Closer Look at the Candidates: A Case for Rick Perry

{by Maribeth Barber}

These next few months we’ll be taking a closer look at the 2012 presidential candidates… If you support a certain candidate, I invite you to make the case for them here! [Can anyone make a case for Obama?] As long as your writing is intellectually honest and well researched, we would love to hear your opinion. Keep in mind, however, that what is expressed during this series is just that: opinions. Part of being intellectually engaged is practicing thinking critically and respectfully disagreeing, so read analytically but with an open mind, and feel free to start a discussion, ask questions, and disagree. Thanks to Maribeth for starting us off!

The Republican presidential campaign has kicked into high gear. My goodness, what a field!   We have two fiery Texans, one a governor and the other a representative; a methodical former governor from Massachusetts; a sharp-tongued Minnesota congresswoman; an eloquent Southern businessman; a former Speaker of the House, and a few more former governors and senators. What more could you want for variety?

The problem is, there are so many to choose from and so many issues to discuss. In fact, it can get rather overwhelming when your goal is to choose your candidate wisely.

The trick is research: reading everything you can about each candidate and knowing what they believe. Of course, you need to know what you believe, as well, for any of this to be worth your effort.

I knew what many of the candidates believed because their names have been familiar to me for years. But when Governor Rick Perry of Texas got into the race--well, that’s when I had the opportunity to bury myself in research, and I came out of it firmly convinced that he was my preferred candidate.

I discovered that Rick Perry has been governor of Texas since his predecessor, George W. Bush, became president in 2001. Perry was an Air Force pilot and then a cotton farmer before he got into politics in the 1980’s. He married his high school sweetheart, Anita, and they have two grown children. He describes his hometown, Paint Creek, as being so small you can’t find it on a map.

But then I went deeper, down to the nitty-gritty. What was Governor Perry’s record? Was he really as committed to limited government as he claimed? What I found out surprised and excited me.

I found out that Governor Perry strongly supports the Constitution’s supremacy as the law of our land. One of the most important parts of the Constitution, he believes, is the 10th Amendment: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Perry believes the 10th Amendment is so crucial, he even wrote a book about it. Fed Up: Our Fight to Save America from Washington is nothing less than a small-government manifesto. In it, he explains that, according to the 10th Amendment, things like school curriculums, license plates, definition of marriage, drug use, etc., should not be under Washington’s jurisdiction. Those powers haven’t been delegated to Washington. But those powers are not “prohibited [by the Constitution] to the States.”

Part of our problem is that our Federal Government-- the President, the Congress, and the Supreme Court --hasn’t followed the 10th Amendment. They’ve run roughshod over the States. If Washington can be cut down to size and free the States from burdensome and unconstitutional regulations and laws, we’d be much better off.

One example of this kind of overregulation-- and one that Governor Perry uses in his book --directly impacts my home state of Louisiana. In April 2010 an oil rig off the Louisiana coast exploded, causing a major oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico. The federal government prevented our governor, Bobby Jindal, from taking any action; he wanted to build up barriers against the oil on our vulnerable coastal islands, but he couldn’t due to “environmental regulations.”  Adding insult to injury, President Obama signed an executive order ending all oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico-- indefinitely.

No bureaucratic agency should prevent a governor from taking emergency action as he sees fit. No president should have the authority to wipe out a huge chunk of Louisiana’s economy with the stroke of a pen. But it’s obvious that Washington doesn’t care. The government has thrown the Constitution to the wind and invaded areas of our lives where they have no authority, whether it be healthcare, business, or our incomes.

When he announced his intention to run for president, Governor Perry promised, “I’ll work every day to make Washington, D.C. as inconsequential in your life as I can.” Needless to say, this was a breath of fresh air, especially to those who’ve borne an incompetent, arrogant federal government long enough.

On other issues, too, I was more than satisfied with Governor Perry’s record. With the sole exceptions of Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain, I can’t think of another candidate who is more principled on both social and economic issues. By this I mean that, like Bachmann and Cain, Governor Perry holds deep, unwavering convictions on these topics, most of which are controversial. However, neither Bachmann nor Cain have governing experience, which Perry undoubtedly does.

Governor Perry is pro-life and unashamedly so. He recently signed into law a requirement for Texas women to receive sonograms before getting an abortion. He believes in traditional marriage and supports a Constitutional amendment that would define marriage as being between one man and one woman. He recognizes parents’ right to educate their children as they see fit and especially appreciates the homeschool movement.

On economic matters he passes with flying colors. Under his leadership, Texas has become the most prosperous State in the Union, thanks to low taxes and minimal regulations. Governor Perry would like to see both the 16th Amendment (which legalized income tax) and President Obama’s healthcare plan repealed. He has famously described the process of printing more money (and thus devaluing our currency) as being “almost treasonous.”

First and foremost among all these points, however, is his unashamed profession of faith in Jesus Christ, his belief in the inerrancy of Scripture, and his obvious love for his wife and children. In August he participated in a prayer rally in Houston. Governor Perry prayed aloud, asking the Lord’s mercy on our wayward country in the name of Christ. You can’t get much more courageous than that.

 I could name off dozens of other things I appreciate, but my word count for this article is limited. And besides, I can already hear you saying, “That’s all well and good, but is there anything you don’t like about Rick Perry?”

As a matter of fact, there are a few things I don’t like about him:

1. Governor Perry supported the building of the Trans-Texas Corridor, a billion-dollar project that would consist of several highways from Oklahoma to Mexico, and from east-to-west in Southern Texas. This idea didn’t go anywhere due to a vigorous public outcry and he let it die. Nevertheless, it’s a blot on his record. A highway that extends into another nation could potentially compromise American sovereignty--which is why I look warily upon anything, be it a highway or a pipe line, that crosses our national borders.
2. In 2007, Perry signed an executive order mandating that Texas girls receive Gardasil, an HPV vaccine. (HPV--Human Papilloma Virus--is a sexually-transmitted disease.) There was an enormous backlash and rightfully so. By signing this order, even while providing an opt-out, Perry was not making himself inconsequential in Texans’ lives. There was such an outcry that, three months later, he allowed a bill to go into law that would overturn his order. (The vaccine debacle has come up since Governor Perry became a presidential candidate. He’s admitted that he made a huge mistake. He’s also confessed how he never once asked for the opinion of his wife. Apparently Anita Perry, a lively and opinionated former nurse, gave him a sound scolding when she found out what he’d done. “I should’ve asked her first,” Perry explained.) 
3.  Perry was less strict on immigration issues than he should have been during his first years as governor, continuing the policies of his predecessor, Governor George W. Bush. He’s become downright tough on illegal immigration in the past six years or so, but he’ll still need to explain some of his former decisions to voters.

Governor Perry was wrong on those points, granted. Although I see them as blots on his record and things he’ll have to face in the coming months, they don’t invalidate my support because he’s changed his thinking and/or accepted the will of the people in every case. If he had wobbled on critical issues like abortion, homosexuality, or even biblical economics, I’d be far more concerned.

Thinking these things through is part of evaluating a candidate. It’s part of being honest with other people and yourself. It’s part of being a responsible American--and even more importantly, a responsible Christian.

My charge to anyone reading this article is that you research your choices with great care, whether you prefer Rick Perry, Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, or someone else. We’ll be held accountable for every vote we cast. This election will be crucial for our country; our choices will doubtless affect many generations to come.

At the same time, remember you’ll never find the perfect candidate. There will always be something you don’t like about someone. It’s God’s way of preventing us from making idols of mortal men. Recognize that everyone makes mistakes; see if any candidates are humble enough to admit it.

Seek the Lord as you make your decisions. Yearn to glorify Him even with your vote. In the meantime, this proud Perry supporter will go to the primaries with a clear and cheerful conscience.

Maribeth Barber is a nineteen-year-old homeschool graduate and amateur historian. She lives in southeast Louisiana with her wonderful parents, eight younger siblings, nine goats, fifty chickens, one dog, and two cats. She loves to read and write about politics as well as American and world history. Maribeth is currently studying freelance writing and is the author of her personal blog, Step by Step. 

"The little bodies of children are the repositories of the greatness of a future age. And they must be encouraged, must eat from the tales of those who’ve gone before, and brandished their swords, and slayed dragons." —Peggy Noonan