Governor Rick Perry has been billing himself as an "outsider" during his 2nd look, 2nd chance bus tour through Iowa. At almost every stop he has called his opponents the opposite: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is a Washington D.C. insider and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is a Wall Street insider.
This morning Perry took another tack: calling Gingrich "the grandfather of Congressional earmarks." (The Texas Governor took a swipe at Texas Congressman Ron Paul, too, calling him an "earmark insider").
The folks on the trail seem to be responding. Although Perry's speeches these days appear to include everything but the kitchen sink: rambling over well-worn campaign content from jobs, to religion, to ending Washington regulations; when he hits on the idea of sweeping in and “cleaning up” Washington and creating a part time Congress, people start to perk up and clap.
Right now the back of Perry's bus reads, “Faith, Jobs and Freedom.” Were campaign staff to add “and a part time Congress” the crowds might keep coming.