Rasmussen shows Perry beating Obama in Wisconsin

COMMENTARY | Heads up, all ye who want change from another Barack Obama term in 2012. There's only one man for that job: Rick Perry. Voters said so.

Perry topped Obama 46 percent to 42 percent in a Rasmussen poll. Should Obama run against Mitt Romney, Obama would win 45 percent to 41 percent. Should Obama run against Herman Cain, Obama would win 47 percent to 41 percent. The poll makes a case for Perry if Americans really want to see Obama out.

Granted, the Rasmussen poll surveyed 500 Wisconsin voters by phone, not a sampling of voters nationwide. But the trendline is up for Perry and a bellwether as the GOP candidate who can "take it away" next November.

The rest of the GOP field is losing its glitter. Meanwhile, Perry continues his ascent toward the top amid purported poor performances at debate. What was going on with that?

The debates are stimulating shows for TV, but GOP voters are now considering substance over image, doing over talking, sound strategies for America over ones to get elected. Perry shines by doing rather than debating about doing.

I recently spoke with a voter who had this to say about Perry: "Texans don't debate. They act and fix."

He went on to observe accurately that "Obama, Romney, and Cain can debate but none has come close to fixing like Rick has. They debate. Perry fixes. Look at his record."

And then the voter quoted Perry himself, who said, "You cannot be for jobs and against business. If you take care of the economy, most everything else will fall in line."

Perry's approach to righting the economy through business and jobs appeals to Americans, but particularly to Californians who lost both in droves. The economy of the Golden State is anything but golden.

Folks who favor image over action have a lot to learn. For the state that fancies TV and film, bringing home the bacon is still something important, and something Perry knows how to do - and does - in spades. Perry's message about business and jobs resonated with Californians interested in working rather than looking good on stage.

So, you can watch the disappointing GOP debates aimed to shine, if anywhere, on Romney. But know that a sentiment called "anyone but Romney" is sweeping the GOP. If such TV coverage leaves you disappointed, take Perry out of the staged faux set and see him for the down-home doer that he is here.

It is what thinking Americans tired of being led by state-sponsored media are doing. Take away the teleprompters, designed debates, and talking heads. See Perry for the real doer and fixer that he is.