E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSFirst, it was "no reason to think otherwise." Then it was, "I don't have a clue." Then it was "a distraction."
And on Day Four, it's finally, "I have no doubt."
After days of questions, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said unequivocally that he believes the president is an American citizen.
"I don't think I was expressing doubts," he said of his previous comments about the validity of the president's birth certificate in an interview with Tampa's Bay News 9 to be aired Sunday, per the St. Petersburg Times. "I was just having some fun with Donald Trump."
Asked if he believes President Obama is an American citizen, Perry responded, "I have no doubt about it."
Perry's flirtation with birtherism, which began Sunday in an interview published in Parade Magazine, resulted in at least a partial overshadowing of his rollout of a flat tax-based economic plan in Gray Court, S.C., yesterday. Perry implied that his questions about Obama's birth certificate were meant in "fun" during an interview with CNBC's John Harwood, but he also appeared to sympathize with Trump's skepticism that the president's birth certificate -- which he made public in an April press conference -- is real.
"I don't have a clue about ... what his birth certificate says," Perry told Harwood. "But it's also a great distraction."
But in the interview in Tampa, where Perry held a fundraising event Wednesday, the Texas governor dismissed the whole controversy as a joke.
"It's fun to... Ya know, lighten up," he said.
GOP '12 candidate Rick Perry is now saying he has no doubt President Obama is an American citizen, while Mitt Romney now says he backs Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, "110 percent" on a collective bargaining measure.
Perry also challenged his competitors to reveal other personal documents, including college transcripts. (Perry's recently published grades at Texas A&M reflected his academic struggles.)
"Let's lay out our income taxes," he said. "Let's lay out our college transcripts. Mine's been on the front page of the paper. So if we're going to lay out all these things, let's lay them all out.
Here's a partial transcript:
PERRY: "I don't think I was expressing doubts. I was just having some fun with Donald Trump. So I...."
ADAM SMITH, ST. PETE TIMES: Are you comfortable that he's an American citizen?
PERRY: Oh yeah. It's fun to.. Ya know, lighten up.
SMITH: So you have no doubt he's an American citizen?
PERRY: "I have no doubt about it. But here's the more interesting thing. Let's lay out our income taxes. Let's lay out our college transcripts. Mine's been on the front page of the paper. So if we're going to lay out all these things, let's lay them all out."
Leave a Comment:
Perrys poll numbers now in 'Single digits' like Bachmann
Keep praying Losers
of course he is... keep it up Rick, the whole country is going to believe all of us Texans are idiots...
He really does not represent TX very well at all.
After producing Bush and now Perry, I kind of assumed that Texans are a stupid bunch...
Bart, I just have to say this again. GW Bush is NOT a Texan. Texas did not produce GW Bush, he is from up North and, I wish that the whole family had stayed there. Unfortunately, we are stuck with Perry.
my personal problem, George Dubya lives about a mile from me and his George W Bush Center is across the street from my place, I have to look at it each and everyday! Notice they stopped short of calling it a library, I guess they wanted Dubya to show up to the opening.
What a total moron! He's proven he's just as stupid as all the other teabaggers and birthers! They'd claim they, themselves, were illegal aliens if it would get them a vote/the office they seek. What worthless, lying, greedy politicians--all of them. I mean, we could have a shred of respect at least if they would admit they are not that stupid but have to say crap to get elected. But Perry has now lowered himself down into the depths of the pond, into the scum, with the others. Isn't there just one--at least one, decent, science-believing member of the GOP? It's beginning to look like the qualification to be in the GOP is an IQ of 70!
Any of them would be better than the Chicago thug in office now. This country should be proud of it's uneducated election of a party planner into office. He's picked corrupt advisor after corrupt advisor. So now we have dumb and dumber and dumbest running our country, but boy do they know how to blow money and take kick backs... yep were really well off with the left running the country.
I'll take a Republican any day after this debacle in office.
Again I'm reminded of Uncle Ronnie Reagan joking about initiating the countdown to unleash nuclear war on the Soviet Union on August 11, 1984. The Soviets were not amused! Difference is Ronnie did it by mistake into an open mike, Cain and Cowboy Ricky are trying to play it both ways (I was just kidding wink, wink). This lets them get a coded message to the crazies that they have a soul mate while (wink wink) placating the more rational members of the public.
College transcripts? Perry wants to compare his "I'm retarded" college transcripts against ANYONE else?? THAT'S the latest Rigt Wing-created distraction.
Goodbye Rick. Your 15 minutes are up. Obama will crush these clowns.
Bart: Good post! You're exactly right!
Will laugh the day Perry cancels his campaign. It's coming soon.
And Perry accuses Romney of flip flopping ........if this aint a stone cold flip flop i dont know what is .........his people must have played the tape of Obama making Trump look like an off the wall idiot at the Roast a couple months ago over the birther thing so he decided to wise the hell up........especially after he saw the look on da Donalds face while it was happening.......fricken priceless !!!!
That was one of the BEST TV moments I have ever seen! The Donald was NOT amused!
no , he was not..........but he sure is proud of himself (LMFAO) all ya gotta do is ask him !!!!
This whole Party of No group has given the American people better laughs than we get on SNL..Keep it up,Ditto Heads....
Perry's too dumb to know how to walk backwards
Mr grover, the gop, & fox news don't take politics seriously. They like the fun of it. Their sponsors are sitting on tons of cash and don't care whether or not solutions are ever reached. Fox news keeps their political section between their entertainment & sports sections.
Rob in ma, You obviously did not see the Jay Leno show last night. President Obama received a long standing ovation!
Being a guest in a tv studio is far different than being in an open stadium where people can express themselves a bit more freely without the threat of being tossed out.
Trust me big boy Obama doesn't go to sporting events because the crowd would rain the booo's on him that he so richly deserves.
TJefferson, very impressive, I will check it out even further once I am off work. Children are eager to have their eyes opened. Have a great day!
1964jv: Thanks for your interest! Let me know what you think.
Donald Trump to Gov. Rick Perry - "You're fired!"
Is Perry on drugs? Does anyone really believe that we need a President that changes direction every 24 hours. How about sitting down and thinking it all the way through before you commit. Gather all the facts, figure out what's the right thing to do for all Americans, make a commitment and then stick with it. Wow, what a concept!
Is Perry on drugs?
He needs to be. Prozac to get him focused maybe.
You need better candidates Rob.
all it will take is MITT ROMNEY
Oh and Rubio as VP. A little arm twisting and he is on the ticket!
MItt Romney stands no chance. The Republican base and the Teabaggers don't like him. Plus he's trying to sell that goofy zero corporate tax thing to create jobs. Anyone with half a brain knows that plan is a dead deal.
However, I do like Rubio...but he doesn't strike me as the kind of boy that will play up to Willard's wishy washy campaign. Look out for Rubio in 2016. This kid is going places..he asks great questions!!!!
"I don't think I was expressing doubts," he said of his previous comments about the validity of the president's birth certificate in an interview with Tampa's Bay News 9 to be aired Sunday, per the St. Petersburg Times. "I was just having some fun with Donald Trump."
Do you need any more proof that this man is a cretin?
PT Barum was right! And Perry campaign donors are the suckers of today. This guy is a one man wrecking crew for his own campaign. He's gone. No one is going to support this kind of crazy erratic behavior. You need Betty Ford brother!!!!
Give Romney credit, he doesnt have to put Perry down , the man is doing a good enough job of that all by himself...............NEWS FLASH !!!! and it shows
It's not often that you see a candidate for POTUS self destruct on essentially a non-news day without any provocation. All you need is a news crew to follow this guy around and print what comes out of his pie hole. Ultimately it smells like what comes out of his other hole. mimes and clowns...notice how Romney has been quiet during the implosion of Mr. Perry!
"Self destruct". That is the most accurate description.
Many have heard the rumors of Gov. Perry's alleged homosexual experiences. But, does anyone believe President Obama would stoop so low as to publicly speak about those rumors just to "have some fun"?
That's just one of the multitude of differences between those two men.
As previously said: it seems Gov. Perry stopped by to see Donald Trump so as to top-off his sleaze tank.
and to beg for some MONEY from the Donald
O dumbo caused all of this on his own, transparent my arse, he is hiding all his skeletons, only ones who told the truth was his grandmother in Kenya. Just as the lier in chief does all the time to the sheepies.
You are an idiot..the grandmothers words were taken out of context. She was repeating the question asked of her. You bozo's need to find a new dog..cause that one don't hunt! Can't say I feel your Republican pain. It's the party of no where.
Are you a dumb Religious Nut or just a run of the mill Right Wing Nut ?
Rich, the sad truth of the matter is you're not very intelligent, please just stick to those subjects to which you actually have some knowledge, like... humm, give me minute I'll come up with something. OK I give up, can anyone help me out with this? Rich would be grateful.
That hard core of uneducated evangelical religious bigots has accounted for 10 - 20% of the population for at least the last 100 years in America. They have been attracted to various causes such as the KKK, McCarthyism, John Birch Society, Lyndon LaRouche Movement and Neo-cons. Now they have the Tea Party to gather around. The common theme of all these movements is that "The current political leaders have mongrelized America and are defying the intent of the Christian Founding Fathers".
This does not mean that the Tea Partiers are ignorant bigots, just that the evangelical bigots feel most at home in their company.
Taken out of context, ha, came right our of her mouth, seems no one here can dispute his hiding of all his records,. go peddle your crap on some more college kids, only dummies there are with all the professors of stupidity.
Do we have any proof that Perry is an American citizen? I know he wouldn't be an American if Texas had followed through on his threats to secede from the nation!
I just wish Cain, Newty Boy, Perry and Bachmann would hurry up and go bye bye, they are muddying up the shallow end of the pool! The rest are harmless yokels, at least we might get something on the news but all of the flip flop, backtrack, "I was just Kidding" stuff...
The thing is, If President Obama were to say something like that, and then say he was only joking, those on the right would be all over him for not acting Presidential. Isnt the purpose of these primaries to find out who would be the best President and the most "Presidential"?
Headline for this article should have read: Rick Perry Once Again Proves He Is A Complete Imbecile".
Birthers were a Joke just like Perry. Bunch of Republican clowns - LOL.
Walked it back? Too little Too late. When you hitch your wagon to ANYTHING that Trump pushes, you are dead in the water. It will be Romney as the default. Too bad the evangelicals who think he is in a cult will stay home. All of the states that should go Republican will be in play.