Rick Perry began his political career as a young star _ for Texas Democrats

[Seedersandleechers]

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.

A raging liberal he was not. Elected to represent a slice of rural West Texas in the state House of Representatives in 1984, Perry, a young rancher and cotton farmer, gained an early reputation as a fiscal conservative. He was one of a few freshman "pit bulls," so named because they sat in the lower pit of the House Appropriations Committee, where they fought to keep spending low.

But Perry cast some votes and took a few stands that seem to be at odds with his current conservative stances.

As a House Democrat, Perry co-authored legislation aimed at tripling the amount of money state legislators are paid, House records show. In a 1989 interview with the Abilene Reporter-News, Perry cited the financial hardships Texas legislators faced trying to make a living back home while making a yearly salary of only $7,200 as part-time lawmakers. Voters rejected the proposal in a statewide referendum.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/07/16/117733/rick-perry-began-political-career.html

[Rex]

1. Anything to get Perry out of Texas! Run you bastard, run!

Perry is the elite scum among the scum.

[provis99]

2. so he was a Boll Weevil.

That's back when southern Democrats were worse than Republicans.