Rick Perry’s whirlwind arrival on the presidential stage has made him a Texas-sized character in Americans’ political imaginations. But some early black-and-white images of Perry’s life and politics don’t quite square with the …
2012 Election
The New Hampshire Test: Can Jon Huntsman Resurrect Big Tent Republicanism?
Henniker, N.H.
These days, Jon Huntsman finds praise in unexpected places. On a recent September evening, the struggling Republican presidential candidate spoke to a modest crowd at New England College. His pitch was sober. He …
Breaking: Rick Perry Is “An American”
[youtube=http://youtu.be/8EL5Atp_vF0]
Lucas Baiano, the guy who made Rick Perry’s new web video, was born and raised on the far side of the Canadian border. This doesn’t matter of course. Baiano is legal to work in the United States, and his dedication to the American political system is unquestioned. After volunteering for both …
Sliding in the Polls, Bachmann Pushes Ahead with Her Red Meat Campaign in Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Michele Bachmann is ambling through the aisles of a cramped meat locker in an industrial section of Des Moines. Massive sides of beef, weighing up to 950 lbs., hang from hooks near the ceiling and droplets of …
The Wages of Congress Catch Up with Scott Brown
The August debt debacle seriously undermined an already skeptical public’s view of their representatives in Washington. Senator Scott Brown, once remarkably well-loved for a Republican in Blue Mass., seems to have been tarred by a summer of D.C. run-amokery. Here’s (democratically affiliated) Public Policy Polling:
Early last December,
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Perry Embraces Israel, Bashes Obama on the Middle East
Rick Perry’s foreign policy remains, in important ways, a work in progress, and a source of some anxiety for Republican foreign policy neocons. But speaking in New York on Tuesday morning, Perry made two things crystal clear: his more-or-less unconditional support for Israel, and his opposition to the Obama administration’s controversial …
How Super PACs Could Eclipse Official Campaigns in 2012
Presidential campaigns are so 2008, like boyfriend jeans or Tila Tequila. If you want to win the White House these days, “Super PACs” are the thing to have.
“PerryCare”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiuBC4OLwbs]
Michele Bachmann, in what appears to be a broadcast from her local public access studio, coins the term in reference to Rick Perry’s executive order mandating the HPV vaccine for teenage girls. (No mention of the uninsured rate in Texas).
Rick Perry and the GOP’s Afghanistan Bind
Rick Perry is still laboring to articulate a clear position on Afghanistan.
Is Romney Really a Lock in New Hampshire?
Summer is fast turning to fall here in New Hampshire, where I’m reporting a story for the print magazine, and it strikes me that there’s been curiously little talk of late about this state’s traditionally all-important primary. To be fair, in the past several months the Republican presidential race has revolved around other things: Iowa, …
Friends With Benefits: Rick Perry’s Biggest Donors
The most important insight into the state of the Republican presidential race won’t come from the continuing series of GOP debates, but from fund raising figures that will be released at the end of September. All the candidates want to show they can build up cash by the Sept. 30 third-quarter disclosure deadline, especially the …
Rick Perry Exclusive: The GOP’s Fiery Front-Runner
The hard-charging governor commands a Texas-sized lead in the polls. In an interview with TIME’s Richard Stengel and Mark Halperin, Perry defends his controversial résumé and explains why Americans aren't looking for …
Lucky and Good: Rick Perry’s Lone Star Rise to Power
At some point in every major national politician’s life, their history becomes mythology and their persona becomes fixed in the public imagination. Rick Perry, his opponents and many pundits like to say, is a fortunate fellow, a …