Will Rick Perry Will Be the Next President?

Are you looking for a strong conservative candidate? While he has only been running for office for one day, here are some things that Rick Perry is doing well.

Be Positive:

For those of you who know me well, you’ll know that I worked for Governor Tim Pawlenty back in Minnesota and have the utmost respect for the man.  Today, he dropped out of the race because his team did not see a path to victory.  I personally believe the number one reason people did not rally around him is because he focused on the now instead of painting a bright picture.

Pawlenty often told the truth about the crisis we are in and instead of rallying people, it just kind of depressed people.  Mitt Romney and Michelle Bachmann have excited people by talking about how much they dislike Obama and how they are going to get him out of office.  This excites the kind of person who goes to the caucuses, but not the average Joe.

In 2004, John Kerry tried to rally the democrats by saying how bad George W. Bush was and he lost.  Instead of running on how great the world is going to be when he is president, he focused on the negatives of Bush.  Obama on the other hand, talked about how glorious the future would be if he were president and people ate it up.  People actually believed that he’d get rid of politics in Washington D.C.!

The fact remains that being positive leadership motivates people and Perry’s belief in the American dream and the way he talks about how our country’s brightest days are in front of us will catch on with Republicans and Independents.

Results:

Although it is not mandatory to have past results to win a presidential election (see Barack Obama), having the right results in the area that people care about matter.  Since the beginning of our economic “recovery,” Texas has produced roughly 40% of the jobs in this country, all under Governor Perry’s belt.  The general population does not care about the debt limit as much as they do jobs and he has a good story to tell.  Further, Perry has over 10 years experience as governor of one of the largest states.

On the other hand, Barack Obama cannot talk talk about hope and change, because people are tired of waiting.  Unemployment is up, the market is unsteady, consumer confidence is down, and the polls indicate that people do not feel we are going in the right direction.  He does not have any results.

Likability:

At the end of the day, people often vote for who they like.  Perry’s positive demeanor is much more likable than some of the other candidates.  Simple question: when is the last time you saw Romney, Bachmann, or Obama smile?  All of Perry’s competition seems bitter and upset.

Perry is the only Republican candidate that is liked by the Tea Party, the social conservatives, and fiscal conservatives.

Competition:

Mitt Romney’s record as Governor is not amazing.  His signature legislation is Romneycare, which has been a travesty.  Additionally, he is vulnerable in my mind because he was better at creating wealth than creating jobs.  Most of his experience was buying out companies, splitting them up, and making a profit off the parts of the company that had value.  He will be portrayed as a rich Republican that does not care about anyone.

Bachmann has no real accomplishments.  She has not authored any key legislation; she has pretty much just voted “No” on everything.

President Obama’s approval rating today posted at an all-time low of 39% today (with 54% disapproving), according to a gallup poll.  He has not taken a leadership role in many tough situations and his policies have simply not worked.  The economy is in trouble and the electorate are skeptical of Obama’s plans for the future.

A lot can happen between now and November 2012, but I think Perry will most likely win.  I am not officially endorsing Perry yet, but logically looking at it, Perry, who has never lost an election, seems to be the likely candidate!

Tribute To Ron Paul

At the most recent CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) convention, many conservatives spent a lot of time bashing President Obama, some time discussing policy, and voting in the straw poll for a strong conservative Presidential candidate.  Mitt Romney had won the last three years in a row; however, this year, Ron Paul took the victory, followed by Romney, Palin, and Pawlenty.

What message does this send?  Many ‘analysts’ are going to look way into this to explain what this means for the Republican party, so I figure I might as well pretend to be an analyst too.  I feel Ron Paul won mainly because of his straight-forward approach to economic policy (rather than politics).  The fact that he is anti-war was not as big of a factor as many are saying.  The bottom line is that he knows a lot about economics and takes a very libertarian, capitalist viewpoint on how to approach the economic woes and it resonates with people.  Ron Paul even shares his economic views with MSNBC who is open to hearing his message, despite being a traditionally liberal station.

Further, Ron Paul has become a person that people from all parties can rally behind because he hates the system and truly tries to fight against it.  He is willing to attack conservatives and democrats alike based on his policy differences rather than personal political conflicts.  For example, he took a firm anti-war viewpoint because of how he reads the Constitution and the readings of the Founding Fathers, not because he thought it would get him votes.

This conservative blog is not officially endorsing Ron Paul because we have our differences, but it is a breathe of fresh air to hear a politician say it like it is and have such a good grasp on economics.  Congrats on the big win Ron!

Republican Scott Brown Wins Mass. Senate Seat!

With the death of Ted Kennedy, a political icon in the United States, came the opening of a senate seat that had been filled by Kennedy since 1962 with the other Mass. senate seat belonging to John Kerry (D) since 1985.  Tonight, Massachusetts held a special election to fill Kennedy’s senate seat.  Despite Democrats outnumbering Republicans 3 to 1 in Massachusetts and Obama carrying the state by 26 points in the 2008 Presidential election, the senate seat was won by a Republican.

Just a month ago, it seemed to be a given that Democrat Martha Coakley would win because of the political layout of the liberal state.  However, the strong conservative candidate Scott Brown began campaigning on the fact that he could block the filibuster proof supermajority in the senate and that his extra vote in the senate would make the U.S. Senate have 41 Republicans and 59 Democrats.  The electorate latched onto this message and showed  support at the voting booth.

What does this Republican victory say about the political climate in the United States?  Everyone will have a different “professional” opinion, but I personally feel that the most important thing in winning an election is a great candidate.  Scott Brown was a dynamic candidate that excited people in Massachusetts.

Besides being a great candidate, I feel one of the biggest issues that helped Brown win is his opposition to the healthcare plan and giving voters the ability to stop it.  The most recent Rasmussen poll from Monday states that only 38% favor the healthcare reform currently being proposed (the lowest yet), while 56% oppose the reform.  Brown’s 41st vote against the healthcare bill inspired many republicans and independents (roughly 50% of Mass. are not registered with a particular party) to take this opportunity to potentially stop progress on the bill.

Still, you have to recognize that in the last 6 months, Republican candidates won the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey and now, they have won a Republican senate seat in Massachusetts.  Virginia has voted conservative in the past, but New Jersey and Massachusetts have long been some of the most liberal states in the United States.  Our country may not necessarily being going right (as I feel the right still has to provide many more solutions for our current issues), but they are definitely going against the Democrats’ out of control spending and other controversial legislation, such as cap-and-trade and the healthcare reform bill.

Obama has about 10 months to determine his future as President before the 2010 election.  It is not too late to lead differently.  I hope that Brown’s win allows Congress to slow down in trying to pass healthcare reform and allow a legitimate debate on the facts and issues.  Representatives on both sides believe we need to revamp healthcare, it is the means by which we do this that is still in serious question.

It is the diversity of thought that spurs true innovation and let’s hope that Congress can take the time produce healthcare legislation that everyone can rally around.

Tea Party…Party?!?

According to a new Rasmussen poll, Obama’s approval rating is crashing.  Just 26% of America’s voters “Strongly Approve” of Obama’s work while 41% “Strongly Disapprove” his work.  So, are the Republican’s the answer that American’s are looking for right now?  People want progress, not politics; I don’t think the Republican party is coming forward with bold ideas that get people excited about the future of America.

Since Obama got elected, there has been a movement with a growing number of Americans who wish to express their frustration with the American political system and the constant taxation.  Many are calling them the Tea Party and there is currently a lot of discussion of forming a new Conservative Party.

A recent Rasmussen poll asked American voters which party they’d vote for in an election – they were given four choices: Democrats, Republicans, Tea Party, and Not Sure.  Overall, the country is leaning more conservative (41%) vs. liberal (36%), but the results were quite surprising for many:

• Democrats – 36%
• Tea Party – 23%
• Republicans – 18%
• Not Sure – 22%

As you can see, the Tea Party (which doesn’t have a major candidate or structure) scored more points than Republicans.  This poll tells me that people are hungry for bolder ideas and strong conservative candidates that are grounded in the root of American’s Founding Fathers.  The 2010 election could be quite interesting if the Tea Party does indeed form.  Would they split the conservative vote?  Would they be able to organize in time to make an impact?  More important, possibly, is that 22% are not sure where they lie.  Over 1/5th of our country is undecided.  Which candidate will inspire that 22%?

While I have more questions than answers, as a capitalist, this conservative blog believes that the more competition, the better the candidate.  The Tea Party discussion spurs Republicans to re-engage with their base and start acting conservative, which is a good thing.

Thank you to all of you who believed that showing up to tea parties and town hall meetings could matter!