Paul adviser knocks Perry for using ‘swagger’

How's Rick Perry's swagger? In an open letter released today, Ron Paul adviser Jesse Benton said the Texas governor's got it. But he also said Perry's basically a big government kind of guy who's just using that swag to swoon Tea Party people. Read for yourself:

Governor Perry, let me be clear: It is not that you supported Al Gore that worries us.

It is that you supported Hillary Clinton's health care plan.

You pushed for federal bailout and stimulus funds.

You support welfare for illegal immigrants.

You tried to forcibly vaccinate12-year-old girls against sexually transmitted diseases by executive order.

You raised taxes twice.

And, state debt has more than doubled in your tenure as governor, pushing Texas to the brink of our constitutional debt limit.

It's that you supported ALL of these bad ideas that are inconsistent with how most Republicans understand conservatism, yet you now try to swagger your way into the Tea Party.

Swag or no swag, whatever Perry is doing is working. He's got a 73% approval rating as of Tuesday, according to Gallup. Meanwhile, Paul's at 60%. Maybe Perry can share some of that swag.

h/t Politico