Topic: Rick Perry

The NRA Convention Is Packed with Heat, Dip, and Sore Winners

Reuters

The NRA just had an amazing victory in defeating a bill to require universal background checks on gun purchases — something it endorsed 15 years ago — and yet the speakers at its 142nd annual convention in Houston sounded awfully bitter. Here's how Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, and more defended freedom against those sissies in the White House.

By Elspeth Reeve

Feb 15, 2013

The GOP Primary: Where Are They Now?

During the 2012 Republican primary, several candidates were criticized as unserious hustlers who cared less about America's problems than getting more famous into order to sell books — or get a Fox News contract like the one Herman Cain landed on Friday. Well, it's a year later. How did everyone do? 

Comments | 9,621 Views

By David Wagner

Nov 6, 2012

Republicans Keep Misusing Aaron Copland's Music

Has anyone checked Aaron Copland's grave for signs of vigorous rolling? Copland, the great American composer, who was openly gay and whose politics were socialist-leaning, keeps showing up on the Republican campaign.

Comments | 7,695 Views

By Connor Simpson

Sep 23, 2012

Rick Perry's Debate Performances Explained: He Has a Sleep Disorder

Rick Perry was a leading candidate for the Republican nomination, until a series of terrible debate performances and viral ads derailed any hope he had. Texas Tribune reporter Jay Root reveals Perry's poor performance could be chalked up to one thing: an undiagnosed sleep disorder. 

Comments | 1,696 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 17, 2012

All the Republicans Calling on Romney to Release His Tax Returns

The chorus of conservatives calling for Mitt Romney to release more of his tax returns has grown from being mostly those with an ax to grind to elected officials and the conservative establishment.

Comments | 3,377 Views

By Serena Dai

Jul 13, 2012

Chart of the Day

A Brief History of Political Spending Gaffes

Rick Perry — who is still governor of Texas and is soon moving back to the official gubernatorial residence in Austin that was recently rebuilt to the tune of $25 million — is not the first politician to be criticized for spending lots of money for personal comfort. But we wanted to know how it stacked up to previous scandals of extravagance.

Comments | 2,231 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 9, 2012

Texas, Where 25% Are Uninsured, Opts Out of Medicaid Expansion

Texas Gov. Rick Perry sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius saying his state would not set up the health insurance exchange required by Obamacare, and would not expand Medicaid, either. While the first thing is flashier, the second thing is more significant.

Comments | 4,989 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 24, 2012

The Sunday Grind

Issa Sells Contempt Vote; Pawlenty Pulls Away From Veep Hype

Darrell Issa appeared on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopolous and Fox News Sunday to sell his contempt vote against Attorney General Eric Holder; Rick Perry called President Obama's use of executive privilege "Nixonian;" and Tim Pawlenty shied away from some of his VP hype. 

Comments | 2,033 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jun 21, 2012

A Growing Force in Republican Politics: The Email Forward

Joe the Plumber, a campaign trail prop in 2008 and Ohio congressional candidate in 2012, is the latest conservative public figure to get busted stealing from an email created by the army of anonymous right-wing forwarders.

Comments | 2,738 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

May 29, 2012

Ad Watch

Obama Campaign Loves Romney's Embrace of Born-Again Birther Trump

Today in Ad Watch: President Obama's campaign says Mitt Romney's embrace of Donald Trump says something about his character, while Karl Rove's Super PAC says that while Bain Capital might be bad, Obama's "Wall Street games" are worse.

Comments | 862 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

May 16, 2012

GOP Primary: Where Are They Now?

Herman Cain really endorsed Mitt Romney Tuesday, though not without saying a number of embarrassing things, like "What Governor Romney did in Massachusetts, I does not care." It made us kinda miss the guy.

Comments | 3,012 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Apr 26, 2012

Romney Locks in Worthless Rick Perry Endorsement

Just how useless is a Rick Perry endorsement nowadays? Well, Perry's 39 percent approval rating in Texas is sad enough, but one poll finds that the one way Romney could do worse in the state is if he chooses Perry as a running-mate.

Comments | 862 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Apr 18, 2012

Republicans Won't Have Any Manly Men This Year

Ted Nugent's promise to be "either be dead or in jail by this time next year" if President Obama is reelected only highlights the conspicuous lack of a manly man's men in the 2012 presidential race.

Comments | 1,324 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Apr 6, 2012

Rick Perry, Your Trayvon Martin Tweet Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is well known for loving guns and threatening vigilante violence, so it's pretty easy to guess what he'd think of Florida's Stand Your Ground law that has come under criticism after the Trayvon Martin shooting.

Comments | 5,915 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Apr 6, 2012

Is Ralph Nader Right About Apple's Texas Campus?

Activist Ralph Nader has written an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook urging the company to refuse the nearly $30 million in Texan taxpayer money already pledged to lure the company to build a $304 million campus in Austin.

Comments | 3,646 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 26, 2012

The Smart Set

Rick Perry's Gridiron Redemption; January Jones Is Pro-Placenta

Also: Prince Harry and his ex-girlfriend are speaking.

Comments | 1,642 Views

Gingrich-Perry Is a Dream Ticket Deferred

Newt Gingrich's spokesman on Sunday dismissed speculation about a potential Gingrich-Rick Perry ticket being announced before the Republican National Convention in August, saying the two camps have not discussed the idea "at any level."

Comments | 148 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Mar 9, 2012

How to Tell It's Time to Quit the Presidential Race

Is the time right for Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum to get out of the Republican primary? We looked back at the media coverage of the last three weeks of several doomed campaigns and found Three Signs of Campaign End Times.

Comments | 4,015 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Mar 9, 2012

Why on Earth Is Rick Perry Giving Apple Money?

While we're excited that Apple's decided to expand its operations in the United States, it's very difficult not to be cynical about the details.

Comments | 2,301 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Feb 22, 2012

A Look Back at Our Most Treasured GOP Debate Memories

The 2012 Republican presidential candidates -- what's left of them -- will debate for the very last time Wednesday night and we're sure going to miss them.

Comments | 1,663 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Feb 16, 2012

Hoping You Won't Forget Him, Rick Perry Wants a Super PAC

Even though he dropped out of the presidential race to spend more time tweeting manly photos of himself and endorse Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry is making a bid for America's attention.

Comments | 1,158 Views

By Dino Grandoni

Feb 10, 2012

Romney Shows Business Leaders Some Love

Speaking to a group of 900 business leaders this morning, Mitt Romney was quoted by The Washington Post as saying, “I know it seems like government doesn’t like you. I love you."

Comments | 1,141 Views

By Ray Gustini

Feb 6, 2012

What the Tweet?

K Street, Tubas, and Eye Socket Science

After a long day spent staring at Twitter, we're sharing our favorite tweets that made no sense.

Comments | 386 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Feb 1, 2012

The Best Totally Wrong Predictions of the Republican Primary

Now that we've had a couple hours to mourn the fact that the most boring Republican candidate will likely be the presidential nominee, it's time to hold all those pundits who tricked us into thinking there'd be someone more fun to write about accountable for their mistakes.

Comments | 6,605 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 27, 2012

Rick Perry Is Now Spending His Time Shooting Things

Rick Perry is trying to get back some of the swagger he lost by failing so badly in the Republican presidential primary by tweeting pictures of himself with weapons.

Comments | 980 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 23, 2012

Do Not Interrupt Mitt Romney!

You know what Mitt Romney hates more than socialism? Being interrupted.

Comments | 7,258 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 23, 2012

Cartoon

Rick Perry Stays True to His Brand

Cartoonist Steve Benson on Rick Perry

Comments | 981 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 20, 2012

Poll Watch

Romney Slipping in South Carolina and Nationally

Only a week ago, it looked like Mitt Romney might make history by winning Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, which no candidate had ever done before. But now it looks like a different candidate will win each of the first three nomination contests, which has never happened before, either.

Comments | 2,802 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 19, 2012

5 Things We Loved About Rick Perry

Sometimes you can't appreciate how precious something is until you lose it, and that's how we feel about Rick Perry's presidential campaign.

Comments | 3,023 Views

By Dino Grandoni

Jan 19, 2012

Rick Perry Is Done Running for President

Five months riding into the GOP nomination race on a wave of enthusiasm, Gov. Rick Perry will be moseying back to Texas, CNN reports, breaking the story.

Comments | 13,048 Views

By Ray Gustini

Jan 17, 2012

What the Tweet?

Denmark, Clumsy Polar Bears, and Rejecting Rick Perry

After a long day spent staring at Twitter, we're sharing our favorite tweets that made no sense.

Comments | 1,210 Views

By John Hudson

Jan 17, 2012

Home News From Afar

Rick Perry's Name Is Mud in the Turkish Press

Texas governor Rick Perry caused something of an international incident Monday, suggesting that longtime NATO-ally Turkey was ruled by "Islamic terrorists."

Comments | 2,433 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 17, 2012

Rick Perry Should Know a Vulture When He Sees One

Cartoonist Nick Anderson on the fall of Rick Perry. 

Comments | 1,870 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 17, 2012

What They're Saying About Last Night's Republican Debate

Mitt Romney took the brunt of the attacks in last night's first South Carolina debate, with all the other remaining candidates looking to bring the front-runner back to the pack.

Comments | 4,746 Views

By Eric Randall

Jan 13, 2012

Calling All Inanimate Objects: Rick Perry Will Now Take Your Questions

Rick Perry perhaps jokingly called on a mannequin with a raised hand while taking questions at a South Carolina campaign stop, and a meme is ready to be born.

Comments | 3,986 Views

By Dino Grandoni

Jan 13, 2012

Perry Still Has Trouble Counting to Three

Wow, this is just getting sad. Appearing on a Savannah, Ga., radio station on Friday, Rick Perry again messed up his now-famously gaffe-prone talking point about the three government departments he'd like to cut.

Comments | 13,584 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 12, 2012

Perry's 'Vulture Capitalism' Attacks Hurt Donor's Feelings

Rick Perry should have remembered that rich people -- even the ones that give money to politicians -- are really sensitive before he started talking about "vulture capitalism."

Comments | 2,243 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 12, 2012

Democrats Excited About Bain Should Remember Jeremiah Wright

It's odd David Axelrod is so excited to see the attacks on Mitt Romney's business career in the Republican primary, considering that four years ago, the early airing of another emotional issue in the primaries was expected to stop Axelrod's own candidate, Barack Obama.

Comments | 1,150 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 11, 2012

The Likeness of Being Romney and Obama

A lot of conservatives think Mitt Romney's record will offer a clear contrast with President Obama's, but what they don't dwell on is that the two men's personality flaws are almost exactly the same.

Comments | 5,900 Views

By Eric Randall

Jan 11, 2012

Perry Can Debate In South Carolina After All

Though it appears Rick Perry doesn't meet any of CNN's criteria, the network says Gov. Rick Perry will be allowed to participate in next week's debate, because, apparently, Perry actually wants to submit himself to more debates.

Comments | 2,243 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 11, 2012

Will New Hampshire Change Anything?

Mitt Romney's big victory in New Hampshire was decisive, but expected, which means it will take another 10 days — and another vote in South Carolina — before any more Republican contenders are driven from the race. 

Comments | 242 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 10, 2012

How the GOP Primary Was Occupied

Conservatives are shocked that several of their top presidential candidates are sounding like Occupy Wall Street protesters, attacking Mitt Romney for his experience as a millionaire investor who sometimes had to fire people -- you know, a job creator.

Comments | 3,562 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 9, 2012

Poll Watch

Huntsman Has Momentum in the Race for Second Place

With Mitt Romney way ahead in New Hampshire, the more interesting fight, NBC News' First Read says, is for second place -- Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are fighting for conservatives, while Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman are going for independents.

Comments | 2,387 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 9, 2012

Since When Do Republicans Hate Corporate Raiders?

It's weird to see Republicans abandon their beloved job creators to embrace the rest of us slothful job consumers.

Comments | 1,686 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 8, 2012

GOP Debate: Finally Taking It to Romney

The guys trailing Mitt Romney were expected to finally unleash their harshest attacks on him last night, and they didn't. Now that they've slept on it a few hours, maybe the Not Romneys will figure out this is their last chance to make the case for their candidacy before Tuesday.

Comments | 1,338 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 7, 2012

GOP Debate: Easy Night for Romney

The two debates in the next 12 hours are supposed to offer what we've been waiting for all year: the Not Mitt Romney candidates attacking Mitt Romney.

Comments | 2,551 Views

By Dino Grandoni

Jan 4, 2012

Finished Assessing, Rick Perry Ready to Dive Back into South Carolina

Fifth place in Iowa apparently isn't deterring Rick Perry just yet, as he's now tweeting that he's moving on in his campaign to South Carolina.

Comments | 2,002 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 4, 2012

The Theory That Mitt Romney Loses by Winning

If Mitt Romney is going to be the Republican nominee, he needs the rest of the candidates to drop out -- just not yet.

Comments | 3,600 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 4, 2012

Rick Perry May Be the First Casualty of Iowa

Rick Perry has returned to Texas to "reassess" his presidential campaign in the wake of a fifth-place finish in the Iowa Caucus. 

Comments | 734 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jan 3, 2012

Santorum Wins Tie with Romney in Iowa

The morning vote tally has Mitt squeaking by Rick by a count of just eight measly votes.

Comments | 16,539 Views

By Ray Gustini

Jan 3, 2012

Oh, the Things You'll Eat: A Culinary History of the Iowa Campaign

If we've learned anything from watching the GOP's would-be presidential nominees crisscross Iowa these last few months, it's that the campaign trail never runs out of ways to make people appear silly in full public view.

Comments | 15,274 Views

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