The skeletons in Rick Perry's closet

[sonias]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20082696-503544.html">CBS News 7/25/11

The skeletons in Rick Perry's closet
(snip)
That fact was highlighted last Thursday, when former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee took a very pointed shot at Perry. "For all his new found commitment to hyper-conservatism," said the former GOP presidential candidate, "he'll get to explain why he supported pro-abortion, pro-same sex marriage Rudy Guiliani last time."

Perry's support for Giuliani - whose moderation on social issues alienated social conservatives and contributed to his dramatic flameout in the 2008 presidential race - isn't his only potentially problematic endorsement. He doesn't much like to talk about it these days, but Perry was actually a Democrat until 1989; the year before he converted to the GOP, he served as Texas chairman for then-presidential candidate (and current target of conservative disdain) Al Gore.

Then there are the issues, chief among them immigration. Perry, who presides over a state with a large and growing Hispanic population. has been criticized by Texas Tea Party groups for not pushing hard enough to pass a "sanctuary city" ban and other hard-line immigration legislation. In 2001, he signed the Texas version of the DREAM Act allowing children of illegal immigrants access to in-state college tuition. As Arizona Sen. John McCain's reelection campaign illustrated last year, any perceived softness on immigration issues can become a major headache in a Republican primary.

There are niche issues that could hurt Perry, like his support for the (never-created) Trans-Texas Corridor, a toll-road despised by small-government types that would have meant the appropriation of an estimated 81,000 acres of rural land. Or the executive order he signed in 2007 requiring that Texas sixth-grade girls be vaccinated against the human papilloma virus, a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer. (The order was ultimately blocked, but the order outraged many conservatives.)

And then there's the elephant in the room: Texas' debt problem. In the 2010 governor's race, Democrat Bill White pointed out that Texas' debt has doubled under Perry. Since 2001, according to the Star-Telegram's Mitchell Schnurman, Texas' debt has grown at a faster rate than that of the U.S. government. Perry assumed office in December 2000.

[tanyev]

1. And then there's the creepy way he looks and sounds more like GWB every passing day.

:scared:

[sonias]

2. Very creepy

Which is why we should all worry. The same people who voted for G.W. twice would vote this guy in too.

:scared:

[white cloud]

3. These school systems, LEO, FD, etc,

Are just now starting to see the perry budget deficit depression hit.

[flamin lib]

4. Perry, like Bush but without the intellect.

Hmmmm, a conservative, fundamentalist Republican Governor from Texas. What could possibly go wrong?

I hear he called Rumsfeld for advice on National Security staff advice and he's hired Doug Feith as foreign policy adviser.

[sonias]

5. Oh please don't bring those idiots back to center stage

Rumsfeld and Feith - :puke:

[sonias]

6. How big will the Perry/GOP budget deficit and budget shortfall be in 2013?

Eye on Williamson County blog 7/12/11
How big will the Perry/GOP budget deficit and budget shortfall be in 2013?

The legislative session(s) just ended a few weeks ago and discussion of the next GOP created budget mess has already started. That’s what happens when, as state Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan) stated, all they did was kick the can down the road. Kuff points, Opening bids on the next deficit, to this article at the Amarillo Globe-News, Lawmakers brace for ’13 woes.

Before we get too deep into this it should be pointed out the difference between a deficit and a shortfall, in Texas budget parlance. A deficit is a when the “balanced” budget that was passed brings in less revenue then was projected. That money, as was done this session, has to be cut or taken from the Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) to make up for it. A shortfall is the difference between the money needed to fund the budget “at current levels”, and what is projected by the Comptroller.

As was the case this session, we’re expecting to have both again next session, therefore the kicking the can down the road comment by Ogden. So what are the numbers/projections for next session?

Early projections indicate that when the Legislature convenes in 2013 it could face another revenue shortfall. Not as severe as this year’s $27-billion gap, but still problematic.

“I think we’re going to have a $10- to $15-billion budget deficit next session,” Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, said.

:kick:

[white cloud]

7. Just Great!!!

“I think we’re going to have a $10- to $15-billion budget deficit next session,” Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, said.

:evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: