Perry is against abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or the health of the mother, reports On The Issues. During his State of the State address in 2011, Perry said he supports a law that would require women to have a sonogram before getting an abortion, saying, "We need to protect the unborn by fast-tracking the sonogram bill, so that women are fully, medically informed before they make the life-changing decision to terminate a pregnancy."
Perry supports a Constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. However in 2010 he predicted that gay marriage would eventually be the law of the land thanks to judges legislating from the bench, writing in his book.
Gay marriage will soon be the policy of the United States, irrespective of federalism the Constitution, or the wishes of the American people. Not because it actually is protected in the Constitution, but because judges will declare it so.
Perry is outspoken in his support for the 2nd Amendment. He famously admitted that he takes his gun with him while jogging because he is afraid of snakes. In 2010 he shot and killed a coyote who threatened his dog while out on a run.
Perry has called for Obamacare to be repealed, writing in his book that it threatens the future of America:
The so-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or what we often refer to as Obamacare, simply must be repealed. Period. If we are unwilling to repeal a 2,000-plus-page bill that its sponsors admitted to not having read, that will cost trillions of dollars, that is opposed by a majority of the nation, that unconstitutionally requires private citizens to buy private health insurance, and that spits in the face of any principles of limited government and federalism --then we should just give up. The future of American depends on reversing this law.
One of Perry's criticisms of President Obama is that he does not know how to create jobs. Perry said he has a history of job creation, saying during his 2009 State of the State address, "From November 2007 to November 2008, roughly 70% of the jobs created in the U.S. were in Texas. Think about that for a moment. Our state is home to one out of ten Americans, but seven out of ten new American jobs were created here in the Lone Star State.
Only he can answer it, but if past behavior is an indicator, all who doubt him are in for a surprise. Our own experience says he deserves much scrutiny and criticism and that the possibility of him as the Republican nominee — and as president — is real.
Doubters should ask Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Last year, she looked like the gubernatorial candidate to end his career — on paper, until he wadded her up in the primary. He out-campaigned her and — this is the hard part for critics including ourselves to accept — outsmarted her.
He has never lost an election. Luck is among the reasons. Dumb luck is not. He has an instinct for knowing voters' hearts and minds before they and his opponents do.
He's a scripted candidate who refused to debate his Democratic gubernatorial challenger and wouldn't meet with newspaper editorial boards. Those who interpret that as an inability to think on his feet, veer from his script or win a debate should prepare for a surprise.
Perry already surprised the national media by attracting 30,000 people to his Aug. 6 prayer meeting in Houston. The media predictions were less than a third of that. What before was deemed a foolish gamble that would fail became, in hindsight, a bold stroke and a success.
Throwing in with the extremely evangelical Christian element appears now to be an inspired move to win the nomination that could turn into a liability in a general election. That's a logical viewpoint. It might be more logical to entertain the possibility that Perry has figured out something that logical viewpoint-holders don't know. Those 30,000 participants aren't 30,000 maybes and they aren't just votes. They'll be 30,000 zealous volunteers. They may not outnumber those who disagree with them but Perry probably has calculated that, on Election Day, they will.
Those — we — who suspect cynicism in Perry's courting of the evangelicals can't deny that he has proved to them that they can count on him. He doesn't just know the right verses. The sonogram bill he proposed is now state law. They actually can trust him — and how many politicians can claim that, truthfully?
His biggest liability may appear to be the country's most recent experience with an ex-Texas governor as president. Or, that might prove as big an obstacle as was the name George Bush to the second one's election.
We won't address yet whether Perry would make a good president, other than to say we have been displeased with how he governs Texas. But he makes an excellent presidential candidate, as the other Republican candidates and perhaps President Barack Obama will find out.
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