New Hampshire tea party coalition takes critical look at Perry’s conservative record
There isn’t much about Gov. Rick Perry’s record that’s going to change opinions about him here in Texas. He’s weathered criticisms of overzealous surveillance, rumors about his personal life and complaints he’s gone soft on illegal immigration. He even used to be a Democrat.
But as he heads out onto a national stage, opponents are working hard to air out his record for the rest of the country, from the Texas Democratic Party’s MeetRickPerry.com, to Progress Texas’ Perry For President FML.
As Republicans pick apart the field of candidates for their primary, though, Perry’s conservative credentials are getting a critical look now too. As the Texas Independent reported Tuesday, Gary Glenn, director of the American Family Association of Michigan, worried in June about Perry’s support for hate crimes legislation in 2001.
David E. Smith, director of the Illinois Family Institute — another state chapter of the Mississippi-based American Family Institute, which is hosting Perry’s upcoming prayer rally — joined the “Hands Off Our Kids Coalition” in 2007, which complained about Perry’s support for an ill-fated attempt to mandate a HPV vaccine.
Today, the Austin American-Statesman reported on the tough Perry is getting from tea party groups in New Hampshire:
“„The New Hampshire Tea Party Coalition, an organization of 47 like-minded groups, has published a blog post that criticizes Perry over a number of issues, including his support for the DREAM Act of 2001, which let certain illegal immigrants pay cheaper in-state tuition to attend Texas universities.
The group’s post on Perry is a laundry list of his liabilities with tea party audience who may not be familiar with the Texas Enterprise Fund or the HPV vaccine.
But the coalition has treated most of the Republican favorites to similar treatment, getting especially rough with Mitt Romney. Still, Perry’s post is the longest of any the group has put together. Rick Santorum, Herman Cain and Tim Pawlenty get off easy, with just a few critical YouTube clips. Either the group hasn’t gotten around to Michele Bachmann yet, or they don’t have any complaints.
