McDonnell: Cut Perry 'some slack'
Concord, New Hampshire (CNN) - An "inferior" debate performance won't hurt Rick Perry in the long run, said the chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was asked at a press availability Monday about the Texas governor's widely panned performance at a GOP debate last week.
"He's been in the race for three weeks. I'd say cut him some slack," McDonnell said. "People will forgive something they might think is an inferior debate performance if somebody's right on the issues."
McDonnell was in the New Hampshire state capital to give the keynote address at a fundraiser for the state Republican Party.
Afterward he said that of the GOP presidential candidates, he was partial to Romney and Perry because they had served as governors.
The man in charge of the national effort to elect Republican governors said Perry's record on job creation in Texas was more important than a debate.
"At the end of the day this is not going to be an election that's going to be about personality. It's going to be about issues," McDonnell said, adding Perry was strong on the economic issues driving this election. "This wasn't maybe his best performance, but this thing's got a long way to go."
The rising GOP star emphatically ruled out the chance he could join the 2012 field, but would not rule out a vice presidential slot.
"The only thing those nine Republicans care about now is how are they going to get the nomination," McDonnell said when asked about the possibility he could round out the GOP ticket. "And then they'll worry about all that sometime next summer."
Also see:
New week, same Perry-Romney battle
From CNN Politics
- Interior Department announces $33M to clean up 277 methane-spewing wells on federal land. There are millions more
- Results are in: Best Balance Transfer card of 2022
- Supreme Court may soon loosen gun laws as nation reels from massacres
- Why Beto O'Rourke is right to talk politics today
- Judge tosses challenge to New York law that opens gun industry up to civil lawsuits
- Untitled
While I'm not a Perry supporter, he didn't have much choice on the college tuition bill for children of illegals. The legislature passed that bill with only 4 dissenting votes and if Perry had vetoed it, it would have been overridden.
We'll cut him as much slack as the Tea Party has given to Obama – exactly zero. The Presidency is not an internship.
Why don't you cut Obama some slack too? In case Republicans win, you would expect Democrats to help you but you Republicans don't want to help Obama now, isn't it?
How about cutting some slack for our middle class and bring some jobs back to our country. We see what has happened to the middle class in Texas. Minimum wage jobs and poor is Perry's answer.
Can he be cut some slack if he is elected and pulls this when dealing with world leaders and world affairs? Not!
How about cutting some slack to people before party ? Why not slack off a little on all the lies about how much goverment money Perry has taken, and why is Perry so wealthy on his Governors salary ?
Well, this is certainly interesting. The GOBP elitists have for years acted as if they alone held the secrets of free market capitalism and were therefore superior to the great unwashed masses who question the value of unregulated capitalism. Now, however, it is OK to be "inferior." Yet again, the GOBP cult fails to accept personal responsibility despite demanding it from others.
Yes, let's give this fuill time politician "some slack" while finding fault with every word the president says. Perry can't think on his feet and that suggests a sound bite mentaliity, never more than will fit on a bumper sticker-just right for the Tea Pot Brains.
Why is it when one of their own gets caught in their own words, the Republicans always ask folks to give them some slack, while at the same time whenever a Democrat says something contradictory or controversial, the Republicans demand a full House and Senate investigation and demand impeachment proceedings get started? Typical Double-Standard.