Perry’s In

(Community Matters) Gov Rick Perry is in. He just announced his race for President of the United States.

Interesting run in Huff Post: Rick Perry Super PACs Raise Issues of Coordination, Collusion

It would be illegal for any of the Super PACs supporting Perry’s bid to coordinate with the campaign, even prior to a formal announcement. The incredibly close ties between the individuals behind the pro-Perry PACs and the inner circle of the Perry campaign raise serious questions and doubts about the independent efforts of the groups.

In 2004, Texas Republicans successfully secured a ballot position for the Texas Green Party’s presidential candidate Ralph Nader in an effort to bleed votes from the Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). An subsequent investigation into that effort found that both Carney and Make Us Great Again’s Toomey were intimately involved in the Green Party ballot scheme.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) determined that Carney’s efforts to secure the ballot place for the Green Party violated campaign finance lawand stated that Carney “knowingly and willfully” broke the law. Prosecutors, however, did not pursue charges.

AND, don’t discount a Rick Perry campaign. He’s an extraordinary campaigner – he’s never lost one. He runs advertising campaigns against his opponents, dumbing them down (creating doubt in their credibility and competence) so that he’s a competitive alternative.