At a speech this morning in Las Vegas, Texas Governor Rick Perry teased next week's South Carolina policy speech by saying he would push for a flat tax and a constitutional amendment requiring balanced federal budgets.
Perry ran onto the stage at the Western Republican Leadership Conference to deliver a quick 15 minute speech. He didn't mention last night's contentious debate. He didn't mention any of his GOP rivals by name.
But Perry did give his now standard line that he's not a conservative by convenience, a swipe at what he says is Mitt Romney's "flip-flopping" on conservative topics.
He gave no specifics on his idea of a flat tax beyond saying he was for one. He could use the plan as a way to draw a contrast between his tax ideas and those of Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan. As Perry has fallen in recent polls, Cain has taken most of those voters during his rise to the top of those same polls.
Perry revealed part one of his economic plan last week in Pittsburgh. That part focused on increasing energy production in the country as a way to create about 1.2 million jobs in the country.
It looks like part two is set for delivery October 25 at a yet-to-be-named location in South Carolina, and it will focus on the federal budget.
