Since he entered the race Rick Perry has been his own worst enemy and last night nothing changed. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! Again!

Let me say that I like Rick Perry and have liked him for a long time. I was very excited when he decided to enter the race because at that point there was no one else that really appealed to me. Sarah Palin was my first choice and as it looked more and more that she was not going to run Perry was my hope.

Even today I was happy to hear that he decided to stay in the race as I still support him. But (there is always a but) he has not run a good campaign and there is no one to blame except himself. Last night was another prime example of a very ‘bad’ night for Rick Perry and I am not talking about coming in a distant fifth place despite spending millions of dollars in the small state of Iowa.

What I am referring to is his ‘speech’ after the results were known saying he was going home to Texas to determine “if” there was still a path for him to continue in the race. What? Was that the same guy who for the last three days was insisting that he was in it for the long haul and that he was the only candidate besides Romney that had the ability to run a national campaign? I could not believe what he said as he was saying it last night. When it was clear that he was Mr. 10% in Iowa I waited for his comments as I did with the rest of the candidates. Bachmann was strong and still acted like she was in the race. Newt was very strong and said basically, “On to New Hampshire!”

Then we have Governor Perry come out and state that he was not sure he could continue and had to “think about it”. Perry should have done exactly as Bachmann did. Give a strong statement and then go home to think about it over night. I was very surprised with what he said.

I was a military pilot like Governor Perry and the first thing we learned as a pilot when facing adversity was an old saying to ‘sit on your hands.’ What that means is when things are tumultuous don’t just react. Sit on your hands for a little bit and think about the best thing to do. Don’t act rashly and make a foolish mistake like shutting down the wrong engine in the case of a fire. Make sure what you do is the right thing and not an emotional reaction. I was a Naval Aviator…maybe they don’t teach that in the Air Force.

Rick Perry reacted emotionally last night. It was his first defeat as a Politian and a big one at that. I guess he was depressed after working so hard and spending so much money to only get fifth. I don’t blame him! I would have been depressed also! But he is a professional Politian and HAD to realize that Iowa is not the jury and judge of this race. It is mostly a media event these days and the winner of Iowa does not even take the nomination most of the time!  Heck, Reagan even lost in Iowa! Does he not realize this?

With his statement last night he had every media person (and voter) in the country thinking he was out. Then the very next morning he is back in. It does not look good and Rick Perry did not need another ‘oops’ moment in his campaign but that is what we had yesterday. A strong leader (which I still think he could be) does not do things like that.

For me I can still support him. But every time he has issues like this he loses supporters. Today’s voters are very superficial and they are looking for someone that does not make silly mistakes. Too bad for Perry as he has made many. It is sad to me because he was my best hope for someone to beat Obama that would truly try to change Washington DC. None of the others (except Ron Paul) talk about dismantling Washington DC like Perry has talked about. He has a great message but it gets lost with these silly little mistakes. A good friend of mine was for Perry and after last night he has decided to back Newt. I am sure there are many more like him.

I hope a miracle happens and somehow he does well in South Carolina. It could happen but (another but) then I hear he is not even going to South Carolina until next week. I realize that he needs to prepare for the debates this weekend but not going to SC for at least a day or two is a mistake. Everyone is in New Hampshire and it would be a great opportunity to get all the free media attention in SC! I just don’t get it. My only thought is maybe, just maybe he is totally revamping his staff for a final ‘Hail Mary’ in SC.

One last comment…it sure would have been a good thing if Governor Perry had taken a Dale Carnegie course before he announced he was running. No kidding! Running for President REQUIRES you to be a great speaker and a great debater these days and that is a learned skill set. One week with Dale Carnegie before the first debate and Rick Perry would still be the front runner today.

I am still in his camp but Oh what could have been.

Read More at this Conservative Blog www.RightFace.us

The results from last night’s PCW Drama in Des Moines show- the kickoff of PCW’s Road Show Across America Tour.

PCW Drama in Des Moines
Wells Fargo Arena
Des Moines, IA
Monday, January 3rd

The crowd chants, “PCW…PCW…PCW” as ‘The Voice of PCW’ Johnny Suave comes out and welcomes everyone to the start of PCW’s Road Show across America tour.  Suave states tonight is the beginning of the long road to November’s PCW Extreme Election Night 2012.

The main event tonight is the Iowa Caucus ie…a wild free-for-all bunkhouse brawl match involving: ‘American Citizen’ Kevin Scott- representing Mitt Romney (R-MA), Farmer John- representing Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Magnum P.O.’d- Newt Gingrich (R-GA),  Jim Schmidt- Ron Paul (R-TX), The Right Rev. Randy Richardson- Rick Santorum (R-PA), and Texas Jack- Rick Perry (R-TX).

Two men come out and unroll a white carpet to the ring steps. Dancers then dance. Ballet dancers…ballet?  Little children walk up the white carpet and drop rose petals. Someone lets loose some pigeons…not sure just how they’ll get out of the building.  The crowd stands as PCW CEO Barack Obama (D-IL) appears.  Behind Obama walks Joe Biden.

Obama announces that the PCW Women’s Tag Team division has been shelved.   ABC’s Jake Tapper asks if this has anything to do with the fact that two Republicans just won the title belts back (last month at PCW Jesusland vs. Progressiveville PPV).  Obama’s PR…er…Press Secretary Jay Carney vehemently denies any connection.  Carney says that Obama tried to work with the Republicans in the PCW Competition committee for a fair resolution to the issue.   Carney adds the Republicans refused to work with Obama so the PCW CEO took matters into his own hands.

Obama then announces the return of the PCW Television Title belt to replace the PCW Men’s Title- currently held by Democrat ‘The One Man Hollywood A-List’ Stone Chism.  Thursday night on PCW Politics is War on P-SPAN, there will be the start of a tournament to crown a new #1 contender for the TV belt who will face Chism next Monday on PCW Extreme Political TV.

MATCH #1- Queen of the Trailer Park Lani Harlot (R) vs. Soccer Mom (D) w/New Age Sensitive Guy
Harlot is backed by the White Trash Posse, Jeff and Shane.  Soccer Mom takes the microphone from the ring announcer and shouts “IT’S FOR THE CHILDREN!.”   Harlot gets the win by submission when she locks Soccer Mom in the White Trash Compactor…

The White Trash Compactor

…at 5:17.

Post match, Women for Women (Democrat’s Code Pink and Emily List) and start screeching at her.   List gets a full nelson on the Queen of the Trailer Park and Code Pink plays a recording of Alec Baldwin ranting about conservative Republicans which causes Harlot and everyone else in the building to eventually pass out.

BACKSTAGE
Former PCW Champion Yamamoto Tanaka (I) and his valet/translator Reika…

Yamamoto Tanaka and Reika

…make their surprise return to PCW.

PCW Investigative Reporter Woodward Bernstein immediately interviews him and asks him why he is back?  Tanaka, through Reika, tells him that the current crop of Republicans vying for the PCW CEO job leaves a lot to be desired.  He’s back because he believes there should be an independent option available as well.

When asked about rejoining the Democrats, Tanaka brings up the problems involving fellow Democrats Triple R (now Republican- The Rev. Randy Richardson) and ‘The One Man Hollywood A-List’ Stone Chism (D).

The music of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” suddenly starts to play.

Suave: “HOLY CRAP! IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?”

The crowd explodes. A spotlight points out a plaid shirted man with a Singapore cane and a cup of mocha appears.

Suave: “IT’S HIM! HE’S HERE! HE’S BACK! HE’S THE TREE HUGGIN’, MOCHA CHUGGIN’, TOBACCO COMPANY BUGGIN’ ALPHA MALE AND ENVIROMENTAL EXTREME HARDCORE ICON…

The Extreme Environmental Hardcore Icon Al Gore

The crowd sings the chorus “Don’t stop, thinking about tomorrow.” Gore holds up his mocha, inside an environmentally friendly biodegradable container of course, and chugs it down. Then he spews it out of his mouth into the crowd and then crushes the paper container on his forehead in a manly fashion.

The Environmental Extreme Hardcore Icon walks down the steps to the main floor. At the bottom of the steps, Gore pulls out another container of mocha, guzzles it down, spews it into the crowd, and then smashes the container on his forehead. Gore then wades through the main floor crowd to the ring.  He climbs up on the apron, pulls out yet another cup of mocha, guzzles that one down, spews it into the crowd, and then smashes the container on his forehead.

Gore climbs in the ring and tells Tanaka he needs to stop whining about what the Democrats supposedly did to him last year.  Gore calls Republicans a threat to PCW and calls on him to rejoin the Democrats and wipe out the Republicans once and for all.

Gore then goes after Ron Paul (R-TX).  He calls him a non-starter, a fringe candidate with no chance of becoming the next PCW CEO.  This leads to…

MATCH #2-
The Green World Order (GreenPete and Vegan Brock Cole Lee) with Peta from PETA and PeaceNick (D) vs. Ron Paul’s New Libertarian Army (Jack and Joe Schmidt) with Ron Paul (R-TX) and Daisy Cutter-Bomb

The Green World Order marches down to the ring and join Gore inside.

And of course, the Ron Paul song plays as the Schmidts come to the ring…

The crowd chants: “RON-PAUL! (clap-clap) RON-PAUL! (clap-clap).

Ron Paul’s group take it to a new political extreme as the Schmidts immediately attack GreenPete and Brock Cole Lee and all four men end up brawling all over the building using chairs, putting each other through tables, and using every weapon at their disposal. Appalled at the extreme carnage and violence, PeaceNick climbs in the ring to protest. Daisy Cutter-Bomb…

Daisy Cutter-Bomb (R)

…gets annoyed and takes his placard away.   She pushes him down and then destroys PeaceNick with a Daisy Cutter Powerbomb.

Peta from PETA then jumps in and kicks Daisy in the leg.  She takes Peta out with a second breathtaking Daisy Cutter Powerbomb.

The Angry Left Wing Bloggers (Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos, Eric Boehlert of Media Matters For America, Eric Alterman, and NY Times Columnist Paul Krugman) and Gore hit the ring and quadruple team the Schmidts.   Ron Paul tries to come to their rescue but the Bloggers fight him off.

The Right Wing Brigadiers (Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, ‘The Queen of Political Extreme’ Ann Coulter, and Glenn Beck) come in to help the New Libertarian Army even the odds.  Daisy Cutter-Bomb hops out of the ring to help but gets blindsided by a revived Peta from PETA. Peta then jumps on Daisy’s back and knocks her out with chloroform. Taking it even further to the extreme, Peta handcuffs Daisy wrists around the turnbuckle and starts to whack away at her back with a Singapore cane.

PeaceNick, of course, is horrified and begins to protest.

PCW CEO Obama comes out again and declares the Green World Order the winners of the match @ 8:29.

Suave can’t believe it and demands to know on what grounds.   Obama points to a recent law passed by both the PCW Competition and the PCW Executive Board that gives him extraordinary rights.

Obama: “While I had serious reservations about the bill itself, I want to make clear that I will not abuse the provisions noted in the bill.”  Suave wants to know if that clarification goes for future presidents.  Obama doesn’t answer and then has police take Daisy Cutter-Bomb away.

The crowd starts booing and Suave wants the reason why but the answer isn’t forthcoming.

BACKSTAGE
Harry Reid (D-NV), leader of the PCW Executive Committee, and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) lead a Democrat Super-PAC carrying briefcases of cash, into Yamamoto Tanaka’s dressing room.  Reid is overheard to say that he would guarantee a title shot against PCW Champion Daniel-San (I) if Tanaka rejoined the Democrats.

VIDEO RECAP FROM JESUSLAND VS. PROGRESSIVEVILLE
‘American Girl’ Sarah Mae Smith (R) reemerged as a legitimate contender to the Women’s title as she defeated Kathryn Randall Collins (D) in a return match for the Women’s #1 contender spot.

The match turned when Democrat activists Women for Women (Code Pink and Emily List) tried to interfere.  Code Pink blinded KRC by mistake with a glitter bomb and then Smith tossed both out of the ring before pinning Collins with a roll up at 9:51 in the match.

After the match, Democrats Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Harry Reid (D-NV) ‘congratulated’ Smith on her win but per PCW CEO Barack Obama’s (D-IL) orders, she would have to defeat  KRC a second time before becoming the Women’s #1 contender.

MATCH #3
‘American Girl’ Sarah Mae Smith (R) vs. Kathryn Randall Collins (D)

Again, Code Pink and Emily List (D) interfere.  Pink blinds Smith with a Glitter Bomb and then KRC goes for the pin.

Then, the crowd roars when the PCW Women’s Champion Valora Salinas…

PCW Women’s Champion Valora Salinas
HT: 5-9 WT: 165
HOME:  South Central, California
FIN:  Aztec Moonsault/Tequila Sunrise

Valora destroys KRC and Border Tosses her out of the ring.  She takes the microphone and says she’d challenge both women to a three way match with the title on the line, but Valora has biggest game in mind- a title shot for the PCW Title belt against Daniel-San (I).

Valora makes it clear that if anyone deserves first shot at the PCW title it’s her after she dispatched ‘The One Man Hollywood A-List’ Stone Chism last month at the Jesusland vs. Progressiveville PPV.

MATCH #4- Iowa Caucus Match
‘American Citizen’ Kevin Scott (R) w/Mitt Romney (R-MA)
K-Roy (R) w/Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
Texas Jack (R) w/Rick Perry (R-TX)
Farmer John (R) w/Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
Jim Schmidt (R) w/Ron Paul (R-TX)
The Right Rev. Randy Richardson (R) w/Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Bad night for both Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry as Farmer John and Texas Jack make early exits in the match.

A Super PAC (Restore Our Future) supporting Mitt Romney gets involved in the match and helps take K-Roy  (Newt Gingrich) out leaving Schmidt, Richardson, and Scott left in the match.

…Richardson with another brutal axe kick to Scott.  He then slaps Schmidt.  Scott comes back with a stiff forearm to Richardson and hits Schmidt with a MADE IN AMERICA!  Cover…1…2…NO!  Richardson hits a brainbuster to Scott.  He covers..1…2…Scott kicks out.   Brainbuster to Schmidt 1…2…RON PAUL MAKES THE SAVE!

Here comes Mitt Romney’s Super PAC again…they stay on the outside and distract Schmidt.  Richardson from behind…belly to back suplex.   BRAINBUSTER!…1…2…3.  Schmidt gone.

Scott versus Richardson.  As usual, Richardson is uber aggressive and takes the fight to the former PCW champion. The match is fast paced and goes back and forth.  Scott gains the upper hand late and Santorum sneaks in and blows blinding powder into Scott’s eyes.  Scott can’t see and Richardson gets ready to drill him with a steel-folding chair.

Down comes Corporate Might: Big Oil and Kirk Walstreit- the Man with the Man Crush on ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit (R) with CEO Gordon Geyko.  Big Oil catches Santorum and chokeslams him through a table out of the ring.  Geyko cheers on as Walstreit plasters his prized picture of Kirk Herbstreit over Richardson’s head and Scott throws on the American Stars and Fuji Armbar.  Richardson taps at 26:10.

Republican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum shakes hands during a meet and greet campaign stop in Iowa. | AP Photo

Last night, the Iowa Caucus held on to its reputation as an electoral circus with wildly unpredictable results, while politicos throughout the nation were captivated by its demonstration of rural backwardness bringing ever stranger results.

Until the last percent was counted, all national news networks were delayed in waiting for 2 precincts to report their result. This was done, according to Bret Baier and the Fox News team (later denied by the Iowa GOP) by having some farmer drive them over in his truck to have them counted, instead of just calling them in.

True or not, it seems that when Iowa Farmer Einstein got his truck to his destination, the Iowa GOP couldn’t find the votes. Those 5-20 caucus votes that the nation was waiting for must have gotten lost by rolling under the truck’s seat – or, in his excitement at finally contributing to something important, the driver forgot the votes at the precinct altogether. The frustration on the faces of Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly was unbearable to watch – at least they got some pizza during a break – while CNN’s panelists looked as if they were going to fall asleep. John King didn’t seem to care anymore at one point, and was walking away from the table during the live broadcast. The Iowa caucus was cutting into their bar time and Candy Crowley was hungry. By this time, they should have just brought beer onto the set. It was almost 1am anyway; no children were watching.

But the lesson that should not be missed from Rick Santorum’s impressive display is that old-fashioned stumping, handshaking, and door to door campaigning, is still the most reliable method of winning over voters – well, I cannot say that I am sure that it is the most reliable, it should not be underestimated.

I admit that although I knew Santorum would make a surprise showing, I doubted his methods would have earned him so good of a turnout. It is common in our day to have too much faith in the power of mass media, especially new media. Rick Perry’s $4 million expenditure on ads in Iowa seems to have had no effect.

If you are still skeptical about the power of “face to face” campaigning, I strongly encourage attending a candidate’s event. There is a completely different energy transmitted to an audience in person that does not get through to a TV audience. Even attending a rally of an insignificant candidate, one you don’t even need to agree with, can make the most firm believer reconsider that candidate as an option. This angle was played to perfection by Santorum’s persona in Iowa. His sweater vests contributing to his common man appeal.

I still think that Santorum’s victory will be a singular event. Michele Bachmann’s exit from the GOP race will not mean that all of her voters will jump on Santorum’s bandwagon. Voters still have Newt Gingrich and Perry as viable alternatives. There is hardly a chance for him to pull off a victory in New Hampshire or South Carolina, thus blunting the edge of his Iowa momentum, along with concerns that his funds will not be enough to be effective in the coming primaries – yet, with so many surprises already, nobody can claim any certainty.

Dmitriy Shapiro can be reached at dmitriy_shapiro@hotmail.com

Follow on Twitter: @dmitriyshapiro

The Florida GOP may have lost the battle against South Carolina for which state will be the first primary in the South, but the indecisiveness of Republican voters, not being  able to back one candidate, seems to be making Florida’s “2^nd in the South” primary the final word in the GOP nomination race.

No offense to my home state of South Carolina, but it’s unlikely that the candidate who wins its “1st in the South” primary will undoubtedly go on to win the nomination; making last year’s animosity between these state’s GOP organizations foolish.

Of the three front runners, Mitt Romney’s lead is so statistically insignificant that despite worries about the other candidates’ general unelectability, Iowans seem eager to snub the preference of the rest of the nation. So far, there is no chance any candidate will be able to beat Romney in the New Hampshire Primary, but even if he takes Iowa — winning 2 out of 3 early contests — South Carolina will almost certainly reject him. Newt Ginrich is holding strong in South Carolina and local attitudes are largely anti-Romney. The anti-Romney fervor is the reason Gingrich’s poll numbers haven’t fallen as sharply here as in other states

A Ron Paul win in Iowa will mean absolutely nothing than the characteristic show of hard-headed Iowan mentality, since he has no shot at winning New Hampshire or South Carolina. Ron Paul supporters who will undoubtedly vehemently disagree with me: I look forward to proving you wrong, as always.

Rick Santorum, who nevertheless best matches a typical Iowa winner and is by all appearances a solid conservative, does not stand a chance in New Hampshire and will not have enough time to engineer a lead in South Carolina, since he has so far dedicated all of his campaign resources into Iowa and has no presence in “The Palmetto State.”

Therefore, after the South Carolina Primary, no candidate will have won more than one contest. Romney may win two, but winning just one contest more than any other candidate will not silence Romney haters. Romney’s persona and message does not ring well in the “Deep South” — few “yankee” Republicans do.

Clearly, that leaves Florida, whose voters should consider themselves lucky to have lost the chance to have their primary precede South Carolina’s. It will be the tie breaker.

Florida polls have so far been lock-step with South Carolina, maybe even setting the trends, as seen when Herman Cain’s Florida Straw Poll victory gave him a lead in both states.

Along with its position on the primary calendar, Florida is noteworthy for having a more diverse GOP field that includes not only conservative white Christians like South Carolina, but has a significant number of Conservative Jews and Hispanics. Their GOP is also more diverse in ideology, a better reflection of the national Republican Party.

If South Carolina was the fourth nomination contest, the chance of a candidate other than Mitt Romney winning the nomination would be much higher. The current schedule means that Mitt Romney has a very good chance of locking it in Florida — no matter who wins Iowa or South Carolina — if Gingrich is unsuccessful in turning around his falling poll numbers nationally, but especially in Florida.

Even though it’s amusing to speculate about and watch the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries, they won’t matter as much in the general race as their respective GOP establishments would like voters to believe.

Dmitriy Shapiro can be reached at dmitriy_shapiro@hotmail.com or on Twitter @dmitriyshapiro

Just wanted to give RedStaters a brief report from the Perry Strike Force. As a point of reference, I volunteered in a 72 hour campaign  for President Bush in Florida in 2004. In other words, this isn’t my first rodeo in this kind of effort.

Volunteers have been pouring in over the last few days. I arrived in Des Moines Friday night, and following a training session, I  immediately began phone banking, going door to door and sign waving.

http://twitter.com/texasgalt/status/153872641596469248/photo/1/large

I believe the reports of actual strike force participants are probably low. There are multiple Strike Force rally points (hubs) across Iowa, and there are several hundred volunteers at my hub alone in West Des Moines.

Morale is very high. The reports coming in are very positive in re to Gov. Perry’s bus tour. Perry offered an oustanding performance on Fox News Sunday yesterday also. Every venue is packed and the vast majority of attendees leaving Perry rally’s are firmly on board for the Governor which is in contrast to reports on Romney and Gingrich events. Many participants are still leaving these events for Mitt & Newt undecided. Perry staffers have been able to reassign volunteers to more door-to-door, phone banking, etc. due to the large number of local Perry supporters/volunteers/attendees flooding to each of his bus stop events.

One of the most underreported aspects of the Strike Force is the diversity of volunteers. For example, one day I went door to door w/ a Jewish guy from Florida who’s an IT guru back home. Another day I went door-to-door w/ a college student from Rhode Island who studies in NYC. Today I went sign-waving w/ a guy from Oklahoma who took vacation time to fly up here. Make no mistakes, the Texans are here, and there are a lot of them testifying on behalf of Gov. Perry’s leadership back home. But volunteers from 31 other states are here also, and they are making their presence felt.

The Perry ground game in Iowa is for real, and I think this could easily land him in the top 3 or better when all the dust settles on Caucus night. Many Iowans contacted via phone and door-to-door admit they are still undecided. So we’ve been able to sell a lot of them on Gov. Perry’s strong leadership and record in Texas.

One other advantage of the Strike Force is the sheer organization of the staff. I was a foot solider for Bush in 2004. Bush had the power, organization and war chest of the incumbency at his disposal. The campaign’s organization, unsurprisingly, was exceptional. So I’ve pleasantly surprised how organized Perry’s campaign has been here in Iowa despite not having the advantages Bush enjoyed.

One final thought: I think obsession with the latest polling numbers are overemphasized. The Caucus procedure is vastly different than a primary. Consequently, I think the polling would be much more accurate if Iowa were a primary state. But it’s not. As a result, organization is going to be critical and worth several percentage points in my view. People supporting Newt, Mitt and Santorum on the phone aren’t necessarily going to show up for the Caucus. There is no absentee or early voting in Iowa. Turnout is key. I really have not seen or read any reports of any significant ground effort on behalf of Bachmann, Newt, Santorum, Mitt and he who shall not be named. I may be too insulated, but I honestly don’t think they have anything close to the level of enthusiasm, volunteers and organization that Perry enjoys. Responses going to door-to-door, phone banking and sign waving have generally been positive and encouraging, as most Republicans are generally nice, courteous and open-minded.

The Perry campaign is still recruiting volunteers and needs your help. Join the Perry Strike Force from wherever you are by emailing: phonebank@rickperry.org

Talk soon!

@JustinWax

Tennessee Volunteer for Rick Perry

I have spent some time in 2011 working to advance conservative principles, and with respect to the Presidential election, advancing candidates who promote the ideas of conservatism.

In early spring, I was inspired by Herman Cain’s simple message of smaller, simpler government and bringing real-world solutions to Washington, D.C.  I resolved to join his early grassroots movement here in Iowa to promote his candidacy for President.

By early summer, Herman Cain’s campaign was sputtering with a severe lack of message control.  Sadly, it appeared that Herman Cain lacked either the political skill or the management qualities it required to adequately oversee a political campaign.

I found a new home for conservative activism with the candidacy of Michele Bachmann.  My family attended Michele’s campaign kickoff in Waterloo, Iowa and thoroughly enjoyed her clear message on the conservative view of government, and a warm personal style.  In August I agreed to volunteer for Michele Bachmann at the Iowa GOP Ames Straw Poll.  I wrote a little about that experience here.  It was exciting to spend that time on a beautiful day in Iowa, witness democracy in action among many conservative brethren, and have it end in “victory” late in the day.

Sadly, it was all downhill from there for Michele Bachmann’s campaign.  Increasingly she looked less presidential and simply not ready to mount a serious national campaign.  As Michele continued to roll out her conservative platform, I heard few specific ideas or proposals for changing the culture of government.  My interest was always to raise conservative voices, and Michele’s voice was disappointing.  I am glad to have Michele Bachmann serve in government, but I believe the office of President isn’t for her right now.

Between late September and early November, I didn’t have a particular home for my efforts.  I did spend more time for Herman Cain for a few weeks, but left again when the old habits of message control resurfaced.  As someone observed on Erick Erickson’s radio show, if a particular draw for Herman Cain is his skill in business management and the people he puts around him, how can I support him when the people around his campaign messaging appeared so inept?  I was relieved when Herman Cain finally suspended his campaign, because frankly it felt like someone was finally putting it out of our misery.

I spent several weeks researching and reflecting upon who I would finally support for the stretch run to the Iowa caucuses.  My criteria were simple:

• A correct, clear view of the relationship between government and people,
• A strong view of how the economy, and a civil society really works,
• A record of upholding these principles in public or private service,
• A clear ability to get elected, both the nomination and general election.

As you might imagine, every major candidate addresses these principles to varying degrees.  It has been lamented that there is “no perfect candidate” and while I suppose that is true, as I look back over elections at least through Ronald Reagan in 1980, I don’t think this is an honest standard with which to judge a candidate.  In some ways, even Ronald Reagan could not have fully met this standard of “perfection” in 1980.

So like everyone else I was left to consider each candidate on their merits, and assign my own weighting system upon how they stack up against the value system that I hold dear.

For the 2012 election, I support Governor Rick Perry.

Some might be surprised to see my support of Rick Perry, as this spring I wrote a highly critical post about Rick Perry’s bona fides on conservative principles.

One of my chief issues in that post was his decision to issue an executive order mandating a particular vaccine for young children.  In Rick Perry’s first days on the campaign trail, he flatly apologized for that mistake in judgment.  The entire text of that apology and my remarks can be found as an update at the end of that post.

Weighing all the candidates again, I found that Governor Rick Perry has the best balance of record and performance upon all the issues I described above.

Relationship between government and the people

Rick Perry has been a longtime advocate of federalism, state’s rights through the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, and republican government.  In Rick Perry’s campaign kickoff, he proclaimed that the virtue of his presidential campaign would be to “make the federal government as insignificant in your life as possible.”  This is unabashed conservatism.  It is a foundational principle of our nation’s founding and of the Republican Party that the government which governs least governs best.  Further, we maintain the government closest to the individual will always be most responsive to the needs and wishes of the individual.

If you listen to any speech or text from Rick Perry, you cannot walk away without hearing something about how government power comes from the people up, not from the government down.  Rights are not bestowed upon us by a central government, but rather each citizen in the United States is a sovereign individual who grants limited power to the government to ensure a civil society.  Rick Perry’s ideals are right on point.

Furthermore, Rick Perry is a rare politician who understands and keeps the word servant relevant to his role as a public servant.  That ideal can be seen right in his public apology for the executive order, and through to his idea that we should press for our legislative representatives to spend less time in Washington, D.C. and hopefully more time living within their districts under the laws that they create.

Rick Perry’s plan to end the Departments of Education, Energy, and Commerce and remand this spending and these responsibilities back to the several States is right on point in my book.

Strong view on economy and civil society

This is somewhat related to my first ideal, but more specific to economics and the principle of private property.

Rick Perry firmly and dependably professes a strong belief in the central government doing as little in the marketplace as possible to “pick winners and losers.”  I respect that he comes to Iowa and openly supports ending subsidies for corn ethanol (as much as a canard as that tends to be), but he does so by proclaiming that all such subsidies from the federal government should stop.  In the name of republican government, states should be free to subsidize a particular activity as they see fit, but the role of the federal government should begin and end with keeping the market open and free.  Wonderful.

Another example: Rick Perry plans to end or dramatically reduce the EPA and remand more of these responsibilities to the states.  Once again, I find this not to be red meat for conservatives but right on point in federalism.  While everyone values clean air and water, today’s version of the EPA is ridiculously anti-development.  We are no longer talking about the choice between development and clean air and water – we are talking about the law of diminishing returns.  The greeenpeace types in the EPA do not understand that economic prosperity is also a friend to environmental stewardship.  Poor people do not care for the environment.  There must be a better balance struck between the value of commerce and the value of environmental concerns – and I believe the best judgments can be made by the governments closest to their constituents.

As for the scoreboard, Rick Perry’s support for low taxes, reasonable regulations, a predictable civil litigation system and an educated workforce has produced a business climate consistently ranked among the best in the nation.  This is the definition of “good government” and we desperately need more of that in Washington, D.C.

A record of upholding conservative principles

One might say, “talk is cheap”.  It doesn’t take a lot of skill to stand in front of a camera or a group of people and say words that make you sound conservative.  Even Barack Obama can do that.

Rather we need someone who walks the conservative walk as much as they like to talk the conservative talk during an election campaign.

Rick Perry has never been confused about whether or not a central government can choose your medical care insurance better than you can.  I am certain you would never find Rick Perry on a couch with Nancy Pelosi, or confused about government’s role in “global warming” like Newt Gingrich.  I’m also certain you’d never find tape of Rick Perry proclaiming he is “very proud of his earmarks” and endorsing moderates and Washington elites over purebred conservatives, like Rick Santorum.

Rick Perry has led the charge in Texas to maintain limited, relatively small government.  The people of Texas and its business climate have flourished as a result.

Rick Perry has also been a staunch advocate of pro-life ideals.  One accomplishment along those lines is to cut state funding in Texas for Planned Parenthood.  No person in this race is more pro-life than Rick Perry.

Rick Perry is the only Texas governor to cut state spending since World War II. Today, the citizens of his state enjoy the second lowest government debt burden per capita in America.

Rick Perry’s plan to push for an amendment to the Constitution to limit federal spending to 18% of GDP (which correlates to a decades-long average of government revenue) along with several proposals to simplify the tax codes is dramatically pro-business, pro-growth, and conservative to the core.

A clear ability to get elected

To be frank, none of the above positions matter if the candidate ultimately cannot win the nomination, or even the election.  This can be one of the most contentious qualifications for supporting a candidate.  For some it might seem as reasonable pragmatism, yet for others it might seem like settling for less than your ideal candidate because of ‘what other people think’.

As a result each person applies this rule differently in their level of pragmatism.  I have a friend who I believe is a supporter of Mitt Romney primarily due to this principle.  I suspect a healthy portion of “Romney supporters” are in that camp primarily because they believe he is ‘most electable’ out of the bunch, for various reasons.

However I apply this reasoning to give the final award to Rick Perry, because unlike ALL the other candidates Rick Perry has a stellar record of winning elections and governing as a conservative.

Going back to Mitt Romney for comparison, it’s funny that he bears the brand of “most electable” when his record running for public office is FIVE wins in twenty-two tries.  Conversely, Rick Perry has not lost any of the races he’s entered for public office.  He has served Texas in the state legislature, Agricultural commissioner, Lieutenant Governor (separately elected from Governor in Texas), and finally winning the race for Governor three times.  While some might discount Perry’s record in “Republican-friendly Texas”, you must also take note that even the primary races for Governor were hotly contested.  In the most recent primary, Governor Perry defeated longtime Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (who had the clear backing of Washington-connected Republicans) to reclaim the Republican nomination.  Over and over through the public service career of Rick Perry, political pundits have discounted his electoral chances – but Rick Perry keeps winning elections.

Some might discount Rick Perry on the point of electability because he’s had his share of gaffes during the early debates.  Some even fear that he would lose the general election because they fear Perry’s ability to handle Barack Obama in a debate.  First – what could Barack Obama say in comparison to Rick Perry’s record of governing Texas to creating ONE MILLION net jobs?  If it were not for Rick Perry’s Texas, Barack Obama’s record on jobs would be even worse than it is today!  Since Barack Obama has become President, the total size of the American workforce has declined by millions of people as they have given up looking for work in Barack Obama’s economy.  The people and businesses who are willing to move – they move to Texas to find prosperity.  Economic freedom and liberty breed prosperity – and no candidate can sell that message better than Rick Perry, especially when he is on a stage with Barack Obama.  Finally, Rick Perry has shown terrific wherewithal in the the last several GOP debates – and I think “America’s jobs governor” standing on the stage alone with Barack Obama will make the choice clear and obvious.  This is a record that will sell itself, and Rick Perry has shown on the campaign trail and in office that he is absolutely qualified to sell this record convincingly to the American people.

Finally, as a longtime governor, Rick Perry has access to campaign resources and a healthy campaign structure that demonstrates he has a serious ability to mount a national campaign for President.  Rick Perry can win this thing and he already has the tools that it takes to get there.

RICK PERRY MEANS CONSERVATIVE RESULTS

Governing a country is not about being slick in a debate.  This is not American Idol – Presidential edition.  I want a candidate who will govern as a conservative, and not merely be the “chief negotiator” with the statists (Republican and Democrat) in Washington, D.C.  Many candidates claiming the conservative mantle, including Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, have their political knees buckle when the time comes to stick to conservative principles in tough situations.  I don’t want the next president to have a record of leaving conservatives at the altar to “get the sure deal” like Romney, Gingrich, and Santorum have done.  We need someone who will sell conservative principles and attract them to that position, as Ronald Reagan once did.

Rick Perry has a clear record of electoral and political achievement unlike any other candidate.  As a result, his political record is one of achieving conservative results.  While all the candidates in this race talk glowingly of their ideas to reshape Washington with their supposed conservative ideals, Rick Perry has been doing this very thing as Governor for the last 11 years in Texas.  While other candidates like to talk the conservative talk, Governor Rick Perry has walked the conservative walk in Texas.  Rick Perry knows what conservative government looks like, because he has been governing as a conservative.  No other candidate can claim this record like Rick Perry can.

For these reasons, I will caucus for Rick Perry on January 3rd.  Please join me!

Cross-posted at BA Cyclone’s blog.

With the Iowa Caucus about to begin, we are just hours away from the official launch of the critically important 2012 presidential electoral process.

About the only thing that is certain at this point is that the Iowa results, be what they may, will be spun six ways to Sunday by the campaigns, their supporters and the talking heads in the media.

In these analyses, motive will be long and truth hard to find as everyone tries to seize the momentum. Which is really about the only role Iowa plays as it is far from a microcosm of the American people and the caucus process itself is suspect in many ways.

As things stand, the odds makers say Mitt Romney will prevail with Ron Paul coming in a very close second, the results of which could easily flip flop. Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum will battle it out for third place, with Rick Perry potentially factoring in. It’s very likely that Iowa will spell the end of Michele Bachmann’s 2012 efforts and Jon Huntsman, who’s putting all his eggs in a New Hampshire basket, will be an afterthought.

With the media being diligent in it’s never ending quest to remove all obstacles to the progressive Shangri-la it so desires, a trend already beginning to play out is to cast the electoral results as the death knell of the tea party.

We will be told that this is supposed to be the year that the tea party picked the Republican presidential candidate, a ‘great opportunity for conservatives to finally get a nominee without compromising’. And any success by Romney, Gingrich or even Ron Paul will be used as the measuring stick to point out the utter failure of this objective.

Newsflash… no it’s not!

The success or failure of the tea party will be predicated on one fact and one fact alone, that being the fate of Barack Obama. Replacing the current occupant of the White House is the key aspiration of the tea party, a fact confirmed in a recent Rasmussen poll. Not to suggest that it doesn’t matter which candidate accomplishes this, but it’s not the driving factor.

Of course, politics being what it is, it will be confusing because at the same time the media is selling you on the impending doom of the tea party, the frontrunners will all be trying to convince us that they are the tea party candidate. Particularly Ron Paul.

News flash… no he’s not!

Ron Paul will be the one candidate that will get an assist from the media in propagating the idea that he is the tea party choice because it serves their ultimate goal to associate the movement with some of his more quirky ideas. If successful in that endeavor, the media will then expose those ideas for what they see them as, ‘killing two birds with one stone’ if you will.

Additionally, any lack of success by Bachmann, Perry or Santorum will also be hung around the neck of the tea party, used by the media to highlight the inability of the movement to push the candidates that best represents it’s values to the forefront. Particularly Bachmann, being Chair of the tea party caucus in Congress.

Newsflash… no it’s not!

Since the historic success of it’s early days when there was a laser focus on T.A.R.P., Stimulus I & II and ObamaCare, the tea party has become very fragmented and it’s purpose waylaid by far too many self serving principles calling themselves ‘leaders’. The one consistency that remains is the understanding of how damaging four more years of Obama can be. The realization that this man has emboldened the enemies, both foreign and domestic, of a free and prosperous America like no other.

In what may very well be the only remaining success of this great awakening known as the tea party, defeating Barack Obama in 2012 is job one and the average, everyday Americans who’ve always been the strength of the tea party are looking for that one candidate that can accomplish this, ideology aside.

Which explains why Bachmann, Perry and Santorum struggle to resonate more than they do – the perception being that they do not have what it takes to defeat Obama in the general election.

Some may call placing ideology aside selling out, capitulating or simply the maturation of the tea party toward the realities of politics, but I think it’s indicative of something else all together. And that is, when it comes to defeating Barack Obama, failure is not an option.

Cross Posted at Florida Political Press

Dear Iowa,

As I write this letter, I’m sitting in the Nashville, Tennessee airport preparing to come visit you. I just kissed my beautiful wife of 7 years and 2 small children goodbye. I won’t get to spend the next few days or celebrate the New Year with them this year.  I’m OK with that, because I have some things I need to tell you and get off my chest. I intend to say these things not only through this letter but in person.

The upcoming Presidential election has very much been on my mind. For the last few years, I’ve witnessed the rapid decline of our country. It’s been intensely painful and deeply unsettling to watch and experience. Our elected representatives in Washington, DC continue to spend money like drunken sailors and add trillions to our deficit. Our President provides no leadership and demands no fiscal discipline of Congress. He’s showed tremendous naivete, incompetence and weakness when it comes to our enemies, particularly Iran. President Obama has undercut our greatest ally and friend of liberty in the Middle East. Instead of promoting real economic reforms that could jump start our economy, lower unemployment and reduce our nation’s debt, our President is off on a $4M, 17 day vacation in Hawaii. Could he be more disconnected from reality and the crisis our people face each day?

America needs dramatically different leadership in our President. We need a new President with a vision to reverse the disastrous course we are on. May I digress and elaborate on a moment that had a big impact on me ten years ago?

I remember watching the attacks on 9/11 as a high school senior. I was dumbfounded and then angry at the horrific evil I witnessed. I was speechless and shocked watching some of my fellow countrymen jump out of burning buildings to their deaths that day. I remember telling my high school girlfriend (now my wife) that my life would take a different course due to the events of that day. I resolved to do something for my country, defend her and be an instrument of her justice. So I did. A few years later, I became a Tennessee Volunteer, and eventually, I deployed to Iraq as an Army officer. My most important tasks were to place the mission first and do everything in my power to ensure as many of my fellow soldiers returned home. God answered our prayers and every single soldier in my unit made it home. I now work as a businessman and continue to be a citizen soldier. I’m also a husband and father of two wonderful kids.

Since September 11^th, I have not been as unsettled about our nation’s future as I am now. I am still resolved to fight for my country. Because of my continued resolve, I wholeheartedly believe the first significant battlefront to reverse our country’s decline will occur all across your state on January 3 when you hold your Caucus. Your people will choose between several different accomplished individuals for President, but before they do I would appreciate the opportunity to offer them some thoughts on the top contenders in no particular order. There are some decent and good Americans running for President, but only one of them should be President.

Rep. Ron Paul is a poster child of the problems in Washington, D.C. He sharply criticizes pork barrel spending by DC insiders, then he loads congressional bills with pork for his home district. He provides a clear example of unprincipled leadership. Unable to convince enough of his colleagues to abolish wasteful spending, he joins the earmark club. Paul has proved almost entirely incapable of convincing his colleagues to go along with just about any of his ideas. Congress passed just one bill Paul sponsored over his 30 year tenure. He’s been exceptionally ineffective in Washington. So I find it astonishing why anyone believes he deserves a promotion. The other disqualifying factor for Paul is his views on foreign policy, particularly the threat of a nuclear Iran. When I served in Iraq, my greatest concern was the threat of Iranian made IEDs. Iran has waged a proxy war with the US for decades. Their radical government has American blood on his hands through its attacks on US personnel in Iraq and its bombings of our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania among other terrorist ventures. Yet Paul, inexplicably wants to extend the hand of friendship to a vicious government that enslaves its own people and is soaked and dripping with American blood. In summary, Paul’s foreign policy views mirror those of Neville Chamberlain at best and a lunatic at worst.

Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum has risen in the polls lately. Similar to Santorum, I am an evangelical Christian. I am passionate about my faith and seek to be more like Christ each day I’m given. I share Santorum’s strong stance on social issues and want our nation to protect the lives of the unborn. Santorum (like Paul) lacks executive experience. When choosing a chief executive, wouldn’t it make sense to choose someone with requisite experience? Santorum’s organization woes are increasingly apparent. For example, Santorum failed to qualify a single delegate in my home state of Tennessee. Organizationally, he cannot go the distance. Further, Mr. Santorum had a spending problem when he was in Washington. He inexplicably supported outrageous earmarks, including “the Bridge to Nowhere” and the “Teapot Museum” among other egregious wasteful projects. During his 16 years as a Washington insider, he sought over 1 BILLION dollars in earmarks. Yes, you did read that correctly–Santorum wanted $1 BILLION dollars for earmarks. Santorum possesses no moral high ground when it comes to fiscal restraint and failed miserably to be a good steward of the people’s money. The people of Pennsylvania grew so disgusted with Santorum’s spending spree in Washington that they kicked him to the curb, firing the pork-loving Senator with an 18% loss (or butt-kicking to be more precise) at the polls.

Plummeting in the polls is Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. While I deeply admire her conservative credentials, tenacity and fight, Bachmann, like Santorum, suffers from a fatal organizational problem and would never be able to make it to the finish line in the primary contest. Bachmann also failed to field a single delegate in my home state and lacks executive political experience. America needs her principled voice to remain in Congress. She is just not ready to be President.

Also fading fast is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Newt did some great things when he was in power. He helped bring about welfare reform and balanced the budget. However, Newt has a 200 lb ruck sack of personal baggage he carries. No wonder he’s always sitting down. He will have a hard time making it to the finish line. Newt has never proven himself particularly trustworthy. If Newt won the nomination, he’d be the first GOP nominee with two ex-wives, who don’t particularly have nice things to say about him. If two spouses couldn’t trust Newt, why should the American people be expected to? Newt will have a hard sell convincing American women he deserves their trust. Personal life effects public life. Don’t believe me? Where are all the GOP congressmen from the class of 94? Well, they’re not lining up to endorse Newt. One distinguished member of that class, Senator Tom Coburn, a champion of fiscal conservatism made it clear he would not support Newt’s candidacy, citing his poor leadership. Critics love to lampoon Gov. Rick Perry’s memory lapse during a debate performance, but Newt has on numerous occasions forgotten what it means to be a conservative. As House Speaker, he drastically increased the size of government. He praised Romneycare as recently as 2006 and continues to back the unconstitutional individual mandate. Newt excoriated politicians who benefited improperly from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Yet Newt received $1.6 million from the corrupt entities. Newt is a great debater, but his rhetoric too often fails to line up w/ his record.

Governor Mitt Romney is shaping up to be the potential Bob Dole of this election season. Romney’s crowning achievement as governor in Massachusetts was Romneycare, a forerunner for Obamacare. The single worst legislation of Obama’s first 3 years in office is Obamacare. It is a huge expansion of the federal government, and it will destroy America’s healthcare system by handing all the control over to government bureaucrats. America’s standing in the world as #1 in healthcare will be no more. Romneycare killed 18,000 jobs, increased healthcare costs by billions of dollars and mandated its citizens to purchase healthcare. Think about that for a moment. A government that forces its citizens to purchase something sets a dangerous precedent. What will it force us to buy next? There was nothing conservative about Romneycare. Not to mention it’s simply unconstitutional. Unsurprisingly, Obama loved it. So he requested help from Romney advisors when crafting Obamacare. And Romney’s record in job creation? Miserable. Romney-led Massachusetts placed 47^th in job creation. Someone please remind me why conservatives ought to elect Romney? Can someone name a reason he deserves our votes? Romney’s unceasing campaign for the Presidency over the last 6 years doesn’t count.

Governor Rick Perry’s record as governor of Texas, particularly his jobs record, is outstanding. Since June 2009, Texas has created 37% of the nation’s jobs. Some Perry critics argue Texas’ job growth is exclusively tied to its energy sector. If that’s the case, one could argue California, with Silicon Valley, and New York, with Wall Street, should be experiencing tremendous growth and prosperity. Yet New York lags far behind Texas in job growth and California continues to bleed jobs and opportunity at a fast clip. Right out of the gate, Perry sent a powerful message when he vetoed 79 bills after his first legislative session alone, breaking a Texas record for vetoes. With Perry at the helm, Texas has always balanced its budgets. While Romney balanced his state’s budget by punishing job creators with a 20% tax hike, Perry balanced budgets as an authentic conservative would, reducing state spending for the first time since World War II. Perry’s leadership in implementing tort reform, instilling fair regulatory policies and attracting investment is truly exceptional. Executive experience (namely executive political experience) and executive records matter a great deal. Character and integrity also should rank highly when choosing leaders. Perry lacks nothing in these areas, while several of his Republican colleagues leave much to be desired. Solid on social issues, Perry is a strong pro-life advocate, signing into law a parental notification requirement and defunding Planned Parenthood. Further, every one of his judicial appointments adheres to a strict constructionist view of the Constitution. Perry’s outstanding leadership in Texas is why I am headed to Iowa. Did I mention Perry served honorably as an Air Force Pilot, achieving the rank of Captain, during the Cold War? It would be nice to have a Commander-in-Chief with military experience.

One final thought. What I love most about Iowa is that so many of you are God-fearing people, just like so many of us in Tennessee. Like many of you, I’m an evangelical Christian. I know you spend time on your knees praying and asking for guidance. I pray God gives you peace on Tuesday.

Will you support the consistent conservative on January 3^rd, who will provide a stark contrast to our failed President? Or will we continue full speed toward the precipice of national ruin. Iowa, you have a duty to weigh in on the electoral process and get it right. I, along with hundreds of volunteers from 30 states across the country, urge you to support Governor Rick Perry.

Happy New Year and see you soon!

Justin Wax

Tennessee Volunteer for Gov. Rick Perry

Twitter: @JustinWax

When recently asked if he (Rep. Paul) might mount an independent candidacy, he said: “I’m not thinking about it because, look, I’m not doing badly right now. … So we concentrate only on one thing: Keep moving up in the polls, and see how things come out in a month or two.”

(HT: George Will)

There is a growing fear of Ron Paul as he advances in pre-Caucus polls before the first GOP Primary event in Iowa. Such “Paulanoia” may not be entirely unjustified. He deliberately stokes a fringe of deracinated individuals of dubious civic virtue and questionable allegiance to the GOP. He’s endorsed that cracker-jack Cornell University Professor of Architecture, Cynthia McKinney. (At least it wasn’t his fellow Klingon, oops I mean Texan, Sheila Jackson-Lee). Oh, and he’d like to appease Iran, audit the Fed, and probably keel-haul every member of the dreaded CFR. And the GOP Establishment just can’t have such lapses of proper decorum.

Read More →

When recently asked if he (Rep. Paul) might mount an independent candidacy, he said: “I’m not thinking about it because, look, I’m not doing badly right now. … So we concentrate only on one thing: Keep moving up in the polls, and see how things come out in a month or two.”

(HT: George Will)

There is a growing fear of Ron Paul as he advances in pre-Caucus polls before the first GOP Primary event in Iowa. Such “Paulanoia” may not be entirely unjustified. He deliberately stokes a fringe of deracinated individuals of dubious civic virtue and questionable allegiance to the GOP. He’s endorsed that cracker-jack Cornell University Professor of Architecture, Cynthia McKinney. (At least it wasn’t his fellow Klingon, oops I mean Texan, Sheila Jackson-Lee). Oh, and he’d like to appease Iran, audit the Fed, and probably keel-haul every member of the dreaded CFR. And the GOP Establishment just can’t have such lapses of proper decorum.

Read More →