OKLAHOMA CITY — Eat your heart out, Elizabeth Warren. In his speech at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry Perry criticized corporations and the exploitation of the American worker.
“Since when did capitalism involve the elimination of risk for our biggest banks?” Perry asked. “Capitalism is not corporatism. … It’s not about Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.”
Perry, who criticized Mitt Romney as a “vulture capitalist,” while losing his bid for president in 2012, chose to use his time on stage to promote his own record as governor of Texas. The longest-serving Lone Star State governor called on voters to select a nominee with executive experience.
“Leadership’s not just a speech on the Senate floor, it’s a record of action,” Perry said. “Executive experience matters. The stakes are too high for leadership that’s unproven.”
Perry reiterated his claim that he secured Texas’ border with Mexico, and that it’s time for the federal government to do likewise. A Texas Department of Public Safety report leaked earlier this year gave Perry credit for slowing last summer’s surge of illegal immigration into Texas, but criticized the $100 million his state spent to do so because of evidence that suggests the border is still open.
Perry has not performed well in recent polls. He has consistently received the support of just two percent of voters, according to RealClearPolitics’ average of polls. The Republican Party’s 2016 field of presidential candidates promises to be broader than in 2012.
