Rick lines up conservative support behind UI decision.

If you haven't heard yet, Rick picked a nuclear campaign fight with Kay by saying "adios, mofo" to a major expansion of unemployment insurance, thus rejecting both lots of federal dollars and lots of additional state obligations.

• Texas Association of Business (link): TAB Applauds Governor Perry’s Decision to Kill Job Tax (from the inevitable Bill Hammond)
• Texas Public Policy Foundation (link): Foundation praises Gov. Perry’s decision to decline stimulus funds (from the jolly and corpulent Talmadge Heflin)
• Texas Conservative Coalition (link): Letter: Texas Unemployment Insurace [sic-- someone hook TCC up with a spell checker] (from a list of usual suspect conservative legislators)
• Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (link): Perry Right To Reject Federal UI (from the very Aggie Michael Quinn Sullivan)
  

I also got a forward of a forward of a forward of a forward an email from the Texas Travel Industry Association praising Rick for his decision, as well as one with only two forwards from the Free Market Foundation, also praising the decision.

Rick's people had this tightly under wraps until this morning, and yet they had an impressive array of conservative Texas groups putting out statements, some DURING the press conference. A well-oiled machine Rick's got there. A vast right-wing conspiracy for Rick? Who knew?

Thank you to the tipsters, and thanks to whoever it was that put me on that media press release distribution list, although now I am getting way too many completely junky press release emails from stupid groups I don't care about on issues that are totally irrelevant. Still, thank you. It was very sweet of you.

P.S. I've been trying to monitor Twitter traffic on Rick's decision. What do you use to follow keywords on Twitter? It's not very easy within Twitter itself.