The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

RICK PERRY IN FREEFALL?

Posted on | September 23, 2011 | 53 Comments

Three headlines after last night’s debate:

Perry is blowing it
— Philip Klein, Washington Examiner

Orlando GOP debate: A strong
night for Santorum as Perry fades
— Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post

Rick Perry Blindsided Again In Debate On
Immigration, Rick Santorum Has Big Night
— Sam Stein and Jon Ward, Huffington Post

Now, those are different writers with different perspectives. Klein really hates Romney, because he fears Romney won’t repeal ObamaCare and Klein hates ObamaCare like God hates sin. Rubin’s OK with Romney. Stein and Ward are reporters rather than pundits.

My point is that there is universal agreement among them that Perry stunk up the place in Orland0 last night, and there is a majority view that Santorum did well. Let’s quote Stein and Ward:

What was clear is that Santorum gained enormously from another strong performance. He has gathered momentum with every debate — speaking with authority and expertise on policy and with obvious passion on issues in a way that resonates with the conservative grassroots. With Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) fading as voters question her electability, Santorum may be putting himself in a position to make some real noise in Iowa, which goes first in the primary process. Depending on how Perry does over the next few months, that could elevate the Pennsylvanian significantly.

Now, let’s go back to something I wrote Wednesday:

I also feel that more attention is due for Rick Santorum, whose fourth-place finish in the Ames Straw Poll would have been heralded as a newsworthy miracle, but was overshadowed by Perry’s entrance into the 2012 field and Tim Pawlenty’s exit the next day.

See? Santorum’s got a hard core of support in Iowa, and he seems to be picking up steam in the debates. Meanwhile, Bachmann’s campaign is reportedly experiencing financial difficulties.

Perry looked like a loser last night: “Cringeworthy.” We’ll get the results Saturday of a Republican straw poll in Florida, and if Perry doesn’t win that, the “Anybody But Romney” vote may start looking around for another horse to ride. Santorum might get a second look, and also I noticed that Michelle Malkin had warm praise for Herman Cain last night.

Nearly all of this is cited in my American Spectator column today:

Rick Perry may have forfeited his lead in the Republican presidential field during Thursday night’s debate in Orlando when he declared that those who oppose subsidizing college education for illegal immigrants are heartless.
“If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they have been brought there by no fault of their own, I don’t think you have a heart,” Perry said, after being criticized by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for a Texas policy providing in-state tuition for illegals.
Romney, who vetoed a similar tuition bill in Massachusetts, pointed out that this amounts to a $22,000-a-year discount for illegal aliens, as compared to the tuition that would be paid by U.S. students from the other 49 states attending universities in Texas. “That doesn’t make sense to me,” Romney said.
It didn’t make sense to former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum either. “You’re sort of making this leap that unless… the taxpayers subsidize it, [immigrants] won’t be able to go [to college].… The point is, why are we subsidizing it?… And why should they be given preferential treatment as an illegal in this country?” . . .

Read the whole thing. It’s still a long way to the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 6.

Category: Debates, Election 2012, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum

Comments

53 Responses to “RICK PERRY IN FREEFALL?”

  1. Joe
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 1:07 pm

    I would like to see Herman benefit from this.  

  2. ThePaganTemple
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 1:17 pm

    Yeah I think barring a miracle, Perry’s done. It’s just too bad Bachman didn’t focus on Romney last night, since he was already trending upward and gaining on Perry. As it stands now she’s probably done as well. Last night might have been a game changer for some candidates, ie Cain and Santorum.

  3. Anonymous
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 1:19 pm

    I’ve thought for a couple of years that Perry was an obvious candidate:  Successful long term governor of a large state.  I was excited to see him get into the race.  My enthusiasm has definitely faded, though I’m not sure where else I’d put my support.  Probably with Cain…I’ve always liked him.

    The big fear is that the Republican Party does its old thing of promoting the runner up from last go round, and we end up with Romney.  I’d certainly vote for him over Obama, but I can’t imagine voting for him in a primary.Rick Santorum:  The Mike Huckabee of 2012.Although I like Santorum a lot more than I like Huckabee.

  4. Fendell
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 1:29 pm

    Cain, Santorium? What planet do you all live in. We need a candiate to beat Obama not a fringe candiate to win the nomination. 

  5. Bob Orr
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 1:48 pm

    Cain is not a fringe candidate. His ideas sit well within the bounds of contemporary conservative thought. Unorthodox? Yes… he doesn’t have the political background that we’re accustomed to in candidates. But right now, if I were going into a voting booth, I’d be marking Cain on my ballot.

  6. Datechguy's Blog » Blog Archive » Another presidential debate
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 9:52 am

    […] 3: Stacy McCain is all over the Perry v Santorum/Cain thing at his blog: Perry looked like a loser last night: “Cringeworthy.” We’ll get the results Saturday of a […]

  7. Joe
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 1:53 pm

    I would have no problem of Cain against Obama.  It would be, actually, pretty awesome.  Yellow tie and all. 

    I would even go to Godfather and eat that pizza.  And I do not eat chain pizza ever. 

  8. Anonymous
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 2:14 pm

    If Perry fades, that might increase the likelihood of Palin jumping in.  

  9. Anonymous
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 2:19 pm

    One week before we know for sure! 

  10. Joe
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 2:25 pm

    Herman Cain won the debate?  At least according to Capt. Ed. 

    He also thought Romney and Perry screwed up.  http://hotair.com/archives/2011/09/23/video-perry-blows-attack-on-mitt-and-the-debate/

  11. Joe
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 2:25 pm

    I admit I did not watch it.  One of my kids was sick and there was just too much going on. 

  12. Joe
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 2:28 pm

    The Hot Air/Capt. Ed link above about Perry and Mitt screwing up ends with this: 

    I’d expect Perry’s numbers to soften up after this performance. And with that comes an opening for a late arrival into the race, especially if Romney’s numbers don’t move upward.

  13. smitty
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 2:32 pm

    Any candidate can win, given sufficiently energetic conservative support.

  14. smitty
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 2:32 pm

    I’m not holding breath. She’ll do what she’ll do, and have my full respect irrespective of result.

  15. smitty
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 2:33 pm

    People liking Romney are, I think, from the Northeast and GOP establishment, neither of which outfit impresses me much.

  16. Anonymous
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 2:41 pm

    Honestly, I’ve not taken Santorum seriously because of his thrashing by Casey in 2006.

    Of course, Nixon got beat fairly handily by the father of Moonbeam Brown in 1962, which sent Nixon “into the wilderness.”

    Then again, Nixon had been VP and lost a high profile gubernatorial race. Santorum has much lower name recognition than Nixon did; moreover, some of the backlash in response to the cultural trends of the mid-to-late 1960s probably favored a revival of Nixonian politics.    

  17. Bushwackca
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 2:42 pm

    So who won? Obama won. Why? Because we’re talking about everything BUT Obama’s failed policies and the difference ANY of these candidates would make. The American people lost because the GOP is pissing on each others leg…

  18. Anonymous
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 2:48 pm

    Haven’t you heard that Romney is an insider’s outsider? Or, is it an outsider’s insider? Or, is he a buttoned-down renegade?

  19. Nominations Excitations: Perry Poops, Mitt Muddles, Thaddeus Tilts « The Camp Of The Saints
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 11:02 am

    […] Cain and Rick Santorum continue to impress. I agree with Stacy McCain that the latter fellow ‘seems to be picking up steam in the debates’. Perhaps it is the […]

  20. Garym
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 3:18 pm

    I agree, I will not hold a nay against her. But I hope she runs and pushes the field to the right.

  21. Joe
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 3:18 pm

    That is true Smitty, but I think Cain would be stronger (by far) in a general election than Santorum. 

    I remember when Santorum lost by twenty points.  It was not even close.  Granted it was not a good time for the GOP that election cycle, but to lose after two terms in the Senate by that margin?  Pennsylvania is blue but it aint that blue.  Granted Casey has name recognition and lied about his pro life stance, but every advantage is to being re-elected.  That shows Rick Santorum did not keep in touch with his base at home.  That shows some serious political gaffes. 

    So if we are going to pick from this field, Rick Santorum would be fairly down on my list.  But if he was the nominee, I would fully support him. 

  22. Joe
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 3:19 pm

    There is also that flip floppin thing.  And he seems to make decisions with focus groups. 

  23. Joe
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 3:21 pm

    That is okay, we can get back to bashing Obama. 

    And by the way, do you think the 400 point market dive yesterday helped Obama?  And if it does not start recovering, will blaming Bush work in 2012? 

  24. ThePaganTemple
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 3:36 pm

    So who do you suggest we turn to, oh wise one, in order to lead us into the light of the mainstream?

  25. Bushwackca
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 3:43 pm

    I’d vote for ANY of them on that stage… That’s the truth. The other truth is there’s a couple there that I’d have to take a puke bucket with me into the voting both…

    Sorry to say this but Newt and Cain are the only ones on stage that actually get what the fight is for. You don’t hear them bashing their opponents in open forum too much and that’s the way to win the WH.

  26. Daily Pundit » Perry, Romney, or Palin: That’s Your Menu
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 12:07 pm

    […] RICK PERRY IN FREEFALL? : The Other McCain Perry looked like a loser last night: “Cringeworthy.” We’ll get the results Saturday of a Republican straw poll in Florida, and if Perry doesn’t win that, the “Anybody But Romney” vote may start looking around for another horse to ride. Santorum might get a second look, and also I noticed that Michelle Malkin had warm praise for Herman Cain last night. […]

  27. Joe
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 4:27 pm

    Fendell might be is a Libtroll if his answer is “Huntsman”  or “Johnson”. 

  28. Joe
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 4:58 pm

    Switching to Newt?

    Newt is dead to me.  Newt is the filthiest person in the GOP race.  Trashing Paul Ryan, supporting Scozzafava, we can go on and on.  Are Republicans battered wives that just keep going back for another beating?  

    My guess is there are not too many Republicans seriously considering Newt.  But if they are, I would guess they also think Jon Huntsman got it going on.   

  29. Anonymous
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 5:09 pm

    Cain has all of Romney’s supposed advantages (he’s a businessman not just a politician) without his fatal disadvantage (Romney’s a RINO squish on his face).

  30. Adjoran
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 6:37 pm

    Nixon’s comeback was based on his own hard work.  After the devastation of 1964’s landslide losses, Nixon quietly went to work, making personal appearances and raising money for state and local party groups around the country, helping recruit candidates and raising money for them, too, even in local elections.  By the time 1968 was in sight, he was the most beloved man in the party, and completely under the radar of the media.

    Back then, it wasn’t all primaries – there were only a few states who had them, most selected delegates by convention or caucus and the “party establishment” local and state bosses had a lot of influence.  Nixon had earned their gratitude and loyalty without even asking for it.

    Santorum, not so much.  He didn’t just lose to Casey, Jr., he got his butt kicked.  It was one of the worst beatings of an incumbent Senator since the 17th Amendment was ratified.  He has more to prove than even Nixon did.

    We know he can win among home-schoolers.  He needs to show he win some votes other than those and social conservatives.

  31. Adjoran
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 6:39 pm

    My rule of thumb is:  whenever I despair of our field, I imagine Obama standing next to each of them in turn.  Suddenly, they look much better.

    The half-wits who whine “I’ll NEVER vote for so-and-so” are just Obama supporters in drag.  Screw ’em.

  32. dad29
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 7:21 pm

    Huh.

    Erickson at RedState characterized Santorum as ‘angry all the time [during the debate.]

    So is the only 100% social conservative–Santorum–some sorta threat to DeMint?

  33. Joe
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 7:35 pm

    I am skeptical about Santorum, but damn if this is not a great sound bite: 

    “Perry was off his game, big time,” Santorum says.  “Or maybe that is his game.”

    Grass roots, low budget, pithy remarks.  I got to say I kinda like it. 

  34. RICK PERRY IN FREEFALL? : The Other McCain « Mike Huckabee Feed « Mike Huckabee for President- News Watch
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 3:55 pm

    […] Posted on | September 23, 2011 | 33 Comments […]

  35. Anonymous
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 8:34 pm

    NC allows write ins, if Paul, Johnson or Huntsman are on the ticket I’m voting for cthulhu.

  36. Anonymous
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 8:51 pm

    If Cain were the nominee his running mate would have to considered by voters to to be equally qualified. Fair or not his health would be a big issue for many voters. In 08 putting Palin on the ticket energised many who would have stayed home, but there are some I talked to before the election who voted for zero simply because they thought that there was an unacceptable chance that Palin would become President. Most people don’t pay any attention until very near election time. If one doesn’t make conscious effort to stay informed the information used to decide who to vote for is very limited and that decision is often based one or two statements or events. When I heard “I’ll make card check the law of the land” and “spread the wealth around” I determined to vote against Obama not for McCain not even a “dead girl of a live boy” would have changed that.

  37. Anonymous
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 9:06 pm

    Huntsman believes in AGW that means he’s insane and belongs is a straight-jacket, and I do mean that literally, Johnson and Paul are Isolationist-Pacifists if either one were elected our most important personal choice will be whether to learn how to speak Chinese or Arabic.

    If this country is going to consciously and deliberately vote to take the ship of state over the falls it is entirely appropriate that a Bolshevik be at the helm.

  38. Tennwriter
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 9:11 pm

    Why vote for the lesser of two evils? Vote for the Greater Evil!  Cthluhu in 2012!

  39. Tennwriter
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 9:16 pm

    Whoever wins the R nom can win the general, m’kay?  And Santorum can win the R nom on the base of the largest, more energetic, most conservative (both fiscally and socially) group in the party….the socons.

    Of course, it will produce incredulous shrieks of outrage from David Brooks and Katie Couric, but I tend to regard that as a good thing.  The pain and tears of my enemies makes my sleep sweet.

  40. Bob Belvedere
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 9:46 pm

    I’ve held that big loss againgst him too, but, perhaps he’s learned from it.

  41. Bob Belvedere
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 9:51 pm

    If you look really, really close at the videos/pictures of him, you’ll see Mandate Mitt is missing a finger — he leaves it out in the wind 24/7/365.

  42. Anonymous
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 9:53 pm

    ACE opines that the “have no heart crack” will pass with time. No. It. Wont. I will certainly remember it…oh….say for the rest of my life. If he were president I would look with deep suspicion every time any immigration issue was brought up. Initially I was willing to make allowances for some of his policies and actions on immigration, ascribing them to the realities of Texas politics and the fact that border states have always had a live and let live relationship with Mexico and had have substantial populations of citizens with Mexican heritage. His doubts about the efficacy of a border fence is not an unreasonable argument. Unfortunately in addition to going all “dreamy acty” on us, he seems to feel that border security is important only to the degree that it keeps out the Cartels and perhaps terrorists. He appears to believe that Illegals are a problem to be managed with compassion instead of in the National Interest.

     Immigration needs to be curtailed draconianly and illegal immigration must be eradicated utterly not just those who come across our borders but those who arrive via legal and fraudulently obtained visas. We don’t need more of the poor, unskilled and unassimilatable flooding into this country, we make plenty enough to go around right here. It’s well past time to have a near halt to immigration as we have in the past.

    The above also makes me even more suspicious of Perry’s stance on Islamists and Muslims (for an example of the difference http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/when-muslims-are-more-%e2%80%98radical%e2%80%99-than-%e2%80%98islamists%e2%80%99/).

  43. Bob Belvedere
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 9:57 pm

    Good history lesson.  One quibble: Richard Nixon was ‘beloved’, he was respected.

    As to Rick Santorum’s beating by Bob Casey-Lite: perhaps he has learned from his mistakes.  Methinks only an in-depth interview conducted by a certain Gonzo Reporter [with a saint of a wife] will settle this question once and for all.

    Santorum’s The One; Obama’s A Bum?

  44. Bob Belvedere
    September 23rd, 2011 @ 9:59 pm

    Better we empty out bladders now, otherwise we could be stuck with a Same Old Same Old GOP Candidate in 2012.

  45. Chris Christie For President In 2012? - The POH Diaries
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    […] have no doubt that Perry’s recent stumbles in the debates and in the press have facilitated Christie’s possible change of heart. In the […]

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  49. ThePaganTemple
    September 24th, 2011 @ 2:34 am

    I think Perry probably meant that as a slam against the others on the stage who were criticizing his position. I don’t think it occurred to him that it might be taken as a personal insult by the base. But it was taken as such, and now he doesn’t know how to explain what he really meant, which seems to have been that his opponents were cynically manipulating the fears and prejudices of the electorate for political gain.

    In other words, he was just calling his opponents heartless. All he was saying about Republican voters is-we’re stupid.

    Remember, the man did use to be a Democrat.

  50. Anonymous
    September 24th, 2011 @ 3:22 am

    I disagree I think it was an unguarded moment were in he revealed that he truly views immigration compassionately. This is how democrats see it and everything else for that matter. That’s why whenever they argue a policy they always reach for the sob story. Imagine how many violinists will be out of work when this regime falls. I don’t for a moment doubt Perry’s sincerity on this and there is a place for compassion, I keep mine in a shoebox in the closet along with my scruples in case I need them later. But as for immigration, we need the kind of compassion a doctor shows when he keeps insisting that a gangrenous limb must be amputated or you’ll die.

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