[PAA-Discuss] Fwd: Perry manuvering to run for VP?

[S Gonzales]

oh, gag - Kay Bailey Hutchinson / Rick Perry vying for
a spot to run as VP on the GOP ticket in 2008? 

--- TOM BLACKWELL 
> 
> Is Perry angling for shot at VP?
> Moves to raise national profile may spark new clash
> with Hutchison
> 
> 
> 
> 02:21 PM CDT on Thursday, April 13, 2006
> By WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News
>
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/041306dntexperry.1742d049.html
> 
> AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry had very different messages
> about federal spending in
> recent appearances before two very different groups.
> 
> To Senate budget writers in Washington, he pleaded
> for $2 billion to compensate
> the state for hurricane relief.
> 
> Four days later, Mr. Perry drew cheers from a
> Republican gathering in Tennessee
> when he lambasted big-spending government where
> "deficits explode, entitlement
> programs take over."
> 
> His appearances point up the dual strategies of a
> governor who insists he's
> focused on Texas as he approaches re-election while
> allies work to burnish his
> national credentials as a potential vice
> presidential nominee.
> 
> The out-of-state events not only have heightened his
> profile but they also have
> created behind-the-scenes tension with Sen. Kay
> Bailey Hutchison's backers. They
> see her as a more likely choice for vice president
> on a GOP ticket in 2008.
> 
> "She's going to be on the short list of whoever our
> nominee is going to be,"
> Dallas businessman and Republican fundraiser Jim
> Francis said.
> 
> Perry political adviser Dave Carney declined to talk
> about anything beyond the
> current Texas race. But as a measure of the effort
> to market Mr. Perry on the
> national stage, the governor and Mr. Carney met last
> year with a top Washington
> operative to discuss writing a book to showcase the
> governor's conservative bona
> fides.
> 
> Gov. Rick Perry has made a number of out-of-state
> appearances that have
> heightened his national profile. "There have been a
> lot of conservative leaders
> and politicians who have been successful as book
> authors, starting with Barry
> Goldwater, Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich," said
> Craig Shirley, whose firm
> markets books for major political figures.
> 
> Mr. Shirley said he had lunch with the governor and
> Mr. Carney, where they
> discussed the process of writing, publishing and
> promoting a book.
> 
> "When they came to me, they already had the idea of
> writing the book," he said.
> "I offered some suggestions about topics and
> publishers and things like that."
> 
> He said Mr. Perry – who succeeded Gov. George W.
> Bush in 2000 when Mr. Bush
> became president – would have strong appeal among
> national conservatives because
> of his views on taxes and social issues.
> 
> Mr. Shirley added that it was clear Mr. Perry wanted
> to win re-election first
> before publicly expanding attention beyond Texas.
> 
> Texas' long history of producing national political
> figures stems from its size
> and rich source of campaign contributions as well as
> a penchant for
> rough-and-tumble politics that prepares candidates
> for national campaigns
> 
> Mr. Carney said the only thing the governor is
> concentrating on is his run this
> year for another term in Texas.
> 
> "While it's flattering for people to talk about it
> and think about it, I just
> don't see that down the road," Mr. Carney said.
> "He's clearly focused on one
> thing now, and that's the special session [on school
> finance] and re-election."
> 
> Book is often a preface
> Writing a book is often seen as a prelude to seeking
> high office.
> 
> Mr. Bush published his autobiography, A Charge To
> Keep, after his 1998
> re-election as governor. Others who've written books
> in advance of a
> presidential bid include Republican John McCain and
> Democrats John Kerry, Al
> Gore and John Edwards.
> 
> Texas Democrats reject the likelihood of either Mr.
> Perry or Ms. Hutchison as VP
> candidates. But both camps appear to be positioning
> themselves as contenders.
> 
> Mr. Perry spoke in February to the Conservative
> Political Action Conference in
> Washington and to a meeting of Southern Republican
> governors in March in
> Memphis, Tenn. There, he met with potential GOP
> presidential candidate Bill
> Frist of Tennessee, the Senate majority leader.
> 
> "He's a very attractive candidate and he's a true
> conservative, someone who will
> be on various folks' lists," said Bill Lauderback,
> executive vice president of
> the American Conservative Union, which sponsored the
> Washington event.
> 
> Mr. Lauderback, a former economic development agency
> official from Texas who has
> known Mr. Perry since the 1980s, said he intends to
> invite Mr. Perry to speak
> again next year to the high-profile conservative
> conference.
> 
> Mr. Carney denied any conflict between Mr. Perry's
> appeal to the Senate
> Appropriations Committee for federal funds and his
> appearance later before the
> GOP group in Memphis denouncing runaway government
> spending.
> 
> He said the request for hurricane relief was good
> stewardship as governor and
> his pitch to the Republican leaders "was just
> standard rally-the-troops"
> rhetoric.
> 
> This month, Mr. Perry appeared in Houston with
> Republican Sen. John McCain of
> Arizona, who may run for president. Mr. McCain has
> signed a campaign
> contribution solicitation letter for Mr. Perry,
> saying, "Texas leads the way in
> advancing a strong Republican message that is a
> model for America."
> 
> Hutchison strategy
> Meanwhile, Hutchison allies have what one associate
> calls "a full strategy in
> place that's ongoing to be vice president,"
> including aggressive political
> fundraising and national appearances.
> 
> Ms. Hutchison's decision against challenging Mr.
> Perry's re-election was based
> in part on the belief that she would be better
> positioned for the national
> ticket by avoiding a risky, politically bloody
> battle for governor.
> 
> Mr. Francis, the Dallas fundraiser and Hutchison
> supporter, said Republicans
> probably will be looking for a woman to balance the
> ticket if Democrats pick
> Hillary Rodham Clinton as their presidential
> nominee.
> 
> "If you look at who's got good national exposures,
> who's already up to snuff on
> the issues, you basically end up with Kay Bailey
> Hutchison and Condi Rice," Mr.
> Francis said, referring to the secretary of state.
> 
> Former state GOP Chairman Fred Meyer touted Ms.
> Hutchison as an appealing figure
> on a future national GOP ticket.
> 
> "One of the best things about Kay is her ability to
> phrase positions and state
> positions in a way that does not alienate people who
> don't agree with you," he
> said.
> 
> Generally, Ms. Hutchison is seen as being more
> moderate than Mr. Perry on some
> social issues, such as abortion.
> 
> Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax
> Reform, who knows Ms. Hutchison
> and Mr. Perry, said each has a good record on
> controlling taxes and spending.
> And he said either one would be an asset to the
> Republican Party.
> 
> "If you're talking about who might run for president
> or vice president, who
> might be in the Cabinet or play a key role, both of
> those names are going to be
> up there," he said.
> 
> "So yeah," he said, looking ahead to the next
> presidential sweepstakes. "You
> guys get two bites at the apple."
> 
> 
> 
> --
>           Regards, TOM BLACKWELL, PO Box 25403,
> Dallas, Texas 75225
>                   
> http://pages.sbcglobal.net/tom.blackwell/
> 
> 
> 
> 


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com