Perry, in first debate, fends off rivals' attacks

By Dave Montgomery and Anna M. Tinsley

dmontgomery@star-telegram.com, atinsley@star-telegram.com

Gov. Rick Perry, making his debut in a national presidential debate Wednesday night, fended off attacks from his Republican rivals, stood behind his depiction of Social Security as a "Ponzi scheme" and tangled with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney over who has the best record of job creation.

"I kind of feel like the piñata here," Perry said at one point during the one hour, 45-minute debate after the two moderators and several of his Republican adversaries challenged some of Perry's more controversial statements and policies, including an executive order requiring teenage girls to be immunized against a sexually transmitted virus.

Perry lashed out at comments by former White House strategist Karl Rove, who has suggested that some of Perry's positions would be too extreme to allow him to defeat President Barack Obama in next year's general election.

"You know, Karl has been over the top for a long time in some of his remarks," Perry said.

Perry needed to emerge from the debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., with an error-free performance to solidify his lead among Republicans. Another key confrontation is just around the corner when the Republican rivals gather in Tampa, Fla., on Monday for a debate co-hosted by CNN and the Tea Party Express.

Although all the candidates hope to get a political lift from the debate, Perry was clearly the main attraction as he faced his first test before a national audience. TV analysts largely agreed that Perry made no major stumbles and kept his conservative base happy.

After months of dismissing any interest in presidential politics, the Texas governor reversed course and jumped into the race in mid-August. He went on to build a widening lead in the polls that dethroned Romney as the front-runner for the GOP nomination.

The spirited prime-time debate dispelled speculation that Perry, as the new leader of the pack, would choose an above-the-fray approach and avoid engagement with his rivals. He and Romney, now the No. 2 candidate, engaged in several exchanges. Perry also clashed with U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Lake Jackson.

Jobs, jobs, jobs

Perry got the opportunity to tout his trademark message on Texas job creation after moderator Brian Williams tossed him the opening question by noting that many of the jobs pay minimum wage. "Is that the kind of answer all Americans are looking for?" Williams asked.

"Americans are looking for someone who can get this country working again," Perry said. "When you look at what we [got] over the last decade, we created 1 million jobs in the state of Texas at the same time America lost 21/2 million. ... I'm proud of what we've done in the state of Texas."

Romney also touted his record on job creation during his term as Massachusetts governor, saying his administration ended up with a 4.7 percent unemployment rate. But Perry asserted that "we created more jobs in the last three months in Texas than he created in four years in Massachusetts."

That led to a further exchange after Romney asserted that factors other than Perry's leadership -- such as oil and gas production -- helped drive the Texas economy.

"Gov. Perry doesn't believe he created those things," he said. "If he tried to say that, why it would be like Al Gore saying he invented the Internet."

Perry later defended his comments about Social Security, saying future generations will be unable to draw from the New Deal-era program unless it is drastically restructured.

"The fact is, we've got to be focused on how we are going to change this program," Perry said. He said it's a "Ponzi scheme to tell our kids ... 'You are paying into a program that's going to be there.'"

Texans tussle

Perry came under fire from Paul, who is making his third presidential bid, for the 2007 order requiring girls to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus, which is known to cause cervical cancer.

"This is not good medicine, "Paul said. " ... It's very bad to do this."

Perry said he wanted to bring attention to a problem and an inoculation that could keep "tens of thousands" of young Texans healthy. "Did we handle it right? Should we have talked to the Legislature?" Perry said. "In the end, I will always err on the side of saving lives."

Despite their intraparty differences, the Republican contenders were united in their contempt for Obama's policies, particularly the president's healthcare program and economic policies.

Obama, who is struggling in the polls, is expected to propose up to $300 billion in tax cuts and federal spending when he unveils his long-awaited jobs plan tonight. The latest monthly employment report from the Labor Department said there was zero net job creation in August.

Perry arrived in California after a two-day detour from the campaign trail to survey damage caused by Central Texas wildfires that have left thousands homeless.

Dave Montgomery is the Star-Telegram's Austin bureau chief. 512-476-4294

Anna M. Tinsley, 817-390-7610

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