Monday 19 September 2011

Why Rick Perry is a questionable Conservative

The name Rick Perry conjures up an image of an old-school conservative politician.And why wouldn't it? After all, the Governor of Texas has been attempting to market himself as a traditional GOP politician who believes in small government, lower taxes for all as well as promoting his traditional Christian beliefs in order to gain kudos with the Party's right wing.

Many people therefore feel a natural affinity towards him. He is seen as the traditional conservative who will take action against America's growing debt crisis and his aversion to any form of government interference be that via healthcare or through any increase in taxes makes him look like the ideal GOP Presidential Candidate.

However is this really the case? Has Governor Perry really acted so conservatively and would he be the ideal Presidential candidate for the Republicans? His record as Governor surely makes for some interesting reading...


  • Perry is no small government politician, when he took office in 2000, the Texas State debt lay at $49billion...Ten years later, it is $90billion. 
  • Texas has a deeper debt crisis than even California. It averages out at $10,645 per person if compared with California's $9,932. This means Texas has a debt-GDP ratio of 22.9% whereas California is only a paltry 18.7% in comparison.
  • Today, Texans pay more taxes than before Perry took office in 2000. This suggests that he really is all talk when it comes to the whole fiscal conservative attitude. 
  • Perry is soft on immigration. Despite all the talk, Perry does not believe an Arizona immigration type law is necessary in a State where illegal immigration is a major issue. Instead he believes that there should be a path for illegal immigrants to gain entry into mainstream US society.  Gov. Perry, if they are illegal, shouldn't they be treated just like everybody else committing an illegal act?
  • Perry is arguably a RINO...After all, he did support Al Gore for the Presidency in 1988...Even serving as Gore's campaign Chairman in Texas that year. 
There you have it, 5 clear reasons why Perry should not be the GOP nominee. If looked at closely, Perry does not really offer much more than President Barack Obama or even his predecessor George W. Bush. 

A Perry Presidency would increase the national debt, do nothing to alleviate illegal immigration, sneakily raise taxes and in essence make the American way of life that little bit harder for the average citizen. 

2 comments:

  1. Good observation Bo, i think you nailed it on Perry, but who of the current candidates would you consider a true conservative?

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  2. Honestly, I think true conservatism needs to be defined as who can best be like Barry Goldwater (the epitome of traditional Conservatism)...On that basis, not one of the current bunch can really live up to that...Shame really, as this will eventually lead to the destruction of the GOP

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