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.
Full CBSNews.com coverage: Election 2012
"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.
