Rick Perry renews call for part-time Congress in new Iowa ad

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry on Monday released a new ad in Iowa, blasting his fellow GOP contenders for their cumulative time served in Washington, and renewing his call for a "part-time Congress."

The thirty second spot, called "Part-Time Congress," argues that Perry's competitors should not be trusted to fix Washington given that "Among them, they've spent 63 years in Congress, leaving us with debt, earmarks, and bailouts."

"If Washington's the problem, why trust a congressman to fix it?" an announcer asks in the ad, which will air on Iowa broadcast and cable.

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"Congressmen get $174,000 a year and you get the bill," the announcer continues. "We need a solution."

"That's the reason I've called for a part-time Congress," says Perry, in a clip from a previous Fox News debate. "Cut their pay in half, cut their time in Washington in half, cut their staff in half, send them home. Let them get a job like everybody else back home has."

Perry has called for a part-time Congress on several occasions. In a recent Republican presidential debate, he also suggested that the U.S. Congress model itself after the Texas legislature, which convenes for just 140 days every two years.

In a statement accompanying the ad, Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan argued that Perry, whom he described as "the only Washington outsider in this race," has "the strongest plan to overhaul Washington, D.C." with his part-time Congress plan.

Unsurprisingly, a number of Democrats have lambasted the idea, including second-ranking House Democrat Steny Hoyer, who this fall accused Perry of "pandering to the Tea Party" with his proposal.

[thrashertm4]

If our Congress was made up of a majority of Ron Paul-like politicians, no doubt we'd have a part-time Congress because the role of the federal government would be radically reduced back to its Constitutional limits. Also, Ron Paul has promised to only take a $40K salary as POTUS, the median income for an American. Ron Paul leads by example.

[satin_lingerie]

We all know that Rick Perry is a terrible governor. He is awful.

Isn't the Republican Party pitiful if not ignorant, debased by its own smear of actual history? Of course it is!

Shouldn't we be giving the low life in the GOP fitting names like Italian Mob Enforcers.

Obviously this list is too obvious and redundant and trivial. Surely there is a better list out there somewhere.

"Arse" Santorum

"Jelly Roll" Gingrich

"Bishop of Sci-Fi Inconsistency" Romney

"Koch Brother Puppet and Representative" Ron Paul or Rand Paul. Rand is far worse than Ron. Thank God Rand isn't running for President for now anyway. Heaven forbid.

"Far More Edgy than Palin" Bachmann

"Alzheimer's Lockdown Patient" Perry

"The Other Mormon" Huntsman

[ge556]

Take away half their pay, and only rich people will be able to be in Congress. We already have too many rich people in Congress. Not many part-time jobs are compatible with being away in Congress the rest of the time.

[democracy8]

Make them stop treating their CURRENT job as a part-time job!

[EliminateUnionsNow]

These crooked sob's already work part time with full time pay and benefits. I say that all Senators and Congrees stand trial starting next year. They're all crooks so prosecutuion will be easy. They must all spend time in prison and be stripped of all pay and benefits.

[starving1968-3]

Why didn't you propose a "part time" school board in Texas, BEFORE they started raping all the text books and literally altering the pages of history?

[norcoast]

There's a lot to this idea of part time; in effect, Perry is just saying that Congressmen have too much power and spend too much time, especially their high-cost staffs, thinking of ways to solidify their positions. When Pelosi, in a fit of transparency, said--about the Health Care Bill--we have to pass it to find out what's in it, she summed up the problem of Congress: it has become so complex, and so powerful, that it doesn't matter what they do anymore, as long as they pass something that sounds good in an executive summary. Just pile more and more (borrowed) money onto a bloated, expanding federal bureaucracy, and then pander to one's local constituency with lies and exaggerations paid for with taxpayer funds. Our government is completely out of control, and proof of this is in the numbers: we're broke, and they don't care one wit about actually doing something about their uncontrolled spending. Don't even want to talk about spending, only finding more taxes, which won't ever come close to covering their unlimited spending addiction. So Perry's idea is not naive, it gets to the heart of the matter, despite its initial simplicity.

[myopinionpal]

Perry you are a part time governor collecting a full time paycheck.

[OnTheRoad01]

Last year Texas was in the hole 25 Billion dollars! Now are not suggesting that over this year and next year we will be in a deeper hole another 15 to 18 billion dollars! And some people want to put Mr. Good Hair in the white house??????

[AOCGUY]

Unfortunately we already have a "part-time" congress, we just pay for a full-time one.