Rick Perry Drops Out of Presidential Race, Endorses Newt Gingrich
Texas Governor Rick Perry will drop out of the GOP presidential race and endorse rival Newt Gingrich for the Republican nomination, according to news reports.
He will make the announcement shortly in North Charleston, S.C.
The move by Perry to end his flailing campaign was inevitable, yet came a few days sooner than expected, with the South Carolina primary looming this Saturday.
Perry hoped the state's evangelicals and social conservatives would revive his candidacy. Instead, it was Newt who surged after Monday's Republican debate.
Rick Perry was mired in the low single digits in the Palmetto State and nationally, while a revitalized Gingrich has shown an upward trajectory in recent polls.
Perry weighed dropping out of the race after a dismal finish in the Iowa caucuses, only to decide to stay in and make one last stand in South Carolina.
It was not to be. In hindsight, a campaign that began with such promise actually peaked on its first day, after which Perry sank like a stone in popularity.
Clearly not ready for prime time, Perry's substance never equaled his swagger. Amazing debate gaffes came early and often. Other candidates surged past him.
By dropping out now, he may provide a modest boost to Gingrich, who's trying to present himself as a more ideologically potent conservative than Mitt Romney.
Perry said in officially suspending his candidacy today:
South Carolina Republican Debate: Schizo Crowd Cheers Lots of Harsh Sound Bites!
Jon Huntsman may have gotten out just in time.
In front of by FAR the most raucous crowd of any Republican debate held thus far, the five remaining GOP hopefuls squared off in South Carolina last night.
Ostensibly, everybody not named Mitt Romney angled to knock the frontrunner off his pedestal. In reality, it became a game of rhetorical one-upmanship.
The crowd cheered their support of U.S. soldiers urinating on dead Afghan bodies and their condemnation of the Obama administration’s condemnation of it.
Newt Gingrich earned a standing ovation for this quote: “Andrew Jackson knew what to do with his enemies - he killed them.” How professorial he can be.
Even Romney, the most vanilla of all candidates, got into the act, saying “The right thing for Osama bin Laden was the bullet in the head that he received.”
No one here's missing Osama, but really Mitt?
The audience then jeered Ron Paul for suggesting that “we should practice the Golden Rule in foreign policy.” Nice to see we boo NOT bombing people.
The yelled their approval of Rick Perry saying America should “go to zero on foreign aid.” They booed Juan Williams for questioning Newt's big janitor idea.
The South Carolina primary has a reputation for being a bloodbath, and last night's rancor showed why. Just imagine if this race were in any way close.
Rick Perry Defends Marines For Urinating on Taliban Corpses, Rips Obama Administration
It's amazing to think that when Rick Perry entered the GOP presidential race last summer, he did so as the frontrunner, only to sink like a stone in the ensuing months.
On second thought, maybe it's not that amazing.
The Texas Governor defended the Marines urinating on dead bodies in Afghanistan, while accusing Barack Obama's administration of "disdain for the military."
"Obviously, 18 and 19-year-old kids make stupid mistakes all too often. And that's what's occurred here," the Republican candidate told CNN's State of the Union.
Saying the Marines should be reprimanded but not prosecuted, Perry railed against the "over-the-top rhetoric from this administration and their disdain for the military."
A military criminal investigation is ongoing after the video, which purportedly shows four Marines urinating on corpses of slain Taliban soldiers, went viral last week.
Perry's comments put him at odds with ... well, pretty much every other political leader, including those in his own party such as Sen. John McCain, who said:
"The Marine Corps prides itself that we don't lower ourselves to the level of the enemy. So it makes me sad more than anything else, because ... I can't tell you how wonderful these people (Marines) are. And it hurts their reputation and their image."
"We're trying to win the hearts and minds" of the Afghan population, McCain added. "And when something like that comes up, it obviously harms that ability."
Well put ... and pretty much what Obama has said as well.
No one has been charged in the case, but U.S. and foreign officials have called for swift punishment of the four Marines for their actions in the video (above).
Rick Perry Wants to Re-Invade Iraq
Rick Perry is still running for President.
Despite largely punting New Hampshire to focus on South Carolina in a bid to revive his struggling candidacy, the Texas Governor did show up at the Republican debate in New Hampshire last night, where he was on the offensive.
It's as if he went in with the goal of appearing more hawkish and stronger on defense than any of the other candidates. That must have been the impetus for his claim that he would send troops back into Iraq ... right?
You never know with Rick.
Rick Perry: Punting New Hampshire, Posing With Puppy, Possibly Wearing Spandex
The Rick Perry presidential campaign, summed up in one Tweet:
You're welcome.
Rick Perry to Congress: You Suck!
Rick Perry is not a fan of Congress, or those who serve in it.
It's unclear if this is an issue that strikes a chord with the average voter, but Perry is pushing hard for his part-time Congress idea in his latest Iowa advertisement.
The ad features pics of Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich, all of whom serve or have served in Congress (guess Mitt Romney is exempt from this one) as a narrator asks, "If Washington's the problem, why trust a congressman to fix it?"
Rick feels he's "Strong" enough to do it, that's for sure.
How to Make a Campaign Ad, By Rick Perry
Political blog Pardon the Pundit has come up with a hilarious guide to making a campaign ad using Rick Perry's recent "Strong" video as its principal case study.
If you recall, Perry started running this 30 second piece of art to prove that he's the real conservative of the Republican party. And Obama hates Christmas.
It's a pretty great political satire of political commercial. Check out the breakdown and the original ad spot run by the Texas Governor in Iowa below ...
Rick Perry: The Tim Tebow of the GOP!
At last night's Republican presidential debate, Rick Perry sought to reignite his maligned candidacy by likening himself to a beloved, American underdog figure.
Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.
Asked point blank about his awful debating skills and whether he could take on President Obama, Perry likened himself to the former University of Florida standout, who was told repeatedly he could never succeed in the NFL due to his unorthodox style.
Touting himself as the "national champion of job creation," Perry said that when Iowa votes in the first-in-the-nation caucuses January 3, he hopes to make like Tebow:
Donald Trump to GOP Candidates: COWARDS!
Donald Trump will moderate a debate between Republican Presidential hopefuls on December 27. There's just one problem:
Only Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are currently scheduled to show up.
With Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman having already turned down the invitation, Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry added their negative RSVPs this week, prompting The Donald to say these candidates are "scared" and that he may need to run against them after all.
"The Republicans are afraid of me running as an Independent," Trump tells TMZ. They’re all afraid. The only person NOT afraid is Newt... There are two reasons that these candidates are backing out of my debate. One, some just aren’t courageous people. Two, some are concerned that I may run as an Independent. They want me to give up ... and I’m NOT giving up."
We're not so sure, Don. Have you seen this Rick Perry ad?!? Say what you want about the man, but he isn't afraid to look like a moronic homophobe.
Trump for President?
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Rick Perry Christmas Ad Must Be Seen to Be Believed
Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry has rolled out a new campaign ad, one unlike any you've seen before. And quite possibly for good reason.
Like the infamous Herman Cain smoking ad, you see it once and think "No, this has to be a parody." Then you watch it again, and nope, it's sure not.
The Cliff Notes: Perry is strong. Obama loves gays and hates Christmas. Nice.
Give the Texas Governor credit for melding every wedge issue - homosexuals serving in the military, Barack Obama, the secularization of America, and people who don't celebrate Christmas - into an ad less than 30 seconds long. Skillfull!
While Perry is clearly gearing the ad toward a segment of the Iowa electorate and it may well prove to be effective, it has 3,213 likes and 138,473 dislikes on YouTube.
Sort of like how Perry polls a lot of places.
