Rick Perry Becomes the 2016 GOP Frontrunner

Rick Perry has been on a subtle campaign since November of 2012, and he has done it well. The Texas Governor has wooed away companies from multiple states by showing off the energetic business environment, he has engaged in national political discussions through videos, social media, and op-eds, and he has kept his name, and more importantly, the record of the state he governs, in the news.

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But now we have the news of two criminal indictments.

Leading Conservatives Gather For Republican Leadership Conference In New OrleansThis indictment is filled with the distilled essence of  progressive projection. An out of control county DA gets drunk and makes a decision to drive, then she is caught and arrested. This DA, who was found to be intoxicated three times the legal limit, attempted to use her title to not only coerce the police to let her go, but to threaten the police for locking her drunk ass up.

Coercion and threats of retribution. That’s what the DA who is at the center of this case did. That is what the Travis County DA is charging Perry with.

How perfectly Orwellian this all is.

I know some are worried that the indictment of Governor Perry, and the subsequent mug shot, will be the stumbling block that preemptively ends his bid for 2016, but I am not convinced.

This indictment plays to Perry’s strengths, not only his serious retail politics skills, which this will allow him to display, but also a naturally conservative but truly populist opinion that some drunk shouldn’t be in charge of jack, especially when drawing a salary from the taxpayers.

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I can imagine Perry defending himself on the campaign trail, but I really don’t have to, RickPAC already has an ad up that lays out the case pretty well.

The fact that this is up and public within a week of the indictment shows that the Perry team is taking this seriously and is loaded for bear. Or stray coyotes when out jogging, I don’t know the Texas lingo. Those worried about Perry’s mugshot should look at this video again and think about how much use the Perry team can get out of a mug shot. I’d suggest Perry go in for his mug shot with a t-shirt that has Johnny Cash’s mug shot on it.

If Perry has the right team in place, which it looks like he does, he can ride this Democrat overreach into the top slot of the 2016 GOP primary, while also helping down ticket in Texas in 2014. We have already seen many of the rockstar conservatives come out publicly to stand with Perry, and I don’t see that ending anytime soon.

While certain things from 2012 remain a thorn in his side, much of what Perry spoke about in 2012 is still true, or have been revealed to be true with time and events. Each time you hear some D.C. consultant talk about how Romney was proven right, Perry can rightfully say that he said much of it first in the primary.

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I had the opportunity to interview Governor Perry at the Texas GOP Convention and felt he was carrying himself differently than when I saw him in the 2012 primary. This held true at the RedState Gathering as well. He was confident, sharp, and on point with his overall narrative.

For now, my gut tells me that Governor Perry is leading the pack and this latest episode is only going to give him the ability to spread his message of smaller, more accountable, government further.

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