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Subscribe to RSSAMES, IOWA -- The morning after Mitt Romney challenged Rick Perry to a $10,000 bet, the Texas governor slammed Romney's casual but pricey wager and suggested the sum is merely "pocket change" for his wealthy rival.
"Having an extra ten thousand that you would throw down on a bet just seems very out of the ordinary," Perry told a New York Times reporter after a crowded event in an Ames diner.
"I would suggest to you that ten thousand dollars is pocket change for Mitt," he added
The "pocket change" remark offered a sharp new nettle on Perry's earlier criticism of Romney in an interview with Fox News Sunday, in which he dubbed the former Massachusetts governor "a little out of touch with the normal Iowa citizen." .
Perry's comments came after he held a fire-marshall-capacity event at the Cafe Diem diner in Ames. An otherwise enthusiastic reception was marred by heckling after Perry left the stage, as protestors loudly yelled "why do you hate gay people so much?" and "go back to Texas!" The governor ignored the comments as the crowd booed dissenters down.
But the charge of anti-gay rhetoric offers a glimpse into the risks of Perry's explicit pitch to social conservatives in Iowa. The campaign has faced criticism for a recent ad that takes aim at gay soldiers serving openly in the United States military.
After stumbling badly in early debates, Perry has dramatically steered his political pitch to one focused on values, Christian faith, and the current White House's "war on religion."
The Tenth Amendment- defending governor, for example, promised on Sunday to fight for a constitutional amendment that "would allow our children to pray in school any time that they would like"
And Perry's faith-based message isn't just over the airwaves.
Immediately after appearing on Fox, he ventured to Waukee megachurch Point of Grace, where he made an explicit plea for worshippers to get involved in the political process.
"I happen to think that people of faith biblically are charged to go and be engaged in that debate," he said during one of two services he attended at the stadium-seating style prayer center.
Perry's message to Christians: Look for a man with a "deep rudder" of values, not one with "all the answers."
It's a humble message from a man whose flubs have dogged him since early in the campaign. Despite his potential upswing after Romney's damaging "bet," those mistakes continue to haunt the Texan governor.
Perry, who last night offered one of the strongest debate performances of his presidential campaign, was asked Sunday morning in an interview to explain his recent bungling of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's name as well as the number of judges who sit on the high court.
"Well, obviously, I know there are nine Supreme Court justices," he said on FOX. "I don't know how eight came out of my mouth. But the fact is, I can't tell you, I don't have memorized all of the Supreme Court judges."
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How about a $10,000 bet Obama wins again in 2012! Its astounding how bad these candidates appear on TV. : (
Earl-1443766
"There are a lot of blood suckers out there that need to get a job. Or starve to death."
I was watching a movie the other night and I am sure you were in it. I just didn't know that Earl was short for Ebenezer. Hope you have a Merry Christmas!
It just shows where Mitt's mindset is at. He cannot on any level, identify with the average working family. I could never ever wrap my mind around having so much money that I could casually bet 10,000 on something. My car isn't worth 10K. I guess he's really showing his true colors, as if we didn't already know, with his corporations are people statement. He lives out there with the upper 1%. As for Governor Perry? Ummm....keep your religion out of my politics and I'll keep my politics out of your religion. I don't need a pastor-in-chief, I need a Commander In Chief. I don't need a President to react to a catastrophe, with a prayer rally and hope for divine intervention! Remember his prayer rally for rain? Well, they didn't get any rain and half the darn state caught on fire. So, no thanks Mr. Romney, I need a President who cares about the well being of the 99%, and Mr. Perry, you can keep praying, but I need a President who can come up with concrete solutions to problems. Jeez, Is this really the best the Republicans can come up with? Scary...
"Corporations are people, my friend"
I'd say Mitt struggles, at best, to identify with the voters he's trying to win over
"Newt Gingrich is an experienced politician"
Yeah just what we need ,even his own party in Congress cringes at the thought of Newt getting the nomination. As far as the 10k bet,who didn't know that all these wannabees are rich?What did you think he'd bet a bottle cap? Some people are rich in this country and some aren't ,what's new about this?
Too many crooked politicians as untouchables. We should have the Mafia on the on the list of candidates. They may be crooked also, but they sure did know how to make things profitable, or else you didn't last long!!!! Just a thought.
The GOP is merely another form of mafia con-game... wall-street owned and elitist-run.
No independent will vote for an egomaniacal money-driven hypocrite who cheats on his wife because he "loves his nation too much." If Romney is out, and it certainly looks like he is, Gingrich is your GOP candidiate and Obama wins a second term in his sleep
The t=goper wannabe clown circus continues...
If the Point of Grace church is going into politics, they can pay taxes like the rest of us. To Hell with tax exemptions for churches that engage in political action.
romney is a nice guy for an ultra rich politician.
but i cant stand him.
Gay men s0d0mize each other and l1ck like dogs$ cleaning themselves - $ounds like deviant lifestyle to me. "Beauty and The Beast" takes on new meaning (other than all the wonderful candles in the caves for romantic soft lighting) when the female star realizes the lion man beast cleans himself (his testicles) as a lion normally would with his tongue (then kisses the heroin on her lips). So - you still support gay pride. Not a pretty picture to me either - actually it is very nasty. Still you approve of openly gay males in the military - well I say Perry is correct being so far conservative "RIGHT" . as for the $10,000 bet - well - Perry isn't the gambling Vegas high roller type - Thank The God of Abraham".
OPE | POE | Peace on Earth |Purity of Essence ... Blast "If you don't get the president of the United States on the line, you're going to have to answer to the Coca Cola company." -- Colonel Bat Guano outranks me.
my father used to say when referring to someone he thought was stupid---''that man doesn't have the sense that god gave geese''----i think he'd dredge up that one again to describe romney and perry.
go home perry, for good.
you are going to vote for obama, yes ?
. i would like to send obama packing next year.
do they test any of the canidates or congressmen for drugs or alcohol? Mybe they should be held to the same standards as regular people or does it matter? i think so power to the people start thinking about whats going on. we dont have a chance we need more people in the streets, voting, getting educated and insurance (good luck) welcome to my night mare your not going to like it
legal slavery
Rick Perry
A porn name
I need to stop
Romney is a elite, racist, wealthy robot with no morals. Hope you neocons/teabaggers have someone else in mind besides this **ck!
In conservative Utah, the Mormon Church has established in close proxmity to many public schools, their own seminaries where faith-based activities can be undertaken during school time without having to infringe on the rights of other students. This compromise in this conservative state seems to work reasonably well and before Perry's more radical and uncompromising idea is considered, perhaps, there is another more moderate way to allow every student an opportunity to have an education without infringing on one another's fundamental rights.
This is quite possibly the stupidest thing I've heard Perry say. An actual constitutional amendment that says "children can pray in school any time they want to"? Let's make sure we get this right. Amending the Constitution of the United States to ensure kids can pray when they want to.
Personally, I wasn't aware that the government had prohibited silent, personal prayers in school or that they had apparently installed mind-reading machines in the classrooms of America to prevent such a thing.
Perry is a complete joke. He's an embarrassment to the Republican Party and I'm sure after his national display of sheer idiocy on parade, even Texas won't send him back to the Governor's mansion, despite their apparent penchant for electing clueless men as governor.
Besides, as legions of students who have prayed before exams, football games, and prom season can attest, prayer doesn't work, anyway.
Romney hasn't a single plan to do anything. All he does is criticize and stand there with this smirk on his face. Perhaps if he came up with one cogent plan to help solve any of the country's fiscal problems he might gain more support, but he hasn't.
His $10,000 "bet" was a telling mistake.
The bet was a great moment. It made Perry look dumb (which he is) and it also made Romney look like an out of touch elitist (which he is). Unfortunately, Gingrich came out of the whole thing unscathed, and he's no less dangerous than Perry when it comes to appealing to the worst of the religious fundamentalists for support.
AFTER 10 minutes I had to throw up. I did watch the Current TV discussion which was intelligent. Why don't clowns wear their makeup anymore? Gingrinch would look good in purle.
Is Perry waging class warfare on Romney?
I'll bet you $10,000 Romney nor any other GOP candidate wins in November uhhmmmm is that the sixth or the twelth?
Gov. "Goodhair" Perry doesn't have all the answers??
He doesn't seem to even understand the questions.
Somewhere up there, Molly Ivins is laughing and enjoying all of this.
Bless Molly's ornery little heart, too! She had a particular dislike for ol' Governor Goodhair because she was a shrewd judge of men and horses. Perry was a lightweight and Molly could see right through him.
She is sorely missed.
I went to Catholic schools, and we prayed every day.
We still had math quizzes.