Rick Perry
Here we go. Texas is about to do it again.
I would place any wager that Governor Rick Perry is about to do what former President George W. Bush did in 1999. And that would be announcing his bid to run in the Republican primary for president. (And to all of my friends who know my betting history with respect to the Oscars – not sports – you know this is a good, solid bet.)
So far my who’s-running-and-who’s-not predictions for Heath have been spot on. But for all of you who doubt my word, let me refer you to others.
Let’s start with a blog published in The Wall Street Journal last Thursday. They predict that Governor Perry is going to announce in Houston, on Aug. 6, at a national prayer meeting on a football field. That’s some red meat for you. Here is what the WSJ claims:
“Our normally reliable Republican source reports that Mr. Perry has surveyed the field and decided to get in the race later this summer, perhaps around the time of the national prayer meeting that Mr. Perry is hosting on August 6 at a Houston football stadium. Our source also reports that Mr. Perry is aiming to compete in the Iowa Straw Poll, even though it occurs just a week later, on August 13.”
But let’s move on to Nate Silver, the genius political statistician of The New York Time’s fivethirtyeight.com. Silver forecasts that the GOP race is coming down to a race of four, with Perry being right there among the contenders. Silver puts it this way:
“I mentioned last week that I’d thought we’d seen the emergence of a relatively distinct ‘top tier’ of Republican candidates, consisting of Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann. Having taken a deeper look, I am more confident in that claim — I’d posit that there is a better than an 80 percent chance that the nominee will be one of those four people.”
‘Rick Perry senses an opening’
That Governor Rick Perry is running for president really comes as no surprise to me. Friends in Austin have been saying that he’s running since early 2009 because, more than anything, this man loves to campaign.
Speaking of Austin, Mark McKinnon – one of my all-time favorite mentors and political strategists (because he’s just that brilliant) – had this to tell me yesterday when I queried him on Governor Perry:
“Rick Perry senses an opening and I think he’s going to take it. And he will be a formidable candidate. As the longest serving governor in Texas history who attracted 37 percent of all jobs in the country in recent years, he has a powerful story to tell. And he has honed a strong anti-Washington message which will resonate with many GOP primary voters.”
So there you go, folks. Take it from the WSJ, Silver, and McKinnon. Governor Rick Perry is running for president.
Keeping America united
Recall that back in April of 2009, Governor Perry was laying secession out there as a good option for a very fed-up (with the feds) Texas. It’s highly unlikely that this talking point makes it into his platform, and it’s sure to be a lead balloon in any debate.
At the risk of oversimplification, I would just note that the idea behind running for President of the United States should be to keep America, well, united.
Sarah Lenti is the blogger behind NMPolitics.net’s The Savvy. E-mail her at sarah@nmpolitics.net. For full disclosure, Lenti is a Republican strategist who worked closely with GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s former PAC.