Political positions of Rick Perry
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Constitutional issues
Some of Perry's views are in opposition to Constitutional amendments already adopted. In his 2010 book
Perry has expressed support for amending the Constitution to set a nationwide policy on social issues, by prohibiting
Criticism of Federal Reserve
On August 16, 2011, Perry sharply criticized the
Another of the top-three-polling Republican presidential candidates, Ron Paul, who routinely criticizes Bernanke and has made "End the Fed" a major platform issue, also criticized Perry's comment, saying that "he makes me look like a moderate" and that, unlike Perry, "I have never once said Bernanke has committed treason."[7]
Immigration
Perry is opposed to the DREAM Act.[8]
Perry opposed the building of a
In response to the 2014 crisis of undocumented, unaccompanied children crossing the border, which generated widespread attention, Perry declared the issue of illegal immigration of minors a "side-issue" compared with the number of illegal immigrants arriving who have committed crimes, which he estimated was about 80%.[14]
In 2016, The Texas Tribune wrote that "Perry has long been a critic of building a wall or fence along the border."[15]
Official language
In 2011, Perry said that he supports the English language to be official language of the United States.[16][17]
Death penalty
Perry supports the
LGBT issues
Rick Perry opposes the legal recognition and legalization of
In his first book, On My Honor, published in 2008, Perry drew a parallel between
During the 2012 presidential campaign, he criticized the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for the U.S. military.[27] In a 2011 campaign ad, he stated: "there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military" and later defended the ad, saying he was "very comfortable" with it.[28] Perry said using foreign aid as a policy tool against foreign countries that violate the human rights of homosexuals was "not in America's interests" and was part of a "war on traditional American values".[29]
Environmental and energy issues
Perry has been a
Texas-based
Perry opposes regulation of
In 2011, temperatures in Texas set an all-time record for the hottest summer in the contiguous United States, with 91% of the state "experiencing extreme or exceptional drought".[49] Perry said that comments by President Obama that linked the resulting wildfires to climate change were "outrageous".[50][51]
Perry says the
In 2008, Perry pushed for federal loan guarantees for the expansion of the South Texas Nuclear Generating Station, but in 2011 he said that he had changed his position and no longer favored federal engagement in energy projects.[56]
Social Security
In Perry's book, Fed Up!, published in the fall of 2010, he said that Social Security was "a crumbling monument to the failure of the New Deal."[57] He likened the program to "an illegal Ponzi scheme" and also suggested that it was unconstitutional, having been enacted "at the expense of respect for the Constitution and limited government."[57] During the promotion of the book he said that the Federal government should leave health care to the states and focus on putting Social Security on "better and more solid footing".[58]
In 2011, after he announced his candidacy for the presidency, a spokesman for Perry said that the book was written "as a review and critique of 50 years of federal excesses, not in any way as a 2012 campaign blueprint or manifesto".
During the campaign, Perry has suggested that changes in Social Security could include restricting eligibility on the basis of age and income, and a switch to private accounts.[64]
Foreign policy
While visiting Israel in August 2009, Perry gave an interview to the
In 2011, he accused President Obama of a "policy of appeasement" for giving "equal standing to the grievances of Israelis and Palestinians" in peace talks.[66][67][68]
Perry said, during the Republican debate in Orlando on Sept. 22, 2011, that the U.S. had chosen not to sell F-16 jet fighters to India; India made the decision to go with another military airplane. The Obama administration had lobbied for the sale.[69] In that same debate, Perry also decried the Obama Administration's refusal to sell F-16C/Ds to Taiwan. Perry criticized Obama's policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying that the announcement of the scheduled withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2011 has endangered American troops in the area.[70]
Perry has also expressed support for an Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.[71]
In 2012, Perry argued against prosecuting American troops for violations of the Geneva Conventions.[72]
In late 2011, Perry argued for the use of waterboarding as a method of obtaining information from suspects attempting to harm U.S. service personnel.[73]
In August 2014, the Pentagon denied Perry's claims that Islamic terrorists were crossing the Texas border.[74] The National Guard members Perry activated to face this "threat" were then directed to seek help from food banks while they waited to be paid for their service.[75]
Fiscal policy
In October 2011, Perry put forwards a flat tax proposal that would allow taxpayers to choose either their tax rate under existing law or a flat 20% rate. The plan would also eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits and inheritances. Asked if his tax plan would help wealthy taxpayers, Perry said he was not concerned about that because a lower tax rate would encourage greater investment and job creation by the wealthy.[76][77]
As Governor of Texas, Perry received grades of B in 2004,[78][79] B in 2006,[80][81] B in 2008,[82][83] B in 2010,[84][85] C in 2012,[86][87] and B in 2014[88][89] from the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, in their biennial Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors.
2008 presidential endorsements
In October 2007, despite their political differences on many social issues, Perry endorsed Rudy Giuliani for President. "Rudy Giuliani is the most prepared individual of either party to be the next President... I'm not talking about any mayor, I'm talking about America's Mayor," Perry said.[90] Some conjectured that, if Giuliani were elected, Perry might have been considered for a position in the new president's cabinet, or perhaps the vice presidency.[91] Giuliani withdrew from the race on January 30, 2008, after failing to gain support in early primaries.
Both Giuliani and Perry immediately endorsed Arizona Senator John McCain for President.[92] Shortly after Mitt Romney's withdrawal from the race in early February, Perry reportedly called McCain rival Mike Huckabee and suggested that he withdraw as well to clear the way for McCain to secure the nomination. Huckabee declined this request and made it clear publicly that he would abandon his presidential bid only if McCain secured enough delegates.[93] Huckabee withdrew his presidential bid on March 5, 2008, after John McCain won the Texas and Ohio primaries.
References
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- ^ a b McGreal, Chris (August 16, 2011). "Rick Perry attacks Ben Bernanke's 'treasonous' Federal Reserve strategy". The Guardian. London. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ Zeleny, Jeff (August 16, 2011). "Perry Doesn't Back Down From Fed 'Treasonous' Comments". The New York Times. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
- ^ Camia, Catalina (August 16, 2011). "Obama: Perry has to be 'more careful' with his words". USA Today. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
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- ^ "Rick Perry's View on Arizona SB1070, Border Security, and the Immigration Debate". Texas GOP Vote. May 5, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
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- ^ "Rick Perry endorses E-Verify, sorta". Retrieved October 19, 2011.
- ^ "Rick Perry Supports Work Visas For Undocumented Immigrants In US." Fox News, 4 November 2011.
- ^ Bradner, Eric. "Perry: Unaccompanied minors 'side issue' in border dispute". www.politico.com. Politico. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
- ^ Tribune, The Texas; Atkinson, Khorri (July 11, 2016). "Rick Perry On Donald Trump's Border Wall: Never Going to Happen". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ "Perry indicates support for English as national language". CBS News.
- ^ "English Should be America's Official Language, Rick Perry Says". 31 December 2011.
- ^ Thomas, Evan; Brant, Martha (November 10, 2007). "Injection of Reflection". Newsweek. Archived from the original on November 13, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
- ^ Bonner, Raymond (June 18, 2001). "Ban on Execution of the Retarded is Vetoed in Texas". The New York Times. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
- ^ Montopoli, Brian (September 7, 2011). "Rick Perry: I don't lose sleep over Texas executions". CBS News. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
- ^ "Rick Perry Visits SF, Compares Gays to Alcoholics - the Bold Italic - San Francisco". www.thebolditalic.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Elliott, Janet (November 8, 2005). "Same-sex marriage ban wins OK". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
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- ^ Shahid, Aliyah (December 8, 2011). "Rick Perry rips Obama's 'war on religion' in new ad criticizing President on 'Don't Ask Don't Tell'". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
- ^ "Rick Perry Says Human Rights for Gays 'Not in America's Interests'". ABC News. December 6, 2011. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
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- ^ Selby, W. Gardner; Price, Asher (2007-10-21). "Perry's strong views on climate change can be muted at home". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ Klein, Ezra (August 23, 2011). "Despite Rick Perry, consensus on climate change keeps strengthening". The Washington Post
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- ^ Gillman, Todd J. "In DC, Gov. Rick Perry talks 2016, Ted Cruz, climate change, border security". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ Magill, Bobby (December 14, 2016). "Rick Perry Tapped to Run the Energy Agency He Once Vowed to Kill". Scientific American. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
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- ^ "TXU reversal on coal-plant emissions shocks power industry", MarketWatch
- ^ "Relating to the Creation of the Governor's Clean Coal Technology Council". Office of the Governor. December 19, 2002.
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- ^ "Gov. Perry: Incentives will Create New Clean Energy Sources" Archived 2011-09-01 at the Wayback Machine. Office of the Governor. August 19, 2009
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- ^ Broder, John M.; Galbraith, Kate (September 30, 2011). "E.P.A. is Longtime Favorite Target for Perry". The New York Times. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ Barnett, Jim (October 20, 2011). "Drought to continue in Southern plains, officials say". CNN.
- ^ Nielsen-Gammon, John (September 6, 2011). "A Pyric Victory". Houston Chronicle.
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- ^ Nelder, Chris. "Is there really 100 years’ worth of natural gas beneath the United States?" Slate, 29 December 2011.
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- ^ a b c King Jr., Neil (August 18, 2011), "Perry Is Suddenly Less 'Fed Up' Over Social Security", The Wall Street Journal, retrieved August 19, 2011
- ^ "Texas Gov. Perry: Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme." Fox News, November 21, 2010.
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- ^ Keyes, Scott (August 27, 2011). "Breaking: Perry Says He Hasn't 'Backed Off Anything' In His Book, Still Thinks Social Security Is Unconstitutional". ThinkProgress. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
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- ^ Ward, Jon (September 21, 2011). "Mitt Romney Rules Out Rick Perry's Idea Of Moving Social Security To States". The Huffington Post.
- ^ "Perry: Social Security may need fixes for age, income". Detroit Free Press. Associated Press. October 9, 2011.
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