Sarah Palin endorses Rick Perry for reelection


The Texas Republican gubernatorial primary race has just gotten more interesting. The Dallas Morning News is reporting that Sarah Palin has endorsed Texas Governor Rick Perry for reelection. According to Wayne Slater, who wrote the Morning News story, Gov. Perry’s campaign is using the Palin endorsement to try to peel away conservative support among women for Sen. Kay Baily Hutchison, Perry’s main opponent in the GOP primary contest.

The Perry forces are circulating a letter written by Gov. Palin addressed to “Texas Republican women” in which Alaska’s governor calls Perry the “true conservative” in the primary contest:

“He walks the walk of a true conservative. And he sticks by his guns – and you know how I feel about guns,” she said. 

Palin makes a point of praising Perry for his pro-life position:

“Not every child is born into ideal circumstances, but every life is sacred,” Palin said in the mail appeal. “Rick Perry knows this – it is at the core of his being.”

Though Hutchison supports some limitations on abortion, including parental notification and a ban on partial-birth procedures, she is generally considered to be pro-choice.

The Perry campaign says Gov. Palin’s letter was sent to over 10,000 members of the Texas Federation of Republican Women, a shot aimed squarely at Sen. Hutchison’s base.

As Republican governors of energy-producing states, Perry and Palin see eye to eye on domestic drilling and other energy issues. Perry, who was chairman of the Republican Governors Association last year, introduced Palin when she addressed the organization at its winter meeting in Florida.

The two, together with South Carolina’s Mark Sanford, argued against increasing the country’s $10.7 trillion federal debt at a meeting of governors with then President-elect Obama early in December. The three warned that doing so risked collaping the U.S. economy.

Governor Palin, who drew large, enthusiastic crowds as the GOP vice presidential candidate on the campaign trail in 2008, has strong support among the GOP base and is very popular with social conservatives. In Texas, the votes of women and values voters could determine the outcome of the Republican Primary. The winner will likely be favored in the general election, as the two strongest Democrats, Houston Mayor Bill White and former state comptroller John Sharp, will both running for Hutchison’s U.S. Senate seat.

- JP


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25 Comments Leave a comment

As a voter, as a conservative pro-life woman, with the facts presented above:

Elizabeth Christian (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 12:44AM EST (link)

Go Gov. Perry – I am not in Texas but if I were you would have my vote (unless something changes between now and then). Gov. Sarah Palin is one of my role models, and with these facts as listed above it would be an easy choice for me – (pro-life, conservative, pro-gun, “Perry and Palin see eye to eye on domestic drilling and other energy issues, the two, together with South Carolina’s Mark Sanford, argued against increasing the country’s $10.7 trillion federal debt, the three warned that doing so risked collaping the U.S. economy”.)

Gov. Perry sounds like my kind of Governor ; )

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
~Benjamin Franklin

 

One has to look at the big picture.

J. Leg (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 2:47AM EST (link)

KBH may be more liberal on abortion (which is a big, big, big issue for me!) one thing I would encourage Texas Republicans to do is figure out where the party is best positioned to win in November on 2010. She’s also pretty much conservative on everything else, fiscal policy, foreign policy and when you break down her scores from pro-abortion groups like NARAL and so forth, her scores are in the 20% range, meaning she usually votes for abortion restrictions.

This sounds like an 80/20′er, Sen. Hutchinson sounds like she’s on board most of the time and that on most issues, issues that really count, she’s reliably conservative.

Can Rick Perry win again? He’s a two term govenor. It could be in the best interest of the Texas GOP and the people of Texas to nominate Hutchinson.

Maybe I should just shut my mouth though. I am a Californian, and as you can see we know how to elect GREAT Republican candidates (last sentence dripping with sarcasm.)

Perry can win in the general

jf55510 Tuesday, February 3rd at 3:01AM EST (link)

The only credible statewide democrat, Mayor White, has already announced for the Senate. The Republican primary, barring a completely unforeseen disaster, is going to be the real election for governor.

Well sweet!

J. Leg (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 3:11AM EST (link)

Let it be Perry!

 

Perry the only guy who could lose

Princeliberty Tuesday, February 3rd at 8:36AM EST (link)

The Republican should win. But Perry the only Republican the democrats could defeat. He only got abut 40% last time. He only going down hill.

Kay would win by a huge landslide. Everytime I have heard Perry speak I came away with the same impression. That the guy is a complete and utter empty suit.

I think this is mistake by Palin. My doubts about her are growing.

Princeliberty

Last election

jf55510 Tuesday, February 3rd at 3:47PM EST (link)

Last election was a weird election. The Republican candidates got about 58% of the vote. CKR was just throwing a fit because she knew that she could not win in a primary.

 
 
 

Perry stance means nothing

Princeliberty Tuesday, February 3rd at 8:43AM EST (link)

So what if Perry says he is more pro-life. He has not had DO anything more pro-life. Same with being pro-gun. Nobody can be governor of Texas without being pro-gun.

Let’s look at record were its counts. Republican govenor with a conservative
Republican legislature in a conservative state.

Well positioned to do some major education reform and have a big showdown with the teachers over vouchers, improving teacher quality and improved school cirriculm.

Perry did nothing but same old window dressing to mask going along to get along with the old network including the teaching union.

No vision other advancing himself.

All time as Governor and he done nothing of real substance to advance a conservative agenda.

Other that to brag I did not raise taxes during a growing economy that
has given the state plenty of money.

But he has spent plenty.

Princeliberty

Well

jf55510 Tuesday, February 3rd at 3:50PM EST (link)

Perry has been incredibly pro-life. He’s supported a ton of pro-life measures.

The Legislature is not a conservative legislature. Is a moderate legislature.

While Governor, Perry has cut the budget when needed and not raised taxes. He has limited the growth of government. He’s appointed and supported conservative judges. He’s supported school choice and school reform. He’s supported almost every conservative program there is. To say he isn’t conservative is just false.

 
 
 

Dennis D

Dencal26 Tuesday, February 3rd at 8:30AM EST (link)

Why is Hutchinson running against a sitting Republican Governor and leaving another GOP Senate Seat at risk? This is damaging to the party.

 

Perry won in the last election...

Darvin_Dowdy (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 8:41AM EST (link)

…with only 38% of the total vote. Many former GOP voters protest voted for the 2 independents Kinky and Grandma. Between the 2 they took about 30%. And the dem, surprisingly took 30% even though he’d poll’d in the low 20% range during the campaign. So Perry won by the skin of his teeth mostly because of his lack of action on the illegal/border issue. Continuing to allow the Mexican government to trump the voters. Like his buddy George W. Bush. That issue is important down here.

Perry and Hutchison are not as well loved in TX as people think. They’re both Bush style globalist/moderates. But then so is Palin, in my opinion. DD

Foolish on another level

Princeliberty Tuesday, February 3rd at 9:41AM EST (link)

I doubt Perry will be grafeful after the election is over.

At last year’s Republican governors conference Perry seemed jealous of all
the attention Palin was getting.

When he listed the future leaders he left out Palin and when a reporter asked him about her being one the leaders he repeated the names and still left her out.

I doubt he is true ally at all. Which further shows Palin is not sizing people up well.

Somebody is giving her bad advice. She is probably listening to some of the beltway religious right “leaders” and God help her if she is.

Now I am a social conservative but the inside the beltway religious leaders
have shown themselves to be a combination of being clueless and some conartists.

Get new grassroots social conservative leaders along with other parts of the
coalition.

Don’t listen to inside the beltway types of any sort.

Princeliberty

Princeliberty...

Darvin_Dowdy (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 11:46PM EST (link)

…I couldn’t agree w/you more. She has made one political blunder after another. Who is advising her? Or is anyone? I know she’s got a state to run but if she has 2012 aspirations she’d best reverse directions. She’s headed off into a muddy bog. Along with the rest of the GOP Hierarchy. DD

 
 
 

What about Texas?

itrytobenice (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 9:26AM EST (link)

Out of that whole state, the best you guys can come up with is KBH and Perry? EPU, Haystack, start your pac, boys. We need a Republican in Texas!

Proper grammar saves lives.

Let’s eat Grandma.
Let’s eat, Grandma.


Activists Taking Action: Unified Patriots

 

Hutchison lets conservatives down

burbmom (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 10:11AM EST (link)

repeatedly. Two of her votes were for TARP and for S-CHIP.

Exactly.

Rod_Patrick (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 10:26AM EST (link)
 

Other Sarah Palin news: Ashley Judd gets a burr under her saddle

Finrod (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 10:56AM EST (link)

I was going to phrase that subject differently, but, site rules and all. Anyways: Ashley Judd is doing the typical liberal not understanding of conservation efforts and has teamed up with Wildlife Action Fund to take shots at Sarah Palin:

In a video premiering on the organization’s new Web site, EyeOnPalin.org, Judd takes aim at Palin for allegedly promoting the aerial killing of wolves in Alaska, and goes so far as to accuse Palin of proposing bounties for severed forelegs of killed wolves.

Let’s get down to brass tacks here. How much for the ape?

Ashley Judd

CarlSchurz (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 11:04AM EST (link)

Is an idiot. Standard Hollywood Liberal; bratty, spoiled, dysfunctional and psychotic. Unfortunately she has a voice.

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war, is much worse. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

 

Alaska Fish & Game has good video

Achance (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 11:36AM EST (link)

of what a pack of wolves does to a caribou or moose. I think we should do some ads featuring some of that video and run them in places like LA and Noo Yawk – at lunch and at dinner time. While we’re at it, we can make some about a killer whale, excuse me, orca, teaching its young to catch seals. Visualize a very large black and white cat playing with a very frightened little gray mouse for an hour or two and never quite letting it die.

The reality is that in Interior and Western Alaska, moose and caribou are a significant portion of people’s diet and man and wolves compete for the moose and caribou for food. Overabundance of wolves has depressed the caribou and moose population and ADF&G has been culling wolves. The envirowhackos try to portray the program as aerial sport hunting of wolves. All of the wolves are taken either by ADF&G employees or by professional hunters on contract to ADF&G. It is illegal for any sport hunter to take any game on they same day as they fly into an area or from an aircraft in any fashion.

Anyway, there are some nice parks in and near most big US cities that I think are sorely lacking in wolves, so maybe they’d like to take some off our hands and save them from the evil hunters.

In Vino Veritas

Great Idea

Finrod (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 3:51PM EST (link)

It reminds me of the idea I had a while back, which is to take video of ANWR in winter and take video of the parking lots of abandoned Wal-Marts in winter and intersperse them and ask people if they can tell the difference between them. I call it: ANWR or AbandoNed Wal-maRt?

Let’s get down to brass tacks here. How much for the ape?

 
 
 

Perry = Bush

jimmuy8 (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 11:03AM EST (link)

But not the good things.

1) His ill-advised proposal for mandatory vaccinations of all girls (which, by the by, would have had a huge financial benefit for one of his major contributors).
2) Billions of $ for a “virtual fence” that they have had to admit doesn’t work.
3) The TransTexas Corridor–a multi-billion dollar boondoggle to cut through the heart of Texas, on the back of heavy-handed eminent domain.
4) Worked behind the scenes to cut research money from Texas Tech because of his school, A&M. And, as I recall, actually vetoed the same.
5) Has not a single, major proactive policy initiative to his name–what he has done is after the fact, see #2.
6) Under his watch, Texas has seen more and more Democrats elected.
7) Like Bush, he is constantly assaulted with negative “news” stories, and–like Bush–never rebuts or attacks. This has lead to the same effect statewide as Bush saw nationwide–making the R brand toxic. (see #5).

To his defense, though: A) Texas is designed to keep the governor weak and impotent. B) The liberals here are really crazy–they don’t call Austin “Moscow on the Brazos” for nothing.

Really, I think he is a good guy, and I’m sure he tries hard–there’s just a lot of very entrenched interest in this state and he lack the charisma, charm or ability to go around them directly to the voters.

We call him “Governor Goodhair,” the former Aggie milkman (cheerleader).

What is up ?

CarlSchurz (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 11:07AM EST (link)

Is there some sort of Democrat plan to infiltrate the Republican Party and destroy it from within?

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war, is much worse. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

I think that happened a long time ago

Princeliberty Tuesday, February 3rd at 12:10PM EST (link)

I think that happened a long time ago and its called the Bush family.

Princeliberty

 
 

Perry's Record

jf55510 Tuesday, February 3rd at 4:01PM EST (link)

1. The HPV EO was not mandatory. Like any other vaccine, anyone could opt out.
2. Perry gave border sheriff’s $2m (not Billions) of federal grant money. People wanted Perry to do something and he tried something, it didn’t work, but not all programs work.
3. The TTC was, and still is, a good idea. It was just poorly presented and run. Texas needs new roads and Texas needs them now. It was not a boondoogle, it was a plan to help Texas stay competitive into the future.
4. That’s just laughable. Perry vetoed a bunch of higher ed funding, from all schools, included Texas A&M.
5. Once again, laughable. Do you actually know Perry’s record?
6. And that isn’t his fault. That was Craddick and the republican party being incompetent. He pushed threw mid-decade congressional redistricting which gave us more R’s in Congress. Perry isn’t in charge of the party, if he were, the TRP would be much better because his campaign staffers are top notch.
7. You must not be paying attention, Perry fights back all the time. But with the left hating him, they are always going to be louder and in more places. Just comes with the territory.

Perry isn’t perfect, but he’s been a good governor and a conservative governor.

Please don't defend Perry on the HPV vaccine issue

civil truth (Diary) Wednesday, February 4th at 12:15AM EST (link)

This was being pushed by a drug company who stood to make big bucks, The studies were inconclusive and they had not studied long-term dangers of the vaccine. The efficacy was modest at best, and forcing entering 6th grade girls to have the vaccine was a statement that they were going to be sexually active.

This was a major assault on individual freedom and an opening the door to more nanny state behavior (“for the kids” my a**). Opt-out is not an excuse when informed consent is impossible due to lack of information – not to mention the guilt/pressure that comes from the implied question: do you want to be accused of causing your child to contract cancer?

The Texas legislature was right to threaten a veto override in order to prevent this mandatory vaccination program from proceeding.

My ARS co-blogger Raven wrote extensively on this subject around the time of the controversy.

To Vaccinate or Not: Cervical Cancer

This is not an emergency

Gardasil Isn’t What They Claim

CDC Doctors Don’t Recommend Gardasil

Gardasil Developer Against Using it on Young Girls

Gov. Perry backs down on mandatory HPV vaccination

NH Does Vaccine Right

How Many Girls Will Die?

The benefits fully outweigh any side effect? Bull Sh*t!

Gardasil Numbers Don’t Lie

This action was a major deviation from conservative principles.

The greatest evil…is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern. -C.S. Lewis

http://www.gmsplace.com/

 
 
 

Michael Williams

TxCon (Diary) Tuesday, February 3rd at 5:42PM EST (link)

is the conservative we need to put in the Senate. He is currently the RR Commissioner, has won statewide elections twice and has already announced his intentions to seek KBH seat.
Perry has been in office for 10 years and is 50/50 on winning re-election, IMO. KBH wins in a landslide.

Michael Williams+KBH>Rick “Governor Goodhair” Perry.