Do you think that Rick Perry will run?

[State Comptroller Atkins]

And does anyone know when he's going to announce his decision?

[ChairmanSanchez]

He has a "big announcement" coming soon (maybe next week), according to my Grandma.

[Badger]

Yes, and probably by the end of July at latest, if not sooner.

[Likely Voter]

i am leaning to yes. He will certainly shake up the race. He has evangelical appeal, tea party appeal, but also mainstream cred with job creation. He could be the whole package...at least until the general

[stegosaurus]

He may run, but I think his welcome will wear out quickly when his record is held up to the fire. Using 6$ billion dollars in stimulus funds to balance the state budget will come back to bite him, as will the mandatory vaccination for young girls he wanted, there is plenty of general mismanagement for his opponents to pick on. Should he make it to the general (which is a long shot), the Obama camp would have plenty to throw at him including the secession statements and Perry's statements regarding non-Christians. All around, he is just a bad option.

[angus]

Do you think that Rick Perry will run?

Hmmm.  Rick Perry?  what stereotype does he really add to the campaign that we don't already have?

We could try to split the tall, dark, handsome governor with magnificent hair demographic between two candidates. That helps all the nerdy guys like Ron Paul.  Let him run. 

[Lіef]

He'd be dumb not to. Unless he makes a big gaffe he'd have at least as good a shot as Romney would at winning the nomination.

[Senator Snowstalker]

He'll be the new Gingrich.

Or you could see him as 2012's Fred Thompson.

[NHI]

He might but he won't be the nominee.

[Mr. Morden]

He's definitely laying the groundwork, though that doesn't definitively mean that he's going to run:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7615831.html

Key advisers to Texas Gov. Rick Perry are beginning to lay the groundwork for a campaign for Iowa's leadoff GOP presidential caucuses by making inquiries about the process in case the Republican seeks the 2012 nomination.

But they caution that their preliminary planning does not indicate that the Republican has decided whether to run.

Perry's chief consultant Dave Carney acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that he was asking questions about the political landscape, the caucus process and rules for the August Republican straw poll in Iowa.

He characterized the fact-finding as part of preparations for what would be a later entry by Perry into the race than many other candidates. Carney said the three-term governor has not determined whether he will seek national office.

Perry himself plans to start calling key Iowa Republicans after the Texas Legislature concludes its special session at the end of June, Carney said.

[RogueBeaver]

He might but he won't be the nominee.

Seconded. IMO if Perry was really serious about this, he'd have retired and let KBH have the Mansion for 4 years- and still get the longest-serving-guv record.

[Beta Ray Bill is the best pony]

Do you think that Rick Perry will run?

Hmmm.  Rick Perry?  what stereotype does he really add to the campaign that we don't already have?

We could try to split the tall, dark, handsome governor with magnificent hair demographic between two candidates. That helps all the nerdy guys like Ron Paul.  Let him run. 

For some reason, some people think he's a closet homosexual, do we have any of those?

[RogueBeaver]

Rick Perry closeted? What trollish bullsh**t.

[pbrower2a]

Rick Perry is egotistical enough and thinks himself qualified. He probably thinks that Governor of Texas is a good position to use as a base of power, and that because he has some obvious similarities to Dubya, the last 'successful' Republican President, that he can solve many of the problems that Republicans seem to have in an effort to defeat a President that GOP leadership and big financial backers want desperately to defeat.   

[angus]

For some reason, some people think he's a closet homosexual, do we have any of those?

You may be thinking of a different governor.  Ann Richards.  Everybody thought she was a raging bulldyke. 

I met her once.  She was brassy and sassy and bossy, but I didn't get any impression one way or the other about her sexual orientation.  King of the Hill presented her as a heterosexual of poor taste, when she had an assignation with Bill Dauterive. 

Never heard such a thing about Rick Perry though.  He strikes me as very healthy and very hetero.

[Ben Romney]

Rick Perry is gay imo

I hope he won`t run
he could win the nomination if he does but would lose the general election for sure
the MSM will tell you he his GWB 2

[The Mikado]

The rumor about Perry being gay is a decade old and nothing came of it.  I know it still circulates through the TX Democratic Party establishment, but I think there's no there there.

[Keystone Phil]

The rumor about Perry being gay is a decade old and nothing came of it.  I know it still circulates through the TX Democratic Party establishment, but I think there's no there there.

It's so sad that certain political parties can't cleanse themselves of homophobia.

[King]

I'm telling you guys, Rick Perry doesn't pass the smell test.  There's no reason to think he'd be a better candidate than Tim Pawlenty.

They are both weak Governors who took advantage of divide factions of voters and weak opponents in their state to win their races.

[Rockefeller]

The sad part is that if he was to run, he'd be among one of the stronger candidates in a very GOP field.  I think that he will run, and I think he has a decent shot at winning.  He could perhaps win Iowa (very envangelical) and follow it up with a victory in South Carolina (southerner).  This would set the stage for him to win the Florida primary...and with those three wins he is a very formidable candidate.

[Mr. Morden]

Sounding more like a candidate:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/18/perry-wows-at-republican-conference-amid-2012-buzz/

As speculation mounts about his presidential ambitions, Texas Gov. Rick Perry delivered a rousing and unapologetic defense of conservative principles on Saturday at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans.

Perry repeatedly brought an audience of hundreds of Republican activists to their feet with a small government message reminiscent of the one that helped him win an unprecedented third term as governor last November.

Perry said there is "too much spending, too much interfering and too much apologizing" in Washington.

"Stand up!," Perry thundered. "Let's speak with pride about our morals and our values and redouble our effort to elect more conservative Republicans. Let's stop this American downward spiral!"
.
.
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He has said he will make a decision after Texas wraps up legislative business at the end of the month.

At one point, Perry asked the audience to take out their phones and text the word "Forward" to a number linked to his political organization, capturing their contact information in the event of a future campaign.

[GeorgiaSenator]

He may run, but I think his welcome will wear out quickly when his record is held up to the fire. Using 6$ billion dollars in stimulus funds to balance the state budget will come back to bite him, as will the mandatory vaccination for young girls he wanted, there is plenty of general mismanagement for his opponents to pick on. Should he make it to the general (which is a long shot), the Obama camp would have plenty to throw at him including the secession statements and Perry's statements regarding non-Christians. All around, he is just a bad option.

What did he say about non Christians?

[stegosaurus]

He may run, but I think his welcome will wear out quickly when his record is held up to the fire. Using 6$ billion dollars in stimulus funds to balance the state budget will come back to bite him, as will the mandatory vaccination for young girls he wanted, there is plenty of general mismanagement for his opponents to pick on. Should he make it to the general (which is a long shot), the Obama camp would have plenty to throw at him including the secession statements and Perry's statements regarding non-Christians. All around, he is just a bad option.

What did he say about non Christians?

I couldn't find the article online, because it's a pretty old story but the source is from the Dallas Morning News. Google "Rick Perry Non-Christians Going to Hell" and take your pick:

Gov. Rick Perry, after a God and country sermon attended by dozens of political candidates Sunday, said that he agreed with the minister that non-Christians will be condemned to hell.

"In my faith, that's what it says, and I'm a believer of that," the governor said.

It's really not the worst of the stupid crap that Perry has said or endorsed, but it's still not going to play well with a lot of people.

[TheGlobalizer]

No.  Just posturing to raise his profile.  That said, I don't know what else would be "next" for him.