"I hate debates. I hate debates worse than I did spinning when I was a pilot in the United States Air Force, but you know what—I practiced enough that I got pretty good at it, so there’ll be plenty of debates."
"No. I was just giving a speech."
Rick Perry in Wilton, Iowa (Taken with instagram)
Romney sustains attacks, pushes back during Nevada debate:
Mitt Romney sustained attacks from all sides at Tuesday night’s Republican presidential debate, but the former Massachusetts governor hit back at his opponents, displaying the tenacity that has kept him near the top of polls. But it remains to be seen if his offensive stance will secure him lasting support with voters.
Only 3 percent of Floridians polled over the weekend said they would vote for Texas Gov. Rick Perry,Political Wire reports. According to an InsiderAdvantage/Florida Times-Union poll of likely Florida voters, Perry has plummeted from front-runner to the bottom tier in the Sunshine State. Support for Perry, who once held a national double-digit lead over his closest competitor, began to decline after his poor debate performance Orlando, Florida last month. Perry led in Florida just a few weeks ago according to a Quinnipiac University poll unveiled on Sept. 22.
According to Us Weekly, Rick Perry’s presidential bid came up in pillow talk between Ashton Kutcher and his alleged mistress Sara Leal:
The post-coital talk was a little unexpected, she confesses; the duo talked astrology (they’re both Aquarius), religion, love, even politics. “I told him I was a Lutheran from Texas. He said, ‘Oh my gosh! Are you a Republican?’” Leal says.
Democratic-leaning Kutcher quizzed her on “up-and-coming candidates. I said Rick Perry. He asked if I’d vote for him. I said I didn’t know and he laughed. He laughed at pretty much everything I said.”
See! Someone is still talking about Rick Perry!
Tuesday’s Republican debate will save Perry’s campaign, or end it
The back and forth on policy at the debate could be overshadowed by a bigger storyline: Can Rick Perry use the event to turn his turn his campaign around? Perry, the governor of Texas, has lost his position as the front-runner in 2012 polls in recent weeks, amid criticism over his uneven debate performances. His position on Social Security, which he’s described as a “Ponzi scheme” and a “monstrous lie” that ought to be administered by the 50 states instead of the federal government, will almost certainly come under scrutiny at the debate. His support for allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at Texas public universities is also likely to come up, as his rivals have cast the policy as fiscally unwise. At the last three debates, Perry has struggled to defend his policies, and he has also had trouble delivering scripted attacks against Mitt Romney, his leading opponent for the Republican presidential nomination. Will Perry be better prepared Tuesday night? The answer could determine the fate of his campaign for the White House. While Perry raised $17 million in his first weeks as a presidential candidate, money alone won’t allow the Texas governor to overcome skepticism among Republican voters and party insiders about his ability to defeat President Barack Obama. Only a strong debate showing and a steady grasp of issues can do that. If Perry can’t regain momentum now, he will not be able to recover.
The Republican presidential candidates will gather for their second televised debate in New Hampshire on Tuesday night, when Bloomberg and the Washington Post host a forum centered entirely on the economy.
Rick Perry raised $17 million for 2012 bid
Rick Perry raised more than $17 million during his first month and half as a Republican presidential hopeful—a total likely to surpass the cash that any of his other GOP rivals brought in during their third-quarter fundraising.
The Texas governor’s campaign is the first to publicly announce his latest fundraising total, but sources close to Mitt Romney’s campaign have said that it expects to report between $11 million and $13 million raised between July and September.
Rick Perry on defense over family hunting camp’s racist name
Presidential candidate Rick Perry hit back this weekend against fallout from a Sunday Washington Post story regarding a hunting camp leased by the Texas governor and his father. The camp had formerly been known by the racially inflammatory name of “Niggerhead.”
The Post reported that the Perry family had painted over the slab of rock bearing the slur. But Perry’s own description of when that happened differs from the accounts of seven people interviewed by the Post. Those sources all said the offensive name was visible during the time Perry was associated with the camp.
It’s still the Mitt Romney vs. Rick Perry show—but this time, the Texas governor looked a little shaky.
In their third debate in the last two weeks, Perry and Romney clashed repeatedly at Thursday night’s Republican presidential debate in Florida, each seeking to gain ground in an increasingly tumultuous 2012 primary race. Perry strongly defended his stance on Social Security, accusing Romney of trying to mislead voters about his position. “It’s not the first time that Mitt’s been wrong on some issues before,” Perry declared.
