Rick Perry Could Really Mix Things Up

Rush Limbaugh talked a bit about Texas Gov. Rick Perry and what how he could really shake things up should he join the campaign for president.  Rush started out talking about a Politico article that claimed that GOP insiders were looking at Mitch Daniels as the guy who would save the party:

Here's a pull quote: "There is one other scenario, and it terrifies Washington Republicans. That is the possibility that some very conservative, insurgent candidate will become the Romney alternative: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum or former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin." So, folks, the word's gone out, the inside-the-Beltway Republican elites, the RINOs, they are scared to death that some conservative is gonna get the nomination, and they want the exciting Mitch Daniels to ride in, announce, and save the day.

Let me throw a name at you out there, and this person's toying with getting in the race. And there are some Republicans who are trying to convince this person to get in the race, and there is a lot of excitement attached to the possibility that this person will get in the race. Well, who do you think I'm talking about? You have a look on your face in there as though you know who I'm talking about. Texas Governor Rick Perry. Texas Governor Rick Perry is lurking out there, and he has the potential to light this up.

If Rick Perry decides to get in this, folks, then you can wipe away all the conventional wisdom that's out there heretofore and to date, 'cause it's a brand-new day, and it starts all over again. And the Republican elites do not like Rick Perry. The Republican elites do not like Rick Perry. (interruption) Who said endorsement? No, I'm not endorsing anybody here. Don't do that. Look, Drudge has the story that Rick Perry's being asked to consider and that he's thinking about it.

Folks, I'm just gonna tell you a little story. I was asked a year ago, sometime in the last 12 months, I forget exactly when, I was asked to appear in Texas at a fundraiser for a very popular Texas politician. I'm not going to name the politician. Doesn't matter. This was in the midst of the Texas gubernatorial race. Remember Kay Bailey Hutchison was challenging Rick Perry for the governorship of Texas. And I received a panicked e-mail from a member of the inside Republican elite warning me -- now, get this -- warning me that Rick Perry was gonna show up for the express purpose of trying to horn his way into a photograph with me. I was insulted and angered by this, not by what Perry was gonna do, but, so? Rick Perry wants to show up, he's the governor of Texas. They were warning me to be on the lookout that Rick Perry might try to use me to advance his gubernatorial campaign.

The only reason I tell you this, and the only reason it's interesting is that the people sending me the note were the same people talking to the Politico here who think Mitch Daniels equals Mr. Excitement, who are petrified of Newt getting in, petrified of Bachmann, petrified of Santorum, petrified of Palin, petrified of somebody conservative getting in. They wanted to warn me that I was going to be used, and I'd better be on the lookout, "Whatever you do, do not let this happen." And of course it happened.

I posed for a picture with Perry. He showed up, he said some nice things about me. He was a friend of everybody there. He didn't intrude in a place he wasn't wanted, the governor of Texas. I tell you the story only to illustrate what I've told you all along and what you've known instinctively probably yourselves, and that is the Republican Party is by no means unified here and the Republican Party, well, the elites in it are as alarmed at the prospect a conservative will get the nomination as are the Democrats alarmed that a conservative could get the Republican nomination.

Read the rest of Rush's comments here.

Conservatives don't like the GOP field at this point. Rick Perry could really energize the base and would be a formidable candidate against Obama. For one thing, he doesn't like him very much and that's not a bad thing in a candidate. One of McCain's problems, among many, was he wanted to be liked by Obama and couldn't bring himself to campaign against him the way he should have. Perry won't have that problem.