“Not quite” – that’s Rep. Ron Paul’s response to a question about whether Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, deserves credit for the Texas economy. Paul notes that under Perry’s tenure, taxes in Texas have increased along with spending. His indictment has the effect of Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Minn., – or Blitzer – using Paul to cut the legs out from under Perry, who was just trading shots with Romney about the Texas economy. Paul even joked that he’s afraid of criticizing Perry too sharply, lest the governor raise Paul’s taxes again.
The moment makes clear a powerful dynamic about this presidential primary. Every popular conservative governor with a national profile has an in-state critic who calls the governor a RINO. In this election, the governor has to go through that in-state critic to get to the White House. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., had to go through Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., but he failed at the Ames Straw Poll. Now Perry has to stand on the stage and take enfillade fire from Ron Paul. Paul doesn’t have the ability to defeat Perry in a head-to-head match-up the way Bachmann did to Pawlenty, but he could cripple him against Romney by airing dirty laundry at devastating junctures.
