Kings goaltender Quick to dodge the spotlight

NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) - With a baseball cap pushed low over his brow and a hoodie pulled up over his head, Los Angeles Kings' Jonathan Quick looked more like a Hollywood celebrity trying to dodge paparazzi than a seasoned netminder preparing to meet NHL media on Tuesday.

Focused on the New Jersey Devils and Game One of the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday, Quick admitted that fulfilling his team's media day obligations was not part of his rich playoff experience.

A man of few words, the soft-spoken Quick is about as forthcoming as New York Rangers' tight-lipped coach John Tortorella, deflecting questions like opposition slapshots.

"Well I don't, to be honest, really enjoy this," mumbled Quick. "When I think of the final I don't think of being here in front of you guys (media).

"I think of going and playing a hockey game at the highest level. That's all I think about."

Playing in one of hockey's non-traditional markets, Quick has been able to go about his business in relative anonymity, happily evading the spotlight.

Hidden behind a mask and the traditional playoff beard, the 26-year-old American's face is familiar only to the most dedicated Kings fans.

"On the West Coast we have a little less media coverage," said Kings forward Justin Williams. "It's just the way it works.

LOW KEY

"If Quick was on the East Coast, people would know him a little bit more.

"His demeanor is very low-key. He is not a guy that will come in and say, 'Look at me'. It's more about the team but I think people are starting to find out how good he is."

Quick has made fans and his peers take notice.

He has been the best puck-stopper in the playoffs with a miniscule 1.54 goals-against average, conceding two or fewer goals in 12 of 14 post-season contests.

He had 10 shutouts during the regular season and added two more in the playoffs.

"I wouldn't say I was stealing games," said Quick. "I think it was a team effort.

"We are a great defensive club. We've done that well for years, so I wouldn't look at it as stealing games.

"My job is the same as it was in October, stop the puck. That's it."

Unlike Martin Brodeur, his opposite number in the New Jersey net who has embraced the spotlight as he savors what could be his final playoff appearance, Quick prefers his play on the ice to do most of the talking.

A Vezina Trophy finalist as the NHL's top netminder and a top candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs, Quick has been instrumental in driving the eighth-seeded Kings into the finals for just the second time in the franchise's 45-year history.

"He's a really good goalie, he's played at a high level for a few years now," said Brodeur. "He got himself in a great position with a team and the system they play in. What I like about him is he's an athlete.

"He's a goalie who is going to make saves and not move. The puck is just not going to hit him, he's going to go out and compete like crazy. He's pretty spectacular to watch."

(Editing by Ian Ransom)

Texas Rangers ink Oswalt to one-year deal

Roy Oswalt, a three-time Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher, has signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers, according to a posting on the team's website.

The 34-year-old right-hander is expected to make several starts with developmental-league teams before joining the Rangers, who lost starter Neftali Feliz with a sprained right elbow.

The deal, reportedly worth as much as $5 million, could help the Rangers reach the World Series for the third year in a row. The two-time defending American League champions lost to San Francisco in 2010 and St. Louis in 2011.

Several clubs had shown interest in Oswalt, including the Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he went 9-10 last season with a 3.69 earned-run average in 139 innings over 23 starts.

In 11 major league seasons with the Phillies and Houston, Oswalt is 159-93 with a 3.21 earned-run average.

NEW YORK (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay is expected to miss six to eight weeks because of a strained right shoulder, the latest major setback for the five-time NL East champions.

Halladay was put on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, two days after he was hit hard and pulled from a start in St. Louis after just two innings because of shoulder soreness.

The two-time Cy Young winner will be shut down for a minimum of three weeks, then work toward rejoining the rotation, Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said.

Proefrock said tests done in Philadelphia indicated Halladay doesn't need surgery to recover and that the injury doesn't affect his rotator cuff.

"We hate to have him down, but it's nothing that requires anything other than rest," Proefrock said.

Halladay is 4-5 with a 3.98 ERA in 11 starts. He has pitched at least 220 innings in each of the past six seasons, and four times led the league in innings. His 72 1-3 innings this year tied Houston's Wandy Rodriguez for the NL lead.

The move with Halladay, which came two years to the day since he pitched a perfect game in Florida, was made retroactive to Monday. Catcher Erik Kratz was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Minutes before the injury was announced as a Grade I/Grade II strain of the latissimus dorsi, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he thought Halladay needed a break.

Halladay has "thrown a lot of bullets over his career," Manuel said, suggesting the 35-year-old pitcher could step back for a bit and still be dominant. The durable Halladay had not been on the DL because of shoulder trouble since 2004.

"He's got to get well," Manuel said.

The injury came with the Phillies at 26-24 and tied with Atlanta for last in the division, four games behind Washington.

Philadelphia has managed to stay close minus All-Star hitters Ryan Howard (Achilles tendon) and Chase Utley (knee), who haven't played at all this season. Manuel said he harbored hope that his slugging first baseman and smooth-fielding second baseman would be back at some point this year.

As for Halladay's absence, "it would hurt us," Manuel said. "How much, I really don't know."

The Phillies have relied on their pitching, particularly their rotation, to stick solidly in contention. Vance Worley, who is on the DL and hasn't started since May 11 because of elbow trouble, threw his first bullpen session since the injury before Tuesday's game.

Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick remain in the rotation, and there are a few potential replacements at Triple-A, including former big leaguers Dave Bush and Scott Elarton.

Any chance for Philadelphia to sign former Phillies star Roy Oswalt as a possible addition ended when the free agent reached a deal with Texas later Tuesday.

"Yeah, we can always use pitching," Manuel said, while adding, "I'm not telling (GM) Ruben Amaro to get another."

Halladay initially felt discomfort in his shoulder last Tuesday in a start against Washington but worked through it. He cut back on his throwing regimen before his next outing, but was tagged by Yadier Molina's grand slam in St. Louis.

Halladay began the season by throwing eight strong innings in a 1-0 win at Pittsburgh on opening day and seemed fine until blowing a 6-0 lead against Atlanta on May 2. He's 1-3 since then and the Phillies have lost four of his five starts.

The eight-time All-Star came to the Phillies in a trade with Toronto before the 2010 season and got a $60 million, three-year contract. Halladay pitched a perfect game against the Marlins in that first season with Philadelphia, and later that year threw a no-hitter against Cincinnati in his first career postseason outing.

The Phillies won the 2008 World Series and hoped to capture another crown after adding Halladay. But Philadelphia lost to the eventual champion San Francisco Giants in the 2010 NL championship series, then Halladay lost to Chris Carpenter and St. Louis 1-0 in the deciding Game 5 of the 2011 division series.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tony Parker and the San Antonio Spurs are making this look way too easy.

Parker had 34 points and eight assists, Manu Ginobili added 20 points and the Spurs stayed perfect in the playoffs with a 120-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night.

So far, the Spurs have turned a hotly anticipated matchup between the league's top two scoring teams into a lopsided mismatch more befitting of an early round.

Game 3 is Thursday night in Oklahoma City, and the Thunder can only hope that a change of venue throws San Antonio out of its groove. The Spurs put on an offensive clinic for three quarters on Tuesday night, shooting 60 percent and building a 22-point lead.

"We like to play like that," said Parker, who hit 16 of 21 shots. "That's the way we play."

The Spurs set an NBA record with their 20th consecutive victory bridging the regular season and the playoffs. They came in sharing the longest such streak with the 2000-01 Lakers, who won 19 straight before losing to Philadelphia in the first game of the finals.

Those Lakers went on to win the championship and Parker's performance is yet another reason to think the Spurs will do the same.

"It's great and it is a great run," said Tim Duncan, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds. "But we are only worried about the next two wins in this series. That is all that matters, at this point."

The Thunder made a late surge to get within six points, but Parker, Ginobili and Duncan helped San Antonio finish them off. Oklahoma City is 5-0 at home in the playoffs, but only 14 teams have come back from 2-0 deficits to win a series in NBA playoff history.

Stanley Cup finals faceoff: Devils vs. Kings

The Stanley Cup finals are here at last, after 82 regular-season games and three rounds of playoffs, and the matchup is as unlikely they come. The sixth-seeded New Jersey Devils will take on the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings.

Here's a look at how the series breaks down.

___

No. 6 (East) NEW JERSEY DEVILS (48-28-6) vs. No. 8 (West) LOS ANGELES KINGS (40-27-15)

HOW THEY GOT HERE: New Jersey beat No. 3 Florida 4-3, No. 5 Philadelphia 4-1, and No. 1 New York Rangers 4-2. Los Angeles beat No. 1 Vancouver 4-1, No. 2 St. Louis 4-0, and No. 3 Phoenix 4-1.

2011-12 SERIES RECORD: Devils 2-0 (one win in shootout).

PLAYOFF HISTORY: None. This is the teams' first meeting in the playoffs.

___

NEW JERSEY: The Devils are in the Stanley Cup finals for the fifth time and are looking for their fourth title. New Jersey captured the Cup in 1995, 2000 and 2003, with its only finals loss to Colorado in 2001. ... Martin Brodeur has been there for all the finals appearances, and could call it a career at age 40 once this series is over — win or lose. Forward Patrik Elias has been in all of New Jersey's trips to the finals, except for the first in 1995. ... Brodeur injured his right shoulder against the Kings on Oct. 13 and missed six games. He didn't earn his first win of the season until Nov. 5. Backup goalie Johan Hedberg earned both of New Jersey's wins over the Kings. ... Captain Zach Parise leads the Devils with seven playoff goals and is second with 14 points. He led the way in the conference finals against the Rangers when he had six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in the series. This could be the last hurrah for Parise with New Jersey as he is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

THREE DEVILS TO WATCH: All of these guys have broken out in the playoffs.

Defenseman Bryce Salvador. After scoring no goals and posting nine assists in 82 regular-season games, Salvador has three goals and eight assists in 18 postseason contests.

Fourth-line center Ryan Carter. Carter has scored four goals in 17 playoff games, including first-period tallies in Games 5 and 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Rangers. New Jersey won the final three games of the series.

Center Travis Zajac. Limited to only 15 regular-season games because of a torn Achilles tendon, the Devils' No. 1 center returned to action in late March. He has found his game in the playoffs, and has excelled by tying for the team lead with seven goals. He also has five assists in 18 games.

___

LOS ANGELES: The Kings have reached the finals for just the second time in team history. Los Angeles is still looking for its first Stanley Cup championship, having lost in five games to Montreal in 1993. ... The Kings have won an NHL-record eight straight road playoff games — the first team to do it in one playoff year — including three at Phoenix in the Western Conference finals. Los Angeles, which has outscored opponents 30-13 in its road games, has won 10 straight away from home — a record for multiple years. The Kings are the first team to take an undefeated road record into the finals since the conference format started in 1994. ... The Kings are the second No. 8 seed to get to the finals under the current postseason format and the first to eliminate the top three seeded teams in the conference in succession. ... Los Angeles has excelled behind Vezina Trophy finalist Jonathan Quick, who is 12-2 with a 1.54 goals-against average and .946 save percentage in the playoffs. ... On offense, the Kings are paced by their top line of captain Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams.

THREE KINGS TO WATCH: This trio could make a difference for the Kings.

Left wing Simon Gagne. Gagne could be a Kings wild card, having been medically cleared to play for the first time since a concussion sidelined him on Dec. 26. It might take another injury for a lineup spot to open up for Gagne, who made it to the Cup finals two years ago with Philadelphia.

Dwight King. The rookie forward has five goals, including two game-winners in the Western Conference finals. King, the 109th pick in the 2007 draft, was recalled from the minors on Feb. 10 and had five goals and nine assists in 27 regular-season games.

Willie Mitchell. The 35-year-old defenseman, who is the Kings' oldest player, is in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time.

___

THE PLAYERS' TAKE:

"Well, I've got five kids now. So, I need to be here." — 40-year-old Devils goalie Martin Brodeur on why he is still playing.

"Most of his ribs at us are more of the sarcastic type than the stern force, yelling at us. He will just say, 'Is this game too hard for you tonight?' or something like that, just to get you angry. He knows what makes hockey players angry." — Kings forward Justin Williams on Darryl Sutter's coaching style.

____

CELEBRITY WATCH:

In New Jersey, while Garden State rocker Bruce Springsteen will be on tour in Germany, Spain, Portugal and Italy during the finals, there's always a chance Jersey's other legend, Jon Bon Jovi, shows. He made an appearance in Round 3 vs. the Rangers.

In Los Angeles, expect to see plenty of stars in what they're now calling "Hockeywood." Already, Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Colin Hanks, David Beckham, Rachel McAdams, Alyssa Milano, and Kurt Russell have been bit by Kings Fever, and took in games at Staples Center. Who's left?

___

OUTLOOK: The Kings show how they got this far in a highly competitive series, but Brodeur and Devils get the best of Quick and capture the Cup in California. Devils in 6.

Saudi business mood remains strong Local firms expect higher oil prices in Q2 while business expansion plans slip

Saudi Arabia’s companies remain optimistic about business in the second quarter as most of them expect oil prices to climb further on Iran tensions despite a slight decline in business expansion plans.
While the business optimism index (BOI) of the Gulf Kingdom’s largest bank edges down slightly in the non-oil sector, it gains three points in the hydrocarbon sector, according to the survey sent to Emirates 24/7.
The business environment in Saudi Arabia remains supportive. 33% of the respondents in the non-hydrocarbon sector have said that they do not expect any negative factors to influence their business operations in the second quarter of 2012 compared to 31% in the first quarter of 2012,” National Commercial Bank (NCB) said in its Q2 BOI survey, which is conducted in collaboration with Dun & Bradstreet, a global business information firm.

It said shortage of skilled labor is the most important concern for the respondents, with 28% citing it accordingly, while availability of finance will prove to be a worry for 14% of the respondents. Inflationary pressures will impact nine% of the businesses, it added.
The report showed business expansion plans have weakened in Q2 2012 compared to a quarter ago, with 40% of the non-hydrocarbon companies saying they would invest in business expansion in Q2 2012. It showed the number has decreased from 60% in Q1 2012.
The survey showed Saudi Arabia’s hydrocarbon sector optimism has improved in Q2 2012 with the overall BOI composite score for the sector standing 43, three points higher than the score in Q1 2012, due to higher BOI scores for all three parameters.
With respect to the Level of Selling Prices parameter, 53% of the respondents to the survey expect oil prices to rise further and 37% anticipate that prices will remain unchanged in Q2. About 10% of the respondents anticipate a drop in prices in Q2 2012.
“The majority of respondents expect prices to increase as geopolitical tensions with respect to Iran’s nuclear program continue to dominate sentiment in the crude market,” NCB said.
Turning to the non-oil sector, the survey showed Saudi business sentiments in Q2 remain steady with respect to the previous quarter.
The composite index for the non-hydrocarbon sector stands at 52 in Q2 2012, just two points lower compared to the index score in the first quarter of 2012. “The Saudi economy’s growth will continue to be driven by public sector spending and increased bank lending. One of the fastest growing sectors is expected to be construction, the main beneficiary of government spending.”
The report showed related sectors like suppliers of raw materials and services
will also gain from the high level of government spending.
It said public spending is seen as the key driver of non-oil economic growth in the current fiscal year to counteract the dampening impact of factors external to the Saudi economy such as geo-political tensions in the MENA region and the debt situation in Europe.
Recession in Europe will not only impact oil demand and oil prices, but will also hurt the Kingdom’s non-oil exports to the continent, it added.
“Growth in 2012 is expected to be lower than in 2011 due to a weaker global economy and lower oil output,” NCB said, noting that Saudi Arabia recorded a real GDP growth rate of 6.77% in 2011.
The manufacturing sector recorded one of the strongest growths among all sectors at 12.37%, followed by the construction sector at 11.62%.
“The BOI survey reveals a steady composite index, as businesses and consumers remain assured by the government’s commitment to support the economy despite a weak global environment,” it said.
“All six parameters show a sideways movement in their index values for Q2 2012, with marginal increases or decreases.”

Serena Williams lets big lead slip at French Open

PARIS (AP) — Even after 13 Grand Slam championships and dozens of other titles, Serena Williams is capable of throwing away a big lead.
Williams led 5-1 in the second-set tiebreaker and was two points from victory nine times but still lost to Virginie Razzano of France 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 Tuesday at the French Open — the first time she has ever lost in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament.
"I definitely was nervous. I'm always a little nervous in every match I play, which I think is a little bit healthy," said the fifth-seeded Williams, who had been 46-0 in the first round of majors. "I was definitely a little nervous."
Williams entered the tournament with a 17-0 record on clay this year. And it looked like No. 18 was in the bag late in the second set.
But Razzano won six straight points to take the set and then won five straight games in the third set.
"I just felt I couldn't get a ball in play," Williams said. "You know, when I did, I just felt like I was hitting late and, I mean, how can you hit late on a clay court? It was kind of odd."
Defending men's champion Rafael Nodal had no such trouble, starting his quest for a record seventh French Open title by beating Simone Borelli of Italy 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Maria Sharapova had an even easier time, scoring a "double bagel" in her 6-0, 6-0 win over Alexandra Cadantu of Romania.
On Wednesday, both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will play in the second round. On the women's side, top-seeded Victoria Azarenka will be first up in the main stadium.
Williams and Razzano were last up in the main stadium on Tuesday, and they gave the fans a show.
After Williams failed to close out the match in straight sets, Razzano jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third. The American then reeled off the next three games, and nearly got back on serve.
In the final, 23-minute game of the match, Williams saved seven match points but wasted five break points before losing.
"I just was thinking, 'OK, if I could break here, then we'll be back on serve.' You know, those are the kind of things that are going through your head," Williams said.
For Razzano, the win was one of the biggest of her career. Ranked 111th, the Frenchwoman has never been past the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament.
And it was made even more special considering the personal loss she experienced when her fiance died about a week before last year's French Open.
"Honestly, the past is the past," said Razzano, who lost in the first round last year. "I think now I did my mourning. I feel good today. It took time."
Just before Razzano and Williams walked out onto the clay on Court Philippe Chatrier, Nadal played in the stadium where he has won six of his 10 Grand Slam titles.
One more will break the French Open record he shares with Bjorn Borg.
Nadal was asked whether he expects Borg to make an appearance this year.
"We are in the second round," Nadal said. "I have enough work to do thinking about the next round, and not think about if Bjorn will be here or if I'm going to play the final. That's day-by-day and we'll see."
Nadal improved his record to 46-1 at Roland Garros. His only loss came in the fourth round in 2009, against Robin Soderling.
Sharapova's record on clay is not as impressive. Although she has won three major titles, she still needs a victory at the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam.
Last year, she lost in the semifinals.
"I feel like with every year I have improved," Sharapova said, "and I enjoy it much more."

ADP report predicts May private-sector jobs growth at 133K, weekly jobless claims jump 10K

Tomorrow, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the latest official jobs figures, one of the most closely-watched economic indicators from the federal government.  One predictive indicator of the direction that report will take is the monthly analysis from payroll-processing giant ADP, which uses its clients as a sample to predict job non-government growth.  Today’s report hints at continued mediocrity — at best:

Employment in the U.S. nonfarm private business sector increased by 133,000 from April to May on a seasonally adjusted basis. The estimated gain from March to April was revised down modestly, from the initial estimate of 119,000 to a revised estimate of 113,000.

Employment in the private, service-providing sector increased 132,000 in May, after rising a revised 119,000 in April. Employment in the private, goods-producing sector increased 1,000 in May. Manufacturing employment dropped 2,000 jobs, the second consecutive monthly decline.

Employment on large payrolls—those with 500 or more workers—increased 9,000 and employment on medium payrolls—those with 50 to 499 workers—rose 57,000 in May. Employment on small payrolls—those with up to 49 workers—rose 67,000 that same period. Of the 57,000 jobs created by medium-sized payrolls, 2,000 jobs were created by the goods-producing sector and 55,000 jobs were created by the service-providing sector.

Construction employment fell by 1,000 in May, its second consecutive decline following six monthly advances that likely were driven in part by unusually warm weather during the winter months.

That’s going to disappoint some analysts today, including those at CNBC:

Private-sector jobs growth came in at a disappointingly weak 133,000 from April to May, according to a report from ADP and Macroeconomic Advisors that adds to a bleak outlook for employment. …

Economists had expected the report to show nongovernment jobs grew by 150,000.

Usually (although not always), the ADP numbers overshoot the BLS estimation for job creation.  The BLS will also take into account the public sector, which has been shrinking steadily since the peak of 2010 in stimulus and Census spending.  Even if ADP makes a dead-on call in the private sector, we’re looking at something less than 133K in net job growth, which would barely keep pace with population growth.

However, that’s not the only indicator we have for tomorrow’s numbers.  According to another analysis from Wall Street, layoffs jumped 53% in May, which means that ADP’s figures are hopelessly optimistic:

Job cuts jumped by 53 percent in May from April in the United States, with Hewlett-Packard’s layoffs propelling the computer industry to the top spot among the biggest job cutters this year, a report by consultancy firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas showed on Thursday.

Employers announced plans to cut 61,887 staff from their payrolls in May, 67 percent more than in the same month of last year. The figure represents the most job cuts since last September.

The computer industry got the worst of it, but they weren’t the only sector to get hit hard:

Another area to watch is the food industry, where job cuts are up 75 percent this year and where Hostess Brands – markers of Twinkies and Wonder Bread – filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the report said.

Right on top of that, the Department of Labor reports a 10,000-claim jump in initial weekly jobless claims:

In the week ending May 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 383,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 373,000. The 4-week moving average was 374,500, an increase of 3,750 from the previous week’s revised average of 370,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending May 19, unchanged from the prior week’s unrevised rate.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending May 19 was 3,242,000, a decrease of 36,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 3,278,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,263,750, a decrease of 12,000 from the preceding week’s revised average of 3,275,750.

Note that last week’s numbers got revised upward for the 62nd time in 63 weeks, or the 63rd time in 64 weeks.  Honestly, I’ve lost count.  This still is in the same statistical ballpark as most of the rest of the year, but it just went in the wrong direction at the same time as a host of other negative indicators appeared.  That will leave a mark.

If we come in less than the population-growth expansion level in tomorrow’s numbers, the Obama administration may need to start hitting the panic button.  They cannot go through another Wreckovery Summer and hope to win re-election — and for all practical purposes, voters will shortly start locking in their final impressions of the economy and its direction this summer.

Video: The greatest marriage proposal ever?

To cleanse the palate, this one’s at 8.4 million YouTube views and counting — in five days. Behold the power of a fully armed and operational celebrity Twitter account: About 60 people helped Lamb create the memorable marriage proposal, performing an elaborately choreographed street dance to the song “Marry Me” by Bruno Mars while Lamb’s soon-to-be fiancee, Amy Frankel, clutched at her heart and squealed… The video is called “Isaac’s Lip-Dub Proposal” because he had Frankel wear headphones to listen to the song while the dancers pretended to sing the words. The video got a viewer boost when Mars, who has no relationship to Lamb or Frankel, tweeted a link to the video to his 9.6 million followers, writing, “Congrats to Isaac Lamb and the future Mrs. I don’t think I could’ve made a better music video for this song. Thank you.” It’s darned impressive, but there are two types of people in the world, my friends: Those who want “jazz hands” to be part of their memories of proposing marriage and those who don’t. I’ll leave you to guess which group I’m in. Exit question for the ladies: Scale of one to 10, what’s the swoon factor here? Perfect 10 or does a point get deducted for the jazz hands?

Abbott sprints for door to avoid Thomson's tainted vote Read more:

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Perry hitting “Values” theme in South Carolina push

Since his surprise kind-of-exit from the race and then even more surprising “still in the race” announcement, people have been wondering how Rick Perry will breath a second wave of life into his primary hopes. New Hampshire looks pretty much out of reach for him, and Rick Santorum is sucking all the oxygen out of the room in terms of polling in the south right now. As predicted, it seems that Governor Perry will go the route many of us anticipated on the night of the Iowa caucuses and make his last stand in South Carolina.

    Perry will make his presence known in the Palmetto State before he even sets foot there.

    An aide to Perry told ABC News that the campaign would begin running statewide TV ads on broadcast and cable in South Carolina on Friday. Make Us Great Again, a pro-Perry super PAC, has blanketed the state with television ads since November.

    Perry will bring the one-on-one retail politicking he displayed during his Iowa bus tour to South Carolina over the course of the next two weeks. The campaign will likely downsize from the Faith, Jobs and Freedom bus it drove through Iowa for three weeks and opt instead for a suburban caravan as it travels through a smaller state, focusing most of its time in the northern area.

Assisting in this effort is the fact that Perry probably still has significantly more money than Santorum and somewhat of a better established campaign infrastructure. They were able to get their first ad up on the air very quickly and had the money to do a pretty substantial media buy. In it, he’s not talking policy, jobs, taxes, etc. so much as he’s swinging back to his original line of attack: focusing on his strong family values, which should play well in South Carolina. Here’s the first ad for your consideration.

    “As the son of tenant farmers from the West Texas town of Paint Creek, I learned the values of hard work, faith, and family.

    I took those values with me when I served our country as a pilot in the Air Force.

    I returned home to farm and ranch with my father and married my high school sweetheart.

    The values I learned served me well as governor of Texas and will continue to guide me as president.

    I’m Rick Perry, and I approve this message.”

If Perry can pull this off it will be one of the greatest comeback stories in GOP primary history. (Of course, given the strange, roller coaster nature of this race, everything is history making to some extent.) Since the voting ended in Iowa, there have been some tremors of doubt over whether or not Santorum could go the distance and defeat Obama. Perry would no doubt like to capitalize on those concerns and try to overturn the tables and replace the Pennsylvanian as the Romney alternative. In fact, he’s already put out a video to that effect.

Perry hitting “Values” theme in South Carolina push

Since his surprise kind-of-exit from the race and then even more surprising “still in the race” announcement, people have been wondering how Rick Perry will breath a second wave of life into his primary hopes. New Hampshire looks pretty much out of reach for him, and Rick Santorum is sucking all the oxygen out of the room in terms of polling in the south right now. As predicted, it seems that Governor Perry will go the route many of us anticipated on the night of the Iowa caucuses and make his last stand in South Carolina.

    Perry will make his presence known in the Palmetto State before he even sets foot there.

    An aide to Perry told ABC News that the campaign would begin running statewide TV ads on broadcast and cable in South Carolina on Friday. Make Us Great Again, a pro-Perry super PAC, has blanketed the state with television ads since November.

    Perry will bring the one-on-one retail politicking he displayed during his Iowa bus tour to South Carolina over the course of the next two weeks. The campaign will likely downsize from the Faith, Jobs and Freedom bus it drove through Iowa for three weeks and opt instead for a suburban caravan as it travels through a smaller state, focusing most of its time in the northern area.

Assisting in this effort is the fact that Perry probably still has significantly more money than Santorum and somewhat of a better established campaign infrastructure. They were able to get their first ad up on the air very quickly and had the money to do a pretty substantial media buy. In it, he’s not talking policy, jobs, taxes, etc. so much as he’s swinging back to his original line of attack: focusing on his strong family values, which should play well in South Carolina. Here’s the first ad for your consideration.

    “As the son of tenant farmers from the West Texas town of Paint Creek, I learned the values of hard work, faith, and family.

    I took those values with me when I served our country as a pilot in the Air Force.

    I returned home to farm and ranch with my father and married my high school sweetheart.

    The values I learned served me well as governor of Texas and will continue to guide me as president.

    I’m Rick Perry, and I approve this message.”

If Perry can pull this off it will be one of the greatest comeback stories in GOP primary history. (Of course, given the strange, roller coaster nature of this race, everything is history making to some extent.) Since the voting ended in Iowa, there have been some tremors of doubt over whether or not Santorum could go the distance and defeat Obama. Perry would no doubt like to capitalize on those concerns and try to overturn the tables and replace the Pennsylvanian as the Romney alternative. In fact, he’s already put out a video to that effect.

Rick Perry: Hey, let’s lock up those congress critters doing insider trading!

Rick Perry is clearly pulling out all the stops as a candidate who needs to engineer a “re-surge” in the primary process. In a recent editorial at Redstate, Perry is calling for an immediate and significant halt to any insider trading by members of Congress.. including throwing them in jail.

    It’s not enough members of Congress make $174,000 a year, some are trading on inside information to use their public service to enrich themselves.

    The Tribune is right, the Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department should be using every available tool to put a stop to this. But they are not. So, Congress needs to pass the STOCK Act as a matter of urgency, to do even more to ensure that this kind of thing is stopped dead in its tracks.

    In addition to calling for tough measures to outlaw insider trading by Members of Congress, I’ve called for making Congress part-time, like the Texas legislature, cutting congressional pay in half, and amending FOIA to apply to Congress and the White House.

Perry is exercising a lot more courage in endorsing the STOCK Act than might even appear at first glance. In his editorial, he calls out Nancy Pelosi, and with good reason. But he’s not going to make any friends on his own side of the aisle with this position. (Paging John Boehner… John Boehner to the White Courtesy Phone.)

    CBS said Boehner bought health insurance stocks during the health care debate, which increased in value after Republicans succeeded in killing a proposal to allow the government to offer a health insurance plan to compete with private companies.

    In a statement, Bachus’ office said the representative never trades financial services stocks or trades on private information. Boehner said at a news conference that he has not made decisions on his stock portfolio for years.

Further, the STOCK Act is a product of Scott Brown. Yes… I know. He was a Tea Party favorite during his initial election effort, but he’s not exactly a model for the base these days and this particular web would be drawing in members from both sides of the partisan divide. All in all, a good move by Perry, though. If you want to be viewed as a real Washington outsider, take on issues which tip the apple cart over. But he shouldn’t look for any quick endorsements from members of Congress who have been cashing in on Wall Street.

Rick Perry: Hey, let’s lock up those congress critters doing insider trading!

Rick Perry is clearly pulling out all the stops as a candidate who needs to engineer a “re-surge” in the primary process. In a recent editorial at Redstate, Perry is calling for an immediate and significant halt to any insider trading by members of Congress.. including throwing them in jail.

    It’s not enough members of Congress make $174,000 a year, some are trading on inside information to use their public service to enrich themselves.

    The Tribune is right, the Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department should be using every available tool to put a stop to this. But they are not. So, Congress needs to pass the STOCK Act as a matter of urgency, to do even more to ensure that this kind of thing is stopped dead in its tracks.

    In addition to calling for tough measures to outlaw insider trading by Members of Congress, I’ve called for making Congress part-time, like the Texas legislature, cutting congressional pay in half, and amending FOIA to apply to Congress and the White House.

Perry is exercising a lot more courage in endorsing the STOCK Act than might even appear at first glance. In his editorial, he calls out Nancy Pelosi, and with good reason. But he’s not going to make any friends on his own side of the aisle with this position. (Paging John Boehner… John Boehner to the White Courtesy Phone.)

    CBS said Boehner bought health insurance stocks during the health care debate, which increased in value after Republicans succeeded in killing a proposal to allow the government to offer a health insurance plan to compete with private companies.

    In a statement, Bachus’ office said the representative never trades financial services stocks or trades on private information. Boehner said at a news conference that he has not made decisions on his stock portfolio for years.

Further, the STOCK Act is a product of Scott Brown. Yes… I know. He was a Tea Party favorite during his initial election effort, but he’s not exactly a model for the base these days and this particular web would be drawing in members from both sides of the partisan divide. All in all, a good move by Perry, though. If you want to be viewed as a real Washington outsider, take on issues which tip the apple cart over. But he shouldn’t look for any quick endorsements from members of Congress who have been cashing in on Wall Street.

Perry joins pile-on against Mitt over Bain Capital

Newt may have started the trend of going after Mitt Romney for his work at Bain Capital, but it looks like Rick Perry is sensing an opportunity and hopping on the bandwagon. At a recent appearance he unleashed some quotes of his own, going after Mitt for being heartless enough to lay off workers.

    Texas Gov. Rick Perry picked up the attacks on Mitt Romney this morning, trying to capitalize off the former Bain Capital executive’s comment that he once feared getting a pink slip.

    “Now I have no doubt that Mitt Romney was worried about pink slips — whether he was going to have enough of them to hand out because his company Bain Capital with all the jobs that they killed, I’m sure he was worried that he’d run out of pink slips,” Perry told the crowd at Mama Penn’s restaurant.

    Perry laid into Romney for heading a company which Perry alleged eliminated hundreds of South Carolina jobs.

    “There is something inherently wrong when getting rich off failure and sticking it to someone else is how you do your business and I happen to think that’s indefensible,” said Perry. “If you’re a victim of Bain Capital’s downsizing, it’s the ultimate insult for Mitt Romney to come to South Carolina and tell you he feels your pain, because he caused it.”

Maybe it’s just me, but I really haven’t been able to get behind this line of attack since it first came up. I could see if this argument was taking place among Democrats trying to garner favor with the unions, but it seems like Mitt has a fairly simply response to this. We live in a free market system where there are winners and losers, and the government doesn’t get to pick which is which. In some cases, companies where Romney brought the ax down wound up turning around and flourishing. Others simply turned out not to be viable.

The Wall Street Journal has an analysis of all the companies Bain got involved with. It indicates a record which is admittedly hit and miss over a very long period of time, but did wind up producing an overall positive return on investment.

Newt and Perry might get some traction from pointing out that Bain charged these companies very large management fees for their services, which in some cases still resulted in the companies going under, but nobody forced them to hire Bain in the first place. All in all, it just sounds like something that could backfire on candidates looking to claim the mantle of fiscal responsibility.

Perry joins pile-on against Mitt over Bain Capital

Newt may have started the trend of going after Mitt Romney for his work at Bain Capital, but it looks like Rick Perry is sensing an opportunity and hopping on the bandwagon. At a recent appearance he unleashed some quotes of his own, going after Mitt for being heartless enough to lay off workers.

    Texas Gov. Rick Perry picked up the attacks on Mitt Romney this morning, trying to capitalize off the former Bain Capital executive’s comment that he once feared getting a pink slip.

    “Now I have no doubt that Mitt Romney was worried about pink slips — whether he was going to have enough of them to hand out because his company Bain Capital with all the jobs that they killed, I’m sure he was worried that he’d run out of pink slips,” Perry told the crowd at Mama Penn’s restaurant.

    Perry laid into Romney for heading a company which Perry alleged eliminated hundreds of South Carolina jobs.

    “There is something inherently wrong when getting rich off failure and sticking it to someone else is how you do your business and I happen to think that’s indefensible,” said Perry. “If you’re a victim of Bain Capital’s downsizing, it’s the ultimate insult for Mitt Romney to come to South Carolina and tell you he feels your pain, because he caused it.”

Maybe it’s just me, but I really haven’t been able to get behind this line of attack since it first came up. I could see if this argument was taking place among Democrats trying to garner favor with the unions, but it seems like Mitt has a fairly simply response to this. We live in a free market system where there are winners and losers, and the government doesn’t get to pick which is which. In some cases, companies where Romney brought the ax down wound up turning around and flourishing. Others simply turned out not to be viable.

The Wall Street Journal has an analysis of all the companies Bain got involved with. It indicates a record which is admittedly hit and miss over a very long period of time, but did wind up producing an overall positive return on investment.

Newt and Perry might get some traction from pointing out that Bain charged these companies very large management fees for their services, which in some cases still resulted in the companies going under, but nobody forced them to hire Bain in the first place. All in all, it just sounds like something that could backfire on candidates looking to claim the mantle of fiscal responsibility.

Virginia court likely to allow Gingrich, Huntsman, Perry and Santorum on the ballot

The Virginia primary isn’t until March 6; who knows what will happen between now and then? Perhaps one or more candidates among Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum will have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure their names will appear on the Virginia ballot only to be out of the race by the beginning of March anyway.

Nevertheless, those left out in the cold in Old Dominion haven’t given up without a fight — and it looks like they might win it after all. Recall that Perry has filed a ballot access lawsuit — in which he was joined by Gingrich, Huntsman and Santorum. Today, Judge John Gibney filed a five-page order in which he suggests “there is a strong likelihood that the Court will find the residency requirement for petition circulators to be unconstitutional.”

More from The Heritage Foundation’s Hans von Spakovsky:

    Yesterday, Judge Gibney ordered the Virginia State Board of Elections to notify all local county electoral boards that they are barred “from ordering any ballots” or “from mailing out any absentee ballots” until after the judge holds a hearing on the case on January 13. The judge says in the order that he will make a decision on the merits of the temporary restraining order (TRO) and preliminary injunction being sought by the candidates on the 13th.

    Additionally, the ACLU of Virginia filed an amicus brief today on the side of the Republican presidential candidates, arguing that Virginia’s 10,000-signature requirement for a presidential candidate to appear on the ballot “reduces the quantity of [political] speech available in Virginia, and directly infringes on the First Amendment rights of candidates, voters, petition circulators, and political parties.”

    The ACLU also argues that Virginia’s residency requirement for petition circulators is not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling government interest. In fact, the ACLU says that Virginia has “fail[ed] even to articulate a compelling interest.” It asks the court to grant the plaintiffs’ request for a TRO and a preliminary injunction. Looks like the judge agrees with the ACLU.

This has been a debacle from the beginning, and I’m still of the mindset that the failure of the candidates to meet the requirements says more about their campaign organization than the absurdity of the Virginia requirements — but, in the end, if Mitt Romney and a non-Mitt Romney are in a very, very tight race as of March 6, voters will likely be very grateful for this judge’s probable decision.

Virginia court likely to allow Gingrich, Huntsman, Perry and Santorum on the ballot

The Virginia primary isn’t until March 6; who knows what will happen between now and then? Perhaps one or more candidates among Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum will have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure their names will appear on the Virginia ballot only to be out of the race by the beginning of March anyway.

Nevertheless, those left out in the cold in Old Dominion haven’t given up without a fight — and it looks like they might win it after all. Recall that Perry has filed a ballot access lawsuit — in which he was joined by Gingrich, Huntsman and Santorum. Today, Judge John Gibney filed a five-page order in which he suggests “there is a strong likelihood that the Court will find the residency requirement for petition circulators to be unconstitutional.”

More from The Heritage Foundation’s Hans von Spakovsky:

    Yesterday, Judge Gibney ordered the Virginia State Board of Elections to notify all local county electoral boards that they are barred “from ordering any ballots” or “from mailing out any absentee ballots” until after the judge holds a hearing on the case on January 13. The judge says in the order that he will make a decision on the merits of the temporary restraining order (TRO) and preliminary injunction being sought by the candidates on the 13th.

    Additionally, the ACLU of Virginia filed an amicus brief today on the side of the Republican presidential candidates, arguing that Virginia’s 10,000-signature requirement for a presidential candidate to appear on the ballot “reduces the quantity of [political] speech available in Virginia, and directly infringes on the First Amendment rights of candidates, voters, petition circulators, and political parties.”

    The ACLU also argues that Virginia’s residency requirement for petition circulators is not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling government interest. In fact, the ACLU says that Virginia has “fail[ed] even to articulate a compelling interest.” It asks the court to grant the plaintiffs’ request for a TRO and a preliminary injunction. Looks like the judge agrees with the ACLU.

This has been a debacle from the beginning, and I’m still of the mindset that the failure of the candidates to meet the requirements says more about their campaign organization than the absurdity of the Virginia requirements — but, in the end, if Mitt Romney and a non-Mitt Romney are in a very, very tight race as of March 6, voters will likely be very grateful for this judge’s probable decision.

Quotes of the day

‘

I don’t want America to be a nation that’s primarily known for financial speculation,’ the president said during the event in the East Room. ‘I want us to be known for making and selling products all over the world stamped with three proud words: ‘Made in America.’

“To be sure, the president made no mention of Romney directly, but he has been critical of Wall Street before and the tenor of his remarks neatly complimented Vice President Biden’s assail on the former Massachusetts governor Tuesday, when he told New Hampshire Democrats via teleconference that Romney cares more about stockholders than employees.”

***

“Rick Santorum took a nameless swipe at Republicans who have been criticizing Mitt Romney’s time at Bain Capital.

“‘It’s this hostile rhetoric, which unfortunately – I don’t want to stand here and be a defender of Mitt Romney,’ Santorum said to a friendly crowd here tonight, ‘but unfortunately some in our party now, even some running for president will engage in with respect to capitalism. It is bad enough for Barack Obama to blame folks in business for causing problems in this country. Its one other thing for Republicans to join him.’”

***

“Jon Huntsman on Wednesday joined the chorus of Republicans urging Mitt Romney’s opponents to tone down their attacks on the former Massachusetts governor over his time at the investment firm Bain Capital.

“‘If you have creative destruction in capitalism, which has always been a part of capitalism, it becomes a little disingenuous to take on Bain Capital,’ Huntsman told reporters Wednesday after a campaign appearance at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. ‘I think it’s more instructive to look at governor Romney’s record as governor.’”

***

“We have heard a lot over the last couple months about the anti-Romney sentiment in the Republican party. However, this statistic suggests that, in New Hampshire at any rate, Romney is the only candidate with whom a majority of the party is satisfied. The rest of the candidates seem to have alienated more than half of the GOP.

“That is Romney’s biggest advantage, far and away.”

***

“‘He’s going to have to defend this,’ Perry said in an interview on ‘Fox and Friends’ on Wednesday morning. ‘And better in January than September if he’s going to be our nominee and have to explain.’”

“‘I think their argument fell flat here in New Hampshire. They tried it very hard, ran ads here, were up and down the state campaigning, and people in the state here said, ‘look, we want a guy who spent some time in the private sector, not someone who spent their entire life in Washington.’ So I think it’s working for my benefit,’ the former Massachusetts governor said.”

Quotes of the day

‘

I don’t want America to be a nation that’s primarily known for financial speculation,’ the president said during the event in the East Room. ‘I want us to be known for making and selling products all over the world stamped with three proud words: ‘Made in America.’

“To be sure, the president made no mention of Romney directly, but he has been critical of Wall Street before and the tenor of his remarks neatly complimented Vice President Biden’s assail on the former Massachusetts governor Tuesday, when he told New Hampshire Democrats via teleconference that Romney cares more about stockholders than employees.”

***

“Rick Santorum took a nameless swipe at Republicans who have been criticizing Mitt Romney’s time at Bain Capital.

“‘It’s this hostile rhetoric, which unfortunately – I don’t want to stand here and be a defender of Mitt Romney,’ Santorum said to a friendly crowd here tonight, ‘but unfortunately some in our party now, even some running for president will engage in with respect to capitalism. It is bad enough for Barack Obama to blame folks in business for causing problems in this country. Its one other thing for Republicans to join him.’”

***

“Jon Huntsman on Wednesday joined the chorus of Republicans urging Mitt Romney’s opponents to tone down their attacks on the former Massachusetts governor over his time at the investment firm Bain Capital.

“‘If you have creative destruction in capitalism, which has always been a part of capitalism, it becomes a little disingenuous to take on Bain Capital,’ Huntsman told reporters Wednesday after a campaign appearance at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. ‘I think it’s more instructive to look at governor Romney’s record as governor.’”

***

“We have heard a lot over the last couple months about the anti-Romney sentiment in the Republican party. However, this statistic suggests that, in New Hampshire at any rate, Romney is the only candidate with whom a majority of the party is satisfied. The rest of the candidates seem to have alienated more than half of the GOP.

“That is Romney’s biggest advantage, far and away.”

***

“‘He’s going to have to defend this,’ Perry said in an interview on ‘Fox and Friends’ on Wednesday morning. ‘And better in January than September if he’s going to be our nominee and have to explain.’”

“‘I think their argument fell flat here in New Hampshire. They tried it very hard, ran ads here, were up and down the state campaigning, and people in the state here said, ‘look, we want a guy who spent some time in the private sector, not someone who spent their entire life in Washington.’ So I think it’s working for my benefit,’ the former Massachusetts governor said.”

Video: Rick Perry’s best ad yet

As The Daily Caller’s Matt Lewis tweeted, “Who is this guy and why doesn’t HE run for president???” South Carolina is Rick Perry’s last-ditch effort and he’s not even polling in the top three there. The outlook is bleak for Texas’ jobs governor, and we’re very nearly left with the thought of what might have been had he only been able to remember the Department of Energy. Then again, the gist of this ad is that Perry isn’t prepared to give up yet — and he’s never lost an election in his life. Do you believe in miracles?

Update (Allahpundit): Just to elaborate on the point that he’s not polling in the top three in SC, he’s actually not polling in the top five either. Right now he’s in sixth place at five percent, two points behind Jon Huntsman(!) in a southern state that was supposed to be one of his strongholds. Really. And for all the talk of him underperforming like Fred Thompson did, when you look at the numbers you realize that so far that comparison’s actually unfair to Fred.

There are a lot — a lot — of what-ifs to come after Perry finally throws in the towel, but here’s a good one from BuzzFeed. What if he hadn’t stumbled at the debates and Romney had continued pounding him on entitlements? Would he still be in contention?

    But at a meet-and-greet with voters here today, Perry was reminded Thursday that he still hasn’t overcome the very first issue his opponents seized on this cycle: his early proposals to radically alter Social Security. The South Carolina exchange was a reminder that Perry’s challenges weren’t just stylistic, but would also have meant a fight to drag the Republican Party to the right on sensitive political issues.

    After a fire-and-brimstone sermon on the waste and fraud that plagues federal entitlement programs, Perry invited a question from local resident Sheryl Cox, sitting right in front of him. A small business owner, Cox voiced concern over the candidate’s social security stance, and asked whether he grouped the retirement program with the entitlements he had just railed against.

    “That’s my money,” she reminded him forcefully. “That’s my money.”

That would have been a debate worth having, but like I said earlier, you might not like the answers you get from Republican voters when you start asking certain difficult questions.

Exit question: Is that a little Tebowing I see happening at seven seconds in?
As The Daily Caller’s Matt Lewis tweeted, “Who is this guy and why doesn’t HE run for president???” South Carolina is Rick Perry’s last-ditch effort and he’s not even polling in the top three there. The outlook is bleak for Texas’ jobs governor, and we’re very nearly left with the thought of what might have been had he only been able to remember the Department of Energy. Then again, the gist of this ad is that Perry isn’t prepared to give up yet — and he’s never lost an election in his life. Do you believe in miracles?

Update (Allahpundit): Just to elaborate on the point that he’s not polling in the top three in SC, he’s actually not polling in the top five either. Right now he’s in sixth place at five percent, two points behind Jon Huntsman(!) in a southern state that was supposed to be one of his strongholds. Really. And for all the talk of him underperforming like Fred Thompson did, when you look at the numbers you realize that so far that comparison’s actually unfair to Fred.

There are a lot — a lot — of what-ifs to come after Perry finally throws in the towel, but here’s a good one from BuzzFeed. What if he hadn’t stumbled at the debates and Romney had continued pounding him on entitlements? Would he still be in contention?

But at a meet-and-greet with voters here today, Perry was reminded Thursday that he still hasn’t overcome the very first issue his opponents seized on this cycle: his early proposals to radically alter Social Security. The South Carolina exchange was a reminder that Perry’s challenges weren’t just stylistic, but would also have meant a fight to drag the Republican Party to the right on sensitive political issues.

After a fire-and-brimstone sermon on the waste and fraud that plagues federal entitlement programs, Perry invited a question from local resident Sheryl Cox, sitting right in front of him. A small business owner, Cox voiced concern over the candidate’s social security stance, and asked whether he grouped the retirement program with the entitlements he had just railed against.

“That’s my money,” she reminded him forcefully. “That’s my money.”

That would have been a debate worth having, but like I said earlier, you might not like the answers you get from Republican voters when you start asking certain difficult questions.

Exit question: Is that a little Tebowing I see happening at seven seconds in?
As The Daily Caller’s Matt Lewis tweeted, “Who is this guy and why doesn’t HE run for president???” South Carolina is Rick Perry’s last-ditch effort and he’s not even polling in the top three there. The outlook is bleak for Texas’ jobs governor, and we’re very nearly left with the thought of what might have been had he only been able to remember the Department of Energy. Then again, the gist of this ad is that Perry isn’t prepared to give up yet — and he’s never lost an election in his life. Do you believe in miracles?

Update (Allahpundit): Just to elaborate on the point that he’s not polling in the top three in SC, he’s actually not polling in the top five either. Right now he’s in sixth place at five percent, two points behind Jon Huntsman(!) in a southern state that was supposed to be one of his strongholds. Really. And for all the talk of him underperforming like Fred Thompson did, when you look at the numbers you realize that so far that comparison’s actually unfair to Fred.

There are a lot — a lot — of what-ifs to come after Perry finally throws in the towel, but here’s a good one from BuzzFeed. What if he hadn’t stumbled at the debates and Romney had continued pounding him on entitlements? Would he still be in contention?

But at a meet-and-greet with voters here today, Perry was reminded Thursday that he still hasn’t overcome the very first issue his opponents seized on this cycle: his early proposals to radically alter Social Security. The South Carolina exchange was a reminder that Perry’s challenges weren’t just stylistic, but would also have meant a fight to drag the Republican Party to the right on sensitive political issues.

After a fire-and-brimstone sermon on the waste and fraud that plagues federal entitlement programs, Perry invited a question from local resident Sheryl Cox, sitting right in front of him. A small business owner, Cox voiced concern over the candidate’s social security stance, and asked whether he grouped the retirement program with the entitlements he had just railed against.

“That’s my money,” she reminded him forcefully. “That’s my money.”

That would have been a debate worth having, but like I said earlier, you might not like the answers you get from Republican voters when you start asking certain difficult questions.

Video: Rick Perry’s best ad yet

As The Daily Caller’s Matt Lewis tweeted, “Who is this guy and why doesn’t HE run for president???” South Carolina is Rick Perry’s last-ditch effort and he’s not even polling in the top three there. The outlook is bleak for Texas’ jobs governor, and we’re very nearly left with the thought of what might have been had he only been able to remember the Department of Energy. Then again, the gist of this ad is that Perry isn’t prepared to give up yet — and he’s never lost an election in his life. Do you believe in miracles?

Update (Allahpundit): Just to elaborate on the point that he’s not polling in the top three in SC, he’s actually not polling in the top five either. Right now he’s in sixth place at five percent, two points behind Jon Huntsman(!) in a southern state that was supposed to be one of his strongholds. Really. And for all the talk of him underperforming like Fred Thompson did, when you look at the numbers you realize that so far that comparison’s actually unfair to Fred.

There are a lot — a lot — of what-ifs to come after Perry finally throws in the towel, but here’s a good one from BuzzFeed. What if he hadn’t stumbled at the debates and Romney had continued pounding him on entitlements? Would he still be in contention?

    But at a meet-and-greet with voters here today, Perry was reminded Thursday that he still hasn’t overcome the very first issue his opponents seized on this cycle: his early proposals to radically alter Social Security. The South Carolina exchange was a reminder that Perry’s challenges weren’t just stylistic, but would also have meant a fight to drag the Republican Party to the right on sensitive political issues.

    After a fire-and-brimstone sermon on the waste and fraud that plagues federal entitlement programs, Perry invited a question from local resident Sheryl Cox, sitting right in front of him. A small business owner, Cox voiced concern over the candidate’s social security stance, and asked whether he grouped the retirement program with the entitlements he had just railed against.

    “That’s my money,” she reminded him forcefully. “That’s my money.”

That would have been a debate worth having, but like I said earlier, you might not like the answers you get from Republican voters when you start asking certain difficult questions.

Exit question: Is that a little Tebowing I see happening at seven seconds in?
As The Daily Caller’s Matt Lewis tweeted, “Who is this guy and why doesn’t HE run for president???” South Carolina is Rick Perry’s last-ditch effort and he’s not even polling in the top three there. The outlook is bleak for Texas’ jobs governor, and we’re very nearly left with the thought of what might have been had he only been able to remember the Department of Energy. Then again, the gist of this ad is that Perry isn’t prepared to give up yet — and he’s never lost an election in his life. Do you believe in miracles?

Update (Allahpundit): Just to elaborate on the point that he’s not polling in the top three in SC, he’s actually not polling in the top five either. Right now he’s in sixth place at five percent, two points behind Jon Huntsman(!) in a southern state that was supposed to be one of his strongholds. Really. And for all the talk of him underperforming like Fred Thompson did, when you look at the numbers you realize that so far that comparison’s actually unfair to Fred.

There are a lot — a lot — of what-ifs to come after Perry finally throws in the towel, but here’s a good one from BuzzFeed. What if he hadn’t stumbled at the debates and Romney had continued pounding him on entitlements? Would he still be in contention?

But at a meet-and-greet with voters here today, Perry was reminded Thursday that he still hasn’t overcome the very first issue his opponents seized on this cycle: his early proposals to radically alter Social Security. The South Carolina exchange was a reminder that Perry’s challenges weren’t just stylistic, but would also have meant a fight to drag the Republican Party to the right on sensitive political issues.

After a fire-and-brimstone sermon on the waste and fraud that plagues federal entitlement programs, Perry invited a question from local resident Sheryl Cox, sitting right in front of him. A small business owner, Cox voiced concern over the candidate’s social security stance, and asked whether he grouped the retirement program with the entitlements he had just railed against.

“That’s my money,” she reminded him forcefully. “That’s my money.”

That would have been a debate worth having, but like I said earlier, you might not like the answers you get from Republican voters when you start asking certain difficult questions.

Exit question: Is that a little Tebowing I see happening at seven seconds in?
As The Daily Caller’s Matt Lewis tweeted, “Who is this guy and why doesn’t HE run for president???” South Carolina is Rick Perry’s last-ditch effort and he’s not even polling in the top three there. The outlook is bleak for Texas’ jobs governor, and we’re very nearly left with the thought of what might have been had he only been able to remember the Department of Energy. Then again, the gist of this ad is that Perry isn’t prepared to give up yet — and he’s never lost an election in his life. Do you believe in miracles?

Update (Allahpundit): Just to elaborate on the point that he’s not polling in the top three in SC, he’s actually not polling in the top five either. Right now he’s in sixth place at five percent, two points behind Jon Huntsman(!) in a southern state that was supposed to be one of his strongholds. Really. And for all the talk of him underperforming like Fred Thompson did, when you look at the numbers you realize that so far that comparison’s actually unfair to Fred.

There are a lot — a lot — of what-ifs to come after Perry finally throws in the towel, but here’s a good one from BuzzFeed. What if he hadn’t stumbled at the debates and Romney had continued pounding him on entitlements? Would he still be in contention?

But at a meet-and-greet with voters here today, Perry was reminded Thursday that he still hasn’t overcome the very first issue his opponents seized on this cycle: his early proposals to radically alter Social Security. The South Carolina exchange was a reminder that Perry’s challenges weren’t just stylistic, but would also have meant a fight to drag the Republican Party to the right on sensitive political issues.

After a fire-and-brimstone sermon on the waste and fraud that plagues federal entitlement programs, Perry invited a question from local resident Sheryl Cox, sitting right in front of him. A small business owner, Cox voiced concern over the candidate’s social security stance, and asked whether he grouped the retirement program with the entitlements he had just railed against.

“That’s my money,” she reminded him forcefully. “That’s my money.”

That would have been a debate worth having, but like I said earlier, you might not like the answers you get from Republican voters when you start asking certain difficult questions.

Perry: You know, at times, I can really relate to Moses

If nothing else, Rick Perry — in all his imperfection — remains likable. In fact, he’s arguably even more likable now than when he entered the presidential race with all the apparent arrogance of a man who had famously never lost an election. Chastened by his own mistakes, he’s learned to take himself lightly but his principles seriously.

That was the message he delivered today at the South Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition breakfast. He light-heartedly referred to his debate stumbles, but reminded listeners that he’ll stand up for conservative principles. National Journal relates a particularly memorable moment:

    Rick Perry’s no stranger to gaffes, but he has tried to turn it into an asset, making self-deprecating jokes about it on the campaign trail.

    On Sunday, he found an ally in a fellow speech-challenged leader that drew laughs from the audience of the South Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition prayer breakfast: Moses.

    “Moses, he tried to talk [G]od out of making him go lead the people,” Perry told the crowd of about 300. “He wasn’t a good speaker. Now, from time to time I can relate to that.”

Talk about knowing your audience! Perry was very on point to deliver that quip to this particular crowd. Maybe he’s like Moses in another way, too. While it’s true Moses didn’t think of himself as a particularly effective spokesperson (Exodus 4:10), he was known to others as “powerful in speech” (Acts 7:22). Perhaps Perry is on his way to that (if not the nomination), as well: His speech today earned him a standing ovation.

Perry: You know, at times, I can really relate to Moses

If nothing else, Rick Perry — in all his imperfection — remains likable. In fact, he’s arguably even more likable now than when he entered the presidential race with all the apparent arrogance of a man who had famously never lost an election. Chastened by his own mistakes, he’s learned to take himself lightly but his principles seriously.

That was the message he delivered today at the South Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition breakfast. He light-heartedly referred to his debate stumbles, but reminded listeners that he’ll stand up for conservative principles. National Journal relates a particularly memorable moment:

    Rick Perry’s no stranger to gaffes, but he has tried to turn it into an asset, making self-deprecating jokes about it on the campaign trail.

    On Sunday, he found an ally in a fellow speech-challenged leader that drew laughs from the audience of the South Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition prayer breakfast: Moses.

    “Moses, he tried to talk [G]od out of making him go lead the people,” Perry told the crowd of about 300. “He wasn’t a good speaker. Now, from time to time I can relate to that.”

Talk about knowing your audience! Perry was very on point to deliver that quip to this particular crowd. Maybe he’s like Moses in another way, too. While it’s true Moses didn’t think of himself as a particularly effective spokesperson (Exodus 4:10), he was known to others as “powerful in speech” (Acts 7:22). Perhaps Perry is on his way to that (if not the nomination), as well: His speech today earned him a standing ovation.

GOP candidates to join pro-life forum in South Carolina

At least four of the five GOP candidates will be present at a pro-life forum in South Carolina Wednesday, LifeNews.com reports:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, Congressman Ron Paul, and Texas Governor Rick Perry are scheduled to participate in the Presidential Prolife Forum at the Hilton Hotel in Greenville, South Carolina on Wednesday. Former Governor Mitt Romney has not responded to invitations to attend the event. …
“In the past, abortion has been relegated as a side-issue, but no longer,” Keith Mason, the head of the group, said in a statement to LifeNews.
“Voters are dissatisfied with liberal Republican candidates who are prolife in word, but not in deed. We have already seen a tremendous outspokenness on the Sanctity of Life from these four candidates,” he added. “Now voters are eager to ask serious questions about each candidate’s prolife position. Over 50 million innocent children have been killed by abortion since 1973, and we want a President who will not sit by and watch the death toll climb.”

While the eventual GOP nominee’s record on the abortion issue will likely make little difference in the general election, which promises to be a contest of alternate visions for economic growth and job development, it is nevertheless true that several of the GOP candidates have elevated the issue of abortion in the primaries. Ron Paul has made an unusual point to tout his pro-life credentials, for example, and Newt Gingrich’s Super PAC has attacked Mitt Romney’s record on the topic. Rick Santorum can’t go anywhere without receiving questions on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, and Rick Perry, too, has hyped his social conservative credentials. It also remains true that many single-issue voters still vote on the basis of a candidate’s position on this issue.
Given the confusion about Mitt Romney’s record on life issues, it might be smart of him to actually put in an appearance at the event, but, with the primary so close, it’s plausible he hasn’t yet confirmed because he has a genuine conflict.

GOP candidates to join pro-life forum in South Carolina

At least four of the five GOP candidates will be present at a pro-life forum in South Carolina Wednesday, LifeNews.com reports:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, Congressman Ron Paul, and Texas Governor Rick Perry are scheduled to participate in the Presidential Prolife Forum at the Hilton Hotel in Greenville, South Carolina on Wednesday. Former Governor Mitt Romney has not responded to invitations to attend the event. …
“In the past, abortion has been relegated as a side-issue, but no longer,” Keith Mason, the head of the group, said in a statement to LifeNews.
“Voters are dissatisfied with liberal Republican candidates who are prolife in word, but not in deed. We have already seen a tremendous outspokenness on the Sanctity of Life from these four candidates,” he added. “Now voters are eager to ask serious questions about each candidate’s prolife position. Over 50 million innocent children have been killed by abortion since 1973, and we want a President who will not sit by and watch the death toll climb.”

While the eventual GOP nominee’s record on the abortion issue will likely make little difference in the general election, which promises to be a contest of alternate visions for economic growth and job development, it is nevertheless true that several of the GOP candidates have elevated the issue of abortion in the primaries. Ron Paul has made an unusual point to tout his pro-life credentials, for example, and Newt Gingrich’s Super PAC has attacked Mitt Romney’s record on the topic. Rick Santorum can’t go anywhere without receiving questions on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, and Rick Perry, too, has hyped his social conservative credentials. It also remains true that many single-issue voters still vote on the basis of a candidate’s position on this issue.
Given the confusion about Mitt Romney’s record on life issues, it might be smart of him to actually put in an appearance at the event, but, with the primary so close, it’s plausible he hasn’t yet confirmed because he has a genuine conflict.