Perry Is In, The Plot Thickens...

After a few months of some Hamlet/To Be-Not to Be drama, Texas Governor Rick Perry has entered the presidential race. Having served as Governor since 2001, Perry is a strong Conservative with a distinct speaking style who has led an economic engine in the state of Texas. With TEA Party support, he may have the potential be the one Republican who can unite the factions of the party as we approach an important election in 2012.

There are also those out there who are not as confident with a Rick Perry candidacy, as they cite the issue of illegal immigration, as well as the fact that he was once a Democrat.

The Democrat issue is very easy to overcome, as he needs to, like Reagan, explain how the Democrat Party left him, as it was a different Democrat Party than it was, as opposed to today. And the candidate he supported in 1988, Al Gore, was a much different Al Gore than we see today. Texas was once a Democrat state, yet the Democrats in Texas were more conservative than modern-day Democrats; and that is why Texas is today a Republican state-the Democrat Party took a hard left turn and these conservatives came home! The Immigration issue can be more of a challenge, but in order to overcome it, he needs to openly respond to criticism, articulate clear differences between Perry's policy and Obama's policy, while focusing on his strengths.

What is striking to me is an opponent's reaction, as that can demonstrate the potential of that candidate. In the case of Perry, David Axelrod is already getting a preemptive attack going. I'm betting we're also going to see some more cheap low blows from the Obama team. The Obama team has already attacked Romney and is now after Perry, and these attacks also tell me they believe it's going to come down to these two men. With Rick Perry's entrance into the campaign, the Republican primary race has instantaneously become a lot more eye-opening.