Marathon Pundit: Perry statement on Des Moines debate

McGregor, Iowa

The Rick Perry campaign released a statement about tonight's GOP presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa. First an aside, Mitt Romney was unwise, even in jest, to wager $10,000 with the Texas governor over a statement in his book.

Iowans aren't braggarts and are known for extravagance.

The presser:

Gov. Rick Perry Corners Outsider Mantle on Healthcare Mandates, Bailouts and Conservative Economic and Foreign Policy Ideas

Offers winning performance at ABC News Presidential Debate

DES MOINES, Iowa - Texas Gov. Rick Perry solidified his position as the only non-Washington, non-establishment candidate left in the GOP primary race, highlighting his consistent opposition to government healthcare mandates and Washington bailouts. Gov. Perry's unmatched record of job creation, plan to overhaul Washington and the importance of his faith and conservative values were highlighted during tonight's debate. The debate was hosted by ABC News/Yahoo!, ABC5/WOI-DT, The Des Moines Register and the Republican Party of Iowa.

During the last few weeks, Gov. Perry has shared a series of plans he will use to strengthen the country's economy, create American jobs, sever the direct line between Washington, D.C. and Wall Street, and repair the damage that the failed economic proposals of President Obama have had on the American people.

"The real issue is that people are sick of Washington, D.C.," Gov. Perry said. "They're sick of the money that they're seeing spent. They're sick of the fraud and corruption that they're seeing. They're sick of seeing their kids' futures mortgaged because we've got a Washington, D.C. that is out of touch with the country. It's the reason why I talk about my Overhauling Washington plan; going to a part-time Congress. Cut their pay in half, let them spend half the time in Washington, D.C., send them back home to have a regular job like the rest of the people in their district and work under the laws that they pass. That, I will suggest to you, along with a Balanced Budget Amendment will go a long way towards stopping a lot of the nonsense that we're seeing come out of Washington, D.C."

The governor reiterated the key tenants of his three plans: Uproot and Overhaul Washington; Cut, Balance and Grow; and Energizing American Jobs and Security. His Uproot and Overhaul Washington plan creates a part-time citizen Congress, designed to make Congress spend more time living at home under the laws they create. The plan also calls for the elimination of oversized, ineffective federal agencies that are consuming taxpayer money and putting our country further in debt.

"I have a record of doing that as the governor of the state of Texas over the last 11 years - we've created over a million jobs in that state while the rest of the nation lost over two million jobs," Perry said tonight. "So there's a very clear blueprint of how to make this work."

"I can on a map diagram the problem that we've got in America today, and it's this direct line between Washington, D.C. and Wall Street, and it's the corruption that's gone on," Gov. Perry said. "It's the idea of TARP; it's the idea of $7.7 trillion that we didn't even know was being put into banks. That's what Americans are really upset about. And it's going to take an outsider who can come in to put in the model of taxes and regulation, and be able to balance the budget by the year 2020. That's what the American people want and an outsider like Rick Perry is going to do that."

Cut, Balance and Grow simplifies and flattens personal and corporate tax rates, lowering them to a flat 20 percent. The plan also calls for a federal Balanced Budget Amendment and a full audit of every regulation passed since 2008, so that job-killing regulations may be eliminated. Cut, Balance and Grow will cap federal spending at 18 percent of GDP and balance the budget by 2020.

Gov. Perry's Energizing American Jobs and Security plan creates jobs in every sector of the economy, reduces our country's dependence on hostile foreign oil and helps stabilize and limit the costs of electricity and fuel, making energy more accessible and dependable for American consumers.

During Gov. Perry's tenure in Texas, the state has been home to more than a million net new jobs and led the nation in job creation. His record of job creation is unparalleled in the presidential race. In contrast, during President Obama's tenure the nation has lost approximately two million jobs.

For information setting the record straight about various statements made during the debate, please visit www.rickperry.org/abc-debate-recap/ or follow @PerryTruthTeam on Twitter. For more information about Gov. Rick Perry's record, presidential campaign and plan to get America working again, please visit www.rickperry.org.