Blog Archives
IDA Caucus Countdown #2: Rick Perry
Welcome to the sixth installment of the Iowa Defense Alliance Caucus Countdown. Counting today’s publication we have just two installments of the Countdown left. As such today we will be covering the runner up spot on the Countdown list. But first let us briefly recap the Countdown to date. We opened the Countdown with former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman bringing up the rear of the field predominantly due to his refusal to campaign in Iowa. Next up, in the sixth position we have Texas Congressman Ron Paul largely due to what I perceive to be his naïve foreign policy positions and he reluctance to defend the sanctity of life at the federal level. In a surprisingly high finish for someone so untrustworthy we have former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney residing in the fifth slot. In the fourth position we find a candidate that has thoroughly disappointed me during this caucus season, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. Garnering the third place position in the Countdown was former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich largely on the strength of his intelligence and his memory. This brings us to the runner up position in the IDA Caucus Countdown, Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Back in August, when Governor Perry announced his candidacy, if anyone had told me he would be my second choice for my Iowa Caucus vote I would have called them crazy. But as crazy as it seemed then, it is certainly the case now. Over the last several months I have been pleasantly surprised by how well he has articulated his beliefs and his convictions. To be fair there are a few concerns that I have with Governor Perry’s past, but I do think that he may have learned from those mistakes.
Quite possibly the biggest mistake that Governor Perry has made in his career is when he attempted to mandate that all sixth grade girls within the State of Texas be inoculated against the human papillomavirus, HPV for short. For those of you that are unaware, HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that can possibly lead to cervical cancer in women. I can understand Governor Perry’s motivation for enacting the mandate; he wants to do everything that he can to prevent cancer. Despite the good intentions that he may have had, the message that he sent all the parents in Texas was that they cannot be trusted to take care of their daughter’s health. Fortunately for those families the legislature of Texas overwhelmingly overruled Governor Perry’s executive order. Fortunately Governor Perry has stated that the mandate was a mistake, but still asserted that his heart was in the right place.
As I stated above early on Governor Perry’s campaign for the GOP Presidential nomination I did not give his candidacy much credit. If I had done this countdown back in August I would have probably had Perry ranked down around Governor Huntsman. However as the race progressed I could feel Governor Perry grow on me. I started warming up to him. At the various events that I attended he comported himself well and he was well spoken. He doesn’t have the oratory skills of Mike Huckabee, but he is definitely more solid than the current resident of the White House. Over the last several weeks I have really gotten to like the idea of a Perry Presidency, however at this time I still believe that there is one candidate that is better. And this is why Texas Governor Rick Perry is the runner up in the Iowa Defense Alliance Caucus Countdown.
The Thanksgiving Forum Recap
The 2012 Presidential race has been billed as one the most important election cycles in recent history. And perhaps due to this prophetic proclamation it seems that the number of debates hosted around the country has increased dramatically. That would not be a bad thing if the debates that we being conducted were anything more that soundbite machines hosted by moderators that seem to want to turn the candidates on each other in some sort of political version of the a battle royal. That is why yesterday evenings Thanksgiving Family Forum hosted by The Family Leader was so refreshing. The basic rules of the evening were crafted so that the candidates could not only answer questions, but answer them in depth so as to allow the audience to really understand how the candidate reached the conclusion that they did. For those of you that were unable to attend you can view the forum in its entirety at this link.
Now I could give you a complete rundown of everything that happened during the two hour long forum, but due to time and space constraints I will simply break it down in to how I believe each participant performed.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul
In my opinion Congressman Paul started the evening out with a whimper. In his response to the very first question Congressman Paul was all over the place, but not with any comment of any consequence. And despite his longwinded answer he still provided an answer that did not satisfactorily answer the question. This appearance really hit the bottom during the second half of the program where he really let the naivety of his foreign policy stance show through.
Georgia Businessman Herman Cain
Last night we had another appearance by Mr. Cain in which there were times that he looked absolutely amazing, and then other times when he left you scratching your head in wonder. One of the times where Mr. Cain really shined was when the question revolved around the phrase “So help me God” in the Presidential oath of office. Mr. correctly asserts that when that phrase is uttered in the oath that the person is asking for God’s help in fulfilling the duties of the office in question. When the candidates were asked about the sanctity of life his answers seemed intentionally vague and evasive; and gave the audience the impression that he will not fight for life as hard as some of the other candidates would.
Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachman
I have to admit that this was one of the best performances I have seen from Congresswoman Bachmann for some time. During this forum the Congresswoman does have at least a rudimentary knowledge of American History. She demonstrated this by correctly recited the fact that it was the first President of the United States, George Washington, that was so instrumental in having that short little phrase included in the oath of office. In my opinion I really did not see the Congresswoman make any fatal mistakes last night.
Texas Governor Rick Perry
After having endured the painful experience of watching Governor Perry take part in the last several debates I was prepared for the dreadful nails on a chalkboard effect that his appearance would create. To say that I was surprised by his extremely competent performance would be an understatement. Whenever he happened to field a question the answer seemed to be directed at the audience. It was like he was just having a conversation with us, not the moderator. Not only did he do a good job speaking to the audience, he responded with well thought out remarks that demonstrated that he is not a light thinker.
Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Newt Gingrich
If only one candidate can be said to have had a huge night, that candidate is Newt Gingrich. The former speaker’s wit and wisdom were on display for all to see last night. He repeatedly answered the questions posed to him with reason and knowledge. He really did not have any misstep for anyone to attack him on. Among the most memorable lines of the night was this gem describing the occupy movement.
“All the occupy movement starts with the premise that we all owe them everything. They take over a public park that they didn’t pay for, to go nearby to use bathrooms that they didn’t pay for, to beg for food from places that they don’t want to pay for, to obstruct those that are going to work to pay the taxes that sustain the bathrooms that sustain the park so that they can self righteously proclaim that they are the paragons of virtue to which we owe everything. Now that is a pretty good symptom of how much the left has collapsed as a moral system in this country. That is why we need to reassert something as simple as saying to them go get a job right after you take a bath.”
Former Senator Rick Santorum
This was yet another strong performance from the former Senator from Pennsylvania. He delivered strong and rational arguments supporting his beliefs and his positions. He was able to articulate clear and concise reasons for denying the nation of Iran the ability to produce a nuclear weapon. He delivered a powerful piece of testimony illustrating for all to see that even though he is a candidate for the Presidency of the United States, he is really just a flawed human being like the rest of humanity. As he was confessing this past mistake for all the world to see you could see that reliving that period of his life was just as hard now as it had been then.
Everyone at The Family Leader deserves a hearty round of applause for the outstanding event that they had put together. I would not hesitate to state that this type of format will definitely be copied and utilized in the future. As promised, last night’s forum allowed those in attendance to learn more about the candidates and what made them tick than in any of the other debates or forums combined. All in all, a great event.
Guest Commentary: Please Caucus for Rick Santorum
Jan 2
Posted by Al Bregar
It seems arrogant to think a letter I write will carry any weight to win your vote on caucus day for Rick Santorum, but maybe it will. Here’s why I am supporting Rick Santorum for President:
1. He’s worked for it. The Iowa Caucus is a big deal. It’s our responsibility to run the candidates through the wringer, ask the tough questions and get them ready to be President. If there are big money candidates who fly in, have a press conference so we know they were here, ignore the events we sponsor and fly out, why should we give them our support? Santorum not only respected the caucus process, he’s visited all 99 counties several times and was the first to do it. Folks, that’s recognizing the importance of rural Iowa. And whether it is a crowd of 1 or 100, his answers are thoughtful, respectful and truthful, not just saying what you want to hear. We need a President who will tell us what we need to hear, so we can work to fix it. Not one who is in campaign mode 24/7!
2. Rick Santorum’s character. Rick doesn’t just spout theory; he has worked for what he believes in and won. He is consistent, conservative, intelligent and articulate. He has had life events that tested his character and he made the right decisions for him and his family. He has had events in Congress that tested his character and he persevered, many times winning the day in a bipartisan way. Winning without compromising his principles, personally or of the office he held. And a quality we see very little of, he’s humble and self-evaluating. He admits when he could have done better, like in his 2006 election loss. He learned from it and became a better person.
3. His ideas to bring America back to strength. Plans for a domestic energy policy that will bring jobs and independence. Plans for a sound fiscal policy that bring manufacturing back to the U.S., increasing jobs and middle class wealth. He has an understanding of and has initiated foreign policy like none of the other candidates, knows our role in the world and the danger of us letting the balance tip to the people who would do us harm.
4. He’s experienced and more interested in solutions, than a gotcha poke in the eye. If you really want to solve problems, you don’t poke the other side in the eye. We’ve had that for the last four years, complete disenfranchisement. He knows how to work with all parties to achieve a solution, without them losing face. Now, that is a leader. This is not to say he doesn’t have courage to call people out if he needs to, he does, but it isn’t sport to him.
There are more reasons, but really, I just like him. He’s likeable and that means he is electable. Sincere, genuine, strong, intelligent, honorable, kind and a ‘he gets us and loves us’ guy. He is the antithesis of Obama and can debate like nobody’s business. You KNOW he has your back.
Rick needs us to blast him out of with a strong finish and has humbly asked and worked for our support. Let’s give it to him! Please join me and vote SANTORUM in the Iowa Caucuses.
Sincerely yours in service,
Dawn Pettengill
State Representative, Iowa House
Posted in Guest Commentary, Iowa Caucus, Politics
Leave a Comment
Tags: Dawn Pettengill, Iowa Caucus, Iowa Caucus 2012, Rick Santorum