Realistic Republican vote is for Rick Perry

The vetting of candidates for the Republican nomination for President has started and (thankfully) Michelle Bachmann has decided to bow out the race after a bad showing in Iowa leaving voters with five candidates who will compete in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida. Despite his wins in New Hampshire and Iowa even front runner Mitt Romney admits he has an uphill battle in South Carolina and beyond.

Out of all of the candidates, the one I believe is best not only to represent the Republican Party but also defeat Barack Obama in 2012 is Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Rick Perry has an excellent record on economic growth. Thanks to his leadership Texas has created jobs while the overall U.S. job market and economy has shrunk under Obama. An overview of his economic record as Governor has earned him consistent B ratings from The Cato Institute as well as praise from The Club for Growth. If he wins the nomination and Presidency I look forward to him enacting his Cut, Balance and Grow plan along with his idea of halving the time and pay of members of Congress.

Perry has kept taxes low and enacted tort reform while having a good, strong record on the right to bear arms earning him accolades from Gun Owners of America. Perry did come under some criticism because of a Texas state fund which the Governor used as leverage to lure companies to re-locate in Texas from states, like California. However a report issued by the Federal Reserve of Dallas shows the economy in Texas actually grew despite state business subsidies.

He also helped lead the charge against the Democrat's health care law (aka Obamacare) and defended New York's ability to enact a gay marriage statute despite his personal opposition to it. During his campaign, however, despite his expressed support of reinstating the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, he did say that he would not support discharging gay service men and women who came out after the policy was repealed.

While deeply religious, Rick Perry is not blinded by faith and he will pick the right man for a job. The gentleman who produced the video Perry used during his Presidential announcement in August is an atheist. According to Politico Perry's campaign said of the movie's producer Minnesota film maker Michael Wilson (who produced Michael Moore Hates America):

Michael’s video embodies the continuously profound ideas of limited government and personal liberty that allow Americans to prosper through hard work and provide for their families, RickPerry.org wrote. And although these ideas that our nation was built on are under attack from overreaching government, Americans like Michael remind us what we must work hard to preserve.

On defense Rick Perry has been a a strong supporter of Israel. If elected President, I have no doubt he will make every effort to ensure Iran does not acquire nuclear technology as well as reassert America's role in defeating terrorist groups and the Islamist regimes that support them. Unlike President Obama, Perry will not appease nor apologize for America's greatness.

His mistakes are not a big deal and Rick Perry's gaffes show he was not adequately prepared for the initial Republican debates prior to Iowa. Since that time he has done a good job at improving his performance and how he conducted himself at the New Hampshire debates shows Perry is making a concerted effort at doing so. Hopefully this will help him get a much needed boost. Perry did come under fire when a controversy surrounding his mandatory Gardasil immunization in Texas public schools came up. But rather than digging in his heels or ducking and hiding, Perry owned up and admitted he made a mistake.

Rick Santorum is a likeable fellow but will not be strong enough since he is not well known nationally; Ron Paul is good on economics but his newsletter controversy, foreign policy, and untrue criticisms of Israel will be his undoing; John Huntsman and Mitt Romney are not only too weak both men are appeasers and compromisers; Newt Gingrich is a competent and very intelligent man but (sadly) his past baggage nixes him since Obama would have a field day ridiculing his previous flip-flops. This leaves Rick Perry as the last, best hope to not only kick Obama out of the White House but also restore the economic freedoms and other liberties lost as a result of Obama's rule.

Rick Perry has the chief executive experience of holding down taxes and regulations and strong economy under his belt to make an effective challenge against Barack Obama this coming November. He is not entirely consistent but has enacted a lot of policies that libertarians can certainly appreciate.