Texas Governor and Republican presidential candidate, Rick Perry, met with voters in Council Bluffs this (Tuesday) morning. Perry told the standing room-only crowd at a downtown restaurant that he’s the only “authentic” conservative in the presidential race. “Why should you have to settle for anything less than the real deal to go to Washington D-C and to represent your values and work for you in Washington. I mean, look, I got all the respect in the world for the front-runners in this race, but ask yourself, if we replace a Democratic insider with a Republican insider, you think we’re really going to change Washington D-C? No way,” Perry said. Perry touted his home state’s efforts to secure its border with Mexico, saying such a model is needed at the national level.

But one state cannot enforce our nation’s entire immigration law, that takes a nationwide effort, and that’s the reason it’s going to take a president who knows there is no such thing as homeland security until there is border security,” according to Perry.  Perry said if elected, he’ll close the border between the U-S and Mexico within one year. He also called for balanced budgets and less government in voters’ lives. Two other G-O-P candidates, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, are also set to visit western Iowa this week. Gingrich will be in Sioux City Thursday. Paul has a town hall meeting planned in Council Bluffs.

(Radio Iowa)