- Rick Perry
« Announcement Speech
Former Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)
Announcement of Candidacy
Addison Airport
Addison, TX
June 4, 2015
Thank you. I was born five years after the
end of a global war that killed more than 60 million people.
I am the son of a veteran of that war, who flew 35 missions over
war-torn Europe as a tail gunner on a B-17.
When dad returned home, he married mom, and they started a life
together.
They were tenant farmers.
They were raised during a time of great hardship, and had little
expectation beyond living in peace, putting a roof over our heads and
putting food on our table.
Home was a place called Paint Creek. Too small to be called a town, but
it was the center of my universe.
For years we had an outhouse, and mom bathed us in a number two washtub
on the back porch. She also hand-sewed my clothes until I went off to
college.
I attended Paint Creek Rural School, grades one
through 12. I played 6-man football. I was a member of Boy Scout Troop
48, became an Eagle Scout, and went off to Texas A&M where I was a
member of the Corps of Cadets and an animal science major.
I was proud to wear the uniform of our country as an Air Force officer
and aircraft commander.
After serving, I returned home to the rolling plains and big skies of
West Texas, and I returned to farming.
There is no person on earth more optimistic than a dryland cotton
farmer. We always know a good rain is just around the corner, no matter
how long we’d been waiting.
The values learned on my family’s
cotton farm are timeless: the dignity of work, the integrity of your
word, responsibility to community, the unbreakable bonds of family, and
duty to country.
These are enduring values. Not the product
of some idyllic past, but a touchstone of American life in our small
towns, our largest cities, our booming suburbs.
I have seen
American life from the red dirt of a West Texas cotton field, from a
campus in College Station, from the elevated view of a C-130 cockpit,
and from the Governor’s office of the Texas Capitol.
I served a small rural community in the Texas Legislature, and I led
the world’s 12th largest economy.
I know that America has experienced great change, but what it means to
be an American has never changed: we are the only nation in the world
founded on the power of an idea that all “are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Our rights come from God, not from government, and our people are not
the subjects of government, but instead government is subject to the
people.
It has always been the case that
there has been a social compact between one generation of Americans and
the next: to pass along an inheritance of a stronger country full of
greater promise and possibility.
And that social compact has
been protected at great sacrifice. This was never more clear to me than
when I took my father to the American cemetery that overlooks the
bluffs at Omaha beach.
On that peaceful, wind-swept setting,
there lie 9,000 graves, including 45 pairs of brothers, 33 of whom are
buried side by side, a father and a son, two sons of a president. They
all traded their future for ours in a final act of loving sacrifice.
In that American Cemetery, it is no accident each headstone faces west:
west over the Atlantic, towards the nation they defended, the nation
they loved, the nation they would never come home to.
It
struck me as I stood in the midst of those heroes that they look upon
us in silent judgment. And that we must ask ourselves: are we worthy of
their sacrifice?
The truth is we are at the end of an era of failed leadership.
We have been led by a divider who has sliced and diced the electorate,
pitting American against American for political purposes.
Six years into the so-called recovery, and our economy is barely
growing. This winter, it actually got smaller.
Our economic slowdown is not inevitable, it is the direct result of bad
economic policy.
The president’s tax and regulatory policies have slammed shut the door
of opportunity for the average American trying to climb the economic
ladder, resigning the middle class to stagnant wages, personal debt,
and deferred dreams.
Weakness at home has led to weakness abroad.
The
world has descended into a chaos of this president’s own making, while
his White House loyalists construct an alternative universe where ISIS
is contained and Ramadi is merely a “setback” – where the nature of the
enemy can’t be acknowledged for fear of causing offense, where the
world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, the Islamic Republic of
Iran, can be trusted to live up to a nuclear agreement.
No decision has done more harm than the president’s withdrawal of
American troops from Iraq.
Let no one be mistaken, leaders of both parties have made grave
mistakes in Iraq. But in January, 2009 – when Barack Obama became
Commander-in-Chief – Iraq had been largely pacified.
America had won the war. But our president failed to secure the peace.
How callous it seems now as cities once secured with American blood are
now being taken by America’s enemies, all because of a campaign slogan.
I saw during Vietnam a war where politicians didn’t keep faith with the
sacrifices and courage of America’s fighting men and women, where men
were ordered into combat without the full support of their civilian
commanders.
To see it happen again, 40 years later, because of political
gamesmanship and dishonesty, is a national disgrace.
But my friends, we are a resilient country. We have been through a
Civil War, we’ve been through two world wars, we’ve made it through a
Great Depression – we even made it through Jimmy Carter. We will make
it through the Obama years.
The fundamental nature of this
country is our people never stay knocked down. We get back up, we dust
ourselves off, and we move forward. And we will again.
I want
to share some important truths with my fellow Americans, starting with
this truth: we don’t have to settle for a world in chaos or an America
that shrinks from its responsibilities.
We don’t have to apologize for American exceptionalism, or western
values.
We don’t have to accept slow growth that leaves behind the middle
class, and leaves millions of Americans out of work.
We don’t have to settle for crumbling bureaucracies that target
taxpayers and harm our veterans.
And we don’t have to resign ourselves to debt, decay and slow growth.
We have the power to make things new again. To project American
strength again, to get our economy going again.
And that is why today I am running for the presidency of the United
States of America.
It is time to create real jobs, to raise wages, to create opportunity
for all. To give every citizen a stake in this country. To restore
hope, real hope to forgotten Americans, millions of middle class
families who have given up hope of getting ahead, millions of workers
who have given up hope of finding a job.
Yes, it’s time for a reset, time to reset the relationship between
government and citizen.
Think of the arrogance of Washington, DC, representing itself as some
beacon of wisdom, with policies smothering this vast land with no
regard for what makes each state and community unique. That's just
wrong.
We need to return power to the states, and freedom to the individual.
Today our citizens and entrepreneurs are burdened by over-regulation
and unspeakable debt.
Debt is not just a fiscal nightmare, it is a moral failure. Let me
speak to the millennial generation: massive debt, passed on from our
generation to yours, is a breaking of the social compact.
You deserve better. I am going to offer a responsible plan to fix the
entitlement system, and to stop this theft from your generation.
To those forgotten Americans drowning in personal debt, working harder
for wages that don’t keep up with the rising cost of living, I come
here today to say your voice is heard.
I know you face rising
health care costs, rising child care costs, skyrocketing tuition costs,
and mounting student loan debt. I hear you, and I am going to do
something about it.
To the one in five children in families on
food stamps, to the one in seven Americans living in poverty, to the
one in ten workers who are unemployed, under-employed or given up hope
of finding a job: I hear you, you are not forgotten.
I am running to be your president.
For small businesses on Main Street struggling to just get by,
smothered by regulations, targeted by Dodd-Frank: I hear you, you’re
not forgotten. Your time is coming.
The American People see a rigged game, where insiders get rich, and the
middle class pays the tab.
There is something wrong when the Dow is near record highs, and
businesses on Main Street can’t even get a loan.
Since when did capitalism involve the elimination of risk for the
biggest banks while regulations strangle our community banks?
Capitalism is not corporatism. It is not a guarantee of reward without
risk. It is not about Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.
The reason I am running for president is I know for certain our
country’s best days lie ahead. There is nothing wrong in America today
that cannot be fixed with new leadership.
We are just a few good decisions away from unleashing economic growth,
and reviving the American Dream.
We need to fix a tax code riddled with loopholes that sends jobs
overseas and punishes success.
We have the highest corporate tax rate in the western world. It is time
to reduce the rate, bring jobs home and lift wages for working families.
By the time this Administration has finished with its experiment in big
government, they will have added more than 600,000 pages of new
regulations to the Federal Register.
On my first day in
office, I will issue an immediate freeze on all pending regulations
from the Obama administration. That same day, I will send to Congress a
comprehensive reform and rollback of job-killing mandates created by
Obamacare, Dodd-Frank and other Obama-era policies.
Agencies
will have to live under strict regulatory budgets. And health insurers
will have to earn the right to your money, instead of lobbying
Washington to force you to hand it over.
On day one, I will also sign an executive order approving the
construction of the Keystone Pipeline.
Energy is vital to our economy, and to our national security. On day
one, I will sign an executive order authorizing the export of American
natural gas and oil, freeing our European allies from dependence on
Russia’s energy supplies.
Vladimir Putin uses energy to hold
our allies hostage. If energy is going to be used as a weapon, I say
America must have the largest arsenal.
We will unleash an era
of economic growth, and limitless opportunity. We will rebuild American
industry. And we will lift wages for American workers.
It can be done because it has been done in Texas.
During my 14 years as governor, Texas companies created almost
one-third of all new American jobs.
In the last seven years of my tenure, Texas created 1.5 million new
jobs. Without Texas, America would have lost 400,000 jobs.
We were the engine of growth because we had a simple formula: control
taxes and spending, implement smart regulations, invest in an educated
workforce, and stop frivolous lawsuits.
Texas now has the
second highest high school graduation rate in the country and the
highest graduation rates for African-American and Hispanic students.
We led the nation in exports, including high-tech exports. We passed
historic tax relief, and I was proud to sign balanced budgets for 14
years.
We not only created opportunity, we stood for law and order.
When there was a crisis at our border last year and the president
refused my invitation to see the challenge that we faced, I told him,
“Mr. President, if you won’t secure the border, Texas will.”
Because of the threat posed by drug cartels and trans-national gangs, I
deployed the Texas National Guard.
The policy worked. Apprehensions declined by 74 percent. If you elect
me your president,
I will secure this border.
Homeland security begins with border security. The most basic compact
between a president and the people is to keep the country safe.
The great lesson of history is strength and resolve bring peace and
order, and weakness and vacillation invite chaos and conflict.
My very first act as president will be to rescind any agreement with
Iran that legitimizes their quest to get a nuclear weapon.
Now is the time for clear-sighted, proven leadership. We have seen what
happens when we elect a president based on media acclaim rather than a
record of accomplishment.
This will be a “show-me, don’t tell me” election, where voters look
past the rhetoric to the real record.
The question of every candidate will be this one: when have you led?
Leadership is not a speech on the senate floor, it’s not what you say,
it’s what you do.
And we will not find the kind of leadership needed to revitalize the
country by looking to the political class in Washington.
I have been tested. I have led the most successful state in America. I
have dealt with crisis after crisis – from the disintegration of a
space shuttle, to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike, to the crisis at
the border, and the first diagnosis of Ebola in America.
I
have brought together first responders, charities and people of faith
to house and heal vulnerable citizens dealing with tragedy.
The spirit of compassion demonstrated by Texans is alive all across
America today. While we have experienced a deficit in leadership, among
the American People there is a surplus of spirit.
And among
our great people, there is a spirit of selflessness – that we live to
make the world better for our children, and not just ourselves.
It was said that when King George the Third asked what General
Washington would do upon winning the war, he was told he would return
to his farm and relinquish power. To that, the monarch replied, if he
did that, he would be the greatest man of his age.
George Washington lived in the service of a cause greater than self.
If anyone is wondering if America still possesses the character of
selfless heroes, I am here to say, “Yes, I am surrounded by such
heroes.”
They are of different generations, but they are woven together by the
same thread of selfless sacrifice.
They are heroes like Medal of Honor Recipient Mike Thornton, who
survived an ambush by enemy forces in Vietnam, and made it back to the
safety of a water rescue, only to find out a fellow team member had
been left behind, presumed dead.
He didn’t leave though, he
returned through enemy fire and retrieved Lieutenant Norris who was
still alive – and then swam for two hours keeping his wounded teammate
afloat until they were rescued.
Heroes like Marcus Luttrell,
who survived a savage attack on the side of a mountain in Afghanistan,
losing his three teammates and 16 fellow warriors shot down trying to
rescue him.
He is not just the lone survivor, to Anita and me he is a second son.
And Taya Kyle, who suffered the deep loss of her husband Chris, an
American hero. When I think of Taya Kyle, I think of a brave woman who
carries not just the lofty burden of Chris’ legacy, but the grief of
every family who has lost a loved one to the great tragedy of war, or
its difficult aftermath. Anita and I want to thank her for her
tremendous courage.
America is an extraordinary country. Our greatness lies not in our
government, but in our people.
Each day Americans demonstrate tremendous courage. But many of those
Americans have been knocked down and are looking for a second chance.
Let's give them that chance. Let’s give them real leadership. Let’s
give them a future greater than the greatest days of our past.
Let’s give them a president who leads us in the direction of our
highest hopes, our best dreams and our greatest promise.
Thank you, and God bless you.
Perry for President, Inc.
June 4, 2015
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT GOV. PERRY’S “DYNAMIC” PRESIDENTIAL
ANNOUNCEMENT SPEECH
“Electrifies” … “Rousing” … “A Heck Of A Speech” … “Impressive” … “Smooth, Confident”
Ricochet’s
Troy Senik: “Perhaps The Best Announcement Speech Of Any Republican
Candidate Who’s Jumped Into The Presidential Field.”
“A few moments ago, Rick Perry finished giving perhaps the best
announcement speech of any Republican candidate who’s jumped into the
presidential field.” (Ricochet, 6/4/15)
Weekly Standard Headline: “Perry
Electrifies In Announcement Speech” (Weekly Standard, 6/4/15)
Fox News’ Jon Scott: “That Was A Rousing, Rousing Entry Speech.”
(Fox News, 6/4/15)
Commentary’s John Podhoretz: “This Is
A Very, Very Good Speech By Perry.” (Twitter.com, 6/4/15)
The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin:
“It Was A High-Octane Opening, Showing Perry As A More Vigorous And
Serious Candidate Than He Was In 2012.” (The Washington Post,
6/4/15)
CNN’s Dana Bash: “[Perry] Gave Certainly A Very Good And
Powerful Speech.” (CNN, 6/4/15)
The Washington Times’ Joseph Curl:
“Rick Perry Just Gave A Dynamic Speech.” (Twitter.com, 6/4/15)
Fox News’ Chris Wallace: “He Delivers A Heck Of A Speech. …
That Was A Really Strong Start.” (Fox News, 6/4/15)
The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker:
“[Perry’s] Announcement Speech Was Quite Strong. He Couldn't Have Hoped
For Any Better.”
Rucker Tweet: “Rick Perry has a long & hard road ahead, but his
announcement speech was quite strong. He couldn't have hoped for any
better.” (Twitter.com, 6/4/15)
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny: “The Perry Speech Was Solid And Strong...”
Zeleny
Tweet:
“The
Perry
speech
was
solid and strong, even more
remarkable that he delivered it without interruption by sweat.” (Twitter.com, 6/4/15)
The
Blaze’s Madeleine Morgenstern: “Perry Launched His Second Campaign For
President With A Scorching Takedown Of Barack Obama’s Time In Office.”
“Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry launched his second campaign for
president with a scorching takedown of Barack Obama’s time in office,
painting himself as the only candidate with the proven skills to right
the course the country is on.” (The Blaze, 6/4/15)
Washington Free Beacon’s Matthew
Continetti: “Speech Brought A Smile To My Face That Will Last The Rest
Of The Day.”
Continetti Tweet: “If nothing else, [Rick Perry] knows how to pep me
up. Speech brought a smile to my face that will last the rest of the
day.” (Twitter.com, 6/4/15)
CBS News’ Reena Flores: “An Enthusiastic Crowd…”
“Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry launched his 2016 bid for the White House
in Addison, Texas, Thursday afternoon. ‘Today I am running for the
presidency of the United States of America,’ he told an enthusiastic
crowd.” (CBS News, 6/4/15)
Fox News Analyst Monica Crowley: “[Governor Perry] Is Ripping It Up
Right Now In His Announcement Speech. Impressive.” (Twitter.com, 6/4/15)
Politico’s Eli Stokols: “He Gave A
Good Speech.” Stokols Tweet: “So Twittersphere takeaways
are: 1. Perry was sweaty 2. He gave a good speech.” (Twitter.com, 6/4/15)
Townhall’s Daniel Doherty: “Drew Thunderous Applause…”
“I’ll leave you with this: The very end of his speech, which drew
thunderous applause from his closest friends and biggest supporters.” (Townhall,
6/4/15)
Washington Examiner’s James Antle:
“Impressive Campaign Launch… Featuring A Smooth, Confident Candidate…”
“The impressive campaign launch we just saw in Texas, featuring a
smooth, confident candidate surrounded by Navy SEALs or the bumbling,
stumbling candidate we saw in 2012?” (Washington Examiner,
6/4/15)
BuzzFeed’s Katherine Miller: “This Is
Quickly Turning Into My Favorite Announcement.” (Twitter.com, 6/4/15)
###
Opportunity and Freedom PAC
June 4, 2015
Reaction to Rick Perry's Presidential Announcement
@weeklystandard: Perry Electrifies in Announcement Speech
@PhilipRucker: Rick Perry has a long & hard road ahead, but his announcement speech was quite strong. He couldn't have hoped for any better (except a/c).
@ChadHastyRadio: This is a very good speech by @GovernorPerry. As I said on the show, this is why you don't count him out. #2016Election #Perry2016
@MonicaCrowley: @GovernorPerry is ripping it up right now in his announcement speech. Impressive.
@CarrieNBCNews: For those asking: the people behind Rick Perry are "Lone Survivor" Marcus Luttrell and brother & Navy SEAL Morgan Luttrell.
@JRubinBlogger: One of the best kickoff speeches-- energetic but serious, the visual were extremely polished,crowd on stage w him worked
@jeffzeleny: The Perry speech was solid and strong, even more remarkable that he delivered it without interruption by sweat.
@MattMackowiak: Very strong announcement speech from Perry. Clarity. Strength. Substance. Optimism.
John Weaver @JWGOP: Give Team Perry credit. They put their best foot forward today. Strong presentation.
Bloomberg Politics @bpolitics: Rick Perry makes forceful case for second presidential bid
@PatrickSvitek: @GovernorPerry: "We have seen what happens when we elect a president based on media acclaim rather than a record of accomplishment."
Cruz for President
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Rick Tyler |
| News Release | Catherine
Frazier
|
| June 4, 2015 |
CRUZ: I’m glad to welcome Rick Perry to the field of contenders for the 2016 GOP nomination
"I’m glad to welcome Rick Perry to the ever-growing field of contenders for the 2016 Republican nomination.
"Gov. Perry is a friend and a patriot. He served the state of Texas with honor, integrity, and compassion. Texas is a better state because of his principled leadership and the GOP primary field will be better because of his candidacy.
"As with all the candidates who have annouced, he will bring dynamism and vision to the race that will serve to make the Republican Party and its eventual nominee all the stronger."
Democratic National Committee
For Immediate Release
June 4, 2015
Contact – DNC Press
DNC Chair Statement on Rick Perry's 2016 Announcement
Washington, D.C. – With Rick Perry’s announcement that he is running for president, DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement:“Under Rick Perry’s tenure as governor, two Texases emerged. In one, his allies and special interests did well, benefiting from billions in tax breaks for big business and the wealthiest Texans. But in the other, it was working families and the poor who bore the burden of Perry’s policies. Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the nation, but Perry refused to expand Medicaid. Texas is the state with the most minimum wage workers, but Perry opposed raising the minimum wage. Perry also vetoed equal pay legislation and slashed billions from education funding.
“Rick Perry’s failed tenure as governor of Texas tells us everything we need to know about why he should never and won’t ever be President of the United States.”
Texas Democratic Party
For Immediate Release
June 4, 2015
Contact: Javier Gamboa
Five Questions for Republican Governor Rick Perry
AUSTIN, TX -- Today, former Texas Governor Rick Perry is set to announce his candidacy for the 2016 presidential nominee of the Republican Party. As Governor, Rick Perry created two different states in Texas – one for his wealthy and well-connected friends, and another for working and middle class Texans, who have to live with the consequences of his failed policies. He would do the same thing for the country if elected president.
With Perry’s destructive legacy and a felony indictment hanging over his head, can Americans really trust him?
Here are five questions Americans -- and especially Texans -- deserve the answers to:
1. Texas families are facing soaring college tuition rates thanks to the failed policies of Rick Perry. Does he plan to take these policies to the national stage, pushing higher education out the reach of middle class families?
2. Americans need a raise. Texas ranks high among the states with the largest percentage and number of minimum wage workers, yet Rick Perry doesn’t believe in the minimum wage at the federal level. Will Rick Perry continue his efforts to keep Americans from earning fair pay for an honest day's work?
3. Texas is the uninsured capitol of the United States, and has highest percent of uninsured people of any state. While the Texas business community believes it's a smart business decision to eliminate the coverage gap, Perry refused to expand Medicaid. For those who live in states that have expanded Medicaid, will Rick Perry take away their health care?
4. Decade after decade, Texas has been sanctioned by federal courts for its intentional discrimination against Latino and African American voters. In fact, Texas is in court right now for our discriminatory redistricting scheme and voter id law -- passed by Governor Perry. Will Rick Perry commit to fully restore the Voting Rights Act -- signed into law by Texas’ own President Lyndon B. Johnson?
5. In 2014, a grand jury indicted Governor Perry on two felony charges of abusing his official capacity and coercing a public servant. Does Rick Perry think it is appropriate for someone to run for president while they are under a felony indictment?
Rick Perry For President 2: Another Sequel No One Asked For
Are his infamous "hipster" glasses causing Rick Perry to misread the polls, or has he fallen prey to the same affliction as the producers of Grease 2 and Hot Tub Time Machine 2? Today, Perry adds to America's epidemic of sequels no one asked for with the announcement of his second presidential run.
Read more about Rick Perry below:
Copyright © 2015 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in
Action.
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