Top story: The man whose name is now synonymous with “oops” has a legitimate shot to say “I accept your nomination for President of the United States” come 2016.
- Perry says today he won’t run for a fourth term as governor of Texas in 2014. But, pfft, we knew that. (First Read)
- What’s more exciting is the 2016 speculation. Perry said Sunday, “Certainly that’s an option out there.” (Katrina Trinko)
- And previously Perry has said he’ll make his 2016 announcement by the end of this year. (The Shark Tank)
- In fact, National Journal’s Tom DeFrank quotes unnamed Texas Republicans who say Perry “has been passing the word for months he’ll definitely run again in 2016.” (National Journal)
- Heck, Perry quoted from The Bible today. (Yahoo! News)
- In fact, it’s the same passage of Ecclesiastes he quoted while campaigning in 2011 — while running for president. (Vanity Fair)
- So if you were wondering why he hopes second time’s the charm when it comes to abortion and special legislative sessions, there’s your answer. (The New York Times)
- Speaking of controversial positions, while there are many, many — just oh-so many — reasons Presidential candidate Rick Perry would turn off any and all swing-voters, none of those reasons matter to the GOP base. Heck, in most cases, they probably help. (Think Progress)
- UVA’s all-knowing Larry Sabato: “They’re looking for someone who is not going to tiptoe through the tulips. And Rick Perry seems to enjoy crushing tulips.” (The New York Times)
- But what of the “stronger 2016 field” we keep hearing about? Well, among the potentially electable candidates (sorry, Rand Paul) Chris Christie can’t unify the base. (The Hill)
- Ditto, Marco Rubio. (The Washington Post)
- Heck, Jeb Bush can’t even unify his parents over a possible run. His parents. (The Orlando Sentinel)
- Which may just leave Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as the only viable office-seeker who isn’t straitjacket material (sorry, Ted Cruz). (National Journal)
- For further analysis read Jamelle Bouie’s four-part tweet on why most people are wrong to give Perry the longest odds for winning the nomination, including #3: “He can reflect the GOP base’s hostility to comprehensive immigration reform without being outwardly hostile to Latinos.” (Part 1), (Part 2), (Part 3), and (Part 4)
- Also remember that since 1968 every Republican presidential candidate — save Gerald Ford and George W. Bush — previously ran for the nomination. (Wikipedia)
- Of course, none of those failed first runs — not Reagan in 1976 nor Romney in 2008 — were as epically, memorably or awesomely awful as Rick Perry’s run. (The New York Times)
- And remember, it wasn’t Perry’s ‘Oops’ moment that killed his chances. If anything that Nov. 9 2011 debate performance crystallized the many “oops” moments that made up his entire campaign — the sum of which had his campaign in free-fall almost two months prior. (Christian Science Monitor)
- The polls from 2011 tell the story simply. From the moment he entered the race in August, the polls are all Perry! Perry! Perry! with double-digit leads — until mid-September when they would more accurately be described as all Perry? Perry? Perry? with single-digit leads that quickly melted away. (Real Clear Politics)
- Even now, one poll shows Hillary Clinton leading Perry. In Texas. (Public Policy Polling)
- By the way, he’s the ONLY Republican to trail Hillary Clinton in that poll. (Texas on the Potomac)
- And while Perry was a prodigious fundraiser during the 2012 campaign, “Perry won’t have incumbency to help raise money in Texas.” (Texas on the Potomac)
- In fact, during his 2012 run Perry never demonstrated fundraising success outside of Texas. (NPR)
- Further, he may not have the people who built him into Texas' longest-serving governor to help him because of that disaster-of-a-2012 run. (Politico)
- Then again, no matter the circumstances — no matter the state laws — Perry always finds a way to raise money to promote himself Texas. (Dallas Morning News)
- And, lest we forget, as Perry displayed today: He has a way with kids. (Domenico Montanaro)