I haven't been too sure what to make of Rick Perry. He had his good and bad points, and he's done some great things for the People of The Gun here in Texas, including signing the Castle Doctrine law, taking the CHL records out of the public domain and clarifying the law to say you can travel with a loaded gun in your car without a CHL, and signing the law prohibiting weapon confiscations in states of emergency as happened down in New Orleans. With such actions, I as a Texas gun owner am quite confused at what I saw in this morning's Houston Chronicle:
Gov. Rick Perry's endorsement Wednesday of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the Republican presidential nomination sparked renewed speculation that Perry is seeking a spot on the ticket as a vice-presidential candidate.
*snip*
Perry's endorsement of Giuliani was unusual because the conservative governor differs with Giuliani on numerous issues, including Perry's opposition to abortion and support for gun rights.
Perry downplayed their differences on abortion, saying Giuliani would appoint "strict constructionists" to the U.S. Supreme Court who would have an impact on limiting abortions.
Perry said a presidency under Democrat Hillary Clinton would lead to court appointments "that would cause people to wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night.
Perry also said Giuliani understands there are differences on what kind of firearm limits might work in New York and not work in Texas or other places.
Perry made it clear that one of his biggest reasons for backing Giuliani is a belief that he can win the presidency.
Where to start? I can't believe Perry actually swallowed Giuliani's shuck-and-jive. Perry's reviled by more than a few conservatives in this state, to be sure, but I never expected his tin ear to be so bad. The issue of Giuliani and his double standards on the gun issue has been covered here and elsewhere before, but there is one thing I don't think I ever really thought about before Perry's sellout. Notwithstanding his recent conversion as a proponent of federalism and state's rights, Giuliani's record of advocacy for uniform federal laws further restricting our rights is well-known and out there for anyone who cares to go looking for it. And I just can't believe there's been anything to change his opinion on that.
As for supporting Giuliani because he can supposedly win -- what about certain other candidates *cough*Fred Thompson*cough* who are more or less running neck-and-neck with Giuliani 13 months before the damn election? It's still early yet and there's a lot that could happen. I realize the go-along-to-get-along mentality is quite prevalent in politics at all levels, but I still find it disgusting that Perry would throw his principles away so early. On second thought, maybe he never really had any. Maybe he just did those good things on Second Amendment issues because he knew those actions were politically expedient. Whatever the case, I am just left shaking my head. For shame, Governor Perry. For shame.
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