In releasing his new, comprehensive economic plan, Rick Perry hopes to reboot his campaign and recapture some momentum as we wind through the final two months of the prologue to the primaries. In his second positive ad in a row, “Cut Balance and Grow,” Perry keeps the focus on himself and on the economy. Hot Air has the exclusive first look at the new spot:
It’s a well-produced and designed ad, another of Lucas Baiano’s expert productions, sticking to positive campaigning rather than attack-dog mode. The cheery campaign of Herman Cain has clearly taught Team Perry a lesson, but this is also a function of having a solid policy foundation on which to run. That gives Perry plenty of opportunity to focus on his own virtues as a candidate rather than simply attack Mitt Romney’s shortcomings.
Will Perry be able to successfully reboot his campaign with his new economic plan? I participated in a symposium at American Enterprise Institute discussing that question, along with Jay Cost, Jim Geraghty, and Matt Lewis. Matt was the most optimistic, mainly because of Perry’s large campaign coffers. I was a little more cautious, but noted that having a policy foundation might help Perry become a better debater:
Until now, Perry has trailed his opponents in providing details on his policies in general, thanks to his late entry into the race. Having those details could make it easier for Perry to discuss policy in detail during debates, and increases his credibility on the stump. His overall plan has enough boldness for the media to take notice of it, not just in his alliance with Steve Forbes on tax reform but also on his endorsement of a balanced-budget amendment with a spending cap at 18 percent of GDP.
He needs to do more than just have a plan, though; Perry needs to be able to sell it, too. This is a good start, but we’ll have to wait until November 9th to see whether this will get translated into a more confident and effective debate performance.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member