Texas Gov. Rick Perry just officially declared his candidacy for president in Charleston, S.C., and in the process delivered the most effective speech, by far, of any Republican presidential candidate this year.
The most interesting aspect of it was that despite the fact that it was delivered to conservative activists at the gathering of the blog Red State, with a few tweaks, it could have just as easily served as a general election speech to the broader electorate.
During his speech, Perry painted a portrait of America in decline, with a stagnant economy and ever growing debt. This was not necessary he said, but the result of President Obama’s policies of spending money and burdening businesses with a raft of regulations.
He then compared it to his record in Texas, which is responsible for 40 percent of the jobs created since June 2009, and credited this to the low taxes and favorable regulatory environment.
On foreign policy, Perry critiqued Obama’s tendency to appease enemies and alienate our allies, specifically mentioning Israel.
While other Republican candidates have made similar criticisms, Perry displayed a number of attributes that are lacking in the current field.
His biography of growing up farming in a small Texas town and his ease of delivery brought a level of authenticity and “regular guyness” that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is sorely lacking. His record in Texas allows him to tout tangible accomplishments that Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., cannot. And he projected an image of strength that made you think he could take it to Obama in a way that former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty would not.
Also, unlike Pawlenty and some of the other candidates, he isn’t self-conscious about being perceived as being insufficiently conservative, so he didn’t have to pepper his speech with cheesy catch phrases fed to him by joke writers.
Interestingly, he didn’t delve into social issues. And perhaps, coming off his prayer event in Houston last weekend, he felt he didn’t need to prove to values voters that he was one of them.
To be sure, a candidate usually looks best on the day they announce. And in the weeks and months ahead, we’ll be treated to a deluge of stories about how his record isn’t as conservative — or successful — as he suggests. But today, he demonstrated why many people have viewed him as a potentially formidable candidate. He could not have asked for a better start to his campaign. And the timing of the launch is likely to make the winner of today’s Iowa Straw Poll look small.
