Ron Paul: A Texas thorn in Rick Perry's side

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, left, and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, during a Republican Presidential debate Monday, Sept. 12, 2011, in Tampa, Fla.

/ Mike Carlson

Rick Perry and Ron Paul are both Republicans from Texas. Other than that, the two contenders for the Republican presidential nomination have little in common, and their shared party affiliation and state of residence has done nothing to bring them closer.

Whereas Perry is charismatic, smooth and has been a fixture of the Texas political establishment for decades, Paul is blunt, intentionally unpolished, and eager to highlight his frequent departures from party convention.

The two men can't even agree on whether they'd met before Perry's first presidential debate earlier this month. Paul said that they had not, while the Perry campaign begs to differ.

"They had met previously," Perry spokesperson Mark Miner told RealClearPolitics, noting that the Texas governor recalled hosting a meeting earlier in his term with the Texas congressional delegation, which he says Paul attended.

Paul has been particularly eager to contrast himself with Perry in style and substance over the past couple of weeks, and the Republican front-runner has not shied away from responding in kind.

After Perry entered the race last month, Paul denigrated his fellow Texan for being a "candidate of the week" and suggested that Republicans would sour on him once his record was scrutinized more closely. Then Paul released a TV ad in which he called his rival "Al Gore's cheerleader," in reference to Perry's 1988 endorsement of the Democrat.

Despite having bigger political fish to fry at the moment in the form of Mitt Romney, Perry engaged Paul directly in his first GOP debate by noting that the congressman had left the Republican Party in 1987 to run as a Libertarian candidate in the 1988 presidential race.

The two Texans got into it even further at Monday's CNN/Tea Party Express debate in Tampa when moderator Wolf Blitzer asked Paul whether Perry deserved credit for the state's job growth.

"I'm a taxpayer there," Paul said in immediately personalizing his answer. "My taxes have gone up. Our taxes have doubled since he's been in office. Our spending has gone up double. Our debt has gone up nearly triple. So no, and 170,000 of the jobs were government jobs, so I would put a little damper on this, but I don't want to offend the governor because he might raise my taxes or something."

Paul's eagerness to take Perry on -- and Perry's willingness to oblige him -- has created a dynamic in which the three-term governor may be in danger of taking his eye off the ball, with Romney standing by and watching it unfold.

Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, said that one consequence of GOP hegemony in Texas is that some of the state's most deep-seated political antipathies are between Republicans.

"From 30,000 feet, they would seem like natural allies, but from the beginning, Paul's presence has been an irritant to the Perry campaign," Henson said. "I think part of the ethic of the Perry campaign is that they like a good fight. Up to this point, they've been good at it, and it's part of their public and self-image that they don't shy away from a fight. They're certainly willing to declare victory and exit the battlefield at the most advantageous point, but the campaign's approach is reflexively scrappy."

Paul's eagerness to take Perry on so directly is a departure from the congressman's 2008 strategy, when he focused relentlessly on delivering his own message consistently and emphatically, rather than emphasizing his opponents' flaws.

And so far, Paul's efforts appear to be having an effect, as he has been a significant factor in the debates rather than a mere sideshow.

Perry critics have noted that while the Texas governor is typically comfortable when he is on the attack, he has at times proven less sure-footed when opponents have put him on the defensive. And indeed, his tendency to "punch down," rather than pivot away from lower-tier candidates, has been on display in the two debates thus far.

Tea Party activist Debra Medina, who twice shared a debate stage with Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison during the 2010 Texas gubernatorial primary, witnessed firsthand Perry's discomfort with being challenged directly by a candidate who may not ultimately defeat him but is nonetheless eager to make him squirm.

"Certainly I'd say there's a huge divide between who Rick Perry is in fact and who Rick Perry is portrayed to be, and that's what Ron Paul is trying to demonstrate," Medina, who is a Paul supporter, told RCP. "So now he's in front of seven other Debra Medina's saying, 'Wait a minute, Governor, that's not what's going on out there.' "

Perry's decision to respond directly to, rather than deflect, Paul's jabs seems a significant risk. But the Perry campaign says that just because the GOP front-runner is willing to engage with Paul does not mean he is in danger of falling off message.

"Some candidates, the only way they can get attention is to make outlandish comments, and the only way they can get into the news cycle is to say something that is not true. But to get attention, they'll say it," Mark Miner said of Paul. "Everybody at the debates has been attacking the governor, including the moderators, so it seems to be a game plan by the other candidates, but it's not going to change our strategy or what we're doing. The governor's going to continue to talk about his issues, and when there's misinformation or factually incorrect comments made, he'll stand up to correct those comments."

Still, Paul's keenness to lock horns with his fellow Texan poses a clear long-term challenge to Perry, since the congressman is likely to remain in the race deep into the nominating cycle, no matter how Paul fares in the early voting contests.

In Iowa, where recent surveys show Paul polling in the double digits, the libertarian-leaning candidate is likely to join Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann in challenging Perry from his right flank over the controversy surrounding his 2007 executive order mandating that young girls be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (his former chief of staff was a lobbyist for Merck, which makes the vaccine Gardasil).

"Congressman Paul being from Texas and being someone who deeply respects states' rights, takes the governorship very seriously, so things like raising taxes and the Gardasil issue are things that really hit home for him," said A.J. Spiker, Paul's Iowa co-chairman. "Because of his belief in constitutionally limited government, crony capitalism is something that's always been offensive to Congressman Paul."

Paul alone may never get enough airtime to put a significant dent in Perry's armor in the early voting states. But a sustained and unofficially coordinated assault on Perry that combines his weight with that of Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum could give Perry another reason to worry about more than just Mitt Romney going forward.

Scott Conroy is a CBS News consultant and reporter for RealClearPolitics.

[konr22]

Rick perry is gonna raise way more $$$ than Ron Paul. That's a free market for ya.

[RichardKClinton]

It has come to pass in America, Those who speak the truth are considered fringe or quacks and those who lie are considered "mainstream"! Yes I am talking to YOU Americans! Wake up and for once in YOUR life stand up for your principles and what is Right!

[BensonSt]

"And so far, Paul's efforts appear to be having an effect, as he has been a significant factor in the debates rather than a mere sideshow."

What does that say about US Politics and our Country itself, when the only honest one of the bunch, and the only one not controlled by PAC money and corporate interests, is considered a "side show?" As far as I'm concerned, the rest of them are Circus Freaks, and Ron Paul is the only real American up there.

[preferHonesty]

Perry is going to have to explain why he lied about the donation he got from Merck, it was $30,000 not $5,000.

But I think his response to Bachmann tells me all I need to know about him. Apparently he was offended she thought he would sell out for SO LITTLE.

Clearly he is a high priced prostitute, not a cheap one.

Would have been different if he had been upset that she thought he would sell out PERIOD.

But it turns out he DID sell out for quite a bit more than 5Gs.

No politicians forgets a supporter who donates 30,000 dollars to him.

[Klockers00]

How the media manipulates people is getting them to believe 1 minute sound bytes are truth. Taking things out of context and blowing something up, drilling in your head until you think it's true. Then they count on you never going to research that it's not true. A politician says whatever he wants all the time, YOU believe it because you already like him. You don't go prove YOUR candidate wrong for the benefit of your country, you just go with it. Then someone gives you the truth and you deny it and defend your candidate's stance. WAKE UP!!! All you political beliefs come from TV. Your whole belief system is based off of what the TV says. Talking heads tell you their opinion and since you like them, hence why you watch, you never go prove them wrong. Yet, with people you don't like you will find anything to smear this person. Ron Paul is what America has been asking for. A person willing to really do something for us. You don't have to agree with all his ideas, you never will with any politician. Certainly you would vote for a man that knows when something is not working and is willing to change it. Even if his ideas went into affect and it didn't work, he wouldn't keep doing it, that's insanity. If you are the type of person that sees Ron Paul as nuts, then you are part of the problem.

[noloyalisti]

Sorry to break the news to you but there is NO Republicon who knows what America needs. They are still pushing the failed tax cuts for the rich and the failed deregulation of big business that caused this depression.

During the First Great Republicon Depression, massive spending on infrastructure WORKED. So why not do what worked to get us past the Second Great Republicon Depression we are in?

[baskem]

I am really very happy to see a mainstream artical with an emphasis on Ron Paul. It is such a shame to see how he is being treated by the media. It clearly shows that the establishment is afraid of this man. Those that call his issues crazy must also realize that industries have been built up around corruptness in this country to the point that we are going to lose the country that we all love if we don't wake up and realize what is really going on. The phony war on drugs is a sad joke. Sure it sounds good to those who know nothing about how the cia brings in hard drugs into our country,,,or the poppy fields that our troops guard in afghanistan. There are just sooo many dark secrets that plague and undermine what America is supposed to be about. I can't even begin to scratch the surface of what I am tring to convey here. All I will say, is for those who want to know the truth about how things really are,,,do your homework and reasearch and find these things out for yourself instead of calling others crazy. The info is out there, but you won't find it by watching any of the mainstream news channels or reading major news papers. Local papers, TV stations and radio outlets were owned mostly by local individuals with an interest in their community. That began to change as a powerful institution known as the Council On Foreign Relations gained power and the trend toward total corporate media control rapidly accelerated during the Bush era with media consolidation.
Suddenly the old rule that one corporation could not own all of the town's news outlets was gone. Companies like Clear Channel Communications suddenly began to buy up every radio station, TV outlet and newspaper in major markets, effectively controlling everything that people read, watched and heard. The pattern of media consolidation has increased during the last eight years to the point that now only a few corporations control the news that we watch. He who owns the media, controls the media. With such powerful platforms they are able to drown out independent media and control public opinion and government policy. There can be no freedom without freedom of the press and there can be no freedom of the press if only a few powerful corporations are allowed to own it. I love this country, but hate to see what is happening to it. Yes,,,The private Federal Researve needs to be brought down. The only value that our currency has, is how much of it is in circulation, and the Fed determines that, along with interest rates. Booms and busts are a direct reflection to how the money supply is manipulated. These facts along with fractional reserve banking practices, are killing this countries economy. TIME TO WAKE UP PEOPLE,,,QUIT WATCHING SO MUCH TELEVISION,,,QUIT BELIEVING FOX NEWS, MSNBC CNN AND ALL OF THE OTHERS. You will never find solutions there. Just a bunch of blowhards talking out of the side of their necks and pushing agendas like war mongering and the scary brown boogeyman AlQuida,,,which by the way, is used by the cia. VOTE FOR RON PAUL,,,HE KNOW WHAT THIS COUNTRY NEEDS.

[konr22]

Sorry to break it to you. Ron Paul is just another corrupt pawn.

[alaclaire5]

SOME CORRECTIONS ... YOU ARE NOT DISTRACTING ME AGAIN COME ELECTION TIME!!!!

Despite having bigger political fish to fry at the moment in the form of Mitt Romney ... " This is hilarious, I do not know a SINGLE REPUBLICAN who would vote for Romney, yet the media keeps insisting these guys are front runners ... REPEATING IT DOES NOT MAKE IT SO!! Or, does it?

Paul denigrated his fellow Texan for being a "candidate of the week" and suggested that Republicans would sour on him once his record was scrutinized" ....... Ron Paul has faith in the American people to do their homework, wow, how TERRIBLE! Oh, how about reporting on Perry PHYSICALLY INTIMIDATING Ron Paul at the debate.

Paul's presence has been an irritant to the Perry campaign," PAUL RAN FOR THE NOMINATION 4 YEARS AGO (BROKE RECORDS ON $ EARNED) AND IS THE MOST POPULAR (NOT MSM) CANDIDATE!


Paul's efforts appear to be having an effect, as he has been a significant factor in the debates rather than a mere sideshow."
."lower-tier candidates, has been on display in the two debates thus far."

A sideshow AND lower-tier?!?! HOW IS IT THE LOUDEST YELPS FOR CIVILITY COME FROM THE NAME-CALLING SELL-OUTS?

the only way they can get attention is to make outlandish comments, and the only way they can get into the news cycle is to say something that is not true." Um, but to whom are you referring? Ponzi-scheme "shout out" by Perry comes to mind. Oh, he is trying to jump in on Paul's platform, WHICH HAS BEEN CONSISTENT FOR OVER 20 YEARS.


***This is getting ridiculous, half of this article is complete NONSENSE.

The PEOPLE are beginning to catch on, YOU WILL NOT FOOL ME THIS ELECTION, I am beyond this Dem vs. Rep CRAP.

The MEDIA are not looking out for US, fine, but like the politicians --- YOU CAN'T DO YOUR JOB, GET OUT SO SOMEONE ELSE CAN!!!!

[MDK20-20]

You are sick because you eat a bunch of processed food, drink sodas all day, and have a 2 pack a day habit and someone other than you should watch/pay/cover your stupid choices. Like the man said its called freedom, you should be allowed to be that stupid just dont ask me to help pay for your years of abuse to yourself. When the day ends you are responsible for EVERY choice you make. Accept responsibility. Or become a communist, they have state run healthcare and you will never have to make a choice about anything again.

[msmarie2u]

I'm a Texas teacher Perry can go to hell in Texas

[konr22]

He Will.