Rick Perry Resumes Iowa Bus Tour, Hammers GOP Opponents - East Idaho News
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Rick Perry Resumes Iowa Bus Tour, Hammers GOP Opponents

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GETTY P 062411 RickPerryJPG?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1325025455733Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa) — After a four day hiatus from the campaign trail, Texas Gov. Rick Perry restarted his bus tour through Iowa, pounding his opponents for their Washington and Wall Street “insider” status and selling himself as the “authentic conservative” in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

“Why should you settle for anything less than an authentic conservative who will fight for your views and values without an apology? Why should you have to settle for anything less than the real deal to go to Washington, D.C., and to represent your values and work for you in Washington,” Perry asked the crowd of over 100 at the jam packed Main Street Café.

“I’ve got all the respect in the world for the frontrunners in this race, but ask yourself: If we replace a Democratic insider with a Republican insider, you think we’re really going to change Washington, D.C.?” Perry asked.

Without naming names, Perry listed the issues plaguing many of the candidates.

“You don’t have to settle for Washington and Wall Street insiders who supported the Wall Street bailout and Obamacare individual mandate. You don’t have to resign yourself to voting for wasteful Washington spending culture of earmarks and of deficits and this ever rising debt that we’ve got,” said Perry. “You don’t have to vote for a candidate who would allow Iran to wipe Israel off the face of the earth and then ultimately America. You don’t have to you don’t have to stand for that. You don’t have to settle for that.”

“I’m the limited government conservative in this campaign that’s going to get Washington a complete overhaul. I believe that the federal government should do a few things, do those few things real well, and get out of the way and leave Americans alone.”

With the controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio standing at his side, Perry focused a good portion of his quick six minute speech on border security, drawing large applause from the crowd when he vowed to secure the border within one year of taking office.

Perry, who has three other events in Iowa this afternoon, ended his speech with what has become the closing mantra in his pitch to Iowa voters, pledging to them, “You have my back on January the third and I’ll have your back for the next four years in Washington, D.C.”

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