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Why Perry’s Campaign Fell Short: Not Enough Time or Preparation

Ed Kilgore wondered what might have happened if Rick Perry had run a “minimally competent campaign,” but as Alex MacGillis’ report on Perry reminds us this was not very likely: What in the world had happened to Rick Perry, the campaigner extraordinaire of Texas legend? The man I saw in Boone was having difficulty making […]

Ed Kilgore wondered what might have happened if Rick Perry had run a “minimally competent campaign,” but as Alex MacGillis’ report on Perry reminds us this was not very likely:

What in the world had happened to Rick Perry, the campaigner extraordinaire of Texas legend? The man I saw in Boone was having difficulty making it through a basic 10-minute stump speech — he relied on notes throughout, even in talking about his own biography, giving the distinct impression that someone else had come up with these most basic words about himself.

The alternative scenario in which the Perry campaign is “minimally competent” requires us to imagine a candidate who is minimally conversant with the issues and not tongue-tied when speaking about his own proposals. Something else that seems to have been neglected is how much catching-up Perry’s campaign had to do because of his relatively late entry into the race. He was always playing catch-up on ballot access and policy proposals, and like a lot of the other flash-in-the-pan candidates he couldn’t meet Virginia’s requirements to get on the ballot. Part of what Perry would have needed for a “minimally competent” campaign is a lot more time for building up his campaign organization. The problem is that Perry stayed out for so long because his main political adviser had gone to work for Gingrich, and that didn’t change until Gingrich’s first implosion. There was never an opportunity for a better-organized, more competent Perry campaign. That had everything to do with his unavoidably late entry into the race.

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