WATERLOO, IOWA – Texas Gov. Rick Perry made an open appeal to Tea Party conservatives Sunday, pledging during his inaugural trip as a Republican presidential candidate to veto any new spending measures that may be proposed once he’s president.
“The president of the United States has a pen and it’s called a veto pen and I will use it until the ink runs out if that’s what it takes to send the message that we’re not spending all this money,” Perry shouted, drawing cheers from a crowd of nearly 300 voters.
“We need to be focused on jobs in this country,” he said. “We need to be focused on getting our economy working again. And I’ve got a track record for doing that.”
During an emotional, sermon-like speech that lasted roughly 30 minutes, Perry criticized President Obama repeatedly and promised to restore the economy.
He asked voters not to confuse his tone with anger.
“[People say] you Tea Party types, y’all are angry,” he said. “We’re not angry, we’re indignant. We’re indignant at the arrogance and the audacity that this administration is showing about the values that are important to the good people of America. … We’re indignant about a president who goes on an American apology tour instead of talking about American exceptionalism.”
Perry entered the Republican presidential race on Saturday, the same day Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann won the Ames straw poll, giving her much needed momentum in a crowded GOP field that was thinned by Sunday with the departure of former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Bachmann, not to be outdone by Perry in her hometown of Waterloo, told voters that she can’t be defeated — even in Texas.
“We’re a team that can’t be beat,” she said, adding that she is “loved” nationwide. “Whether it’s South Carolina, Florida or Texas — it doesn’t matter where I’ve been, it’s the same.”
Bachmann touted her socially conservative values — including her opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage — as she tried to maintain a hold on her core constituency, the Tea Party conservatives Perry is courting.
“The Tea Party has been the best antidote to the out-of-control spending that we have seen in Washington,” she said. “We should be thanking the Tea Party.”
Bachmann was born in Waterloo — as she repeatedly reminded voters — and Perry’s decision to begin his campaign with an appearance there signaled his intention to challenge Bachmann for the very voters she spent months courting.
The Black Hawk County Republican Party dinner at which Perry and Bachmann appeared normally attracts about 100 people, but there were at least that many national reporters present on Sunday. The 300 dinner tickets were sold out and dozens of people bought $20 tickets just to hear the speeches.
It was apparent how fresh Perry’s campaign was on Sunday when reporters bombarded his press secretary, Katherine Cesinger, for her contact information and all she could offer was a scrap piece of paper with her email address on it.
“So what are you, the deputy press secretary?” one reporter asked.
Cesinger shrugged and said, “I don’t really know yet. We’re still kind of figuring that out.”
