Yet the speech presented a toned-down version of Perry, who is expected to signal his presidential candidacy during an event Saturday. His comments came in
Perry didn’t mention President Obama by name; the economy was the sole issue he discussed. He also didn’t discuss his candidacy for the presidency, though Texas Lieutenant Gov. David Dewhurst (who introduced the governor) suggested Perry is up for the task.
“In these troubled and unsettling times I am more convinced than ever that there’s no such thing as a coincidence, that when a nation like America comes to a crossroads in dark hours, proven men and women -- tested men and women -- are called not just to stand in the gap but to lead in dark hours,” Dewhurst said. “I know Rick Perry. I know the man. Rick Perry is such a leader.”
The governor hammered on the theme that will likely define his presidential candidacy:
Perry also decried an “activist federal government” that has intruded on environmental policy, health care policy and labor policy. “States are best positioned to deal with the challenges that they face,” the country’s longest-serving governor said. “No one wants a
Perry – aware of his crowd – emphasized the role of states as “laboratories for innovation” that are best-suited to quickly solve the country’s problems with innovation solutions.
NCSL leaders say it’s a coincidence that Perry spoke to their audience just days before he is expected to announce his presidential candidacy. Typically, the organization approaches the governor, mayor and legislative leaders of the state where the organization’s annual conference is held, and convention sites are selected years in advance. The organization extended an invitation to Perry to speak several months ago, before much of the speculation about a possible presidential run began to mount.
Perry attacked the federal government’s spending record and President Obama’s stimulus bill by saying it hasn’t put the country back to work. “No government program, no matter how well intended,” can fix the country’s staggering unemployment, Perry said, arguing that deficit spending would only make the situation worse. “The fact is that, government doesn’t create jobs,” Perry said. “Otherwise the last two and a half years of stimulus would have worked.” The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has found that the program created or saved millions of jobs.
Instead, Perry argued, “the government can only create the environment at allows the private sector to create jobs.” He said low taxes in
Without using President Obama’s name, Perry criticized the "Keynesian" leaders of Washington and reminded the audience of the recent Standard & Poor’s downgrade of the federal government’s credit rating. And he suggested the recent debt deal should have reduced spending even more than it will. The message was an unusual one for an audience that has spent much of the week examining how they will cope with the major discretionary cuts over the next decade.
Perry’s speech lacked the give-and-take with the audience that is typical in presidential stump speeches. Many parts of the speech elicited only partial applause from the audience, with many in the crowd often remaining silent, largely due to the number of legislators in attendances who don’t share his political views.
“This west
