Voters in Iowa and New Hampshire are accustomed to having dozens of reporters roaming around their fair cities and towns - usually trailing a presidential candidate or two. So it's often pretty easy to find someone to talk about his or her impressions of or interactions with candidates.
At least once a day a reporter on the road meets up with someone who has - let's say - unique information about a candidate he or she doesn't like.
Since I'm on the road covering the GOP race - specifically the performance and appearances of Texas Governor Rick Perry - I'm hearing that "unique information" about Republican candidates.
Most of these statements focus on a single policy point - but go on to distort the candidate's actual record. You'll hear that Mitt Romney personally wrote the federal healthcare law, Newt Gingrich invented the cap & trade pollution reduction system and that Rick Perry allows illegal immigrants to roam Texas and gives them free college tuition.
But every now and then, a reporter stumbles across a golden rumor. A statement so far-out, that you're surprised when you hear it. I found one Saturday night at The Family Leader Religion and Faith Republican forum in Washington, DC.
Here goes: Rick Perry supports a "One World Order" group called Bilderberg.
A woman I was interviewing said she would never support Governor Perry because she had heard several things about his support of international billionaires who want to pull the strings of governments around the world.
I must say - considering the Governor's tireless campaign against even our own federal government having power in the U.S. (his 10th Amendment push; his call for a part-time Congress), I was a little shocked to hear him being criticized as an advocate of more centralized power. It's like the woman thought he was a Texas version of "Cancer Man" from X-Files.
The GOP candidates next debate will take place in Washington D.C. on Tuesday night and is likely to focus on national security and foreign policy.
