Perry Says Campaign Will Continue, Experts Doubtful
Cal Jillson, political scientist at SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, comments on Perry's plans to continue his campaign.
By Jim Forsyth
Gov. Rick Perry tweeted today that he plans to go on to South Carolina and continue his Presidential run following last night's drubbing in Iowa, but Texas political analysts say any continuation will be short lived, 1200 WOAI news reports.
Perry finished in fifth place, losing not only to front runner Mitt Romney but to fellow social conservative Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, and Newt Gingrich.
Analysts tell 1200 WOAI news continuing the campaign for now doesn't mean continuing it for long.
"I think there is very little point in going on," said Cal Jillson of SMU, the dean of the state's political analysts. "He is in single digits in the polls in New Hampshire and only in the high single digits in South Carolina and Florida."
Perry cancelled a planned campaign trip to South Carolina to return to Texas, a trip that Perry had hoped to make in a state where he expected to make his surge. But a dismal fifth place showing in Iowa, and a trouncing by fellow conservative Rick Santorum, makes that surge unlikely, Jillson said.
As far as his failure to get traction in the race, Jillson says Perry has no one to blame but himself.
"Governor Perry did not show himself to be in command of issues and facts and arguments that he should have known," he said.
Jillson pointed to several factors, including his fumbling of questions over his decision to approve a bill granting in state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants, to an incident just a few days ago when Perry said he knew nothing about the U.S. Supreme Court decision during his administration which resulted in sodomy laws being declared unconstitutional.
"When he entered on the campaign trial he had those black boots on and he had 'liberty' and 'freedom' emblazoned across those boots, and he thought he was going to stride across the Red River and walk all the way to Washington," Jillson said.
He says Perry thought running for President would be as easy as taking on weak Democrats like Chris Bell and Bill White in Texas. Turned out he was wrong.