OTTUMWA, IOWA -- The Vine Coffeehouse in Ottumwa, Iowa hosted another Republican candidate Saturday, Aug. 27th. This time it was Gov. Rick Perry. The buzz around him has turned up a notch since a recent Gallup poll found Perry leading all the Republican candidates by a large margin among likely voters.
During Saturday's visit, he sauntered into the coffeehouse while the seasoned audience sang "God Bless America". While dressed in his Texas ranch attire, he began his speech by discussing his humble cotton pickin' small-town childhood.
He said he believes in faith and a strong family unit.
On Friday, Aug. 26, he signed a pledge that backs a federal constitutional amendment against gay marriage. He didn't mention it during this visit but he did say if elected president, he would simplify taxes and give American people more freedom from regulation and personal injury litigation.
"If you're looking for the status quo in America, I'm not your guy," said Gov. Perry. " If you want someone who's got a record of lowering the tax burden, lowering the regulatory burden, and having a stable, predictable regulatory climate... if you want someone who will have the courage to take on the personal injury trial lawyers, I'm your guy."
Many of the people in attendance said they think Gov. Perry will win the presidency but they say there are a few things that he could do better.
"One thing that I saw today is he didn't really say any specifics and for people who are really looking at political science, especially as a major, we look for specifics and we didnt see that today," said Eli Johns, of Iola, Kansas and a political science major at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.
Instead of giving specifics and definitive answers when asked tough questions about immigration reform, social security, and Iran, Perry defered to collective intelligence, stating that the nation needed to sit down and have conversations about these issues.
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