Are Rick Perry's 15 minutes up?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Turns out Rick Perry may be all hat and no cattle.
Opponents lobbed the same criticism at another Texas governor and pretend cowboy, George W. Bush.
Watching Perry's most recent debate performance, it looked like he got his cowboy boot stuck in his mouth.
The Texas governor may be fading out of the Republican race as quickly as he shot to the top of the polls last month.
The signs of trouble are stacking up everywhere around Perry, starting with Mitt Romney closing the gap in the national polls. Although Perry is still at the top of the pack, Romney polls stronger against President Obama.
On the state level, Perry is losing one straw poll race after another:
In Florida, businessman Herman Cain pulled a surprise landslide victory. Cain's 37% win topped Perry and Romney combined. Perry was expected to win the Florida straw poll at the start of the weekend, but his underwhelming debate performance put him a distant second.
In Michigan's straw poll, Perry also finished second, this time to Romney, a native of Michigan.
And last week, Perry placed a distant second to Ron Paul in a California straw poll.
These straw polls are only mock elections and don't necessarily reflect how the primaries will go. But, if you are the Republican front-runner, there is an expectation that you win some of them.
An adviser to Jon Huntsman's campaign suggests it is becoming increasingly clear Perry can't perform, saying he has a case of "electile dysfunction."
Perry's people claim the Florida straw poll is a big loss for Mitt Romney, who has been in the campaign for much longer.
Here’s my question to you: Are Rick Perry's 15 minutes up?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Is another religious, conservative Republican governor from Texas the answer to our prayers?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The great Yogi Berra said, "it's like deja vu all over again."
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/08/09/art.rick.perry.jpg caption=""]
What we have here apparently is another religious, conservative Republican governor from Texas who wants to be president.
Only this one's last name isn't Bush.
Texas Governor Rick Perry is expected to strongly signal his intention to run for president in a speech in South Carolina on Saturday.
Perry's announcement is timed perfectly to upset the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames which is also on Saturday. Although Perry's name isn't on the ballot in Iowa, supporters are waging a write-in campaign.
After the speech in South Carolina, Perry is off to New Hampshire and then to Iowa to headline a fundraiser Sunday night.
The tea party favorite already has a certain appeal among conservatives who are looking for more options in a pretty sad Republican field. Working in Perry's favor, the Texas economy is doing better than most. Almost 40% of all the new jobs created in the U.S. since the recession started are in Texas. The state also has a balanced budget.
But Haven't we been here and done this? We already lived though eight years of a Christian evangelical governor from Texas in the White House... and we're still in therapy from the trauma of that little experiment gone awry.
This past weekend, Perry addressed believers at an all-day prayer vigil in Houston. Perry asked God to help comfort Americans stung by the troubled economy. He also prayed for President Obama.
He did all this in a stadium that was less than half full. And what about that separation of church and state thingy?
Here’s my question to you: Is another religious, conservative Republican governor from Texas the answer to our prayers?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Michele Bachmann's leading in Iowa and Sarah Palin thinks she can be president. Are the Republicans in trouble?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
For a second straight day, a new poll of likely voters in the Iowa caucuses has Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann as the front-runner of the current field of GOP candidates.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/07/12/art.bachmann.jpg caption="Michele Bachmann"]
She's big with Tea Party voters, running on smaller government, no new taxes, but she's come under criticism most recently by fellow Minnesotan and GOP hopeful Tim Pawlenty for not having much of a record on anything in Congress. She also has some strong views on social issues that will likely turn independents and more moderate Republicans off.
Last week Bachmann signed something called "The Marriage Vow" penned by a conservative group in Iowa. It's a vow to be faithful to one's spouse and to the Constitution. It condemns adultery, "quickie divorces," and pornography. It also describes homosexuality as a choice. And the initial draft suggested that life was better for black children under slavery because more African-American children are born out of wedlock now than they were back then. Lovely. That part was later edited out and the group claimed it was a misinterpretation.
Is someone who would sign a document like that really the best Republicans can do? Apparently a lot of voters in Iowa think so.
Then there's the question of who else may enter the race...specifically former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who has been playing games with the media for months now. In this week's Newsweek cover story, Palin says she thinks she can be president. She made these comments following the premiere of a documentary produced by a conservative filmmaker highlighting all the positive aspects of her political career. It's not a long film. Palin also said that even if she's not the nominee - she's not even in the race yet - she thinks President Obama is beatable in 2012. Maybe so…but not by her or Michele Bachmann.
Here’s my question to you: Michele Bachmann's leading in Iowa and Sarah Palin thinks she can be president. Are the Republicans in trouble?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Will Republicans have to lighten up on social issues in order to succeed in 2012?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Each of the Republican contenders in last night's CNN presidential debate tried to set himself - or herself - apart from the other candidates, but their main message was more about beating President Obama in 2012 than each other.
With the president's approval ratings near all-time lows, our national debt sky-high and climbing, and unemployment above 9%, it would certainly seem it's the Republicans’ race to lose.
According to a CNN Opinion Research Corp. poll, nearly three-quarters of Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters say they want a real contender who can defeat Obama in 2012, even if that nominee doesn't agree with them on every issue. More importantly, that's up 7 percentage points from January.
But for Republicans to keep conservatives happy, social issues - like abortion, gay marriage, "don't ask, don't tell" - still manage to work their way into the conversation. And that may prove to be a problem for Republicans once we head into the general election campaign.
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For example, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said on Sunday's "Meet the Press" that not only was he pro-life even in cases of rape and incest, he believes that doctors who perform abortions should face criminal charges. Santorum should save himself a lot of time and money and find something to do besides running for president.
On the subject of gay marriage, all the candidates except Herman Cain and Ron Paul said last night they'd support a constitutional amendment outlawing it. Several of them also said that if elected, they would go back to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Note to the GOP: These are not the issues that middle America is worried about. They would like to be able to find a job.
Here’s my question to you: Will Republicans have to lighten up on social issues in order to succeed in 2012?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
What do you want to hear from Republicans at tonight’s presidential debate?
The hall at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire is nearly ready for the first CNN Republican Debate. (PHOTO CREDIT: Bryan Monroe/CNN)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
We're about 17 months away from the 2012 presidential election. A handful of Republican hopefuls have already declared they will challenge President Obama, a few others have indicated they will do so in the coming weeks.
If unemployment doesn't come down and people don't start to feel more optimistic about their future, the GOP's biggest challenge will be to avoid snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Tonight seven Republican presidential hopefuls will debate in New Hampshire, live on CNN starting at eight o'clock. We're likely to hear a lot about the sad state of the economy, how President Obama has failed at job creation, why this country is so deep in debt, and how each of these men and women think they can change things. There will be promises of no new taxes, and steep cuts to government spending. Mitt Romney, who has emerged as the early frontrunner in the field, will have to defend attacks over the universal health care law passed in Massachusetts when he was governor. And Newt Gingrich will try to convince voters he's serious about running after most of his staff abruptly quit late last week.
This is just the second in a series of debates scheduled for Republican hopefuls. The characters will likely change over the months - Jon Huntsman, Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani and Rick Perry are all possible additions in the coming weeks. The issues, however, are likely to remain pretty much the same.
Here’s my question to you: What do you want to hear from Republicans at tonight's presidential debate?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Is Sarah Palin's publicity stunt helping or hurting Republican chances in 2012?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Her "One Nation" tour may be taking a brief pit stop in Arizona, stop but the dust Sarah Palin has kicked up along the way has yet to settle.
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The former Alaskan governor started off a well publicized family bus tour in Washington on Memorial Day weekend on the back of a Harley Davidson. From there is was on to visit some national historic sites, pizza with Donald Trump, a testy game of cat and mouse with reporters, and upstaging fellow Republican Mitt Romney the day he announced that he's running for president.
Palin later said she did not mean to distract from Mitt Romney's presidential announcement by visiting New Hampshire on the same day. Sure. She said it was a coincidence she ended up in the first primary state on the same day. Sure.
And then there was her elementary American history mistake over the ride of Paul Revere. While visiting Boston, Palin insisted the essence of Revere's midnight ride was to warn the British soldiers they would have a fight on their hands if they tried to take arms away from Americans. Not exactly.
It's true we all make mistakes. Henry David Longfellow's famous poem about Paul Revere has some historical inaccuracies in it - but at least he got right which side Revere was warning.
Palin defended herself yesterday on Fox News Sunday saying "I know my American history," and gave a long-winded explanation of what she really meant. It's like every time Palin makes a mess, she runs to Fox News where they try to kick sand over it.
She may not know a lot about history, but what she does seem to know how to do is draw attention to herself. And that's not necessarily a good thing for the Republicans whether she decides to run for president or not.
Here’s my question to you: Is Sarah Palin's publicity stunt helping or hurting Republican chances in 2012?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Who'll fill void left by Trump and Huckabee in '12 GOP race?
(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The Republicans may have the keys to victory in 2012 in their grasp, but it's a question of getting the horses out of the barn, onto the track and into the race.
So far, the Republican presidential field is awful. It's no wonder President Barack Obama is smiling. And it's not just getting bin Laden that has him grinning. The economy is starting to recover. And the Republicans resemble “The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight.”
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and billionaire real estate developer-turned-reality TV star Donald Trump have both said they're out. Huckabee and Trump had shown more promise in the polls than some of the other names running or considering a run.
So, who will fill the void?
There is Mitt Romney - already lost. Newt Gingrich - not happening. Sarah Palin - please, get serious. There is Ron Paul, a man with great ideas about how to solve our problems, but serious questions about electability. Then there's Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann, both with potential to score big with evangelicals, but neither seem to be scoring points with the rest of the electorate.
That brings us to Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana, who almost everyone agrees would be a formidable challenger to Obama. And New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Christie says he's not "ready to run for president," despite the fact that Republicans all over the country are begging him to get in the race. And Daniels, who says he hasn't made up his mind yet. Daniels also says he could beat Obama…and he might be right.
It's pretty much a lead-pipe cinch the rest of the Republicans mentioned can't, except maybe for Christie.
Here’s my question to you: Who is likely to fill the void left by Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee in the 2012 GOP field?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Which will cause GOP more problems in 2012: Dems or Tea Party?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Despite last year's midterm shellacking of the Democrats and record low approval ratings for President Obama, there is a big potential problem for Republicans heading into the 2012 presidential election. Other Republicans.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/04/21/art.tea.party.jpg caption="Last week's 2011 Palm Beach County Tax Day Tea Party."]
More specifically, the Tea Party; that grassroots movement that helped the GOP win the House last fall and weaken the Democrats' hold on the Senate. These days they are all but driving the Republican agenda. They want big spending cuts and a much smaller government. The thing is a lot of Americans agree with them. And many of the newly-elected lawmakers who ran on those platforms have proven they're willing to stick to the budget-slashing principles even if it effectively paralyzes Congress.
Fifty-four Republicans in the House voted against last week's budget bill and for a government shutdown, a sign that upcoming battles like raising the debt ceiling and reforming Medicare could get very ugly.
The old line establishment Republicans aren't nearly so extreme, and that could become a problem when it comes time for the GOP to run against the Democrats in next year's elections. Potential GOP candidates like Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, and Donald Trump have all made appearances at Tea Party events this month. Others like Mitt Romney and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour have chosen to steer clear of events, while still speaking favorably of the group.
According to a CNN/Opinion Research poll, just 32% of Americans have a favorable view of the Tea Party, while 46% have a favorable view of the Democratic party and 44% have a favorable view of Republicans.
Here’s my question to you: Which will cause Republicans more problems next year: Democrats or the Tea Party?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Should McCain consider replacing Palin?
The Washington Post reports that the head of McCain's vetting team didn't do an in-depth interview with Palin until the day before she was offered the number two slot. Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
When it comes to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the hits just keep on coming.
Some of the latest revelations surrounding John McCain's surprise choice of a running mate: The Associated Press reports a private lawyer has been authorized to spend $95,000 dollars of state money to defend Palin in the trooper ethics probe. Contrary to her message of reform, Palin worked to get pork barrel projects for her city and state. Also, according to the A.P., her husband was once a member of the Alaska Independence Party, some members in that group advocate that Alaska secede from the Union. Also, the boyfriend of Palin's 17-year-old unmarried pregnant daughter is expected to join the family at the GOP convention.
Watch: Cafferty: Replace Palin as VP?
The McCain camp is pushing back hard, calling questions about Palin's background a "faux media scandal designed to destroy the first female Republican nominee" for V.P. and suggesting Palin is a victim of gender bias in the media. Where have we heard that before? They insist Palin was subject to a "long and thorough" vetting process. Really? The Washington Post reports that the head of McCain's vetting team didn't do an in-depth interview with Palin until the day before she was offered the number two slot.
Some are wondering if Sarah Palin could turn out to be another Harriet Miers, a vastly underqualified woman who was nominated by President Bush to become a Supreme Court Justice. Miers later had to withdraw her name from consideration. Gee… there's that parallel again.
No presidential candidate has withdrawn his V.P. pick since Democrat George McGovern in 1972. McGovern dropped Thomas Eagleton after 18 days as revelations surfaced about his mental health. Eagleton, too, had been a last minute pick.
Here’s my question to you: Should John McCain consider replacing Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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