VA progress is being made – but there is still work to be done

VA progress is being made – but there is still work to be done | gop.gov (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-7304846-1', 'gop.gov'); ga('send', 'pageview'); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId : '1453356848214778', status : true, xfbml : false });};(function(d, s, id){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); SolutionsLegislativeMediaReleasesAbout GOP.gov / SOLUTIONS / Health Care / VA progress is being made – but there is still work to be done Previous Post | Next Post Health Care VA progress is being made – but there is still work to be done Communications • August 14, 2014

Veterans heard some good news today. According to the Associated Press, VA referrals to private doctors are on the rise. This is largely in part to the House-passed bill H.R. 3230, the Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014. This bill allocates money to private doctors to treat veterans who are unable to get appointments at a VA hospital, either because of wait times or distance. H.R. 3230 was signed into law by President Obama, and within two months, the VA has made more than 838,000 referrals for veterans to receive care from private doctors – a 25% increase.

However, House Republicans know that this is just the beginning – there is still a lot of work to be done for our veterans. While visiting home districts, many members visited and spoke with veterans about their concerns and hopes for the VA and life after the military.

This is truly the “Veteran’s Town.” #HotSprings pic.twitter.com/gQKLFl3HnS

— Rep. Kristi Noem (@RepKristiNoem) August 14, 2014

Great visiting w/our veterans service providers and advocates in Clay Co. We will continue to fight for our veterans. pic.twitter.com/rR8eZLremd — Ted Yoho (@RepTedYoho) August 14, 2014

@TeamFairchild families getting answers on an array of topics during the #MilFamSummit pic.twitter.com/mbghp4mMTd

— Fairchild AFB (@TeamFairchild) August 14, 2014

Good round table w Cowlitz vets yesterday re: their experiences w the VA. More must be done to fix the VA for vets. pic.twitter.com/16OoO0FrNV — JaimeHerreraBeutler (@HerreraBeutler) August 14, 2014

Inviting #milfams to speak their minds so #cmfc can bring stories and feedback back to Congress #milfamsummit pic.twitter.com/iccmZVYl0n

— Sanford Bishop, Jr. (@SanfordBishop) August 14, 2014

So enjoyed visiting w/ my friends @MGMChamber and discussing issues like middle class econ struggles, Iraq & the VA. pic.twitter.com/SvWWGU2iXm — Rep. Martha Roby (@RepMarthaRoby) August 14, 2014

Our veterans have sacrificed for our country and have given of themselves and they deserve to have the the best care possible.

— Rep. Lee Terry (@LEETERRYNE) August 14, 2014

The #veterans only hour begins in 15 mins (9am CST) at the Great Mall of the Great Plains in Olathe #YoderJobFair http://t.co/T4f9Iecudw — Rep. Kevin Yoder (@RepKevinYoder) August 14, 2014

Speaking to the Society of American Military Engineers (@SAME_HQ) this evening in Spanish Fort. #AL01 pic.twitter.com/GoUTNRLsSk

— Rep. Bradley Byrne (@RepByrne) August 14, 2014

Veterans town hall in #Lovelock going strong at Pershing County Community Center pic.twitter.com/ZoWH1wbtYT

— RepMarkAmodei (@MarkAmodeiNV2) August 13, 2014

 

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Medicaid wounds are still raw in GOP

If the latest fracas between Gov. Jan Brewer and Republican Party operatives is any indication, it's going to be a long, ugly 13 months until the 2014 primary election.

Brewer recently reached out to the right wing of her party in hopes of healing wounds left by the bipartisan passage of Medicaid expansion, saying it's time to put differences aside and unite for the good of the party.

Conservative Republicans responded by sharpening their invective and moving forward with a series of "no confidence" votes against the governor and the 14 GOP lawmakers who backed the governor's expansion plan last month.

Supporters of the new law to broaden health-care coverage for the poor under the federal Affordable Care Act say the legislative precinct committee members represent a small fringe of the GOP and their symbolic votes don't matter.

But at the same time, they warn that, in some districts, working to knock off GOP moderates in the primary could give the seats to Democrats in the general election.

Brewer was concerned enough to send a letter Friday to thousands of precinct committee members across the state who make up the grass-roots political machinery of the GOP, making her case for Medicaid expansion and asking for their support.

"To continue efforts to potentially hurt and intimidate those who stood with me only puts Republicans' chances for electoral success next year back into harm's way," the governor wrote.

"We are allies. It is time to move on, work together for a united front in 2014 and focus on the key issues that face our state, including the economy, quality education and public safety."

Brewer sent a similar missive to GOP officials in March, when they were passing, during legislative-district meetings, harshly worded resolutions that opposed expansion and threatened the political careers of Republican lawmakers who supported it.

At that time, the governor argued that the GOP would be more at risk if it turned down the federal funds that will pay for most of the expansion and kicked their constituents off Medicaid.

But the conservative party loyalists say Brewer and the Republicans who teamed with Democrats to pass expansion have abandoned conservative GOP principles and made matters worse by pushing the bill through in a three-day special session that the governor called without consulting GOP leadership.

"They're elitists who think that what they've done can be forgiven. They're mistaken," Maricopa County GOP Chairman A.J. LaFaro said. "We are not going to be able to defeat all of them, but we will definitely defeat some of them. They are Arizona's 15 most wanted."

So far, GOP executive committees in five legislative districts have approved no-confidence resolutions or resolutions to censure the renegade Republicans and Brewer for supporting Medicaid expansion.

Most also include Rep. Michele Reagan, R-Scottsdale, who voted for expansion once but against it in the end. Another vote is scheduled in Mesa's Legislative District 16 on Thursday.

The votes have no legal impact, but GOP officials hope they will help turn voters against the incumbent lawmakers.

Rep. Heather Carter, R-Cave Creek, was out of town late last month when her Legislative District 15 GOP committee gave her a no-confidence vote.

Carter, who shepherded the expansion bill through the House, said she's proud of her vote but doesn't want to dwell on divisions within the party.

"I don't make decisions based on my political future," she said. "I make decisions based on what's best for my state. If you look back in history, when the Republican Party has done well, they have always provided a big tent."

Veteran Arizona pollster Bruce Merrill said the GOP split over Medicaid is another example of the conservative takeover of the state's GOP machinery.

"It just shows the extent to which the Republican Party is really fractured," said Merrill, a senior research fellow at Arizona State University's Morrison Institute for Public Policy. "The right wing has really taken over the party."

Merrill said the precinct committee members should not be underestimated in their ability to get conservative candidates elected in primaries, when most Arizona races are decided.

They may not represent mainstream Republicans, he said, but they know how to play politics.

"They're a smart, hardworking group of people who understand how the system works," Merrill said. "I reluctantly give them credit. … At the precinct level, they help you win."

Rep. Carl Seel, R-Phoenix, said he's not concerned about whether bouncing moderate Republicans could give Democrats the advantage in some districts.

As he sees it, the moderates, by voting with Democrats to pass Medicaid expansion, already have given Democrats control of the House, where the GOP holds a 34-26 advantage.

"One could make the argument that those nine turncoat Republicans in the state House are now Democrats," Seel said.

"It's not safe for any of them."

Copyright 2013 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Immigrant Measure Still Backed by Gays

Advocates focused their fury on several Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, which considered more than 300 amendments to the bill, after the senators warned the chairman, Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, that they would not vote for an amendment he wanted to introduce. The measure by Mr. Leahy, also a Democrat, would have allowed American citizens to seek permanent resident status — a document known as a green card — for a foreign same-sex partners.

But as the bill now moves to the Senate floor, the political damage from the episode for the Democrats — including senators who have been firm allies of gay causes like Mr. Leahy, Charles E. Schumer of New York and Richard J. Durbin of Illinois — may not be as severe as it first appeared. Gay rights advocates, stepping back from the loss, said the overhaul still contained many measures that could benefit gay immigrants, most of which came through the committee gantlet unscathed.

Other provisions that the committee agreed to add to the bill, dealing with asylum and immigration detention, had been the subject of vigorous lobbying by gay organizations.

The committee outcome was a relief for Republicans in the bipartisan group of eight senators that wrote the bill, who had said the same-sex amendment would cripple the entire measure. By fending it off, Republicans held on to crucial support from evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics.

“To try to redefine marriage within the immigration bill would mean the bill would fall apart,” Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Republican, told Mr. Leahy in the moments of high suspense last Tuesday evening before the Vermont senator announced his decision. Mr. Graham said support from conservative evangelical churches, which have put on an ambitious campaign to pass the overhaul, “made it possible for a guy like me to survive the emotional nature of this debate.”

One activist who had intensely mixed feelings about the committee’s results was Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez, co-director of Get Equal, an organization that seeks legal equality for gay people.

“I can’t deny my outrage when I felt betrayed,” said Mr. Sousa-Rodriguez, who said he had delivered thousands of petitions to Mr. Schumer’s Washington office just a week earlier.

But he said he was ready to push for the bill on the Senate floor, where lawmakers expect to take it up the week of June 10. “Many of my friends will benefit from the overall legislation,” he said.

Like many gay advocates, Mr. Sousa-Rodriguez, who was born in Brazil, sees the legislation from several angles. He is one of as many as 1.7 million young immigrants who were brought here illegally as children. Those immigrants would be eligible under the Senate bill for an accelerated five-year path to citizenship. They include a vocal contingent of youths who are gay.

But Mr. Sousa-Rodriguez is also legally married to an immigrant from Colombia, Juan, who is about to become an American citizen. If the same-sex amendment were to become law, Mr. Sousa-Rodriguez’s husband could seek a green card for him immediately, without waiting five years. In the Judiciary Committee debate, Mr. Leahy kept everyone, including his own staff, wondering until the final hour whether he would formally introduce the same-sex amendment. He had sponsored similar legislation many times in the Senate, and he left no doubt in his opening statement about his strong support for the provision.

But then he turned to the other senators on the committee, asking them for their views. In agonized comments the Democrats, also including Dianne Feinstein of California and Al Franken of Minnesota, replayed the Republican warnings that the measure would be a deal breaker.

According to several Senate aides, the Democrats were surprised and miffed that Mr. Leahy shifted the burden to them to nix the amendment.

“He did it in a way that made others walk the plank and kept his hands clean,” one Democratic aide said, “and that was not appreciated.”

In the end Mr. Leahy withheld his amendment, leaving open the option of introducing it later. The committee sent the bill to the Senate floor on a strong bipartisan vote.

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Brewer still thinks it's 2010

(PNI) Gov. Jan Brewer vaulted to national attention when she signed Senate Bill 1070. She's not about to let go now.

Much of her Republican Party, recognizing that a tough enforcement-first stand leads to political irrelevance, have begun to push for a different future. Brewer has turned down every opportunity to join them.

She offered little encouragement to Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake when they helped broker an immigration-reform framework. She gave no support to a budding statewide coalition seeking to change Arizona's image on this issue.

And this week, she reiterated her stand that young immigrants granted legal status by President Barack Obama cannot get Arizona driver's licenses.

It is a coldhearted decision that slaps the most-sympathetic faces in the immigration debate: those brought into this country at a young age and who, because of that, are American in every way but one.

Other GOP governors with an eye on the future have altered their stances. But not Brewer. She seems content to remain in 2010.

We wish she could make the pivot so many other Republicans have. Brewer could be a gust in the sail of those seeking to remake Arizona and the GOP's image. Instead, she's an anchor holding them back.

Copyright 2012 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Republicans still need to make the case against ObamaCare - Washington Post

A Quinnipiac poll reports that by a 52 to 39 percent margin voter think Congress should repeal ObamaCare. By a 50 to 39 percent margin they think the Supreme Court should overturn it.

This is problematic for the Democrats on many levels. First, should the Supreme Court not strike down the law, the Republicans will not only have conservative ire to propel them in the election, but a solid clarion call that will resonate with a majority of voter. Second, it suggests that Obama won’t be able to use his “historic” achievement to rally voters. Republicans can accurately claim that the president devoted years to passing an unpopular (and possibly unconstitutional) bill, rather than tending to the economy. And finally, it puts all the Democratic senators who voted for it (they are all the 60th vote) on the hot seat. Be prepared to see a lot of “60th vote” ads in key senate races.

Now, if Mitt Romney is the nominee, the unpopularity of ObamaCare makes his job in attacking it easier. He can honestly say that in his state the majority of people liked the healthcare plan that they got, but in the country at large a majority is unhappy with ObamaCare.

This does not mean, however, that the argument should stop there.

In the debate Romney stated his objections to ObamaCare: “One, I don’t want to spend another trillion dollars. We don’t have that kind of money, it’s the wrong way to go. Number two, I don’t believe the federal government should cut Medicare by some $500 billion. Number three, I don’t think the federal government should raise taxes by $500 billion and, therefore, I will repeat Obama Care.” That’s a start, but there are three other policy arguments to make.

First, ObamaCare is not doing and won’t do, by the administration’s own admission, what it was intended to do: Bend the cost curve on health care downward. Just as we now all understand that the CLASS Act was unsustainable, we now can agree that healthcare costs won’t be tempered by ObamaCare.

Second, the methodology on which the administration is relying — empowerment of the 15-person Independent Patient Advisory Board — will not cut costs. It will simply eliminate or curtail care. It’s hard for some on the left, it seems, to understand that cutting how much the government pays for something won’t affect the underlying, real cost of the service. It is for this reason that such health care schemes eventually must rely on rationing to survive.

And finally, the mandate on contraception is the perfect example of why ObamaCare inevitably leads to government overreach and diminished personal liberty. Once the government tells you to buy insurance and that it must be more than a catastrophic, high-deductible plan, every medical service — not simply contraception — is micromanaged by the government. What you must buy, what your employer and your insurance company must cover and what the taxpayer must subsidize then become bureaucratic decisions by the federal government. If this wasn’t apparent to some at the inception of ObamaCare (conservatives certainly understood it, but others plainly didn’t), it surely is now.

Conservatives shouldn’t bank on the Supreme Court to do their work for them. ObamaCare, or parts of it, could well survive the Supreme Court’s review. It is important therefore to continue to make the policy arguments as to why the legislation is unwise, unworkable and unaffordable. Moreover, conservatives need to let the public know what the alternative to ObamaCare may be. If, unlike Obama, Republicans care about getting a mandate for their agenda, they would be wise to start laying out what a market-oriented alternative to ObamaCare would look like.

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GOP Still Not Realistic on Debt Reduction Talks (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Despite Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, claiming Republicans have backed down in debt talks, they still don't have a grip on reality. Instead of going for $4 trillion in deficit reductions over the next 10 years, Boehner and the Republicans are aiming for a proposal about half that. Boehner claims the White House won't go for larger reductions without raising taxes.

"I believe the best approach may be to focus on producing a smaller measure, based on the cuts identified in the Biden-led negotiations, that still meets our call for spending reforms and cuts greater than the amount of any debt limit increase," Boehner said in a released statement.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., reiterated the need for no tax increases. He sided with Boehner when it came to the present negotiations.

"It does not make sense for Americans to suffer under higher taxes in an economy like this. As the Speaker said, there is no way that the House of Representatives will support a tax increase," Cantor said, according to his website.

Despite the assertions the GOP is caving in to the White House's demands, their statements are still way off base. It doesn't make sense to focus on who to blame for the current situation, but Republicans need a reality check. Boehner's further comments need to be examined.

"Washington's spending problem has continuously created uncertainty among private-sector job creators. Instead of cutting spending and getting our fiscal house in order, the Democrats who run Washington want to increase taxes to pay for their out-of-control spending," Boehner said in a released statement.

There are two problems with Boehner's and Cantor's words. Cantor claims taxpayers don't need to suffer. Well, Americans have been suffering for 10 years of two wars to pay for, a housing bubble that burst and huge bailouts started by the George W. Bush plan during his eight years in office.

The other thing to take exception with is that Boehner doesn't seem to remember it was the "job creators" who helped produce this fiscal emergency in the United States. American home lenders went overboard and got drunk on making money quickly on a housing market when they allowed less-than-worthy citizens own homes on bad credit.

High gas prices at the same time didn't help consumer prices and Americans had a choice--pay for the gas to get to work or pay for a mortgage. In the end, they tried to just get to work but then ended up losing their jobs anyway. Big oil companies are still reaping the benefits of high gasoline prices.

The housing market and the jobs in America were dependent upon construction and property prices. The entire economy hasn't been the same since.

Boehner and Cantor are complaining to Democrats who run Washington. But it was Obama's predecessor, with Boehner as the leader of the GOP in the House, who ran the economy into the ground. The very same industry that creates jobs didn't care about Americans and just wanted to make a quick buck. It's time for them to pay. Job creators such as large banks and huge oil companies don't need to make any more money. They owe Americans who are suffering because of them.

Health care costs are also skyrocketing and high medical bills continue to plague Americans. Perhaps taxing health care, cigarette makers and alcohol distillers will help fill the U.S. Treasury in order to ease the pain of the United States.

It only makes sense.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.

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Perry: Still time to decide on a White House run (AP)

NEW YORK – Texas Gov. Rick Perry stirred speculation Tuesday that he would seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, championing his state's economy before a packed GOP gathering in New York and telling a television interviewer he would engage in a "thought process" before deciding whether to join the field.

Perry traveled to New York to address the Lincoln Dinner, an annual fundraising event for the New York GOP. He replaced celebrity real estate developer Donald Trump, who cancelled his appearance after deciding against a presidential bid.

"I find it ironic to be filling in for Donald Trump tonight," Perry said. "He's known for saying `You're fired.' We're known for saying `You're hired.' That's what we do in Texas."

Perry, a three-term governor popular with tea party activists, used the speech to touch on several of his longstanding state campaign themes. He promoted his state's jobs record and economic climate, which he said were a reflection of conservative principles. He urged Republicans to stand firm in opposition to abortion rights and criticized the federal government for excessive regulation and interfering in states' decisions.

"Washington isn't supposed to be the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-spending Oz, pulling the levers behind the curtain while limiting the freedom of our citizens. Instead, the states are supposed to lead the way," he said.

Earlier, Perry told Fox News that was still considering a presidential bid and didn't have to jump into the field yet.

"We have some time," he said. "I'm not sure you have to make a decision in a month."

Perry's closest advisers say he has no intention of running, but last month he said he was "going to think about it."

Perry would bring conservative bona fides, a proven fundraising record and a fresh voice to a field in which many conservatives are looking for an alternative to front-runner Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor is making his second bid for the GOP nomination.

Perry didn't address the presidential speculation directly at the New York gathering. But he urged supporters to send a text message to his political team to receive updates on his efforts to battle federal incursion into state activities.

Perry was joined in New York by his wife, Anita, and by his longtime political adviser, Dave Carney, who recently resigned from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign.

Perry, the Republican Governors Association chairman, is doing several political events around the country this week. He is attending a private RGA event in North Carolina on Wednesday and will travel to New Orleans for the Republican Leadership Conference on Saturday. He is scheduled to go to St. Louis for another RGA event next week.

On Fox News, Perry took a swipe at the sexting scandal rocking congressional Democrats in which Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York sent lewd photos of himself and messages to several women.

Asked if Weiner should resign, Perry called him a "sick fella who made some really bad decisions."

Perry said politicians and public officials should be held to higher standards than others and that if he were elected president and one of his Cabinet members did the same thing, he would "most likely" ask that person to resign.

"We have moral rules we live with every day. We have rules of conduct every day," he said. "It's like that definition of pornography: I know it when I see it."

Perry also was asked whether Republicans should reach out to Hispanics on immigration enforcement issues.

"I think the Hispanic population in the country is no different from the Anglo population or the Asian population," he said. "They want to live in a state where they can be free from overtaxation (and) overlitigation. They want to be able to have good schools for their kids and have a wide-open future. That's what the Republican Party is all about."

___

Associated Press writers April Castro and Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.

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Bush vets: Still time for Perry to enter 2012 race (AP)

AUSTIN, Texas – Stuck at home managing a special session of the Texas Legislature, Gov. Rick Perry couldn't capitalize on Newt Gingrich's campaign implosion with a quick move into the GOP presidential field even if he wanted.

It doesn't matter, said several veteran fundraisers who helped former President George W. Bush break records as he vaulted from Texas to the White House.

They say there's still plenty of time for a candidate to get in the race even if he hasn't hired a staff, raised a dollar or made an official campaign trip to Iowa or New Hampshire. In fact, they argue, it could become an advantage for Perry, a conservative who has never lost an election.

"Getting in early gives you more time to spend money, more time to make mistakes, you don't understand the field, who you're running against," said Anne Dunsmore, a fundraiser who has worked for Bush, Rudy Giuliani and other Republican candidates.

Perry stirred speculation two weeks ago with an off-the-cuff remark — "I'm going to think about it" — and the buzz has only grown as two of Perry's most trusted advisers fled from Gingrich's presidential campaign in a wave of resignations.

Rob Johnson, who helped Perry mount a come-from-behind victory to beat U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison by more than 20 percentage points in the GOP governor's primary, left Perry's office earlier this year to be Gingrich's campaign manager. Longtime political advisor Dave Carney had remained working for the governor while also serving on Gingrich's staff.

It had always seemed unlikely that Perry would launch any campaign without the two at his side.

Perry spokesman Mark Miner said Friday that Perry continued to think about getting in the race but remained focused on the Legislature and the Gingrich defections have no impact on his decision. Miner said Perry wasn't available for comment, and that he did not know if Johnson would immediately return to the governor's staff. Messages left with both were not returned Friday.

The special session that started last month, forced by a Democratic filibuster over funding for public education, could keep Perry cooped up at the Texas Capitol through June 29.

But Sig Rogich, one of Bush's "Rangers" who collected more than $200,000 for his campaigns, argued that Perry's work in Austin shouldn't be seen as a disadvantage if Perry decided to get in the race.

"Maybe today — more than I've seen in recent memory — coming from the back of the pack might be a real advantage," Rogich said.

Perry has $2.7 million left in his state campaign account from his 2010 reelection, according to his most recent campaign finance report. He won't be able to use that money for a presidential bid, since federal law prohibits state money from being transferred to a federal account. But the figure shows that Perry is an adept fundraiser. It's a skill he's honed through years of campaigning for statewide office in Texas and, as chairman of the Republican Governor's Association, one he's polished nationally.

"He comes from the best fundraising state, at least for Republicans, in the Unites States. And that's coming from a Romney supporter," said Wayne Berman, a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. who also helped Bush break fundraising records. "It's enough to start."

Perry isn't raising money now. But he's not spending it either. The cash "burn rate" for campaigns can be staggering, with expenses for salaries, benefits, travel, media, polling, research and fundraising events. Even if candidates have that money to spend in the early months, there's no guarantee that it will continue to flow.

Pat Oxford, another Bush supporter and Houston law partner of Giuliani who worked as a campaign chairman for Hutchison, said the fact the field remains unsettled has also extended the window for Perry to enter the race. Oxford is still waiting for the former New York mayor to decide on whether to jump in, but he'd "certainly consider" supporting Perry, too.

"I think Governor Perry has one of the best political instincts of any candidate I've ever known, so I would be very hesitant to criticize his political sense of what he needs to do," Oxford said. "He's not losing much by staying out."

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Voters fret about Mormonism but still favor Romney (The Ticket)

Mitt Romney has opened a sizable lead in a new poll of 2012 GOP contenders, in spite of voter reservations about a Mormon in the White House.

A new Quinnipiac Poll finds 25 percent of likely GOP voters support the former Massachusetts governor in the race for the GOP nomination. That's 10 points more than Sarah Palin, the only other potential 2012 hopeful to crack double-digits in the poll.

Romney's lead is significant as the poll finds voters continue to have serious doubts about his religion. Just 45 percent of likely voters have a favorable opinion of Mormonism, while 32 percent said they have an unfavorable view.

Asked if they would be comfortable with a Mormon president, 60 percent of voters said they would be "comfortable" compared to 36 percent who said they'd be "uncomfortable."

By comparison, 83 percent of voters said they'd be comfortable with a Catholic in the White House, 80 percent with a Jewish president and 67 percent with a president who was an evangelical Christian. Just 38 percent of those polled said they'd be okay with a Muslim president, while 37 percent said they'd be comfortable with an atheist in the White House.

Who would have the most problems with a Mormon in the White House? Democrats. According to Quinnipiac, just 49 percent of Dems say they'd be okay with a Mormon president, compared to 68 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of self-described independent voters.

Romney holds a big lead over other likely 2012 rivals, according to the poll. Herman Cain came in third in the poll, with 9 percent support. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul both got 8 percent trailed by Michele Bachmann (6 percent), Tim Pawlenty (5 percent), Rick Santorum (4 percent) and Jon Huntsman (1 percent). Twenty percent of likely GOP voters say they are still undecided in the race.

Yet the poll also differs from an ABC News/Washington Post poll released yesterday that found Obama and Romney virtually tied in a potential general election match-up. Quinnipiac's poll finds Obama leading Romney 47 percent to 41 percent--a number that Obama's team likely prefers but is still pretty dismal for an incumbent president.

(Photo of Romney: Stephen Savoia/AP)

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