So That's Why Governor Rick Perry Jumped On the Tea Party Bandwagon

By Sam Merten Mon., Dec. 7 2009 at 2:37 PM

Categories: Politics

Danny Fulgencio

Governor Rick Perry

For polling purposes, Rasmussen Reports pretended the Tea Party movement organized as a political party and then tossed it into a ménage with the GOP and Dems. On a generic congressional ballot test using the three parties, 23 percent of respondents to a national telephone poll voted for the Tea Party candidate, second to the 36 percent grabbed by the Democrat. The Republican finished last at 18 percent, and 22 percent were undecided.

The Tea Party emerged as the top candidate at 33 percent among voters not affiliated with either major party, with 25 percent committing to the Democrat, 12 voting for the GOP and 30 percent undecided. Rasmussen also cites Tea Party candidates as the first choice among political conservatives and more popular than Republicans among moderates.

This is encouraging news for Governor Rick Perry, who made national headlines during the Tax Day Tea Party in Austin earlier this year with his secessionist rhetoric. While the polling data is national, it shows that Perry has clearly tapped into a movement with serious legs, and the numbers could be troublesome for U.S Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

In fact, if these numbers hold true in Texas, it could spell doom for Hutchison's campaign. She's banking on moderates, independents and conservatives to help her topple Perry in the GOP gubernatorial primary, but if all these groups are showing a tendency to vote for a Tea Party candidate, that would give a significant edge to Perry, who's quick to remind Tea Party activists frustrated with Washington that Hutchison's part of the problem.

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Hahaha, rick big gov't perry is NOT the tea party candidate. Debra Medina will take this election when the two same ol's split the vote.
"Those who supported the "tea parties" were NOT right-wing secessionists or hateful wingnuts (okay, maybe a few of them were). They were not a fringe element of the population as the left would like you to believe." Remind me what politicians the "Tea Party" has put in office so far? How much influence on actually changing the floor of Congress have they actually had?
defeat plaza, The tea party people could have certainly fooled me. I'm a political fencesitter and the tea parties looked like nothing more but Republicans in Revolutionary war renactment clothing. Papper in some Constitution Party members and Dominionists disguised as libertarians for good measure. Oh, let's not forget about white nationalists trying to ride the populist train as well. When I vote, I want the moderate, not the person further right than the right or further left than the left.
@ rw and Betty: If you knew anything about Chicago politics, you'd agree Obama is a Chicago street thug. And it has absolutely nothing to do with skin color.
I think everyone here is getting sidetracked by the Perry/KBH debacle and are missing the main point of this survey: Those who supported the "tea parties" were NOT right-wing secessionists or hateful wingnuts (okay, maybe a few of them were). They were not a fringe element of the population as the left would like you to believe. According to Rasmussen, the tea-party ranks not only outnumbered straight-line Republicans, but also bested BOTH parties among voters who weren't card-carrying Repubs or Dems. This also shows how tea-partiers are in fact angry with ALL of those currently in government, not just those from a certain party.
@Bill Lumbergh: I think you've nailed it. I can't believe any consultant would tell Perry he had a chance for a national office. It's too soon after Bush (not making a statement pro or con Bush, just too soon after another Texas governor), and he just doesn't have the brain power. I think his not-so-subtle handling of all things Aggie are definitely laying out the groundwork for his transfer there. Good for them - only Aggies would be dumb enough to let this guy run their schools.
Don't worry about Perry. I think he's realizing that he's got no shot in hell at getting into DC politics, so he's riding the Governor's office until he can guarantee himself a position at A&M. If he does manage to pull a win out of his ass next year, I imagine it'll be the last election he runs in.
Don Abbott is the kind of man who think's all black men are street thug's.Education does not matter,when he sees black skin it means thug.it's OK with me because I have lived long enough to know who the real thug's are.It takes one to know one.All of them should get over it,Obama is President of the United States of America and Don Abbott will just have to be lead by that Smart Black and White Chicago Street Thug.
Rick Perry's hair smells like government cheese.
@Don Abbott: "Chicago street thug"? So, is EVERY black male a thug to you? No matter what you may think of President Obama's policies, I really don't believe you can honestly say he's anything close to a street thug: Head of Harvard Law Review, magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law, University of Chicago Law School lecturer, etc. Sheesh.
@Don Abbott: Did I mention Dick Cheney? @Heywood U. Buzzoff: You can hope all you want for Debra Medina (who�s also a Tea Party activist, by the way), but let�s be honest. She has no shot against Perry or KBH. @Frank: No term limits, my friend. Which means Perry, who took over for a couple years after Bush left to become president and was subsequently elected to two four-year terms, will stay in office as long as Texans keep him there. @Tom: What strategy of going to the right of Perry? @Tom L (no, not that L): I agree, she�s been in trouble for quite some time, struggling to find her footing in this race. And staying in Washington only served to make her look like she was hedging her bets, even though she claimed she�s still going to resign after the primary.
Oh, Hutchison's been doomed for a while now. And the minute she announced she was going to stay on as Senator I knew that she knew it, too.
If Kay Bailey is banking on moderates and independents to help her topple Perry, her strategy of going to the right of him isn't going to work.
How the hell long can you be guvna? Seems like he's been in there 3 terms already. Eager to see what someone else can do.
All I know is that crap about seceding from the Union was tore it for me. I'm a Democrat but I'll vote for whatever candidate has the best odds against toppling him out of office. The fact he's such a paper tiger makes it all the more annoying.
Perry does not understand that the core republicans see Kay Bailey Useless as a gutless RINO and Ricky as the Trans Texas sell-our-roads-to-Spanish-Centasskunk. Here is hoping that Debbie Media gets fore under her tail and goes after both these fraud.
Only the Republicans would be stupid enough to float the possibility, however small, of Dick Cheney re-emerging in time for 2012. When, oh when, will they understand that people like Cheney led directly to a Chicago street thug being in charge. Please let there be a God long enough for someone to emerge to lead our country before it's too late...if it's not already.