Rick Perry For President: Announcement Marks Launch Of 2012 Campaign (VIDEO)

It's official, Texas Governor Rick Perry is running for president.

The AP reports that the Lone Star State Republican signaled his intentions to vie for the White House on a conference call with South Carolina voters on Saturday.

"I full well believe I'm going to win," Perry said about an hour before he planned to kick off the campaign with a speech in Charleston.

In a posting on his new campaign website explaining why he wanted to take on President Barack Obama, Perry contended that "America's place in the world is in peril, not only because of disastrous economic policies, but from the incoherent muddle known as our foreign policy."

Americans, he said, "will not sit back and accept our current misery." He said "a great country requires a better direction" and "a renewed nation requires a new president."

Perry's decision jump into the Republican presidential race promises to jolt the crowded field and threatens to cast a shadow all the way back to the Midwest, site of an important early test of his rivals' strength.

"I have never seen this landslide of emotion for a candidacy. I cannot literally keep up with the emails and messages coming into my cellphone," said Katon Dawson, a former GOP chairman in South Carolina who's a Perry supporter.

"There is an excitement for Gov. Perry that there just isn't around the other candidates."

Perry, 61, was to visit New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state, later Saturday before stepping onto Iowa soil Sunday.

The leading GOP candidate so far has been Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor making his second run for the nomination. With perhaps the exception of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), no one in the field has managed to raise the kind of enthusiasm among conservatives that seems to surround Perry.

Among the others in the race are former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and businessman Herman Cain.

Through three terms as governor, Perry has overseen significant job growth in his state while working to keep taxes low. He was an early backer of the tea party movement. He enjoys the support of social conservatives because of his opposition to abortion and gay rights. He is also an evangelical Christian who organized a well-attended prayer rally in Houston last week.

Perry is a prodigious fundraiser who has begun laying the groundwork for a national finance network that supporters say would rival President Barack Obama's. Obama is expected to exceed his record $750 million haul from 2008.

But some Republicans worry that Perry's hard-core conservatism and Texas style may not play well in a 50-state contest, particularly so soon after another Texas governor, George W. Bush, served in the White House.

Bush had record low approval ratings when he left office in 2009.

Perry's visit to New Hampshire was to be his first of the year, on the heels of a visit by some state activists to Texas to encourage him to run.

Romney has dominated early polling in New Hampshire, where he has a summer home and has devoted much of his campaigning so far.

 

 

Comments

[Thisboy]

01:02 AM on 08/17/2011

God gives Rick Perry's face another line everytime he makes a middle class man poor and a rich man wealthier.

[JBT3618]

08:29 PM on 08/16/2011

perry lied about vaccine for girls. It was not yet approved by the FDA. And used his position to shove it down the girls and parents throats. Mothers were begging the Gov. not to do this. Some girls died from it and some were sterilized. I for one would not want this for my granddaughter. And by the way, I read up on this the whole thing.

[CherMoe]

11:04 AM on 08/21/2011

I totally agree. In fact, I think there are a number of other vaccines that are harming our children. I take issue with what is causing Autism in our country specifically but also now occurring in other countries. I believe in Korea, it has been reported that 1 in 38 children have Autism. In my own family (with NO family history of neurological disorders), 7 babies were born in 2001, 5 of them being biological. Of the 5 biological children, born on different ends of the country, TWO of them are Autistic. Those vaccines with mercury (Thimersol) were still on the shelves and being used. I absolutely agree with you, and my family is educating themselves better and being careful about vaccinations that they will allow for their offspring. The vaccination for girls WILL NOT be allowed to be given in our family. We can't be led by the nose by people who stand to profit and CANNOT be held accountable by the public.

[Scott Bain]

12:32 AM on 08/16/2011

If you haven't watched this Rick Perry rap video yet you should check it out, this is funny stuff!

http://speakup-usa.com/?p=1365

[Siebenstein]

11:39 PM on 08/14/2011

This is a dangerous man.

[Saint Petersblog]

11:16 PM on 08/14/2011

Florida legislators rush to endorse Rick Perry's campaign for President

http://t.co/cFvAmG9

[karen7190]

10:12 PM on 08/14/2011

There really should be a brief but mandatory itelligence test given before one is allowed ot post here... Just saying... If you can't form a coherent sentence, spell basic words, or use basic grammar, please do us all a favor and stay off the blog sites.

[shande]

12:16 PM on 08/15/2011

How arrogant.

[karen7190]

07:29 PM on 08/15/2011

Sorry, just tired of reading illiterate rambings from people who profess to know so much about politics and the world. I find it hard to believe they know so much when they can't spell or punctuate a sentence! If you want to get into an intelligent exchange of information, know what the heck you are talking about, that's all I'm asking...

[molamark]

09:09 PM on 08/14/2011

anita think twice . education is ruined in fl The best she could ever get would be a one year contract even w 30 years senority. Maybe you should steer her towards psychology or social work if she wants to work w kids but teachers have NO rights in fl One year contract for those who begin this year. Young teachers get the worst kids and if their grades on standardized test dont go up teacher is let go. In education, all it takes is one administator who doesnt like you and you are done. There is NO job security anymore 1 year contract is it year after year, how can build a career like that ? Scott and Rhee really killed public ed .maybe it would be different in a charter school but I am telling you this parent to parent Can not in good faith recomend teaching in fl. Youngest teachers also placed in lowest socio-economic schools. I would really think twice. Good Luck -a vet

[DCR50]

05:07 PM on 08/14/2011

I for one am so happy to see Rick Perry in the race. He's the perfect Republican, a strong square jaw, folksy drawl, C'd and D's, and academics and B's in beer drinking in college, and never met a business he didn't like. With his pro business philosophy he has made Texas #1 in minimum wage jobs and the last in about every other quality of life measure. The schools now teach creationism as a science and history is rewritten to reflect those conservative values we all hold dear. Yes I think Rick Perry is just what the current class of GOP clowns needs to put some real gravitas in the race. A George Bush clone enters the race...and just when I was beginning to think nobody could make Romney look good by comparison. Rick Perry for President!

[Pantocha]

03:16 PM on 08/14/2011

I never said Tea Baggers are terrorist NEVER Idiots yes terrorist NO!

[ichabodcarter]

10:48 AM on 08/14/2011

By now the U S should be getting the idea that, when a Texas Governor is no longer affect and the Bible Belt voters won't vote them out because they may be "God Forbid" a Democrate, we allow them to run for President hoping the American public is a stupid as Bill Mahar thinks they are. This is the man who wanted to give Texas land to a foreign power to build a toll road across Texas. I hope America has more smarts than this, he is not the leader we need. Elect Rick Perry and you get more of the money of this country in the hads of the rich and less in the hands of what was the backbone of this country the middle class.

[oandroplex700]

10:08 AM on 08/14/2011

YAY RICK, YOU"RE GOING TO GIVE OUR BOY O-BUM-A.............SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

[RoadRevolution]

11:15 AM on 08/14/2011

Not only sleepless nights.... but just wait for the vipers to come out of the ground with their attacks. And yet... all those attacks... all the money spent on ads. all is for naught.... BO is out of here. Dems must be depressed as well.

[oandroplex700]

04:26 PM on 08/14/2011

I"M SURE THEY ARE PLOTTING AS WE WRITE ON THIS BLOG, OBUM HAS NO RECORD TO RUN ON, WE ALL KNOW THAT, SO HE WILL TRY TO DISCREDIT WHOM EVER HIS OPPONENT IS...........HE WILL RESORT TO ANY SORT OF DIRTY TACTIC, TRICK ETC..............HE EVEN HAS THE BIN LADEN MOVIE COMING OUT 1 MONTH BEFORE THE ELECTION, TO MAKE HIMSELF LOOK LIKE JOHN WAYNE
..........................WHAT A JOKE..................IT WILL BE HIS FINAL ATTEMPT TO TRY AND FOOL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, HOPEFULLY HE WILL BE UNEMPLOYED AFER THE ELECTION

[HaroldHeckubah]

01:09 PM on 08/14/2011

Since he's running a $27 billion budget deficit AFTER applying stimulus money to his budget, and, making it impossible to get a secular education, and selling 75 public roads to companies that have turned them into toll roads, since his job creation is 75% minimum wage jobs, not to mention that the unemployment rate is UP in Texas compared to the resto of the country since the recession ended, yes, he's giving lots of people sleepless nights. This joker is running for president of the country that we live in. You should be scared too.

[itschuck2c]

02:59 PM on 08/14/2011

Seventy five percent?? Where did you get that number..it is more like 1/3. The mean wage in TX is about 15 bucks/hr.

[kencrn419]

09:56 AM on 08/14/2011

Another superstitious fruitcake jumps out of the clown car.

[gailwrits]

09:34 AM on 08/14/2011

Sin has been running rampant and things are getting worse. People do need to repent that belong to the Lord, you can't over look sin and call it freedom. All it is doing is taking people to hell.

[ttruckr23]

10:58 AM on 08/14/2011

Sounds like you're looking to be RP's running mate in his quest to unseat Saint Barack?

[solid centrist]

11:17 AM on 08/14/2011

Delusional ools like you place far too much importance on your religion to the exclusion of common sense. It is quite possible and easy to keep strong religious beliefs, and still use common sense.

[reignmond]

09:32 AM on 08/14/2011

AmericanElect.org

[Thisboy]

09:24 AM on 08/14/2011

While admittedly our social services need revamping to become more efficient it is odd that the Right are always targeting the poor,ill and unemployed they claim are gaming the system while the group of wealthy, money changers in banking and Wall St responsible for losing a third of this country's wealth are protected by the Conservatives, given the ironic title of "Job Creators" and rewarded with tax cuts and less regulations. These so called Christians have made these Wealthy entities their new God's requiring regular sacrifices of Middle Class and Poor Americans as tribute.

[dahlia97]

02:27 PM on 08/14/2011

As you say, they are the big-time gamers of the system. Contrary to conservative thought, they are the takers that live off the system as much as some of the poor are doing ....and they are highly successful at it. They are called job creators as if our lives depended on these huge multi-national corporations for existence...as an example, I'd rather have a lot of small businesses than one big Wall-Mart....but maybe, that's just me.

[RoadRevolution]

05:20 PM on 08/14/2011

Do you think Christians should be poor? Do you think God wants Christians to not be the decison makers, the business owners, the people in charge of this nation? God blesses and keeps his followers. If you see Christians as the problem, then you don't understand anything. Those who reject God and don't seek him for guidance and direction is the problem some who are struggling with their lives. I will put it this way, Christians expect people to resolve their problems with themselves and expect a change of heart to be the first step in getting out the government system and demand more of themselves and their circumstances. Christians give more because they have more.... democrats and their agenda take more, and expect the poor to be loyal to their party, and to keep the poor needy and dependent.

[sandman7733]

12:23 AM on 08/17/2011

Where on earth did you come up with that poppycock?? The LEAST religious state in the U.S. is Oregon, where 18% of inhabitants declare themselves as having NO religious affiliation. For murder (per 100,000), births out of wedlock (2005 %), and persons living with AIDS (per 100,000), Oregon's stats are as follows: 1.9-28.9-76, respectively. The MOST religious state is Mississippi, with only 4% having no affiliation. Yet, their stats are as follows: 7.1-45.3-109. Ironically enough, entire nations display the VERY same trend, with very religious ones, exhibiting worse-often MUCH worse-stats than irreligious ones. And NO, these stats are not from some liberal conspiracy. They are from a conservative book, titled "Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism" by John Derbyshire. (MIssissippi ranks #6 in the nation for most Christians percentage wise at 70.10% )

[Thisboy]

12:49 AM on 08/17/2011

Sure, Wall St, The Mortgage Industry and Big banking that gambled away one third of the country's wealth and demolished people's lives are bastions of honesty and good deeds,working for God, testing those who suddenly became lazy, poor, and dependent as a result of the recession they created.
It's so reassuring to know there are "Good Christians" able to make broad generalizations,judgements and assumptions about the integrity and morality of millions of Americans based on their current financial situation as compared to theirs.
I suppose it must be easier to look down on people while believing you are perched on the Lord's shoulders.

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'" Matthew 19:23-24

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." 1 Timothy 6:17-19