Some interesting polling about Rick Perry that leads to an observation I hadn't considered. Since beginning to fall in the polls from front-runner, Perry's response has been to appeal to the fringe-base-arch-conservative wing of the GOP — attacking on a variety of "culture war" issues, trying to gin up some campaign fire.
But even if that were a winning strategy in a vacuum, it's actually further hurt him given the field. It's put him in competition with a host of other candidates already strong in that social conservative area, and made him less of an obvious national competitor with the person everyone has to beat, Mitt Romney. Perry actually shrank his scope, going from an image as a Major National Leader (current successful governor of an economically prosperous state and who speaks defiantly on a national basis to both social and economic conservatives) to Just Another More-Bible-Thumping-Than-Thou Preacher to the Choir … and in so doing has become everyone's second, third, fourth choice of candidate in a variety of areas.
Not that I regret his falling in the polls, but it's an interesting thought as to what sorts of tactics succeed and which don't. #ddtb
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In Iowa, Rick Perry Is Stuck in the Second Tier
Perhaps no candidate has more on the line on Tuesday than Gov. Rick Perry of Texas.