GOP Poll Part II, now updated with actual candidates

[Ajidica]

I found the quote from Perry:

In Perry's words on Wednesday, "We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb its nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that."

A day later, he sought to elaborate. He said that Texans "are fed up with what's coming out of Washington," and therefore they've been inspired to "debate" certain questions among themselves, notably "can we secede." And just to clarify his remarks further, a gubernatorial spokeswoman said that Perry indeed believes Texas can secede if it so chooses.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/americandebate/Windbag_talk_in_Texas.html
If anyone can find a more direct quote, please do. I just found this after some quick googling.
Anyhow, it appears that Perry does believe states can seceed, which is flying in the face of Texas v. White where the Supreme Court ruled that secession is not an option.

Do we really want someone who doesn't understand the American political system well enough to follow the Supreme Court to be president? I don't think so.

 

[NickyJ]

There literally is no reason to think of Obama as a Kenyan.

Exactly. Same with Perry.

Yet "joke" or not, Perry has publicly advocated treason.

But really, he never advocated it. The only proof you have is "He advocated it because I said he did."

But I'm pulling out now, because I can see where this is going to go quite quickly.

I found the quote from Perry:

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/americandebate/Windbag_talk_in_Texas.html
If anyone can find a more direct quote, please do. I just found this after some quick googling.
Anyhow, it appears that Perry does believe states can seceed, which is flying in the face of Texas v. White where the Supreme Court ruled that secession is not an option.

Texas can secede. So? Also, for that Supreme Court case, this is relevant:

Spoiler :

"When Texas became one of the United States, she entered into an indissoluble relation. The union between Texas and the other States was as complete, as perpetual, and as indissoluble as the union between the original States. There was no place for reconsideration or revocation, except through revolution or through consent of the States.

"...The obligations of the State, as a member of the Union ...remained perfect and unimpaired. ...the State did not cease to be a State, nor her citizens to be citizens of the Union.

"...Our conclusion therefore is, that Texas continued to be a State, and a State of the Union."
— Texas v. White, 74 U.S. 700, 703 (1868)

It is noteworthy that two years after that decision, President Grant signed an act entitling Texas to U.S. Congressional representation, readmitting Texas to the Union.

What's wrong with this picture? Either the Supreme Court was wrong in claiming Texas never actually left the Union (they were — see below), or the Executive (President Grant) was wrong in "readmitting" a state that, according to the Supreme Court, had never left. Both can't be logically or legally true.

Do we really want someone who doesn't understand the American political system well enough to follow the Supreme Court to be president? I don't think so.

I guess that eliminates you.

I'm cutting off from this as well, since this is about GOP candidates, not Texas and its right to secede.

 

[JollyRoger]

I've come to a decision: Rick Perry. He seems genuine enough, and he seems straightforward on the issues. Plus, he is more likely to garner support from conservative and libertarian puritans since he doesn't have any past "issues".

I do not see how a real libertarian can support him:

Bypassing the Legislature altogether, Republican Gov. Rick Perry issued an order Friday making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

By employing an executive order, Perry sidestepped opposition in the Legislature from conservatives and parents’ rights groups who fear such a requirement would condone premarital sex and interfere with the way Texans raise their children.

Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade — meaning, generally, girls ages 11 and 12 — will have to receive Gardasil, Merck & Co.’s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV.

Perry also directed state health authorities to make the vaccine available free to girls 9 to 18 who are uninsured or whose insurance does not cover vaccines. In addition, he ordered that Medicaid offer Gardasil to women ages 19 to 21.

Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country mandating Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country.

Perry tied to Merck
Perry has ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company’s three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry’s former chief of staff. His current chief of staff’s mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government.

The governor also received $6,000 from Merck’s political action committee during his re-election campaign.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16948093/from/RS.4/

Plus, he has claimed the state budget needs significant cuts because of a massive deficit. Guess who has been in charge for 10 years with majorities in both houses?

He also flip flops around on immigration issues and has the taxpayers footing the bill for his $10,000 rental of a mansion and his subscription to Food & Wine magazine.

He he literally cannot put out fires with the vast resources available in the state of Texas. Do you know how un-Texan it is to beg the Feds to help put out mere grass fires? Come on, Rick Pery, we are Texans, we don't need no stinkin' Federales.

 

[NickyJ]

I do not see how a real libertarian can support him

I'm not a libertarian.

Plus, he has claimed the state budget needs significant cuts because of a massive deficit. Guess who has been in charge for 10 years with majorities in both houses?

He already has balanced the budget.

He also flip flops around on immigration issues and has the taxpayers footing the bill for his $10,000 rental of a mansion and his subscription to Food & Wine magazine.

He he literally cannot put out fires with the vast resources available in the state of Texas. Do you know how un-Texan it is to beg the Feds to help put out mere grass fires? Come on, Rick Pery, we are Texans, we don't need no stinkin' Federales.

 

[JollyRoger]

He already has balanced the budget.

That link is from 2006, yet there must have been some funny math as by 2011:

Texas lawmakers unveiled a Spartan budget late Tuesday night that slashes $31 billion in spending to close the state's massive budget deficit. Education, Medicaid and corrections would be hit particularly hard.

House legislators were forced to rely on spending cuts to close the shortfall -- estimated at between $15 billion and $27 billion -- because Republican leaders pledged not to raise taxes.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/19/news/economy/texas_budget_deficit/index.htm

Who was governor between the so-called balanced buget of 2006 and the huge deficit present in 2011? Can we blame that on Ann Richards?

[

Immigration:

What a difference a year (and presidential rumors) can make.

Last year, after Arizona passed its extremist anti-immigration law, SB1070, Gov. Rick Perry released a statement expressing his concerns about the law and said it wouldn’t be right for Texas.

Since then he has fallen into anti-immigrant rhetoric, making the elimination of so-called “sanctuary cities” a legislative “emergency.” The fact that sanctuary cities don’t exist seems to be lost on the governor.

In this year-old statement, Perry sounds like he has been reading or at least listening to the police chiefs and sheriffs who are opposed to his new-found sanctuary cities emergency:


“Recently, there has been much debate over immigration policy in Washington and what has been implemented in Arizona. I fully recognize and support a state’s right and obligation to protect its citizens, but I have concerns with portions of the law passed in Arizona and believe it would not be the right direction for Texas.

“For example, some aspects of the law turn law enforcement officers into immigration officials by requiring them to determine immigration status during any lawful contact with a suspected alien, taking them away from their existing law enforcement duties, which are critical to keeping citizens safe.”

Too bad that Rick Perry didn’t last. Today he released a proclamation ordering the Texas Legislature to take up the Arizona-style proposals that died in the regular session. He threw in S-Comm and driver’s licenses for good measure. For those of you unfamiliar with S-Comm, it’s a widely-discredited, expensive, failing ICE program that is under federal investigation. But, to paraphrase Sen. Tommy Williams, “who cares?” And defying common sense, the harsh new driver’s licenses would make getting an ID more costly and time-consuming for all Texans, immigrant or not.

http://reformimmigrationfortexas.org/1/2011/gov-perry-in-2010-arizona-immigration-law-would-not-be-the-right-direction-for-texas/

Flip:

If there is any issue we cannot avoid, it is one I just mentioned: It is time to enforce the sovereign laws of this nation and protect our borders.

In the last two months my office has dedicated $10 million to Operation Linebacker an effort led by local Texas sheriffs. We are helping them to increase patrol hours providing rapid deployment teams of state troopers increasing investigators and funding new technology and infrastructure...

And yesterday I announced the launch of Operation Rio Grande a new state effort to use intelligence available state law enforcement resources and a new command and control structure to secure our border from Brownsville to El Paso.

I appreciate the Administration announcing plans to increase detention space by 6,700 beds invest in new technology and put an additional 1,500 border patrol agents on the border. It’s a step in the right direction. But these investments will take time that we frankly don’t have.

The threat today is real, and it grows each day. My friends, this is the most serious of public policy matters. And it is an important front in a multi-front war... But how can we fight this war on foreign fronts while leaving the front door to our nation vulnerable? Securing our border is about securing our future and our freedom.

Flop:

Emphasizing immigration reform far more than he did before his re-election, Republican Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that a guest worker program is needed for Mexican immigrants employed in the United States...

Perry's comments were much more tilted toward immigration reform than were his speeches before his Nov. 7 re-election. In the campaign, as he worked to drum up conservative support in all regions of Texas, he mostly steered clear of discussing immigration reform proposals and instead stressed the need to crack down on border crime...

He went a step farther and offered more opinions Wednesday in an Austin speech to the Texas Border Coalition, made up of mayors and other public officials along the Texas-Mexico border.
"Our economy is greatly impacted by migrant workers. Let's create a guest worker program that takes these workers off the black market and that legitimizes their economic contributions without doing the same for their citizenship," Perry said, to applause from coalition members.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2875912

Rick Perry, the Republican Governor of Texas, was quoted in an Aug. 28, 2007 Reuters article titled "Texas Gov Says U.S. Needs Migrants, Not Border Wall":

"We need those individuals to continue to grow our economy...
If you show up illegally, without your card or you're here as a criminal element, I'm for throwing the book at those folks, but the issue of people who want to legally, thoughtfully and appropriately come to America to work and help us build our economy -- we should quickly come up with a program and an identification card to do that...

We know how to deal with border security, and you don't do it by building a fence."



Aug. 28, 2007 - Rick Perry

http://immigration.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000778

Mansion/Food & Wine Magazine:

With the state facing a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has spent almost $600,000 in public money during the past two years to live in a sprawling rental home in the hills above the capital, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

It costs more than $10,000 a month in rent, utilities and upkeep to house Perry in a five-bedroom, seven-bath mansion that has pecan-wood floors, a gourmet kitchen and three dining rooms.

His 6,386-square-foot rental sits on more than three acres and was advertised in 2007 for sale at $1.85 million. Perry's state-paid expenses at the home include $18,000 for "consumables" such as household supplies and cleaning products, $1,001.46 in window coverings from upscale retailer Neiman Marcus, a $1,000 "emergency repair" of the governor's filtered ice machine, a $700 clothes rack, and a little over $70 for a two year subscription to Food & Wine Magazine.

Maintenance on the heated pool has cost taxpayers at least $8,400, and the tab for grounds and lawn maintenance has topped $44,000, the records show. All told, taxpayers have spent at least $592,000 for rent, utilities, repairs, furnishings and supplies since Perry moved in.

By comparison, the Texas governor's mansion is wholly owned by the state - there is no rent or mortgage to pay. As currently configured, it has about 9,900 total square feet, but most is public space packed with historic artifacts. Only 2,750 square feet is dedicated to the governor's residence.

Democratic critics have said Perry and his wife, Anita, could live in a downtown apartment while the mansion is under repair. Should he win in November, Democrat Bill White, the former Houston mayor and multimillionaire lawyer challenging Perry's bid for a third full term, told the AP he would rent his own home until the mansion is repaired.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/state-politics/20100517-Texas-taxpayers-footing-big-bill-for-1757.ece

Inability to put out fires:

Gov. Rick Perry has asked the White House to declare Texas a major disaster area as a result of unchecked wildfires across the state.

In an urgent letter to President Barack Obama, Perry said firefighters have already responded to 7,807 fires across the state that have burned more than 1,528,714 acres.

"As wildfires continue to rage across our state, Texas is reaching its capacity to respond to these emergencies and is in need of federal assistance," Perry said in a statement issued by his office. "I urge President Obama to approve our request quickly so Texans can continue receiving the resources and support they need as wildfires remain an ongoing threat."

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/Texas-asks-for-federal-help-dealing-with-major-wildfire-disaster-120011354.html

Rent for mansion in the hills? $10,000

Subscription to Food & Wine Magazine? $70

Begging a Kenyan to declare your area of responsibility a disaster? Priceless

 

[NickyJ]

That link is from 2006, yet there must have been some funny math as by 2011:


http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/19/news/economy/texas_budget_deficit/index.htm

Who was governor between the so-called balanced buget of 2006 and the huge deficit present in 2011? Can we blame that on Ann Richards?

Perry is going to cut the budget some more. So?

Immigration:
http://reformimmigrationfortexas.org/1/2011/gov-perry-in-2010-arizona-immigration-law-would-not-be-the-right-direction-for-texas/


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2875912

He hadn't said much about immigration, but now he does. How is that a flip flop?

Also, I noticed that all your links go to liberal websites. Nothing neutral. I wonder why? Hmm...

http://immigration.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000778

He wants to make it so that legal immigrants can get jobs. Is that so horrible?

Mansion/Food & Wine Magazine:
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/state-politics/20100517-Texas-taxpayers-footing-big-bill-for-1757.ece

Kinda hard to live in a building that is undergoing maintenance but then catches fire, isn't it? Or do you think people should live in burned out buildings for four years?

Inability to put out fires:
http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/Texas-asks-for-federal-help-dealing-with-major-wildfire-disaster-120011354.html

He admitted that Texas needed help. Where's the crime in that?

Rent for mansion in the hills? $10,000

People need places to live in, you know.

Subscription to Food & Wine Magazine? $70

Your article said that he had a subscription. How did they know? Did Perry tell them?

Begging a Kenyan to declare your area of responsibility a disaster? Priceless

I have yet to see what's wrong with asking for help. It actually reveals maturity. He doesn't act like a teenager that says "I don't need NOTHIN from you!". He says 'I could use some help'. Kudos to Perry for admitting that he needed help.

 

[JollyRoger]

People need places to live in, you know.

There are plenty of places in downtown Austin that have similar square footage as the living space in the Governor's mansion that can be had for less than $10,000/month. If he wants a mansion in the hills, he should pay the differential from his salary.

 

[GamezRule]

People need places to live in, you know.

Speaking of which, read the sig. This applies to the federal government.

 

[Cutlass]

"The people on this commission are going to be people who know something about coal, oil, shale oil, natural gas, and they will be people whose businesses or individuals who have been abused by the EPA....like Shell Oil. I'm going to ask the CEO of Shell Oil would he like to be on this commission, and give me some recommendations."
— Herman Cain on who he would appoint to a "regulatory reduction commission" which would figure out which EPA regulations should be eliminated

 

[JollyRoger]

I look forward to Cain appointing me to the Tort Reform Reform committee.

 

[amadeus]

I remember the last time I voted for a "conservative" governor from Texas.

Fool me once, shame on you...

 

[GhostWriter16]

Fun Fact: I live less then ten miles from Pawlenty's house and I've been in class with on of his daughters.

Does she agree with him politically?

For the record, the answer to the poll question is Ron Paul.

 

[Camikaze]

I thought this article/poem was kinda interesting/funny(ish):

Ten little Republicans, all in a line,
discussing foreign policy one at a time.
They lambaste Obama as socialist slime
inadvertently refuting intelligent design.

They all agree that the Islamic threat
is even more fearful than the national debt.
They couldn't tell Shia from Sunni, I'll bet.
But the sight of an imam sure makes them sweat.

Take Mister Pizza, long-shot Herman Cain,
who won't appoint Muslims during his reign.
His colleagues won’t call this idea insane.
Bigotry's the new normal in this year's campaign.

Mitt Romney believes New START’s a mistake.
He'd "double Guantanamo," for goodness sake.
His other beliefs, ugh, what drugs does he take?
It's a foreign policy that only Heritage could make.

Tim Pawlenty is tougher than all of the rest.
He'd take on all bullies at our country's behest,
like America's a sheriff in the old Wild West
or a pumped-up version of Father Knows Best.

We are Number One, Rick Santorum agrees:
Yet all President Obama does is appease.
Impose a gay sex and abortion freeze
and export intolerance, he loudly decrees.

Then there's the ever-quotable Newt
Subtlety was never his strongest suit
"Obama's anti-colonial, and a Kenyan to boot."
Such idiocies render his other policies moot.

Bachmann and Israel are joined at the hip
Maybe she'll even change her citizenship
I hope her campaign will just be a blip
and the frequent, embarrassing slip of the lip.

Sarah Palin has also drunk the tea.
Even the right doubts her candidacy.
Everything she says Dems quote happily,
like confusing her porch with a foreign policy.

Jon Huntsman's a diplomat, that's all to the good.
He speaks Mandarin, which all of us should.
But speak Republican? I'm not sure that he could.
He'll try tilting right to make us forget where he's stood.

Gary Johnson worries about the money we've spent.
He's proposed cutting the military 40 percent.
Given a chance he'd privatize all government!
Back to the Gilded Age, that's his intent.

Ron Paul also lives on the libertarian fringe,
opposing our excessive militarist binge.
His views on the UN and on taxes make me cringe.
But other Reps now also have an anti-war tinge:

These hawks in doves’ clothing just for the day
only this president's wars will they ever naysay.
Once in the White House, they'd announce "Bombs away."
With the victims and taxpayers the ones left to pay.

The president is rightly critiqued from the left
for ignoring huge gobbets of financial theft,
for not cutting away at the Pentagon's heft,
for wars that leave countries completely bereft.

From this Republican field, there's nothing to fear.
Their foreign policy is anything but clear.
With the economic recovery yet to appear,
don't expect much global talk in the election next year.

 

[amadeus]

The Gary Johnson one sounds pretty good.

 

[The_Tyrant]

New poll shows Romney leading in Iowa
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...ann-lead-iowa-poll-on-gop-presidential-field/

 

[El_Machinae]

Speaking of Iowa, have any of them shown any sense with regards to the Farm Bill? Or is it still complete silence on that front?

 

[JollyRoger]

Speaking of Iowa, have any of them shown any sense with regards to the Farm Bill? Or is it still complete silence on that front?

I think I heard one of the speaking in a sensibly anti-Iowa way, but I forget which one and I think it was one that is basically skipping Iowa and trying to make the big splash in New Hampshire.

I wonder who would win if it came down to this:

Social conservative, anti-farm-subsidy vs. Social moderate, pro-farm-subsidy

 

[Scratch]

This is too funny.

Michele Bachmann gets confused, thinks that Waterloo, Iowa was the birthplace of John Wayne. Actually, it was the birthplace of John Wayne Gacy.

 

[madviking]

This is too funny.

Michele Bachmann gets confused, thinks that Waterloo, Iowa was the birthplace of John Wayne. Actually, it was the birthplace of John Wayne Gacy.

The Wikipedia article they link to Gacy says he was born in Chicago.

 

[Scratch]

Yeah, that's an inaccuracy, I've found out now. Gacy moved to Waterloo, Iowa, but wasn't born there. So it's not the birthplace of either John Wayne or John Wayne Gacy.