Rick Perry says once Iowans see his “vision” for the country, he’ll climb back into contention for the GOP’s presidential nomination.
“You know, we got in this race late,” Perry said during an interview this afternoon with Radio Iowa. “We’re just now laying out some pretty substantive policy that people are getting their arms around.”
Perry was at or near the top of the polls when he entered the race in mid-August, but he has dropped toward the back of the pack this fall. Perry is banking on the combination of paid advertising and a series of policy proposals to jump-start interest in his candidacy. He called for an optional 20-percent “flat tax” in October. This morning during a speech in Bettendorf Perry suggested congress should be part-time and their pay should be cut in half now — and cut again by half in 2020 if the federal budget’s not balanced by then.
“We don’t need those individuals who have been entrenched in Washington, D.C. too long,” Perry told Radio Iowa. “They’re out of touch with the folks back home and, frankly, they do too little to benefit the American people when they are there.”
Perry has been an advocate of a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget. Perry is now suggesting there should be 18-year term limits for federal judges, a move that would require another constitutional amendment.
“I think they could go hand in hand,” Perry told Radio Iowa. “i mean, I think Americans are ready for some substantial reform in Washington, D.C.”
Perry calls himself a “Washington outsider” as a way of contrasting himself with competitors like Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, who he refers to as “the establishment.” Perry has been governor of Texas for nearly 11 years.
“Once they see the record, once they see our vision,” Perry said, “they’re going to say, ‘You know what? That’s the person we want to see as president of the United States.'”
In addition to calling for cutting the pay of congress, Perry promises to agree to a 50 percent salary reduction if he’s elected president.