Perry was fresh off a bruising debate in Florida Monday in which Romney again challenged him for referring to the retirement program as a failure. Perry struck back by contending Romney’s book had said the program would be considered criminal if it were in the private sector; Romney argued that the criminal reference was instead criticism of Congress for spending the Social Security surplus elsewhere.
Perry spoke last night at a dinner sponsored by the conservative Pioneer Institute at the Hyatt Regency. His 20-minute speech, which also touched on his job-creation record, received polite, but not enthusiastic, applause from the crowd of Republican lawyers, activists, and business executives.
The tough-talking Texan, who has gleefully skewered the Bay State as a bastion of gay marriage, mandated health care, and liberal politics, also used his appearance to pay tribute to Massachusetts as the birthplace of the original Tea Party.
“I not only have great respect for this state, I have a deep appreciation for your history,’’ Perry said. “This is truly the cradle of liberty.’’
The governor, who is courting Tea Party support in his run for the Republican nomination, said of the first Tea Party participants: “They shook their fist at that distant crown, and they shook their fist in the name of freedom.’’
Even among Massachusetts Republicans, Perry is something of an anomaly: his support for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants puts him to the left of most of the state’s Republicans, including Romney, who vetoed an in-state tuition bill in 2004.
Meanwhile, Perry’s strong opposition to abortion rights and gay rights, and his open embrace of Christianity, put him to the right of the state GOP, which has traditionally nominated moderates, such as former governor William F. Weld, who espouse a mix of fiscal conservativism and liberal social views.
