Romney and the Four Aces
I missed tonight’s debate so I’m catching up, and find myself curious at Mitt Romney’s claim that Gov. Perry was “dealt four aces” as governor of Texas. This simply isn’t true.
It is true that Texas has no state income tax (thanks to resistance from the Republicans, more about that below), low regulation, that it’s a right to work state, and that it has oil in the ground. Only one of those three was beyond public policy, obviously the oil. And Obama has done all he can to make it harder to get that oil where it can be used. I suppose Romney hasn’t noticed the Obama EPA’s crusade against the energy industry in Texas and across the Gulf South.
But the fact is, as the Texas Democrats lost power in 2002 they attempted to force the Republicans to raise taxes massively in the next legislative session, by leaving the state in a $10 billion hole. They did this intentionally, to set up an environment in which they believed the Republicans and Perry would be forced to levy a state income tax or raise taxes across the board in some other way. This would discredit the Republicans and return the Democrats to power. Gov. Perry and the Republicans cut spending instead. They stood their ground despite the Democrats’ set-up and fierce and relentless criticism from the Texas media. Gov. Perry and the Republicans could have moved left toward more regulation. They didn’t. They could have weakened or undone the state’s right-to-work laws. But they didn’t. Gov. Perry and the state’s Republicans knew the principles that led them to power, and they stood on them through some difficult times.
Mitt Romney, when he was governor of Massachusetts, ran and governed to the left. That was his choice. He didn’t have to. We’ve seen this year that a Republican governor can govern a blue state from the center right, stand on principle and win the political battles, enact strong and sensible conservative policies, and do right by his state. Gov. Scott Walker has provided a stellar example of how a conservative can thrive in a blue state and change it for the better. Whatever Mitt Romney’s true principles are, he governed Massachusetts as a run of the mill liberal. ObamneyCare, as Tim Pawlenty once eloquently described it, is among the results.
Mitt Romney’s tenure just doesn’t hold a candle to Walker’s. And he should get his Texas history right before dismissing the state’s Republicans’ accomplishments. Put it this way: There’s a reason the Republicans took power in this formerly Democratic stronghold, and there’s a reason they’ve kept it and built upon it. And there’s a reason Wisconsin is likely to trend red for a while, and there’s a reason that Massachusetts won’t. The reason can be stated in one word: Leadership.
First debate I have watched was this evening and tried to remain unbiased. I have never seen Romney in action until this evening.
Though I believe almost anybody on that stage short of Huntsman would be infinitely better than our current feckless President, even Ron Paul with his suicidal foreign policy would be better IMO, I was not a bit impressed with Romney tonight. Perhaps he had an off evening.
Just my take.
Thanks for pointing this all out so well. Perry and the GOP in Texas have had a lot to overcome with a VERY partisan Democratic party who are very bitter at their diminished state in Texas and have only slowed at pulling stunts because they are slowly but surely being voted from office.
A point everyone seemed to miss tonight was the HPV vaccination. It was a pile-on the try to shame Perry, but the arguments were off base. The vaccination is a life-time protection against HPV witch causes cancer. This ongoing, Hollywood generated phobia of vaccinations must stop as it has already cause a re-emergence of once vanquished diseases. Michelle B. was the most upset, challenging that these poor and innocent 11 and 12 year old girl were in danger from vaccination. What is that idiot thinking? She is a nut-job to me now. Romney tries to be what ever he thinks we want to see. Perry is simply being himself. I don’t agree with everything Perry says, but I think he can and will be a good President who has our best interests in mind. The rest of the candidates are simply filler at this point. I do think Cain should be in Perry’s administration, as he is very sharp.
Perry-Cain Administration. Governor and Businessman, self-made, no affirmative action.
I agree about Bachman. I was just telling my husband how the piling on on Perry actually made me more sympathetic to him. Look, if they just pointed out the Gardasil thing and let it stand, the message would have been “Perry mandated vaccination and that’s bad,” and that would have been it. Big point against Perry. But then Bachman got into her shrill mother mode and started crying about forcing children to be vaccinated and Oh My God! And you know what? Perry got to point out that there’s an opt out, i.e. no one was being forced to have their children vaccinated. And he started to sound reasonable while Bachman sounded hysterical. Why would I want her in the White House?
Same thing with illegal immigration and the Dream Act. I’m against illegal immigration and giving benefits to illegals. I thought Perry signing the Texas Dream Act indefensible. But because they kept talking about it and piling on, I started to see things from his point of view. And then I thought, he’s a governor, he has no control over the border or immigration (he might get sued by the Feds instead if he tried anything in that direction), he has a bunch of young illegal immigrants in the state, what would he rather have: them forming gangs or them getting educated? I never even thought of that before until they were attacking him over immigration.
Lastly, Romney thought he was being clever by pointing out Hutchison’s, Bush’s and Perry’s job creation numbers, with Perry at 1% per year, “but they’re all good!” I felt like he was insulting my intelligence. Who did he think he was addressing here? He thought we did not know that during Bush’s and Hutchison’s tenure the national unemployment was a lot better than they are now and that the economic prospects were a lot better then too? It was a cheap shot and it didn’t even earn him any points. And by the way, Mr. Romney, the fastest way to show your true colors is by using the phrase “fair share” when talking about taxes.
At this point, I’ve narrowed down my preferences to Cain and Perry. There is no way I’ll give any money or time to Bachman, Romney or Huntsman. Anyone else, I’ll be volunteering to their presidential campaign to beat President Obama.
a note – please forgive my typo’s, it’s been a very long day (teacher of 8th graders and with a micro-managing admin) and I am fried. Peace to all!
You mentioned Governor Walker. I was thinking of Governor Christie. Both work.
Christie himself is not a “true red” conservative. But he does provide a clear example to conservatives of success against the odds in a blue state on the edge of insolvency: know the facts, know the details, repeat them forcefully and endlessly, slug back hard against the motives of your opponents, and appeal the public’s common sense. Unfortunately, in a blue state flush with cash, this approach would fail miserably; he’d be shouting into the wind.
In 1994 Romney was Leading in the polls running against Ted Kennedy.
Then came the Contract with America.
Romney’s Response? “That’s the House, I’m running for the Senate.”
And in the following days, the Farther Romney distanced himself from the Contract, the lower he sank in the polls.
And now we’re beginning to see a Romney Rerun with this Social Security thing.
Essentially I believe Romney would prove to be as President what he was as Governer of Massachusitts; Better at managing a Democrat Mess than a Democrat.
He would never prove to be someone capable of leading the nation in a different direction.
And that is why Perry will clean Romney’s clock!
jd
Steve, I’m so disappointed you didn’t do your drunk blogging during the debate last night. You were so great doing it for the last debate and for Obama’s campaign speech the next night. That said, I enjoyed this article.
“Gov. Perry and the state’s Republicans knew the principles that led them to power, and they stood on them through some difficult times.”
Bryan, first, the above statement needs to be front and center as Perry moves forward.
Second, the context you’ve provided is invaluable.
Para #3, in particular, needs to be repeated over and over and over again. It parallels national circumstances and helps cultivate the conviction that the Texas model could work on a national scale.
That synopsis also responds to and partially allays the spoken (and unspoken) fears of many, which is the havoc the DemBots have wrought cannot be undone.
O/T: Bryan, you seem to be the primary Perry expert, so I’m crossposting this watchout:
Speaking solely for myself, I’m seeking the anti-Obama and want substance over style.
Please, PJM, stop creating and using photoshopped versions of potential GOP candidates using the iconic Shepard Fairey adaptations. (See image on homepage associated with Simon’s “Round Two” article.)
Every time you do this, you tacitly imply Obama and crew have defined the essence of political style and the best the right can do is crank out trite, dated, stale, overused Obama-like imagery.
It’s counterproductive and in the longrun, you’re doing the candidate (and voters) a disservice. Either come up with a unique graphical approach, or hey, use a plain photo. Now, that would be refreshing.
Now we know why SS has always been considered the 3rd rail. Romney had a softball and still blew it.
He ends up enhancing his image as an opportunistic pol and a hypocrit to boot.
If he somehow gets the nomination, he has put himself in nearly as bad a position as Perry.
Prepare yourself for the SS election…even though there must be 20 issues more important to the country.
Strange how the libs are remaining so silent, isn’t it? Never intervene when the opponent is hitting himself in the head with a hammer.
The response that would’ve cemented my support for Perry would have been along the lines of:
“You still need to play the hand well. Don’t try to draw to a different hand, and certainly don’t fold. Capitalize on our resources (instead of chasing mythical ‘green jobs’), preserve the Right To Work, commit to keeping regulations as minimal and unobtrusive as possible and take a disciplined approach to taxes that will limit their burden.”
While Romney tried to attribute Perry’s success to factors beyond his control, he laid out a roadmap that could benefit all of America, and that does have an executive component to it.