Perry Rouses Values Voters

Texas Governor Rick Perry’s speech at day one of the annual Values Voter Summit in Washington was extremely well-received.

During a roughly 30-minute address, Perry managed to hit a number of targets necessary to please the hundreds of social conservatives in attendance.

He blasted President Obama’s economic policies, saying that they’ve “failed our nation.” He accused the president of being “blinded by ideology” and ripped Obama’s new proposal to pay for his jobs plan by raising taxes on the wealthy.

“When they utter phrases like “fair share” you just know they’re playing fast and furious with the truth,” Perry said. He added that the jobs bill shows that the White House is “doubling down” on the 2009 stimulus package.

Perry, who has yet to unveil his own economic plan, advised Obama to freeze all  new regulations for at least six months, and to cut taxes for everyone. As president, Perry said, he would do all of that and repeal Obama’s healthcare law. He said that his economic philosophy in Texas has been, “don’t spend all the money.”

“There should not be a single policy coming out of Washington D.C. that interferes with decisions being made by families,” Perry said.

Commenting on the budget, Perry warned lawmakers against making “arbitrary” cuts to defense spending. “We must never put the military on the chopping block.”

Pivoting to other topics, Perry affirmed his strong faith in God. “All human life is made in the image of our creator,” he said. He also touted his pro-life record by noting that he signed a law earlier this summer to de-fund Planned Parenthood. That line was met with a standing ovation from the overwhelmingly pro-life audience.

On foreign policy, Perry accused Obama of abandoning America’s allies in the Middle East. “Israel,” Perry said, “is our friend, and when I’m president…America will again stand with our friends.”

Obama Maintains Low Approval Rating

President Barack Obama’s approval rating continues to be at the lowest since he took office, according to Gallup.

In a new survey, Obama’s approval rating for September was charted at 41 percent, the same as the previous month.

Divided among politician stances, Obama’s approval rating rests at 79 percent among liberal democrats, 70 among moderate Democrats and 64 percent with conservative Democrats. 22 percent of those who identify themselves at liberal or moderate Republicans approve of the President’s performance, compared to only 7 percent of conservative Republicans. The President finds support from 30 percent of those who identify themselves as pure independents.

While Gallup notes that it’s too soon to draw concrete conclusions about what impact his approval ratings will hold one year ahead of the election, the agency notes that President’s historically require a 48-50 percent approval rating to win reelection.

The survey was conducted among 15,000 Americans throughout the month of August. The full results can seen here.

Republican Contenders Woo Social Conservatives In DC

Nearly the entire GOP presidential field will have a chance to court social conservatives at this weekend’s annual Values Voter Summit.

The three-day event, being held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in downtown Washington, will shine a spotlight on the candidates, who are all hoping to gain momentum with the first set of state primaries looming just three months away.

The list of candidates who will speak today and tomorrow include Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, businessman Herman Cain, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).

Political observers, like American Center for Law & Justice Executive Director Jordan Sekulow, say the candidates to watch this weekend are Perry, Cain, Romney and Bachmann.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) warmed up the audience of a few hundred this morning by tying the latest unemployment figures to President Obama’s economic policies.

“After three years of false hopes and broken promises, Americans continue to be left asking the question, ‘Where are the jobs?’” Boehner said.

Later today, voting will commence on a Straw Poll, the results of which are sure to provide a huge boost to whichever candidate finishes on top.

Palin And Trump Rule Out Independent Runs

Sarah Palin and Donald Trump, who were both at one time rumored to be considering bids for the GOP nomination, have ruled out running for President in 2012 on an independent platform.

In an interview with conservative radio host Mark Levin Wednesday, Palin said that hosting a third party run “would just guarantee Obama’s election.”

“The consideration is not there for a third party,” Palin added.

Donald Trump was asked during an interview on Fox News Wednesday if he would fulfill his promise to get into the race if he was dissatisfied with the GOP field.

“I think the field is starting to look pretty interesting and pretty good,” Trump responded. “And, look, the key is that Obama be beaten.”

Although not running, Palin and Trump will likely be viewed as kingmakers as Republican candidates struggle for the nomination. Trump has been meeting with several of the candidates in New York and Palin has leveled criticism on Texas Governor Rick Perry for being a “crony” capitalist.

Ron Paul Reports $8 Million In Third Quarter

Speaking at the National Press Club on Wednesday, Presidential Candidate Ron Paul (R-Texas) expressed optimism about his presidential campaign, announcing that over the past three months his campaign has collected more than $8 million and gathered over 100,000 campaign donors.

“We are very pleased with that and believe that will give us the energy to keep the campaign moving right along,” Paul stated.

In contrast, Texas Governor Rick Perry, a fellow presidential hopeful, raised more than $17 million from only 22,000 donors.

“If you get $8 million, half as much, and you get it from small individual donors who are fervently engaged in campaigning for you, that’s a lot different than getting money that more than likely might have come, for the other candidates, from special interests,” Paul enumerated. “All donors are not equal. I will take my small donations, with the enthusiasm of the people who send me the money.”

Paul continued his address and explained that much of his donations come from military troops since he is consistently advocating to bring the troops home and end war. 

“If you add up all the donations for all of the Republican candidates from military active duty people, I get twice as much because they are sick and tired of these wars and know it is not working out,” Paul exclaimed.

While Paul expressed discontent that his campaign has not recieved the same level of media attention as fellow candidates, Paul stated that his campaign faced an “uphill battle.”

“I will continue to do the campaigning and quite frankly I feel pretty optimistic about how the campaign is going,” Paul concluded.

Click here to see photos from today’s luncheon