Some Iowans believe Perry is ‘the one’
There are only a few things voters here say they know about Rick Perry.
They know he’s been governor for a while.
They know Texas is a big state with a lot of jobs.
They know Perry has a reputation for being brash and talking frankly.
And, after casting about for just the right Republican to take on President Obama, they know, for now, that he may be the one.
“I can’t quite explain it,” said Steve Bennett, 59, who sized up Perry the other night over a plate of roasted turkey and green beans. “He’s thick-skinned, he’s already run a big state. Whatever his beliefs are, which I don’t know yet, I think he actually believes them and has convictions. He’s the only one who can sit with Obama at the debate — when Obama’s in full campaign mode he’ll be tough to beat — and maybe beat him.”
So it is that Republican voters, at least those Iowans who took stock of Perry this week, are turning conventional wisdom on its head.
The thinking goes that the more measured and moderate Mitt Romney can appeal to a broader swath of independent voters. But Republicans here say it’s Perry who can best challenge Obama, expose him for the fraud they believe the president to be. They see Perry’s fed-up-with-Washington message as theirs and one that can take him straight to the White House…