The Obama Diary

NYT: Gov. Rick Perry, a no-apologies conservative known for slashing government spending and opposing all tax increases, is about as Republican as you can get. But that was not always the case.

Mr. Perry spent his first six years in politics as a Democrat, in a somewhat forgotten history that is sure to be revived and scrutinized by Republican opponents if he decides to run for president.

… Perry cast some votes and took a few stands that seem to be at odds with his fiscal conservatism today. The most vivid example is his support of the $5.7 billion tax hike in 1987, signed by Gov. Bill Clements, a Republican, opposed by most Republican members…..

… Almost a quarter-century later, Mr. Perry, as governor, was faced with a similar budget shortfall. But he took a markedly different tack this session, opposing any new taxes and signing a budget that made the first reduction in overall spending on public education since at least 1949.

…. As a House Democrat, Mr. Perry was also the co-author of legislation aimed at tripling the amount of money state legislators are paid….

… he was a top Texas supporter and organizer in 1988 for Al Gore, who ran as a Southern conservative rather than the populist reformer he eventually became as the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee.

… In 1984, fellow Democrats recruited Mr. Perry to run for a State House seat …. Perry easily won and quickly became known as a rising star in the Texas House.

…. Rumors that Mr. Perry would defect to the Republican Party – and run against Jim Hightower, the populist Democratic agriculture commissioner – picked up steam by late 1989. On Sept. 29, Mr. Perry made it official at a Capitol news conference….

Full article here

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