Perry: A Palin Who Can Win

The chattering classes are at it again wringing their hands over the possibility of Rick Perry getting the nomination. All the usual suspects are working against him. Karl Rove, Peggy Noonan, Dana Perino and others suffering from delusional myopia suggest we need a more centrist candidate. Sure we do....perhaps like McCain or Romney, or maybe Bob Dole. Guys like these are less likely to win than a real conservative, and if they do win they would govern like Obama lite. Romney has been on both sides of abortion, both sides of gay marriage, defends his disastrous Romney care, and has supported carbon controls. McCain voted against the Bush tax cuts 3 times, opposed Guantanamo and enhanced interrogation, and championed Campaign Finance Reform. Newt Gingrich once called Bob Dole the "tax collector for the welfare state." The only reason George W Bush won was he presented himself as a true conservative. Of course, steel tariffs, No Child Left Behind, Campaign Finance Reform, the Prescription Drug Benefit and unbridled spending and regulation put that notion to rest. In fairness he did appoint two excellent Supreme Court justices, defended the homeland with distinction, and lowered taxes getting at least one boot heel off the neck of the economy. But anyone who believes in conservative ideas and values can not possibly support a political/ policy dyslexic like Romney.

Bill Kristol, who was one of the first pundits to suggest Sarah Palin as McCain's vice presidential running mate, has echoed the same dissatisfaction with Perry by suggesting that Paul Ryan run. Ryan is a great young man. He has acquitted himself well in the budget debate and with entitlement reform. But that is it. He is an unproven campaigner, fundraiser, with a very small list of legislative accomplishments. He may someday be ready, but now is certainly not the time.  The strange thing is that Perry is philosophically like Sarah Palin (she has all the right ideas too) but one that can win. Why are Kristol and the others so distressed?

Rick Perry has a list of conservative accomplishments a mile long. He believes what he says. He believes in America, free enterprise (he has a copy of Hayek's "The Road to Serfdom" on his desk), individual rights and responsibilities, small government and God. We are known by our friends and our enemies (too bad no one looked at Obama's radical friends before they voted for him.) Rick Perry has a list of enemies any conservative would be proud of. The Trial Lawyers because he  passed tort reform in Texas, and it is working like a charm. Texas is a right to work state so the unions are in high gear. His other enemies are in a dither and confused trying to decide just how to attack him. They say his spectacular jobs record is meaningless because most are low paying jobs. Others say credit for his success belongs to Obama's stimulus and an increase in government jobs. Are there low paying government jobs? Still others say it is because of energy sector growth. Obama has been a real help with energy jobs. He pretends to create green jobs, and kills real oil and gas jobs. Of course much of the criticism is mutually exclusive, but if I know the left they will see which charge resonates and then all get in line repeating it.  There will be the most massive attacks on him since Reagan, and for good reason. He is cut from the same cloth as Reagan. Certainly this guy must be doing something right if he so offends so many liberals.

This is for all the fallen Democrats who realize that liberalism really is a mental disorder, but can't quite get behind some of the conservative ideas and policies because they have been successfully demonized by the Left. For example the charge that Perry is some kind of Bible pounding born again lunatic. First, I find it commendable that he is a man of faith (would you rather live next door to or vote for an atheist?) Politically, the support of evangelicals is an absolute necessity for any Republican to win. They represent 26% of the voting public, and they love Rick Perry. For those independents and Jews who might see evangelicals from the perspective of the Main Stream Media, suggesting they are something to be feared, I can only say that they support the same values you do. A very few might work to convert you (the doctrine of most faiths proscribe the same thing), but unlike the Muslim faith, using force (including the force of law) is not even a consideration. Jews in particular should remember; there are no greater supporters of religious freedom and no greater supporters of the state of Israel on this earth than evangelicals.

Please...get with it. We are lucky enough to have someone running who represents in whole or in part all the things we have dreamed of since Reagan left office, and even better, he has an excellent chance of winning. In fact, I believe he will win. I promise. No conservative, no one believing in freedom or in American exceptionalism, will be disappointed.