Well, that was fast. After a strictly mediocre (though not entirely cringeworthy) debate performance last Thursday that firmly cemented Rick Perry as solidly in the middle of the GOP Jr. pack, Perry's
fundraising has begun to dry up.
Perry, who has struggled to gain traction in his second presidential run, has stopped paying his staff at the national headquarters in Austin as well as in the early caucus and primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, according to a Republican familiar with the Perry campaign who demanded anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Perry campaign manager Jeff Miller told staff last Friday, the day after the first Republican presidential debate, that they would no longer be paid and are free to look for other jobs -- and, so far at least, most aides have stuck with Perry -- according to this Republican.
Perry is reportedly still "committed" to competing in the early voting states. Though his campaign coffers have sunk below a million, his super PACs have raised about $17 million and are preparing to pick up the slack in order to keep his candidacy afloat. Super PAC senior adviser Austin Barbour is convinced Perry is just one debate away from really breaking away from the decidedly lower-tier candidates.
"He’s going to get one breakout performance at a debate and he’ll really jump up in the polls."
Heh.