Rick Perry 2012?

Dear Readers,

Have you heard that Rick Perry is clobbering Mitt Romney and Michelle Bachmann in the polls? When I first heard that news, I was upset, because I felt like Mitt Romney has been in the race for so long, and he’s been the leader of the pack for so long, and he’s the next in line, so I thought he sort of deserved to be the Republican nominee. I also thought, “Hey, the presidential race has been going on for months now. There have been debates and straw polls and the other candidates have been hitting the trail. Why does this newcomer hotshot Rick Perry get a surge in the polls with the single act of announcing his candidacy?”

But now that I’ve looked into Rick Perry a little, I like him a lot. I can understand why so many people want him to be the next President.

I’m going to make a formal prediction. Rick Perry will be our President in 2013.

Rick Perry will win the Republican nomination, and Mitt Romney will get second place. Then Rick Perry will beat Barack Obama in 2012. That’s my official prediction.

I think the presidential field is pretty much set. I do wonder if Sarah Palin will get in the race. She might. She’s been doing some things lately that make it look like she’ll get in the race, such as this video, and she’s going to give a big speech pretty soon and some have speculated that she’ll announce then, but… I just don’t think the American people will go for her. She was only a governor for a year and a half or so. She did a great job while she was there, but I think she’s more interested in doing TV and books and tea party rallies than she is in becoming Commander in Chief. I mean, she’s written two books recently, she did “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” her daughter was on “Dancing with the Stars,” Plus, the media has smeared her so much that it will be hard for her campaign to convince voters that she’s intelligent and presidential. I happen to think that she is intelligent and presidential, but too many people have a negative impression of her. I wish she would move to Arizona (which by the way, some have speculated that she's already moved here to the Grand Canyon State, incognito) and run against Jeff Flake for Senator. That guy needs some competition.

I don’t think there will be any Democratic primary challenger to the President. Not any serious one, anyway. Obama will crush him or her with little effort.

But back to Rick Perry. I’ll list his pros and cons.

Pros

Coyote-killer. My favorite thing about Rick Perry is that he shot and killed a coyote when he was out jogging one day. Seriously, how many politicians do you know who carry a gun? How many politicians do you know who carry a gun while jogging? And how many politicians do you know who carry a gun while jogging and shoot aggressive coyotes? I only know of one… Rick Perry. (Mitt Romney once claimed that he hunted big game, Daniel Boone style, but when questioned further about specifics, he admitted he only shot at small varmints occasionally. Perry 1, Romney 0.

Texan. Another thing I like about Rick Perry is his tough Texan persona. Perry talks loud, he swaggers, he rides a white stallion, and if he don’t like you, well then he’s just gonna punch you in the face! And he looks perfect in a cowboy hat! Mitt Romney could never pull off a cowboy hat. He looks most comfortable in a suit and tie. But lately Romney’s been trying to look a little more casual. Have you noticed? His hair isn’t perfect anymore, and he often goes tie-less, with the top button unbuttoned. Oh, but this paragraph was supposed to be about geographical upbringing, not wardrobe. Mitt Romney is from Michigan and Massachutes. Those are pretty liberal places. And even though Romney was a conservative in those liberal places, they were still liberal places. I’m sure all that liberal-ness rubbed off on him. Texas, on the other hand, is as red as the red meat all those Texans like to eat. (Red meaning Republican, not communist.) Perry 2, Romney 0.

Small Town Boy. Perry grew up on a Texas farm. Romney grew up in a Motor City mansion. Perry 3, Romney 0.

Overtly Christian. Rick Perry is not at all ashamed of his Christianity. He led a prayer rally in which he said stuff like, “Christ is my personal Savior. We Christians want everyone to experience the love and grace of Jesus Christ.” But, of course, I have to go with Mormonism over Protestantism, so the score is now Perry 3, Romney 1.

(I’m going to stop with the scorecard thing because I’m tired of it. It was a silly thing, anyway.)

Global warming. Rick Perry is a global warming denier! That’s soooo awesome! Mitt Romney is a believer… or is he?

Cons

Winking at Uninvited Guests. When it comes to the illegal immigration issue, Rick Perry is practically an open-borders type of guy. Tom Tancredo even went so far as to say that because of this issue, Rick Perry is not a true conservative. This isn’t a huge deal to me. Well, it is, but it's not a deal-breaker. I have no assurance that any of the other candidates would do any better with this issue.

Puny Private Sector Experience. Another con is that he doesn’t have much personal private sector experience. Um, actually I don't think he has any private sector experience. He was in the Air Force, he went to college, and then he went into politics. Mitt Romney has way more experience in the private sector creating jobs, growing companies, etc. But even though Rick Perry doesn’t have a lot of personal business experience, he’s very business friendly. He brags about how Texas’ economy is doing great. He’s said that Texas has less than 10 % of the country’s population, but 40 % of the new job growth in the past couple of years has been in Texas. Texas’s population has also been growing, which is a good sign. In fact, if I weren’t such a proud Arizonan, I might consider moving to Texas.

Puny progeny. Perry only has two children. Mitt Romney has five. But Michelle Bachmann has them both beat. She has 5 real kids plus 23 foster kids. That's 28 kids!

So... I don't think I'll support any presidential candidates. I think I'll try to support local people like Chuck Gray. But when it comes time for me to vote for Perry or Romney, I think I'll go with Romney. But I won't be too upset if Perry wins. But maybe I'll change my mind before election day.

Sincerely,
Telemoonfa