To be the hare in the race, the favorite to win, so far ahead of your opponents, that you trip over your feet at the finish line and lose to the turtle. Many republicans would view Governor Ricky Perry as the hare and his comments on allowing immigrants to pay in-state college tuition his tripping over his feet.
In 2001, Perry signed a bill that made Texas the first state to grant in-state tuition to children of non-documented immigrants, of whom must have resided in the state for a minimum of three years and are trying to obtain permanent residency.
Orlando was filled with conservative campaigners all lined up to participate in the three day weekend calendar of events centered around Presidency 5, when Perry’s comments floated through the air like the national anthem streaming through the speakers at a stadium game, quickly ensuring itself as the main topic of everyone’s conversation.
According to the Huffington Post Perry stated, "If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no reason than they've been brought there, by no fault of their own, I don't think you have a heart," he said. "I still support it greatly."
The American poet William Williams once stated, “It is not what you say that matters but the manner in which you say it; there lies the secret of the ages.” In this case, it a different set of words, or a better follow up response would have made a world of a difference. But to alienate your voters in the defense of those who at this point can’t win you the nomination is a move only a dare devil would make. To add salt to the wound he infers that you should agree with me because I am right and if you don’t not only are you wrong, but you are heartless. Within the context of one statement Perry managed to distance himself from his once allies by fighting opposite to them on an issue that will stir the waters, testing their faith in him, and then label them heartless if they don’t swim to the shores of his defense.
According to CNN their response was immediate:
Vero Beach activist Dorothy Frances, one of the more than 3,000 diehard Republicans who attended the convention, came into the weekend supporting Perry. That changed when Perry answered a question about the roughly 16,000 young illegal immigrants who took advantage of the Texas tuition law last year.
- · "He was my man until then," Frances told CNN. "He defended it so strongly, about giving illegals breaks and things like that. He defended it so vehemently, so strongly. It disturbs me."
- · Naples resident Randy Freeman said Perry "stumbled greatly" on the immigration issue and may have seriously damaged his reputation with the Republican base.
- · "I don't think a lot of conservatives knew as much as they did now," Freeman said. "That's pretty much the vetting process. But I am not sure how he recovers from this."
- · Then there was Newberry retiree Ann Stone, who entered the debate a Perry supporter but left looking for someone else. "It's absolutely an issue," she said. "He lost me. $100,000 for an illegal immigrant? You bet he lost me."
Saturday’s rising sun shed light on just how much damage Perry’s comments in the debate hurt his campaign when in Florida’s straw poll, what was supposed to be a landslide for him, he was defeated by political underdog Herman Cain. What was supposed to be his cakes icing in showing a early dominance in campaign turned out to be a tremendous let down for both him in the polls and all the Republicans that turned their resignation into the governor and are now looking elsewhere for a candidate.
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