"I stand before you today as a disciplined conservative Texan, a committed Republican and a proud American, united with you to restoring our nation and revive the American dream." When one thinks of Rick Perry, all these elements come to mind. Yes he is a Republican, but to some extent he goes against the stereotype of a typical republican. The key word is "Texan" meaning he's from the south and is likely to be more hospitable than say Michelle Bachmann, who is from Iowa. Southeners like Bill Clinton, tend to do very well in the polls because people are attracted to the positive energy they bring. Rick Perry has charisma, something most people are drawn to when he is speaking on TV or talking on the radio. When Perry is talking about the issues he'd like to address in office, he sounds truly believable and genuine. Unlike the other candidates, Perry appears to have nothing pre-rehearsed or looks as if someone has fed him the information. People like to see a candidate who feels strongly about what they believe as well as connect to the candidate on a personal level. Another aspect that works in Perry's favor is he is the Governor of Texas. Unlike Rhode Island or Georgia, Texas is a large state. If Perry has successfully overseen Texas, people will feel confident that he can oversee an entire country. Perry has a lot going for him, and with that in mind he could very well be the GOP nominee.
While Perry appears to have most of his act together, he's not perfect. During the Republican debate between himself and Romney last week, he fumbled resulting in a weeks worth of media uproar. Perry was addressing how he would replace three departments and he only named the Department of Education and the Department of Commerce. He struggled to name the third and said "I can't think of the third one. I can't. Oops." Oops is right. This may to appear to be a small slip up but in reality Perry has lead Americans to believe that he does not know very much. This makes Perry look incompetent and could result in his loss to Mitt Romney. Rick Perry has also had a low turnout when it comes to the debates making him look like a weak debator. While he does have charisma, he also needs to be able to address issues upfront with others otherwise he appears to be an inadequate leader. Perry needs to start attending more debates otherwise the public will dismiss him as the GOP nominee.
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