Rick Perry

Rick Perry visited Washington this morning so I drove to Kalona, picked up my niece visiting from Pennsylvania, and headed down to the Corner Coffee shop. We got there 30-40 minutes before his scheduled arrival and made our way in to the shop. I am fairly certain they had originally scheduled him to be in the new library but we met in the coffee shop. The library bans concealed weapons and maybe he didn't want to go without his for a few minutes, plus the crowd seemed bigger crammed into a much smaller space.

A bunch of old guys had staked out the prime seats and a young kid was wearing his army uniform so you knew he was going to get some attention. Just a few minutes before 10, Perry entered the room. Leading the processional were a couple of local ministers and some of Perry's security team. It was hard to tell the difference since they were all wearing sport coats, had short hair, and the earnest, yet serious look, preachers and security guys often have.

The minister of the Marion Ave Baptist church, Rev. Joe Brown, introduced Perry as a man of God, a true conservative, and a man who would restore traditional American values. Shouts of "Amen" rang across the room and for a minute I thought I was going to hear a sermon.

Perry started off his remarks by taking some shots at Romney, though he didn't mention his name. Then he wailed on Rick Santorum for a few minutes, decrying his use of earmarks when he was in the Senate. When I got home I saw Santorum has moved to third in some polls, likely at the expense of Perry, Bachmann, and maybe Newt Gingrich. He skipped over Ron Paul and then took some shots at Obama and Congress. He repeated his proposal for a part-time Congress, criticized "Washington insiders" and wasteful spending. He threw in a story about his father and small town values, thanked the soldiers for their service, and then said the soldiers coming home from Iraq should have a parade to honor their service. "I want to give them a parade." My guess is most of them just want to go home.

Perry took questions for about 10-12 minutes. They were fairly typical, easy questions which allowed him to rail on Congress, Obamacare, the EPA, government regulations, promise to always support Israel, build military spending, criticize ethanol subsidies, and take some shots at public education. "The ultimate show of love and faith is for a parent to home school their child." During his answers he threw in references to Isaiah, scriptures, and faith several times. I raised my hand, he said "one more question," and he picked someone from the other side of the room.

My impressions: Why does the guy need 3-5 security guys in small town Iowa? One stood directly in front of me, blocking my view and the little kids in front of me. It seemed a bit much, making me wonder, what is he afraid of and why is he so scared?

He didn't offer one single specific proposal to deal with the problems the country is facing. He did say he want's to make Congress part-time, and that he wants a balanced budget amendment but didn't say how he would cut the deficit. He said he wants to get rid of "Obamacare" but didn't say how he would deal with the 46 million uninsured people and the rest of us facing rising healthcare costs. He offered simplistic, soundbite solutions to massive problems. The sad thing was, people there seemed to swallow all of it hook, line and sinker.

Perry seemed personable and friendly, though my niece and I could never quite make it by his security team or phalanx of pastors. I think the US would be much better off if he stayed in Texas and gave up his run for the Presidency. Right now I would guess he will finish 4th or 5th in the caucus, after Romney, Paul and Santorum. He may beat Newt for 4th, and he should finish ahead of Bachmann who is tanking rather badly.

On the way out, one of the staffers handed me a yard sign and asked if I wanted to be a precinct captain. I said no and he asked if I would be a precinct partner. I said no, but asked if I could have the sign for my classroom. He let go, so I took it. I did think that they are rather late at looking for precinct captains. When I agreed to do it for Edwards four years ago, I was going to training sessions already in October. Then the Obama staffer was after me to join with them into November, promising me I could help, as they already had captains for Wellman. Again, I find it amazing that some of these guys are so unorganized when it comes to running a campaign in Iowa.