but particularly during in the 2010 election. Rick Perry is a damn good politician, perhaps a great one. For example, it?s now apparent that Kay Bailey Hutchinson didn?t have a chance from the very beginning of the gubernatorial race. The Governor has put together a very good team over the last decade. Remember when some of them dropped Newt and returned ready to help convince the governor to run? They aren?t miracle workers, but they know the buttons to push with the public. The Governor?s instincts are, let?s say, largely correct. He was one of the first to see the potential of the Tea Party. He heard about this then new organization holding a rally in southeast Texas. In a flash he was there . . . and giving a speech. I?ve never seen him address a crowd when he didn?t hang around for a considerable time afterward and wade through the crowd, shaking every hand offered and posing for pics with anyone who wished. Seldom does he misinterpret public opinion on an issue. His big miss was in supporting the Trans Texas Highway. Later, he realized the mistake, worked his way out of it, and it’s now an old issue. Except, of course, for the conspiracy nuts. Now that that?s said, it?s over with. Let?s take that highway proposal down from the board and declare it dead letter.

  • ruexperienced

    but he is truly conservative. And he is electable.

  • http://www.usdebateboard.com usdebateboard

    and fast. Michele Bachman’s evangelical base would be nice for Perry to call his own, but he’ll just be Fred Thompson 2.0 if Mitt doesn’t start skidding and Perry benefits from that.

  • clintonformccain

    I don’t see much of a Romney juggernaut.

  • gekster

    ……,

  • http://www.usdebateboard.com usdebateboard

    But Perry does have a sizable curve to bend, and quickly. Won’t be good enough just to cannibalize the Bachmann/Santorum wing.

  • Scope

    that the Paulies have adopted the very same tactics as the Axelrod/Plouffe campaign agenda for Obama. That would be to personally destroy your competition in any way possible, including lying and plain making stuff up. Obama, with the help of the sleaze Axelrod, won his Senate campaign that very way. Now, Obama has a bad record while in office, and again the O team have already telegraphed they will do everything they can to destroy any Republican that may stand in Obama’s way. Unfortunately, Ron Paul has no good record of achievement to run on either, so he, his advisers, and mostly his supporters have adopted the same campaign tactic, of the politics of personal destruction. That isn’t the only thing the Paulies have in common with the liberals. Then you guys have the nerve to say Paul has been the only one telling the truth. Telling lies over and over doesn’t turn them into facts, or anything close to the truth.

  • izoneguy

    for me to post the whole article.

    he said he tried but was having problems.

  • jimmyboy

    Lets not overlook the fact that Perry is ESTABLISHMENT all the way. Same old stuff as you can get in Washington… there will not be any difference if he was President… only difference would be the party name.
    Perry will get a lot of establishment money and so will Mittens. I hope they are happy fighting each other for the Establishment vote. Because the Establishment vote this time round is not going to win… the old way is out and the new way is in.
    It will be fun to watch as the rats scurry around trying to protect their turfs. Enjoy it while it lasts.
    Perry, Mittens…. what is the difference?

  • izoneguy

    Anybody But Obama

    Rick makes the decision easy

  • izoneguy

    And he will get sliced in half…..

    1/2 of him says he is the businessman who can create jobs….

    Then the other side says he is a big government guy who
    thinks his healthcare plan works….it does not.

    And he thinks there is man-made global warming but
    does not know what to do about it.

    Mitt is worth almost $250 Million and is detached as Obama is
    when it comes to the real world…..

    As a matter of fact – I think Obama’s net worth is more than Rick Perry’s?

  • izoneguy

    Where do you guys come up with this stuff???

    Perry will be fighting the ESTABLISHMENT all the way to the White House.

  • RealQuiet

    I’m behind Perry because he has the most impressive record aside from being a conservative. I really like Bachmann too but Perry is the complete package. If Bachmann winds up winning Iowa, Romney in New Hampshire and Perry in South Carolina….wow…what a race we’ll have on our hands.

  • gekster

    you think that Perry is establishment.
    Tell me what you think, and I will listen.

  • Scope

    That’s actually wishful thinking. Fred Thompson proved that he really had no great desire to be POTUS. Fred ran for the Senate seat he won, and then he left the Senate after one term. OTOH, Perry has run something like 6 times for election/re/election. It has been well proven that Perry is a great fundraiser, as he beat Barbour’s dollar intake for the Rep. Gov. Assoc. Fred depended on the small donors who kept trying to keep the gas tank full, for his red truck. I know, I tried to keep that tank on full. Perry isn’t a stranger to die hard campaigning, while it wasn’t something Fred had much interest in. Perry knows that you have to work hard for every vote, and he has been more than willing to do the hard work. As EE said, his team never backed away from him since the 2010 Gov. race. That was evident with his descent showing in the Iowa straw poll, despite being a write-in candidate, and never having shaken the first hand of an Iowan, which they require of all the candidates. I suspect that many of the now unemployed Pawlenty staff will go with Perry. Much of Gringrich’s staff already made the switch. While Fred was deciding if he would get in or not, he didn’t make much, if any, effort to build a team anywhere. In about a two month period, Perry has been calling in the troops, and they have already responded.

    Reading the polls is like trying to predict the weather two weeks out, but, it can be helpful on a trend basis. Romney hasn’t moved up, or down. He seems to be stagnant. There has been some movement with everyone but Romney. For Perry to be included in the polls, when he still hadn’t decided, and to come in almost immediately in the number two spot, has to mean that there is a hunger for someone other than Romney. As Perry’s numbers grow, Romney’s numbers shrink. Now that he has declared, I’ll bet that Romney does a dive, and pretty quickly. The rest of the field are now on hope and change.

  • clintonformccain

    I’m a big political junkie and I haven’t been paying any attention to the candidates. The field was obviously not filled and the race had obviously not come into focus. At least now, you can start to see the outlines of the contest.

  • clintonformccain

    If he proves he can handle big-league pitching over the next few months, Perry will probably wrap it up early. He’s the only credible candidate currently in the contest who does not alienate huge constitutencies in the Republican party.

  • lineholder

    http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/08/2012-rick-perry-fred-thomson-redux.html

  • http://www.usdebateboard.com usdebateboard

    But, he’s just a Great Right Hope now, with a lot to prove on the stage of a national campaign.

    And, yeah, I do think it will be a big deal for him to out-poll Mitt sooner than later.

    This is coming from a guy who doesn’t like Mitt. I think the “not the droids you are looking for” answer on Obamneycare won’t last, and one of the biggest issues of the campaign would be taken off the table.

  • kowalski

    For me it’s either Perry or Romney. Everyone else can fight it out. I have no enthusiasm for Bachmann and I reserve the right not to explain why, which is really being deferential to her.

  • tankertodd

    Just like Weingarten and Trumka and that guy who disappeared.

    Good people are where you find them.

  • concap

    Most on RS have been against compromising.

    Not saying Perry will not make a good President.

    But until some one is nominated, is there a better choice RS should back?

  • tankertodd

    And if it’s with a career politician, so be it. It’s a fact of life that politics has become a full-time profession. We can’t afford another 4 years with Obama. It is becoming a national security imperative. We can’t afford anyone sitting on the sidelines. Our job is getting someone nominated so we don’t turn our noses blue holding them again. McCain was enough. Time for someone who’s a true conservative. Who gets the 10th Amendment. I don’t like everything about Perry. But he’s got the mostest out there. Air Force vet. Executive experience. State’s rights. Pro-life. Pro-gun. Heck, he’s from a farming family so you know debt makes him cringe.

    I’m good with Perry at this point and I intend to bust my hump to elect him.

  • clintonformccain

    but, she doesn’t pass my baseline test — the commander-in-chief threshold — for the same reasons that Obama couldn’t pass my test. Not enough experience to be commander-in-chief. Nobody is ever really prepared to be President, but I want to look at the resume and see that they at least grasp the enormity of the job.

  • kowalski

    I stopped being impressed by women like Michelle Bachmann when I was six years old. And that’s all I’m going to say.

  • bk

    must be lined up to vote for Mitt Romney over Obama right? After all they voted for Dukakis, and if all governors from a state are equivalent….

    The lefty talking points about Perry will be old and tired very quickly.

  • http://www.usdebateboard.com usdebateboard

    The GOP tastemakers told us he’d make MB look silly, no?

    Would Obama’s bad ideas be better if he had executive experience?

    I think not.

  • bk

    and in many other ways.

  • Scope

    but considering this one line in the article-

    “As with Perry, little of substance was known of Thompson, and neither underwent the kind of pre-campaign scrutiny devoted to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain.”

    It is an LA Times article, which right there is a red flag for me. What pre-campaign scrutiny did Obama and Clinton go through? They were trying to outcompete each other for who would be the best socialist. There was no pre-campaign scrutiny necessary for John McCain, he was already a well know RINO.

    Are you saying that Perry may be another RINO plant? Are you saying that Perry, after more than 20 years in politics may be an unknown quantity? Please expand on what you are saying, because I don’t know where you are heading with this?

    BTW, I’m hoping that your medical issues have been more positive, and that you have found that the bad report was not as bad as it first seemed to be. So many, including me, poured our hearts out to you. Has your situation changed, hopefully?

  • bk

    If the former, do you jump off a bridge if she stays out and endorses Perry?

  • carolina

    Good to hear he has a well-oiled campaign organization.
    I’m very happy Perry is in the race, and I look forward to learning more about him from you well informed folks here.

  • Toby Calvert-Lee

    already has his own organization, along with parts of Newts, and I hope now he can pick up T-Paw’s organization and inject some enthusiasm in it. Just a question, does anyone know why there is no “store” on Rick Perry’s website? I’m looking to buy shirts, yard signs and bumper stickers….

  • izoneguy
  • smitch61

    Who knows exactly what a gallon of milk costs, and can substitute ground turkey for ground beef, so if Perry is the guy, terrific! I am not interested in how much money the candidates are capable of raising or how good their team is. I have a great team at my house, we are cutting coupons, cutting spending, and tooling the stores to find the best deal. I am not interested in their talking points, but their walking points. I am tired of living my life at the mercy of their decisions. The candidate who can tell me exactly what milk, coffee, and gasoline cost will definitely get my green back… for sure!

  • gracie

    You just showed your ignorance; eveybody knows Perry and Bush are not good buddies. And by the way, you seem to be upset, not us.

    What is upsetting you so?

  • lineholder

    I picked up on the correlation between Thompson and Perry in the comments above, thought the LA was pertinent to the topic…but you’re right. It isn’t pertinent at all. Sorry, my bad on that one.

    Thanks for the concerns, Scope. Here’s where things stand right now…test results come back and doctor says “x, y and z are abnormal…this doesn’t look good at all”. Doctor is reading abnormalities as being inter-related and pertaining to condition A or B, both of which would mean that I have a real fight on my hands. Which is when I wrote my diary.
    So doctor confers with specialist, with conclusion being, “No, it doesn’t look good. However, it is possible that x, y and z are just three separate issues rather than being indicative of condition A; for time being, diagnosis as x, y and z; this is first test; treat with behavioral changes; follow up with test 1x per month for 3 months; track progress or lack thereof before making definitive diagnosis of condition A or B”
    So that’s what we’re doing. A reprieve of sorts, I guess.

  • gracie

    you know, Michele’s hometown and according to Hot Air, Perry was better received than Michele!

    Perry’s late start into Iowa seems to be working out asOK as his event last night when he arrived in New Hampshire at the end of the day with RedState in S Carolina,….he greated the folks with “I knew I would have a lot in common with people whose state slogan is “Live Free or Die”!”

    Wowsa, the man has energy! does his homework? Is showing up at the same event today in Michele’s hometown early, with plenty of time to be gracious. Michele was barely on time, had no time to visit and had to have all the lightbulbs changed so was late getting started.

    Now I have migraines too and so will fight those bulbs til I die. But coming back late from break at the debate and then the bulbs…well, as someone here said, bad visuals.

    OTOH, Perry is having a great start!

  • JSobieski

    the rate of healthcare inflation on nationwide basis over the decade, and effective average tax rates paid by US corporations.

    The precise cost of a gallon of milk is less important than the big picture.The President is not going to directly impact the cost of milk, but entitlements are an issue requiring Presidential leadership.

  • http://wadingacross.wordpress.com logus

    I think we might be seeing the next President. Rick Perry.

    I thought that as soon as I heard he’d be taking part in The Response.

  • jarrod21

    I’m only impressed insofar as she got herself elected to Congress, which means she’s done more in life than I have, so good for her. I just don’t get the appeal of legislator as leader.

    Part of the thing conservatives liked to make hay about in 2008 was how Palin was more qualified to be president than Obama (a fact that wouldn’t be true in 2012 with him being president and her being on TV every so often). With Michelle Bachmann, though, she’s quite possibly the only candidate in the GOP field who has a thinner resume than Obama did in 2008.

    We’ve spent the last several years paying witness to just how much damage an inexperienced and inflexible ideologue can do in the big chair. I’m not wanting to trade in one for another just because this one has ideas I might agree with more often – not when there are better options available.

  • acat

    So .. do we want a POTUS who’s worse at making our lives better?

    Not dissin’ MB.. just questioning her timing. Run for Governor of Minnesota first, they could use a new one.

    Mew

  • Michael_Handley

    I was looking for a man with experince. I was looking for a man with some backbone. I was looking for a man with a plan to get us past this economic mess. When I heard that Gov Perry was thinking about entering the race I did a little research on him and I am pleased with what he has done for Texas. I think he will be a strong candidate but more than that I think he will be a strong President. The lack of leadership is the reason Our Country is in the shape its in right now and in my humble opinion Gov. Perry appears to be the man who will right the ship and get us going in the right direction. I want to hear more from him before he gets my vote but in the present field he is at the top of my list. So far no stumbles. Lets keep watching…..

  • Michael_Handley

    Look at the records of both men. The comparison is pretty big. Obama had done little if anything to qualify for the office while Gov Perry has a strong record to run on. Yes he has made some mistakes which the opposition no doubt will try to make a big deal about but his core principles have not changed. Be open minded enough to listen to what he has to say. I’m leaning toward thinking he can earn my vote. I will be watching….

  • dbass

    Not a proficient political talker, all I know is that Perry has been influenced by the Bilderburg group, and he allowed the highway to be produced that cuts Texas in two, and he did nothing to stop the TSA grope downs in Texas, but used political subterfuge and backroom dealing to get the legislation stopped. Not my kind of President. . . I think that he is just another puppet. . .

  • gekster

    what is this group.

  • baldbarian

    Ron Paul has some money thoughts that make sense to me. The FED is big part of our problem.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULEfalVnMJI

    On national defense.. RP is not my cup of tea…

  • travis690

    I would also like to point out that Rick Perry, just like Barack Obama, inherited an economy from George W. Bush. Granted, it was a state’s economy instead of a nation’s economy. But unlike the current occupant of the White House, he did not destroy that economy just to get his wish.

  • steveinfl

    You either work for Obama or Romney.
    1- He was the Governor of the State of Texas. His job was to look for ideas if Mexico was opened up for his state BY the Federal Govt. Did you catch the “by the Federal govt” part?
    2-I’m not sure where it says the Governor of a state should have to do the duties of what is enumerated by the Federal government. Using this logic, I guess we could condemn Perry for not winning the Iraq war.
    3_ The Vaccine mess was just that…a mess. Which he corrected.

    My question is: why do you despise him so much- do you hate job providers? Or is it the fact he is a born again Christian? Or you just love ya some economy killing marxists instead?
    Maybe you should go back to Infowars and Tell Alex Jones we all know he’s a fraud.

  • concap

    ……

  • eburkedisciple

    This is the same guy that supported Romney tooth and nail. Anyone who falls in line with Romney so strongly is severely tainted. Granted, it seems that tainted is all we can get and compromise is the order of the day but I would rather compromise on experience that commitment to the right direction for our nation.

  • realskinny

    We absolutely must get the Obamunists out of power. Someone wrote on the WSJ that a 4 year-old child would make better decisions on the economy, followed immediately by comments, “That 4 year-old child has my vote.”

    As for myself, I would vote for G.W. Bush or one of the Clintons if they were running against BO. Perry, Romney, Bachmann, ABO should have all the support we can muster.

  • superrooter

    Hi everybody. I was just too tired to come on the boards when we got back home from Charleston SC RedState Gathering. It was a really great time and my wife and I really enjoyed meeting all the like minded people @ The Gathering. All I can say is that Rick Perry is the real deal and hope everyone does their homework before they decide who to get behind in 2012. Don’t listen to all the crap media is feeding you (all the media) not just the LSM. But, I swear to everyone that immediately following The Gov. Perry announcement for the POTUS that Chris Matthews and all the LSM were definetly feeling something running down their legs!!! The Tea Party (WE THE PEOPLE) will make this happen in 2012 , no matter how many hateful and liable things the LSM can come up with. Keep the faith and we can end the Socialist agenda in DC next year. This is our one shot so get real, get vocal, get involved.

  • carolynr

    Well, I always thought that a Perry/Guilliani or Perry/Cain might get the ticket.

    About the blogs…the trolls are out. Last night…I researched Perry. We are never going to find a perfect candidate…however, what I was able to discern is that Perry is not a liar and he also has some humility…knowing to say when he was wrong and when he was right…case in point…the vaccination for the girls. However, again, the trolls misrepresented the entire bill. (1) the parents are allowed to opt out of it…under Perry’s plan and (2) the legislature over-rode the bill and (3) Perry, by his own admission said he got too far ahead of the parade and should have had a more serious talk with the citizenry. So…does Obama talk to us and consider our ideas…NO…NO…NO.

    About the crony capitalism…oh boy…the trolls are out turning the tables on us. No…(can’t remember name of firm) however, some of his friends bought into the company AFTER ONE MONTH OF AN AWARD BY THE STATE. That my friends is not insider trading and if I were in Texas…I might consider buying it also. Wouldn’t you? One whole month after the big was awarded.

    Now….about him once being a Democrat…Yes…and so was Ronald Reagan…Perry changed parties in 1989. Back in those days…most people from the South were Democrats. About Gore…has anyone googled Gore’s 1988 platform? Well, here is a synopsis…Prayer in school, pro-second amendment and family values. That is why Perry supported him. What did Perry say recently about Gore? The most CO2 comes out of his mouth when he is talking. So…know that Perry is against Cap and Trade.
    Borders – his stance…boots on the ground and also technology.

    My daughter lives in Texas. She and her husband are backing Perry. She says that the most important thing that she likes about Perry is the tort reform bill passed…because doctors are flocking to Texas and with Tort reform passed…healthcare goes down.

    So…I love Perry…I want Obama gone along with his Chicago/communist goons and I want America back.

  • KBDay

    For the record, I admire Gov. Rick Perry. That’s one reason I wanted to share a couple things legacy media doesn’t talk about.

    First up is the Gardasil issue. Numerous governors and legislatures bought into the narrative pushed by medical organizations and women’s rights groups, even here in Florida (Crist was gov. at the time).

    Perry, however, had a slightly different challenge when it came to that vaccine because of the population in his state. I covered the Gardasil/HPV story for personal reasons, because of my daughters whose physicians were aggressively urging they get the vaccine.

    The CDC had issued facts about at-risk populations:

    “Black women experience cervical cancer incidence and mortality at a rate 1.5 times higher than white women. Death rates for black women were twice the rate for white women. Incidence for Hispanic women was higher than for white women. Certain Asian subgroups, especially Vietnamese and Korean women, have higher rates.

    ****There?re geographic differences as well, with ?notably higher incidence and mortality” in Southern states and Appalachia. Mortality rates are higher among Hispanic women living on the Texas-Mexico border;**** white women in Appalachia, rural New York State, and the northern part of the northeast United States, and among American Indians in the Northern Plains and Alaska Native women.”

    The asterisks point to one reason Perry, like our Florida and other governors, viewed the vaccine as life-saving. More than one population group in his state was at high risk.

    The other fact is pretty earth-shaking, although to date no media have covered it. Twice Perry stood up to a US president (Bush, ’43 then Obama), more than 90 foreign nations and the World Court to protect US sovereignty. The cases of Humberto Leal and (earlier) Jose Ernesto Medellin were among the most important in our lifetime.

    Both presidents attempted to persuade Perry (with memoranda and other tools) to halt executions of Leal and Medellin who had been convicted after raping, beating and murdering teenage girls in separate incidents. The Leal case was the most recent, and that made Obama’s intervention more troubling because by then, the Supreme Court had ruled on whether the cases should be reopened because Leal and Medellin (both had grown up in the U.S.) were not informed they could contact their consular official since they were technically still Mexican citizens.

    Ted Cruz, the charismatic US Senate candidate from Texas who spoke at the Red State Gathering, was in charge of the case as solicitor general for Texas. Cruz wrote a very informative article about how important this was for the ‘Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.’

    Had Cruz and Perry not prevailed, the World Court would be able to upend and/or interfere with decisions made by domestic courts in the U.S. Cruz pointed out the irony in 90+ countries siding with Mexico against the U.S. None of those countries permit the World Court to interfere in their domestic matters. Most Americans have no idea how close we came to having our sovereignty dangerously undermined.

    I’m rather amazed at any conservative (or socialist progressive, for that matter) who falls for the Perry is Bush meme. Nothing could be more distant from the truth.

    Whatever Perry’s issues, this I know. He stood down the world to protect the sovereignty of my country, and that is an indisputable and praiseworthy fact.

  • funwithknives

    This site and it’s participants teach/ instruct me, each and every day. If only it were “RedState T V!” Heads would explode,and certain brains would short out, but none reading this would be affected so. (Once again ,Thank You) Stay tuned for:THE SHELLACKING, 2.0. Coming to a country we all know, real soon.