Rick Perry Lists 3 Departments He’d Cut, But Adds One, Misses Another

By Arlette Saenz
@ArletteSaenz Follow on Twitter
Jan 13, 2012 9:10am

Toni Sandys/The Washington Post/Getty Images

BLUFFTON, S.C. – Oops he did it again. When asked to name and provide the number of federal departments he’d eliminate as president, Texas Gov. Rick Perry managed to list three, but they weren’t the three agencies he consistently names on the stump or that he attempted to name when he committed his now infamous “oops” moment.

“Three right off the bat, you know, commerce, interior and energy are three that you think,” Perry said during a radio interview with Bill Edwards on WTKS Radio in Savannah.

Perry made no mention of the Department of Education, one of the agencies he consistently rails against on the campaign trail, until Edwards asked Perry later in the interview if he’d eliminate that department as well.

“They are blackmailing states with our own money, basically saying here is the national test, and here are the national standards you’re going to put into place,” Perry said. “One size fits all doesn’t work. Well maybe it does in gym socks but it sure doesn’t in how we educate our children.”

Asked if Perry meant to include the Department of Interior in his list, Mark Miner, spokesman for Perry, told reporters: “It shouldn’t be surprising the governor is talking about another federal agency that needs to be looked at and cut.”

During a November CNBC debate in Rochester, Mich., Perry committed the now famous gaffe where he forgot the third agency he’d eliminate as president.

“I will tell you, it is three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, Education, and the — what’s the third one there? Let’s see,” Perry said in November.

Mitt Romney tossed a suggestion Perry’s way by saying “EPA,” but Perry knew it wasn’t the right one and continued to think of the answer.

“The third agency of government I would — I would do away with, Education, the…,” Perry said.

Another person on stage volunteered Commerce.

“Commerce and, let’s see,” Perry said trying to think of the third agency. “I can’t. The third one, I can’t. Sorry. Oops.”

A Sizzling South Carolina Race Looms (The Note)

Jan 11, 2012 8:37am

By MICHAEL FALCONE (@michaelpfalcone) and AMY WALTER (@amyewalter)

MANCHESTER, N.H. — It may be the middle of winter, but get ready for some heat.

Fresh off a close win in Iowa and a decisive one in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney heads to South Carolina today where he is likely to spend the next 10 days fending off attacks from several of his opponents who see the Palmetto State as their last stand.

And no one is going to try to bring the pain upon Romney more than Newt Gingrich who told ABC’s Jonathan Karl this week that South Carolina is his “must-win state.”

Gingrich is readying a speech, to be delivered this morning at an event in Rock Hill, S.C., that one of his aides said will be the “defining moment in the campaign.”

“We’re going to see the single most authentic candidate, who has run for president, who is not worried about what the consequences will be,” Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond told reporters traveling on the former House Speaker’s plane from New Hampshire to South Carolina. “He is going to put forth the truth as people see it in their lives every day.”

And when all of the candidates land in South Carolina today, they’ll find that the air wars are already raging. The Gingrich campaign is going up with an ad hitting Romney on his abortion stance.

“What happened after Massachusetts moderate Mitt Romney changed his position from pro-abortion to pro-life?” says the ad’s narrator. “He governed pro-abortion.”

Why is Romney vulnerable in South Carolina? As Bloomberg’s John McCormick notes, “it’s a state where Romney’s Northern upbringing and Mormon faith are unnatural fits. South Carolina is also home to companies where workers lost jobs after a private equity firm that Romney helped found, Bain Capital LLC, made investment.” http://bloom.bg/wI8Cwz

Expect to hear some of Romney’s opponents, namely Gingrich and Rick Perry, try to knock his campaign senseless with attacks on everything from social issues to Bain. But when it comes to that latter attack, Romney says he’s convinced it won’t work.

“I think their argument fell flat here in New Hampshire,” the candidate told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America” today. “They tried it very hard, ran ads here, were up and down the state campaigning, and people in the state here said, look, we want a guy who spent some time in the private sector, not someone who spent their entire life in Washington.  So I think it’s working for my benefit.” http://abcn.ws/AhIV29

ROMNEY TO GEORGE: “I’m going to do everything in my power to become that nominee.  I think to post up against President Obama it is essential to have a record of credibility on the economy, and the economy is what I know, it’s what I’ve done all my life and that’s why I think I’m the best guy to go up against him,” the former Massachusetts governor said on “GMA” this morning. http://abcn.ws/AhIV29 WATCH: http://abcn.ws/zZucmX

THE STAKES IN SOUTH CAROLINA. ABC Political Director Amy Walter notes: “Romney will get a boost from the New Hampshire win that he can take with him to South Carolina. Despite its reputation as a conservative state that differs markedly from Iowa and New Hampshire, voters in South Carolina take their cues from the results of those early contests. South Carolina voters like to be on the side of a winner, and at this point, Romney is the guy who looks like the winner. History is also on Romney’s side. Since 1980, no candidate who has lost Iowa and New Hampshire has gone on to win South Carolina.” http://abcn.ws/zOHRni

MORE THAN JUST A WIN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: “The best news for Romney is that the guys who came in second and third place in New Hampshire — Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman — are two of his weakest opponents in the upcoming South Carolina primary. The most recent polling showed Paul in fourth place behind Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Huntsman’s moderate profile is going to be a tough sell in deeply conservative South Carolina. Paul is also a very polarizing figure, even within the Republican electorate. In a new ABC News-Washington Post poll, just 40 percent of Republicans view Paul favorably, while 39 percent view him unfavorably. As other candidates drop out, his electoral ceiling will become apparent. Meanwhile, the only two candidates who could give Romney a run for South Carolina, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, just lost a bunch of momentum tonight. They are currently in a battle for a distant fourth place in New Hampshire. With all of these candidates pledging to move onto to South Carolina, it’s more than likely that they will once again divide the ‘not-Romney’ vote, allowing Romney to win with a plurality.”http://abcn.ws/zOHRni

READING INTO ROMNEY’S SPEECH. Roll Call’s David Drucker heard Romney tweak his message for Palmetto State voters and influencers in his victory speech last night: “After thanking New Hampshire voters for their support, Romney launched into a sharply worded address that checked the boxes on the major issues of concern to South Carolina Republicans, many of whom identify with the tea party movement. One phrase Romney used to describe his plans to address the federal deficit could have been interpreted as an appeal to Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who is popular at home and influential in conservative circles nationwide. Obama ‘raised the national debt. I will cut, cap and balance the budget,’ Romney said. During last summer’s fight over the debt ceiling, DeMint and other tea party conservatives backed an alternative plan that they called ‘Cut, Cap, Balance.’ DeMint endorsed Romney in 2008 but has said he will not endorse a candidate this time around. Meanwhile, Romney has been endorsed by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R).” http://bit.ly/wq10vl

 THE PSALM BEFORE THE STORM. “If Rick Santorum wants to prove that his near-victory in Iowa wasn’t a fluke, then South Carolina is the state where he can try to give Mitt Romney another run for his money,” writes ABC’s Matt Negrin. “Evangelical voters were key to Santorum’s success in Iowa, and the same will probably be true, if not more so, in South Carolina Jan. 21. While leaders in the evangelical community in South Carolina have made clear that Santorum has grabbed their attention, they have cautioned that those conservative voters are still making up their minds, particularly among him, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry. ‘A lot of people are really, really interested in Santorum than they’ve ever been because of what happened,’ said Hal Stevenson, a board member of the Palmetto Family, a conservative group in the state. ‘I think it’s like night and day.’ The economy remains voters’ top concern pretty much everywhere, and South Carolina is no exception. But underneath, religious voters have no plans to abandon their values in choosing a candidate, according to pastors at a handful of medium and large evangelical churches.” http://abcn.ws/zvLs3E

NEW HAMPSHIRE: BY THE NUMBERS. ABC’s Chris Good notes that Mitt Romney not only won a decisive victory in New Hampshire last night, it was more decisive than his former rival’s win in 2008. With 77 percent of precincts reporting statewide Tuesday night, Romney had swept every county in New Hampshire except for Coos, which Ron Paul carried. Romney’s margin of victory (16 percentage points) figured to be far wider, at night’s end, than John McCain’s margin of five percentage points in 2008, when the former Arizona defeated Mitt Romney in the Granite State. Four years ago, McCain won New Hampshire with 37 percent of the vote to Romney’s 32 percent. Late Tuesday, Romney had won 38 percent of New Hampshire’s vote, while his closest competitor, Ron Paul, had 23 percent. In 2008, McCain won every county but two — Hillsborough and Rockingham — both of which Romney carried. http://abcn.ws/Ah2w9l

Missed last night’s candidate speeches from New Hampshire? Watch them all in one place: http://abcn.ws/xaELR9

THE BUZZ

RON PAUL SAYS HE’S ‘NIPPING’ AT ROMNEY’S ‘HEELS.’ ABC’s Jason Volack writes that Ron Paul’s second place finish in last night’s New Hampshire primary was “validation for the 76-year-old congressmen who has spent an entire political career preaching his free market ideas and non-interventionist ideology, mostly toiling in the confines of political obscurity. Now in the spotlight, Paul admitted that he never expected the groundswell of support, adding: ‘I didn’t know you were out there.’ ‘It’s no longer that irate, tireless minority that is stirring up the troops, now that irate majority,’ said Paul to cheers of ‘Ron Paul, President Paul.’” Walking on stage to Tom Petty’s ‘I Won’t Back Down’ — after his staff took the stage to the Darth Vader theme from ‘Star Wars’ — Paul thanked his family, campaign staff, and the Manchester Union Leader for not endorsing him for president. The leading New Hampshire publication endorsed Newt Gingrich.”http://abcn.ws/xUaFA6

ROMNEY’S IN THE MONEY. According to the Boston Globe’s Matt Viser, the Romney campaign “raised nearly $25 million in the last fundraising quarter, according to several of his fundraisers. The haul will be his biggest yet, and sets a marker against other campaigns that the former Massachusetts governor will be able to mount a long, expensive race that could stretch to multiple states. Romney, whose campaign is trying to recruit fundraisers away from some of his campaign rivals, is also doing a fundraiser on Thursday in Palm Beach, Fla., and next week in New York. His campaign was focused for much of the year on fundraising, but turned in recent weeks almost exclusively to campaigning in early states such as Iowa and New Hampshire.” http://bo.st/zoFyi0

SANTORUM CAMPAIGN: ‘LOADED FOR BEAR’ IN SOUTH CAROLINA. A dispatch from ABC’s Shushannah Walshe: Rick Santorum had a disappointing showing in the New Hampshire primary, just cracking double digits late Tuesday evening. Despite the result, Santorum, standing next to his wife Karen, told supporters he would keep fighting. “On to South Carolina,” he said to the small group — an equal number of journalists and supporters — gathered at a restaurant here. Santorum’s national communications director, Hogan Gidley said they would dump much of the $3 million they have earned since Iowa into the Palmetto State. “We are loaded for bear,” Gidley said after Santorum’s speech. Santorum said he wanted to “respect the process” by coming to New Hampshire and competing here, adding they wanted to “respect the fact that we are going to campaign in every single state, states that were good for us and states that may be a little tougher.” He also gave Romney, the New Hampshire victor, a gracious congratulation, saying the campaign front-runner “fought hard in this state.”  http://abcn.ws/x1gLrN

JON HUNTSMAN KEEPS ON KEEPING ON. “Jon Huntsman said a third place finish in New Hampshire is good enough to give him a ‘ticket to ride’ to the next primary in South Carolina. That’s an interesting position for Huntsman, who many consider to be the most liberal candidate in the Republican bunch,” ABC’s Matt Negrin notes. “Huntsman poured basically his entire campaign effort into New Hampshire and only got to third. Why go forward? The short-term answer is that despite his third-place finish, Huntsman, the former governor of Utah who most recently was President Obama’s ambassador to China, is riding out the end of a wave that lifted him up from the very bottom of the polls. The real answer might be more ambitious: Huntsman, 51, might be thinking that he has a shot at winning the White House in four or eight years. South Carolina’s primary will be followed closely by the contest in Florida, where Huntsman has a chance to do well — in 2016 or 2020.” http://abcn.ws/zhtx7c

WHO’S TWEETING?

@murphymike: Romney’s IA + NH wins give him enough strength that I think he could take a second place loss in SC and still win FL and beyond.

@jmartpolitico: When u hear the 4th place/15 pct in ’08 spin from Mittworld on SC, recall that he bailed at last min and went to NV

@stefcutter: Romney tries to paint opponents as ag free enterprise.Won’t work. Outsourcing, bankrupting companies for profit hardly best of free enterpr.

@ezraklein: The moderate candidate — or, at least, the relatively moderate candidate — is winning in the GOP primary: wapo.st/wtzcM5

@juliannagoldman: Huntsman’s Appeal to Independents Provides a Chance to Fight on – Bloomberg via @BloombergNow bloom.bg/zARhGv

DISPATCHES FROM THE TRAIL. Check out our new political website OTUSNews.com (www.Otusnews.com) The Note (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/the-note/) and ABC News/Politics (http://abcnews.go.com/politics) and follow our reporters in the field on Twitter:

Newt Gingrich: ABC’s Elicia Dover (@EliciaDover)

Jon Huntsman and New Hampshire: ABC’s Susan Archer (@TheOnlyArcher)

Ron Paul: ABC’s Jason Volack (@Jason_Volack)

Rick Perry: ABC’s Arlette Saenz (@ArletteSaenz)

Mitt Romney: ABC’s Emily Friedman (@EmilyABC)

Rick Santorum: ABC’s Shushannah Walshe (@shushwalshe) and ABC’s Russell Goldman (@GoldmanRussell)

The Note Futures Calendar

ABC News Political Unit

May 4, 2011

JANUARY 2012 Note: All times are local

Jan. 12-15: Ron Paul takes a break from the campaign trail in Texas. He returns to South Carolina on the 15th of January.

Jan. 13: Mitt Romney hosts a grassroots rally in Aiken, S.C. at 12:25 p.m. He meets with veterans in Hilton Head around 5 p.m. that evening.

Jan. 13: Rick Santorum hosts a "Faith, Family and Freedom" town hall meeting in Rock Hill, S.C. at 10 a.m. At 12:30 p.m., he holds a meet-and-greet at Popes at the White House in York. Santorum host a cookout in Gaffney at 2:30 p.m. He attends the Spartanburg GOP Bronze Elephant Dinner in Duncan at 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 13: Newt Gingirch hosts a breakfast meet-and-greet at Versailles Restaurant in Miami, Fla. at 8:45 a.m. At 11:30 a.m., he attends the Newt 2012 HQ opening in Orlando. Gingrich attends the Spartanburg GOP Bronze Elephant Forum at 7 p.m.

Jan. 14: Fox News hosts a second Huckabee Presidential Forum at the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., to air at 8 p.m. Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum plan to attend.

Jan. 14: Rick Santorum hosts a "Faith, Family and Freedom" town hall meeting at 9 a.m. in Greenville, S.C. at 3:30 p.m., he holds a volunteer rally at headquarters in Mt. Pleasant.

Jan. 14: Jon Huntsman holds a town hall on Hilton Head Island, S.C. at 5 p.m.

Jan. 14: Newt Gingrich holds a tele-town hall at 10 a.m. At 4:30 p.m. he holds a town hall meeting in Columbia, S.C. At 7 p.m. he holds another tele-town hall.

Jan. 15: Rick Santorum addresses the Faith & Freedom/South Carolina GOP Prayer Breakfast in Myrtle Beach, S.C. at 8:30 a.m. At 12:30 p.m., he holds a meet-and-greet at Crady's Restaurant in Conway.

Jan. 15: Newt Gingrich speaks at a cathedral in Charleston, S.C. at 11 a.m.

Jan. 16: Fox News hosts a Republican debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C. at 9 p.m.

Jan. 16: The South Carolina Presidential Kick-Off will take place at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel in conjunction with the Fox News debate.

Jan. 16: Newt Gingrich holds a tele-town hall at 10:45 a.m. At 1 p.m., he holds a town hall meeting in Myrtle Beach, S.C. At 3:15 p.m., he attends the S.C. Tea Party Convention. Gingrich attends the Faith and Freedom Presidential Forum at 4:45 p.m.

Jan. 17: Signatures on behalf of the movement to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker are due. The United Wisconsin Coalition must turn in 540,208 signatures.

Jan. 17: Newt Gingrich holds a town hall meeting in Florence, S.C. at 9 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., he holds a tele-town hall. At noon, he attends the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Foreign Policy Forum and Luncheon. Gingrich attends the South Carolina Farmer's Market Town Hall at 1:30 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., he attends the SC BIPEC 2012 GOP Primary Candidates Forum. At 7:30 p.m., he attends the Greater CSRA Conservative Coalition Presidential Forum.

Jan. 18-21: Southern Republican Leadership will take place in Charleston, S.C. Confirmed speakers include Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Nikki Haley and Fred Thompson.

Jan. 19: CNN and the Southern Republican Leadership Conference co-host a Republican presidential debate in Charleston, S.C. The debate begins at 9pm.

Jan. 20: The Republican parties of Greenville and Spartanburg S.C. host a forum for the GOP presidential candidates in Spartanburg.

Jan. 21: South Carolina holds its Republican Primary.

Jan. 23: National Journal, NBC News, St. Petersburg Times and Florida Council of 100 host a debate at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa. Brian Williams moderates the debate along with a panel of representatives from National Journal and the St. Petersburg Times.

Jan. 26: CNN and the Republican Party of Florida host a Republican presidential debate in Jacksonville, Florida.

Jan. 26-27: The Hispanic Leadership Network holds its "Inspiring Action" conference at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa Hotel in Miami, Fla. Newt Gingrich, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, former Labor and Education Secretaries Elaine L. Chao and Margaret Spellings plan to speak at the conference.

Jan. 31: Quarterly campaign finance reports from presidential candidates are due.

Jan. 31: This is the date for the Florida primary election.

FEBRUARY 2012

Note: All times are local

Feb. 3: Nevada holds its Republican caucus.

Feb. 7: Colorado and Minnesota hold their Republican presidential caucuses. Missouri holds its presidential primary election.

Feb. 9 - 11: The American Conservative Union hosts CPAC 2012. The conference will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Sarah Palin will be the closing keynote speaker. Other speakers include Ann Coulter, Senators Jim DeMint and Marco Rubio, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Governors Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, Congressmen Jim Jordan, Steve King, Paul Ryan and Allen West, former Senator Rick Santorum and Governor Scott Walker.

Feb. 11: Maine holds its Republican caucus.

Feb. 22: CNN and the Republican party of Arizona host a Republican presidential debate in Mesa, Arizona. The debate begins at 8pm.

Feb. 28: Arizona and Michigan hold their presidential primaries.

MARCH 2012

Note: All times are local

March 3: Washington hold their Republican caucus.

March 5: A debate will be held at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif.

March 6: Georgia, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia hold their presidential primaries. Alaska, Idaho, North Dakota and Wyoming hold their Republican caucuses.

March 10: Kansas and the U.S. Virgin Islands hold their Republican caucuses.

March 13: Alabama and Mississippi hold their presidential primaries. American Samoa and Hawaii hold Republican caucuses.

March 18: Puerto Rico holds its Republican caucus.

March 19: NPR, Oregon Public Broadcasting, PBS and the Washington Times host a Republican presidential debate in Portland, Oregon. The debate will air on PBS.

March 20: Illinois holds its presidential primary.

March 24: Louisiana holds its presidential primary.

March 26-28: The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case about health care legislation.

APRIL 2012

Note: All times are local

April 3: Washington, D.C., Maryland and Wisconsin hold their presidential primaries. This is also the tentative date for the presidential primary in Texas.

April 24: Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island hold their presidential primaries.

MAY 2012

Note: All times are local

May 8: Indiana and West Virginia hold their presidential primaries. This is also the tentative date for North Carolina's presidential primary.

May 15: Nebraska and Oregon hold their presidential primaries. This is also the tentative date for Idaho's presidential primary.

May 22: Arkansas and Kentucky hold their presidential primaries.

JUNE 2012

Note: All times are local

June 5: California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota hold their presidential primaries.

June 26: Utah holds its presidential primary.

AUGUST 2012

Note: All times are local

Aug. 27-30: Republican National Convention at St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

SEPTEMBER 2012

Note: All times are local

Sept. 3-6: Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina

OCTOBER 2012

Note: All times are local

Oct. 3: The first presidential debate will take place at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado.

Oct. 11: The first vice-presidential debate will take place at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.

Oct. 16: The second presidential debate will take place at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, and will be in town-meeting format.

Oct. 22: The third presidential debate will take place at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.

NOVEMBER 2012

Nov. 6: 2012 General Election.