# What has Rick Perry done to alienate conservatives **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 21, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009 "2011-09-21T00:35:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/61 "2011-09-26T16:16:05Z")
What Perry did ,is stumble through debates that were with questions set up for him to shine, like a 9th grader on his first debate team. He fumbled badly. If he can’t answer set up questions from Fox staff, how can he be expected to respond in a real crisis. He has proven he is not presidential material. He is Sarah Palin in drag. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/62 "2011-09-26T16:20:53Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > What Perry did ,is stumble through debates that were with questions set up for him to shine, like a 9th grader on his first debate team. Why are you dragging Perry into this nice thread about US history? I what now? Hijacked? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/63 "2011-09-26T16:45:42Z")
Say, wasn’t Israel an independent state once too? Or am I thinking of Iraq? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/64 "2011-09-26T16:58:26Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I very much doubt that conjunction is possible, any longer. The next Pub in the WH will be what they would call a RINO. You mean like that “compassionate conservative” George W. Bush? You can still fool all of the people some of the time. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/65 "2011-09-26T17:41:04Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Why are you dragging Perry into this nice thread about US history? > > I what now? Hijacked? > > :smack: It was highjacked and then the highjack was highjacked. It is weird when you go back to the theme after the digressions. It does look out of place. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/66 "2011-09-26T19:32:55Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I’d call the claim to have been an independent Republic perhaps a bit iffy. From Wiki: Keep talking like that and we’ll secede! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/67 "2011-09-26T19:59:45Z")
Its iffy! Very, very iffy! So totally iffy, you wouldn’t believe how iffy it is! Great huiking gobs of iffyness! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/68 "2011-09-26T20:09:22Z")
We could, like, _toooooooootally_ be our country, dude! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/69 "2011-09-26T21:46:47Z")
In Wiki’s [List of former sovereign states - North and Central America,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_sovereign_states#North_and_Central_America) you’ll also find the State of Franklin, the State of Muskogee, and the Republic of Indian Stream. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/70 "2011-09-27T04:21:18Z")
While I haven’t lived in Texas for Perry’s entire time as Gov., I still might be able to offer local insight. Perry is not viewed as a conservative within Texas. Did we vote for him in the last election, yes. But that was due to Bill White, not because we’re in love with Perry. Perry dons his stetson and coat and loves to play the makebelive conservative when it’s important to HIM, not us. His record on illegal immigration is weak. Add to it the trans-Texas corridor, the vaccine deal…and others…he’s nearly as much an empty suit as what we have in office now. ---
**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/71 "2011-09-27T09:49:03Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > Rick Perry is in favor of no restrictions on Hispanic immigration. This pleases the business wing of the Repubican Party, which wants cheap labor, but it angers the populists. By populists you mean the majority of the population who [support Arizona’s efforts](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/04/poll-majority-support-arizona-immigration-law-with-reservations/) to give police the power to ask people they’ve stopped to verify their residency status. That’s not just conservative republicans [either](http://www.ajc.org/site/c.ijITI2PHKoG/b.6328679/k.151A/AJC_Fall_2010_Survey.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/72 "2011-09-27T11:00:44Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > You can still fool all of the people some of the time. You only have to fool them during elections. The rest of the time - screw 'em. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/73 "2011-09-27T11:07:07Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > You only have to fool them during elections. The rest of the time - screw 'em. could be the motto for the Perry campaign(s) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/74 "2011-09-27T13:24:30Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > Perry is not viewed as a conservative within Texas. So who is viewed as a conservative in Texas? Was W? > [@flickster](#): > > His record on illegal immigration is weak. Add to it the trans-Texas corridor . . . Wait, what?! Watchoo got against [it?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Texas_Corridor) Too expensive? (You do know, don’t you, that it has nothing at all to do with immigration or border security or a “NAFTA Superhighway”?) ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/75 "2011-09-27T13:50:53Z")
> [@Chen019](#): > > By populists you mean the majority of the population who [support Arizona’s efforts](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/04/poll-majority-support-arizona-immigration-law-with-reservations/) to give police the power to ask people they’ve stopped to verify their residency status. That’s not just conservative republicans [either](http://www.ajc.org/site/c.ijITI2PHKoG/b.6328679/k.151A/AJC_Fall_2010_Survey.htm). No. That’s not what “populist” means. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/76 "2011-09-27T13:57:26Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > While I haven’t lived in Texas for Perry’s entire time as Gov., I still might be able to offer local insight. > > Perry is not viewed as a conservative within Texas. Did we vote for him in the last election, yes. But that was due to Bill White, not because we’re in love with Perry. Perry dons his stetson and coat and loves to play the makebelive conservative when it’s important to HIM, not us. > > His record on illegal immigration is weak. Add to it the trans-Texas corridor, the vaccine deal..and others…he’s nearly as much an empty suit as what we have in office now. A lot of Texans who’ve lived here for many years regard Perry as[an opportunist](http://www.texasobserver.org/loonstarstate/item/18056-under-the-good-hair). He was a Democrat until he realized he could have more power & pay as a Republican. With the Teabaggers gaining power, he swung more to the right. Lots of us voted for Bill White. Lots of us still vote Democratic. Lots of us don’t regard President Obama as an “empty suit.” Especially in the cities. Texas is a big & diverse state. No one “we” can describe us all. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/77 "2011-09-27T16:33:13Z")
> [@AbloyProtec](#): > > Plus, he killed a coyote with a pistol. > > EDIT: It was a coyote, not a wolf. How did a coyote get a pistol? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/78 "2011-09-27T16:42:54Z")
All we have to judge Texas on is who they elect. They have given us Bush and then Perry. Nobody suggests that 100 percent on Texans support Perry, but they elected him. He is yours. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/79 "2011-09-27T19:52:39Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > All we have to judge Texas on is who they elect. They have given us Bush and then Perry. Nobody suggests that 100 percent on Texans support Perry, but they elected him. He is yours. Actually, 100% of Texans did _not_ elect him. [Do the math](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Perry#Electoral_history). In 2010 he got 54.97% of the vote. But that was a definite improvement on the 39% that kept him in office in 2006. I’m just saying that **flickster** does not speak for _me_. But I’ve only been a Texan since 1953. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009/80 "2011-09-27T20:28:31Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > How did a coyote get a pistol? From Acme. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-rick-perry-done-to-alienate-conservatives/597009.md?page=5)