This is from Politco [after it corroborated my instant response, decrying Mitt's claim that he'd take China to the WTO]

http://www.politico.com/morningscore/

PERRY FADES –DROPS TO 4% IN NBC/WSJ POLL: “After his flub at a Republican debate on Wednesday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has seen his support plummet among GOP primary voters, according to a re-contact of Republicans surveyed in this month’s NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll,” per First Read. “From Nov. 10-12, Hart Research Associates contacted 102 out of the 248 Republican primary voters who were surveyed in this month’s past NBC/WSJ poll [after Perry’s gaffe in the debate and Sharon Bialek coming forward last Monday]…Romney’s support jumped up to 32 percent, Cain’s dropped to 27 percent and Gingrich’s increased to 22 percent. And Perry fell to just 4 percent.” http://on.msnbc.com/ujWJ1g

COMEBACK KID— FIVE REASONS PERRY COULD BOUNCE BACK: Time’s Jay Newton-Small writes a column on why Perry should not be written off. “Despite the defection of some bundlers, Perry remains a fundraising powerhouse who will be able to afford investments other candidates can’t…Epic gaffe aside, Perry’s debate performances both on Wednesday and on Saturday night at the CBS/National Journal Commander-in-Chief debate in Spartanburg, South Carolina, were actually quite decent… Perry still has more endorsements than anyone else but Romney, including some in key states like South Carolina… Folks are just now starting to pay attention to the race. Traditionally, voters start to tune in and pick their horses after Thanksgiving.” http://ti.me/twO1Fh

The field is set, or correct me if I’m wrong. I really wanted Thune to run, because he would unite the tea party and establishment factions. With his South Dakota agricultural roots, he could have won Iowa and performed in the top three in NH — if he had run. He had $7.5 million in the bank, but I think that deterred him. Many potential candidates were squeamish at the prospect of Romney kneecapping them before facing the Obama machine.

That the field is open is welcome news, because I just read a Politico piece that Cain predictably is plummeting and throwing his support to Romney. One by one, these challengers are endorsing the man most Republicans find unpalatable. In the end, it doesn’t look like a coronation, though none of them ever really had a chance and were just running for administration positions.

Perry is the only one who confronted Romney over his record. He did it before he even had his campaign together, and he got skewered not just by Romney, but from Romney’s so-called opponents and his media flacks. It’s a good thing Perry has turned this race around, at least enough to stay in it. I’m praying for a miracle, because I think Romney as the nominee would be the nail in the coffin of the conservative movement.

He also remains the only jobs-oriented discussant who can cite “deliverables.”

In this regard, the article [in USA-Today, if I heard correctly] suggesting that Food Stamps in Texas are burgeoning is a typical hit-piece that won’t dwarf his talents.

The Donald just endorsed Rick’s stance [zero-based budgeting] regarding foreign policy…and this was received well by the FNC crew. He reinforced this posture unambiguously, again encouraging.

BUT, as people start paying-attention in-earnest, the BHO’s channeling of “Jimme” must be highlighted, as Trump has been doing incessantly.

Perhaps Perry will capture this mood and invoke “Fed Up!”-based quotations throughout.

comment on Red State, sorry about the odd post, hope it makes since even with Droid spellcheck going nuts.

to be objective about the most conservative candidate with proven experience. If you’ve followed any of my humble offerings here, I’ve been fairly searing in my posts, as well. We, the People, must not be timid in speaking up whether we are critical of the bomb-throwers on MSNBC or pointing a finger of guilt at those supposedly on our side.

Yesterday I recommended here that we begin a conversation with Fox News at all levels–beginning with management and down to specific hosts about their bias against Rick Perry. (Bachmann, Santorum and Paul camps all have similar complaints; they are on their own to make their case.) There is power in public opinion (and opposition). When the Left launched a campaign against Glenn Beck’s TV program on Fox, they didn’t stop with complaining to Fox; they went after his advertisers and we all remember the email blasts about “Don’t shop at Walmart anymore! They’ve pulled their advertising from Beck’s show!” Walmart appears unscathed by the refusal of some to no longer shop, yet they did not restart their ad’s with that particular program, to the best of my knowledge.

There is a uniformity in Fox reporting of the candidates with respect to Rick Perry. From the beginning of the programming day till the end, its the same message across the board. There is on exception–a man that is on The Five, can’t remember his name–that has been a Perry supporter but is usually drowned out in his commentary about the Gov. This morning, Gretchen Carlson is citing latest CBS polls BEFORE the Sat. night debate and trying to act woeful that Perry dropped to 4%. No mention of wide acclaim across the internet for his performance and substance at the CBS/National Journal debate. No mention of the new Reuters poll saying 52% of Republicans yesterday said Perry should stay in. No mention that Cain’s wife finally breaks her silence yesterday and makes a statement of defense on behalf of her husband. Why? Because Herman didn’t deliver on Sat. night and they are watching his numbers among women begin to plummet. The crew on the Curvy Couch this morning DID report, however, with unabashed enthusiasm, that Romney has finally broken out of the 20′s in polling and that the aforementioned CBS poll has his at 32%. (To those highly interested in following polls, I’d recommend you make your life easier and simply visit RealClearPolitics and access their average polling data. They take the major polls and average them and its historically as accurate as anything out there.)

Conservatives typically are not lemmings. We don’t have to live and die by what Fox News puts up. I am not listening to Hannity’s radio show at all and I’ve been very comfortable in the last few weeks to shut Rush off, as well. Right now, on Morning Joke, they have a frozen byline on the screen: “Perry slips after debate gaffe” or something to that effect. All the while, Major Garrett, a moderator from National Journal on Sat. night, is on live talking about the answers. They refuse to acknowledge the success of Rick Perry on Sat. night–just as Fox is refusing to do. Contrary to EE’s post, MSNBC thinks Santorum was the only brain engaged on Pakistan (Perry and Gingrich were absolutely wrong). MSNBC is so tickled w/ Santorum’s answer, he gets to be on the show coming up.

Ah, and Speaker Gingrich…..just an FYI: MSNBC is shapening their swords for you, Brother. They are already talking about any and all past errors in your background (hits and runs conveniently excluded, of course). Just as they are not going to allow Perry a moment of earned success, they are coming for you, as well.

We expect this from MSNBC. We expect a certain level of this from CNN, but to their credit, they must be tired of running a distant 3rd in cable ratings and they are at least making an effort to cover conservative candidates and certainly, they are far more tolerant, if not accommodating, toward hosting them as guests.

My bottom line is simple with respect to Fox and the conservative talkers. The public is responsible for your successes. We have been faithful, we have bought your books and shown up at your speeches and paid performances. We’ve spent hard earned money to be members of your websites. In the case of Fox, their pandering that hops from candidate to candidate but ultimately is all designed to get Romney the nomination is not appealing in a broad sense. They are only catering to about 25% of their viewing audience. We can and should get their attention.

Congrats, Dr., on your promotion from being a commenter to actually receiving an invitation to become much more. I have tried the steps to be granted the privilege of being a diariest and am locked out. I am grateful, however, to be kept on as replyist and that I haven’t been banned. God’s speed in your new venture!

I have the Des Moines Register on my list of must-check websites at least twice daily. This morning, there’s an article (and photos) of a campaign flyer that’s been mailed out from Team Perry.

http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/11/10/what-is-this-boy-thinking-new-perry-mailer-in-Iowa-says/?odessey=obinsite

The mailer is compelling and very appealing to small town/rural voters. Entitled, “What is this boy THINKING?”, it shows a photo of Perry as a boy standing with a pony. Other photos include a wedding picture of he and Anita, a photo of Perry as an AF pilot and it explains his background in farming, the military and his commitment to family values.

Political journalist for the Des Moines Register, Kathie Obradovich, in summarizing the Sat. night debate, writes this morning that Perry “got his head above water” with his performance, while Cain “never got out of the shallow end” and displayed only “an inch deep” understanding of foreign policy.

The Register has also reported in the last few days that the Evangelical vote is still up for grabs in Iowa. It should be noted that Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, has spoken highly of Gov. Perry.

Following the Debaucle Debate, interviews were conducted and results were mixed in Iowa but not all was lost for Gov. Perry. Several folks quoted in the newspaper said Perry’s brain freeze didn’t change their minds negatively toward him or that some were simply going to have to reconsider him based on upcoming events.

Onward we tread.

I am very worried about how the MSM is Perry-bashing. And it is so obvious to those of us who spend the time studying this that the Bushes, GOP establishment and even Fox News seem to all be out to get him to drop out of the running. My husband left HLN on this morning and only saw 5 minutes of it before walking out the door and they were harping on a SNL segment making fun of Perry’s Wed. night debate moment. I know that they will repeat that video clip at least once an hour all day long today – that’s what they do. I occasionally work in a public, PR-type job related to political issues and the one thing I’ve learned over the years is that a very large percentage of voters are highly uninformed and get their information from MSM sound bytes, relatives or co-workers (who are possibly even more uninformed, or worse, mis-informed, than they are), shows like SNL or websites and email chains that put out one person’s biased opinions with no facts to back them up. How on earth do we counteract that huge volume of mis-information with that much money and airtime supporting it? I wish someone would design a simple chart showing all of the candidates down one side, major issues across the top and fill in the squares with each one’s positions. It would be so obvious that Perry is the only true conservative if the information was laid out that way. Might even wake up a few Fox News people!

…with regard to BOTH positions on the ticket, repeatedly, for months.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shermanesque_statement

Perry has already been criticized for putting too much emphasis on Texas and not enough emphasis on the USA. It is a bit offensive to the rest of us who live in the other 49 states, Nick. Whoever the next President may be, we don’t want it to be someone who supports only a limited sector of the people in this nation like Obama does, okay? Public perception matters a lot on this point.

I’ve seen comments coming very heavily from Perry supporters glorifying Texas during the last week or so. If you know that there has been a criticism addressed towards the candidate you support on this issue, why do Perry supporters keep doing it? I don’t understand it in the least, seriously, because it isn’t exactly helpful to Perry at this point. So why do it?

…is Krauthammer’s conclusion:

“For Republicans, this means there is no coasting to victory, 9 percent unemployment or not. They need substance. They need an articulate candidate with an agenda and command of the issues who is light on slogans and lighter still on baggage.”

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20111114_Charles_Krauthammer__GOP_s_edge_has_vanished.html

…so emphasizing his input constitutes a welcome opportunity.

http://dailycaller.com/buzz/ken-blackwell/

Note his most-recent 14 columns; the headlines alone cry for “attention to be paid” [apologies to Willy Loman, "Death of a Salesman"].

Perry can win if leadership trumps debates
November 12th, 2011
Gov. Rick Perry stated at the outset of his presidential campaign that he is running for president based on his principles and leadership accomplishments, not his oratorical skills. By focusing on Perry’s debate missteps, the media is deliberately ignoring his record and charisma. (more)

Ken Blackwell on Herman Cain: ‘Foolish’ for campaign to play the race card [VIDEO]
November 7th, 2011
On Sunday night’s “Geraldo at Large” on the Fox News Channel, Ken Blackwell — a black conservative politician, activist and Rick Perry supporter — questioned the willingness of Cain and his supporters to raise the race card in the middle of the controversy. (more)

The possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran should be taken seriously
November 4th, 2011
The headlines are stark indeed: “Israel Readies a Pre-Emptive Strike.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to be working to persuade reluctant members of his coalition cabinet to go along with such a military option against Islamist Iran. The Huffington Post’s British edition reports Netanyahu saying this: (more)

The Arab Spring has turned into an Islamist fall
October 30th, 2011
Reuters’s Paul Chapman has filed a report from Tunis. There have been elections there, less than one year after an uprising ousted dictator Zine al Abidine Ben Ali. The former Tunisian strongman is said to be enjoying his retirement in Saudi Arabia. There, Ben Ali doubtless has seen news coverage of the bloody end of his neighboring desert despot, Moammar Gadhafi. Ben Ali is probably offering prayers of thanks that he got out of Dodge in time. (more)

Let the (drone) thing be pressed
October 4th, 2011
The killing of Anwar al-Awlaki last week has sparked spirited discussions in the prestige press and on the Web. Awlaki was an American-born Muslim cleric who once headed a mosque in Falls Church, Virginia. But he traveled to Yemen, where he became a leader of al Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula. He urged fellow jihadists to take up arms and to engage in terror attacks on the United States, the country of his birth and citizenship. (more)

Will Obama destroy Franciscan University of Steubenville?
October 2nd, 2011
Daniel Webster was the most famous lawyer of his day. In 1819, the “Godlike Daniel” stood before the U.S. Supreme Court and argued passionately for the right of Dartmouth College to govern itself, and not to be brought under the rule of the New Hampshire legislature. Webster appealed to the Constitution, arguing that New Hampshire’s actions would violate the provision that forbade states to “impair the obligations of contract.” But the emotional power of his argument caught the attention of Chief Justice John Marshall and Justice Joseph Story — and, in truth, captured the hearts of the country. (more)

Hillary: Counting Jews in Jerusalem
September 12th, 2011
The normally sensible Forbes magazine recently named Hillary Clinton the second-most-powerful woman in the world. That’s absurd. She’s clearly not even the second-most-powerful woman in the Obama administration. For influence on this president, she clearly walks behind Michelle Obama, Valerie Jarrett and Kathleen Sebelius. (more)

Electing Barack Obama didn’t make the world love us
September 10th, 2011
In liberals’ frenzy to elect Barack Obama in 2008, no one was quite as far out to sea as Andrew Sullivan, a respected columnist for The Atlantic. He served up his “Daily Dish” by the plateful. Here’s perhaps the hottest example of his rhetoric — quoted endlessly around the blogosphere — back then: (more)

President Obama’s comity central
September 8th, 2011
His appeal to comity — defined as a friendly social atmosphere, social harmony — was undoubtedly Barack Obama’s greatest attribute as a candidate. He promised a new politics, a new cordiality. No more red-state/blue-state divisions. He touted his Senate friendship with Oklahoma’s Tom Coburn. It was genuine. On the campaign trail in 2008, Sen. Obama offered his sitting down with Tom Coburn as an example of how he could reach out to opponents and bring disparate groups together. (more)

Obama’s imperial presidency
September 6th, 2011
President Barack Obama’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is on a job-killing rampage. It’s claiming unprecedented powers far beyond what federal law allows. In the context of Obama’s other agencies’ decisions, these executive actions paint a picture of what has become an imperial presidency. (more)

Is Hillary Clinton really the world’s second-most-powerful woman?
August 31st, 2011
Forbes magazine, which is a respected resource for business leaders, recently came out with a list of the world’s most powerful women. Not surprisingly, Forbes chose German Chancellor Angela Merkel as No. 1. This is doubtless because the conservative Merkel has been trying to get the European Union to shape up. Putting out economic fires in Greece, Spain, Ireland and Portugal, Germany’s financial strength has been put to the test. Just how much longer can the E.U. rely on Germany’s productivity to subsidize European sloth? Merkel is like the old E.F. Hutton ads on TV: When Angela talks, Europeans listen. (more)

Aborting the Monroe Doctrine
August 6th, 2011
For almost two hundred years, the Monroe Doctrine has been a cornerstone of American foreign policy. First proclaimed in December 1823, the message from President James Monroe to the imperialist ruling houses of Europe was bold and unmistakable: The Western Hemisphere, including the Latin American colonies that were throwing off European rule, was not open to further colonization, and the U.S. would view any attempts by Europeans to extend their existing colonies into independent American states or to interfere with those states’ attempts to achieve independence as hostile acts against us, the United States of America. (more)

Avoiding the danger of a ‘clean’ BBA
July 31st, 2011
Liberals are trying to kill the prospect of a balanced-budget amendment (BBA) in the ongoing battle over the debt ceiling. Some on the right respond that they might settle for a “clean” BBA. But there are two types of clean BBAs, one of which would be worse than no BBA at all. (more)

A clear and present danger: The national popular vote plan
July 29th, 2011
“Revenge is a dish best served cold” is an old French expression. Maybe American politicos ought to pay attention to the wisdom of our overseas friends. We’ve had almost 11 years to contemplate the 2000 election. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bush v. Gore resolved that election some 43 days after Election Day. It was a wrenching experience for millions. Still, we can take pardonable pride in the fact that the mail went out every day, no tanks rumbled through our nation’s capital and we didn’t have any fistfights in Congress over the result. (more)

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/buzz/ken-blackwell/#ixzz1dgTB4pPC

and it is on point. Your suggestion regarding an appearance on Fox by Blackwell is a good one.

I’ve added a few rebuttals.
Some more would help.

…that aren’t aggregated elsewhere?

there are hundreds of other websites with which you might feel more comfortable.

Thank you.

…they are mandatory viewing, much as one might find some sequellae distasteful.

…but he would force people to reconsider assumptions…adopting an attitude that isn’t dissimilar with his zero-based budgeting of foreign policy.

in spades, and then some. He is not a three-term governor for nothing – he is a true winner in all ways!

even the msm/lsm recognized he not only was on-point, but he also led the narrative. was he not the only person who called for boycotting the iranian bank? What’s wrong with using his time productively, if he has a point to make about a prior query?

The Newt and Michele may be straight-forward, but then you are obligated to examine what they say. Did you agree with Newt agreeing with Cain when the latter ruled-out use of military force when confronting iran?

Did you agree with romney that we should pull-out of afghanistan by the end of 2012? THIS is why RS is such a vital organ, for it serves as an educational conduit.

T-squared,
You are equating debate talking points to actual reasoned positions and expositions of same. If you have not seen the more in depth interviews and set speeches that Gov. Perry has made, you are simply minimally informed about his candidacy.
Perry excels on the stump and though a seasoned professional, has never had the occasion to excel in these debate type events. He is learning this game, and the growth curve to anyone observant is quite obvious. The last two debates were worlds apart from his prior performances. Sure, he had the brain cramp on Wednesday, but owned up to it, used humor to defuse it, and hit it out of the park on Saturday. Having watched him for over a decade, I expect that trend to continue.
He IS the true conservative candidate, still not perfect of course, but possessing sincere core principles and not flip-flopping or shallow on any position.

…and know that it’s problematic, albeit not fatal to his campaign.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oWzaioeTT0

…as was amply demonstrated in “Fed Up!” [regarding Katrina].

Thus, the key isn’t whether he’s competent; the key is how the issue will be portrayed to the GOP-electorate.

…namely, the message being conveyed.

Rick can’t squish into a minute the type of indepth analysis you apparently crave that he [and only he] provide you.

And the others have problems with content, as has been parsed-out here [and elsewhere].

Rick CAN go head-to-head, as he is increasingly demonstrating [absent the "absence" attack].

The key-question remains whether he can get the chance.

here here

here here

…regarding your big-three [Gingrich, Santorum and Huntsman], do you agree with–

Huntsman’s overtly neoisolationist foreign policy?
Santorum’s overt capitulation to Pakistani extortion?
Gingrich’s overt vacillations regarding Libya?

-and, if you don’t, compare/contrast with Rick’s forthrightness!

Not with anything you said in the diary part, Sir.

by saying that he supports enhanced interrogation, NOT torture. He didn’t say which category he thought water boarding would come under.

To me, my answer would be this. “Waterboarding” has become exactly what is wrong with our political system. Most people who are for or against it, have no clue what it actually is. You can just substitute “Waterboarding” for “Dick Cheney” or “Bush” or “GTMO”.

Waterboarding or “enhanced interrogation” have become too many buzzwords.

Why would McCain flap his mouth now? Because he’s McCain.

it was a great move on his part. I love how he thinks of things the others should have but didn’t. And then they all have to agree with him.

Cain is not a contender.

In the end it will be between Perry & Romney.

I like Newt but his baggage will weigh him down.

I never “left” Perry, but I felt compelled to introduce a “differential diagnosis” based on the need to think-outside-the-box [DeMint]. Otherwise, I share your sentiments. Pivotal is the need to AVOID being led by the MSM/LSM/ELM [coined elsewhere, "Establishment-Leaning Media"*].

{h/t: gator_hoo (Diary)}

Perry is sitting on an inside straight, to use a poker analogy. I hope he does demonstrate an ability to recover, but I’m not holding my breath. Perry appears to have professionally maxed out as a Governor. We run the risk of another Katrina response under GW Bush with Perry as President. Rick Perry seems too prone to being blindsided. The process will work and whomever wins will have proven worthy of the nomination. This brings a Bible verse to mind:

Proverbs 27:12
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Perry didn’t foresee failing in the debates and is now being punished.

From what I’m hearing today, with new polls being released, Perry’s oops moment is not affecting him as badly as the steady slide and errosion of support for Cain. I don’t know if Cain’s slide is directly because of the allegations of harassment, or if it is because of his, and his campaign folks way of handling it. I doubt Cain has hit bottom yet. After the Sat. debate, with Perry being seen by many as the winner, and Cain barely holding his own, I suspect that the next set of polls will have Cain back down into single digits.

With some of the newly released polls, Perry is still in double digits in some. I read an article that analyzed the polling firms, and PPP was seen to be the most inaccurate throughout their history. Of course today they have Perry down to 6% I believe. I think that the PPP poll also has the Grinch at the top. Oh brother, the Grinch is about to get his colonoscopy, and I suspect there are going to be many problems found.

By the time everyone is reminded of the Grinch baggage, he will be ready to slide back down, right before the first votes are going to be cast. No one is going to take a second look at Bachmann, Huntsman or Santorum.

I promise, Anita Perry won’t be wearing grandma’s drapes at the inaugural ball.

…because, first, you don’t address “enhanced interrogation” and, second, you assume RR was condemning water-boarding when he condemned torture.

Examine, for example, the ‘graph that precedes the wiki-quote supra:

“During World War II both Japanese troops, especially the Kempeitai, and the officers of the Gestapo,[112] the German secret police, used waterboarding as a method of torture.[113] During the Japanese occupation of Singapore the Double Tenth Incident occurred. This included waterboarding, by the method of binding or holding down the victim on his back, placing a cloth over his mouth and nose, and pouring water onto the cloth. In this version, interrogation continued during the torture, with the interrogators beating the victim if he did not reply and the victim swallowing water if he opened his mouth to answer or breathe. When the victim could ingest no more water, the interrogators would beat or jump on his distended stomach.[114][115][116]”

The “Torture” component included the follow-up behavior; it was sub-human and not tethered to interrogation; this contrasts with the “ticking time-bomb” concern, and that this approach helped ID the locale of OBL.

This has been commented on elsewhere. Some reporters went through waterboarding themselves and found out it wasn’t torture. It’s also apparently something that every single member of America’s special forces has to go through too as part of their training. Do you know what waterboarding is?

Waterboarding didn’t become a national scandal during the Philippine War. We were too busy massacring Moros in the Southern Philippines then to care about something as polite as waterboarding for enhanced interrogation. We’ve come along way since then, haven’t we? Some might say too far.