Rick Perry gets big welcome from Florida conservatives
CBS News
ORLANDO, Fla. — After putting in a disappointing debate performance the night before, Texas Gov. Rick Perry could take comfort on Friday in the ecstatic reception he got from a large crowd of conservatives meeting here to take a gander at the presidential field.
“As conservatives, we know that values and vision matter. It’s not who’s the slickest candidate or the smoothest debater that we need to elect,” he told 500 attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “Remember President Clinton? Man, he could sell ice cubes to Eskimos and the next day be against ice cubes.”
The remark was a dig at Romney, who struggled with a reputation as flip-flopper on issues during his 2008 presidential campaign. And it also served Perry’s purpose of portraying himself as the regular Joe in the campaign, in contrast to the “slickest” candidate, Romney.
Romney, who spoke before Perry at the event, received a warm welcome. But the crowd stood and cheered as soon as Perry took the stage at the Orange County Convention Center. The Texas governor accentuated his usual anti-Washington stump speech with references to former President Ronald Reagan, a conservative icon. “We need to push through to that shining city on the hill,” Perry said. “As President Reagan said, we need bold colors, not pale pastels.”
He also opened a new line of attack against President Obama, blasting him for proposing to charge retired military veterans $200 a year to stay on the Tricare-for-Life that supplements Medicare coverage. “Our veterans have already sacrificed enough for this country,” Perry said. “Leave them alone.”
Perry delivered his dual criticism of Obama’s health care law and the one that Romney passed in Massachusetts, which the crowd seemed to love. “The nanny state was not needed for our forefathers,” he said. “The nanny state didn’t groom our greatest generation, my father’s generation, who freed millions of people from oppression during World War II. The nanny state didn’t inspire innovation and technology, the creation of wealth of the entrepreneurial spirit.”
He brought the crowd to its feet again at the end of his speech, with, “If we want America working again, we need Washington to get out of the way.”
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Wild Thing’s comment…….
I know over at Facebook there is a lot of pushing for Romney and attacking Perry. I REALLY do not like Romney–and when it comes to “Rinoism”, he has Perry beat by a mile. And I fear that if Romney is the candidate, a whole lot of conservatives will not vote. And that will be–as we found out in 1986 and 2008–disastrous.
Perry is my choice, even after the last debate. He is for state’s rights, and against the federal government in your life. I love that he says he will make the government as inconsequential to our lives as he possibly can. He hates Obamacare, is pro life and the list goes on and on.
I agree with what Mark said about the debate…..”after last night Perry looked stiff and uncomfortable.”. He is right, one could see it and feel it.
For some reason Perry is awesome with speeches, sincere, even intense at getting his point across, one can feel his passion. But in debates so far he freezes up, seems very uncomfortable.
In person people really like him and that is what comes across in his speeches too. He needs to bring that same thing to the debates somehow. Not so much for me, I have decided for me it is Perry, but for so many others that are still deciding.
“Our country’s in trouble, I think even those on the left understand that. I will go to that Oval Office every morning and try to make Washington as inconsequential as I can in your lives. I know it’s time for a change in this country. There is nothing ailing America that can’t be cured with the rebirth of freedom.” – Rick Perry
I don’t live in Texas, but I don’t agree with extending in-state tuition rates to undocumented immigrants or any of the other privileges given to American citizens or legal permanent residents as this policy becomes a magnet for more of the same and is unfair to those standing in line seeking to immigrate legally.
My real objection is that a good 18 year old student in neighboring Louisiana or Arkansas wanting to get into a good Texas college is made to take a back seat to another 18 year old who is not even here legally when one is an American citizen and the other is not. That really bothers me.
What I don’t understand is how undocumented immigrants are allowed admission to any American college or even grade school if they are not here legally to begin with.
That said, what Governor Perry and the Texas State legislature did in 2001 was to grant the availability of lower in-state tuition matriculation for young undocumented immigrants while requiring them to apply for permanent residency and subsequent citizenship as well.
What needs to be made clear, is that the Texas act from ten years ago provided no subsidy or grant of money towards the tuition, only the lower in-state rate being made available.
Perry should just say that that was what Texas wanted to do then, that he is not an advocate for other states or the federal government doing the same, and not his not having a heart line which comes across as weak on a subject so many Americans feel strongly about.
It’s so terribly frustrating to see that the current Democrat party (which simply has degenerated to open border advocacy with some Democrats even establishing sanctuary municipalities) and the current Republican party cannot bring themselves to have a strict adherence to the rule of law when it comes to simple compliance of immigration law and border security.
It’s not that hard, but there has to be the genuine will to do the job. It is such a blatant dereliction of duty by authority particularly to those Americans living along the Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California borders that have no other recourse and have to endure all this. It’s wrong, and that’s what is truly heartless.
We are not citizens of the world. We are American citizens.
“A nation without borders will soon cease to be a nation.” -Ronald Reagan.
As for the rest of the Republican primary season, a genuine conservative with conviction is needed now more than ever.
There simply must be made a clear-as-day choice for next year’s election, a choice for the American voter that cannot not be obscured with centrist positions appealing to any middle of the road electorate. This is paramount.
The fork in the road must be crystal clear and explicit -a clear cut hard turn to the right with a subsequent indisputable mandate.
Without discrediting any other Republican as Reagan well instructed, I remain a Rick Perry supporter as part of this forthcoming conservative ascendency.
Rick Perry and Marco Rubio, enough said.
Carlos – would you please volunteer to be Rick Perry’s debate coach. You have stated so well and clearly what Perry stumbled over Thurs. night. I also remain a Perry supporter.
Gator – a good duo, but we need Rubio to stay in the Senate. We need every conservative Senate seat we can win. I would prefer a conservative VP candidate who does not hold an office so we don’t lose any influence. My pick right now would be Herman Cain. That guy is so conservative, so sharp and so personable. He would drive the liberals nuts.
Thank you soooo much Carlos, Gator and Tom. I really love your input so much.