Texas Gov. Perry denies reports about divorce, infidelity

Houston Chronicle ^ | March 5, 2004 | AP

[berserker]

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is denying widespread rumors that he and his wife plan to divorce over his alleged infidelity and that he will resign from office, according to a published report today.

Perry told the Austin American-Statesman in a copyright story that political enemies are responsible for the "smear campaign."

The first-term Republican, who was elected in 2002, said Thursday he was forced to respond publicly because the "obvious, orchestrated effort" had reached critical mass, with rumors spread by e-mail and on Web sites. Perry said the rumors "are not correct in any shape, form or fashion. These are irresponsible. They're salacious. They're hurtful to my family."

The governor's press staff has said it has fielded calls about the rumors for about two months. At the Governor's Mansion on Thursday, Perry's 54th birthday, he said he had decided to speak out on what he sees as a dangerous new political trend.

"I don't think a rumor can just get to critical mass by itself," Perry said. "I think you have to have a well thought-out, organized effort to disseminate that kind of information and keep it going day after day after day after day."

The governor's wife, Anita Perry, declined to comment after her husband's interview with the American-Statesman.

Perry said the rumors were heard by his son Griffin at Vanderbilt University and by his daughter Sydney, a local high school student. Perry's staff, in trying to track down the source of the rumors and who is helping to spread them, has found references on multiple Web sites.

The governor's staff, after weeks of declining to have Perry personally address the rumors, approached the newspaper this week and said Perry wanted to respond. In mid-February, he had referred questions about an interview on the topic to press secretary Kathy Walt. She said then that the governor would not respond to unsubstantiated rumors.

The governor declined to blame a specific source for initiating the rumors, but had harsh criticism for Texas Democratic Party Chairman Charles Soechting, who referred to them at a Feb. 24 political rally in Houston.

"Yes, I think he crosses the line of everything decent. I think he crosses the line of good behavior," said Perry.

Soechting, told of Perry's accusation, said, "What crosses the line of everything decent is the utter hypocrisy of Rick Perry injecting his mean-spirited politics into everyone else's personal life while insisting his own personal life is off limits. "What is truly indecent is the state of children's health care, public schools and insurance rates under Perry's regime," Soechting said in a statement issued by the Texas Democratic Party. Voting in the state's primary is Tuesday.

[William McKinley]

To me, that is part of the problem. Why on earth should resources have been spent trying to confirm or deny the rumor?

When someone would try to get the media to bite on it, the media should immediately have put that person or those persons on the spot and said for them to prove their allegations. If they refused, then the media should have immediately reported an attempted smear.

That is the only way these politics of personal destruction can be combatted. And it will only happen if we raise a stink when the media plays along and is complicit, as they were in this case, in letting a whispering campaign fester.

[Arrowhead1952]

Any ideas about who started this?

No I don't, but if that person is found, you can bet he/she will be toast. More than likely, this is a DumbocRAT plot to smear Gov. Perry. They will probably try the same on other Republican officials and candidates. The RATs are using dirty tactics this year, and you can expect more of this as the elections get closer. You ain't seen nutin yet.

Remember the DUI and the James Byrd ad during the last weeks of the 2000 elections?

[MEG33]

It's going to be a long wait til November.

[Arrowhead1952]

It's going to be a long wait til November.

Just think how the left crying foul about the 9/11 pictures being used in the Bush re-election ads. They are besides themselves.

Funny how they can smear the governor, yet scream foul when one of the most defining moments in American history is used in a campaign. Here is the best picture I can think of, when I read these threads.

[MEG33]

Emails and the internet can be very anonymous...hard to confront but the rumor mill and gossipers just keep going.

[deport]

What would be the purpose of this smear since the Governor isn't on the ballot this year? Would it be to smear Republicans in general and all the candidates that the Governor has endorsed? It has to be state/local in nature as I don't think anything they can do with Perry will impact the President's race.....

[berserker]

Link to FR posting of the Austin American article.

[MEG33]

Another state officer was mentioned in the rumor.It demoralizes the "troops" and there are tough Congressional races coming up due to redistricting.

[deport]

Curious..... out of the 32 CD races how many do you really think will be competitive? I've not looked at them in that sense but my guess is only a small number fit that mold. Most are either fairly safe Repub or Demo I'd guess...

Part of the smear thing maybe an attempt to lay the ground work for knocking the republicans in the school financing things to come....

[outinyellowdogcountry]

Are you a Texas Demorat or what? These lies have been posted on the UT democrat website as RUMORS. But rumors serve the purpose just as well for idiots like that. Extremely good sources tell me that these lies are being spread by a political enemy of Perry's who recently hired Tony Sanchez's (Perry's last Dem opponent) campaign director.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Hey, Moby! You missed. GWB is in Washington.

[mathluv]

Gov Perry fought for redistricting. School Finance is coming up. He was the President's lt gov. This could be payback for the first and the latter, and offense on the middle.

[outinyellowdogcountry]

I have a good idea who started it? Who are you? Do you know? Talk about orchestrated campaign...SUPPOSEDLY, CNN called the district attorney at Perry's home county "asking" if Anita had filed for divorce. Well, they don't live there anymore so why would they file there. All the democrat DA had to do was say..."Hey, CNN just called, etc..." Then the rumors spread over the county and SCHOOLS. I know a lot of people are mad a Perry for redistricting and other things but the real reason this is being done is to discourage the conservative Christian voters.. pure and simple. It is ironic that for Democrats, personal life is off limits but for their enemies, they gleefully spread any lie. The websites that perpetuated this orgasmic news were UT democrats, others including morons.com so named because they consider Christians and Republicans to be morons. For any newspaper to print this is pure hypocrisy considering they did not touch the story about John Kerry's affair because it was unsubstantiated! I think I'm living in the twilight zone.

[Arrowhead1952]

For any newspaper to print this is pure hypocrisy considering they did not touch the story about John Kerry's affair because it was unsubstantiated! I think I'm living in the twilight zone.

That is one reason we locals here call the Austin RAG:

The Austin Un-American Ultra-Liberal Non-Statesman.

This paper reports anything it can that will damage a Republican politician's career. The only reason I still get it, is to have a few good laughs while drinking my coffee in the morning. The letters to the editor and the Ben Sergeant cartoons are so \\\\\\\\\ left leaning, I just have to laugh.

[MEG33]

It is a despicable political stunt and I feel helpless to do anything but rant on FR...and vote.

[mabelkitty]

Answer:

at 7:00 a.m. on radio: "I categorically deny it - nothing to talk about"

or

Full page direct interview with leading newspaper.

Question: If you were married to a politican accused of sleeping around, what is your preference for his first public comment?

[mabelkitty]

Oh, I get it.
Threatening to libel married straight men as homosexuals in hopes that, if done long enough and often enough, can produce the desired results of mainstreaming a homosexual-friendly agenda through blackmail/extortion.

[WestTexasWend]

Help me out here...

If gays & libs are really sincere about The Goodness of Gayness, why do they use it as a weapon?

It's like Israelis whispering that Arafat or the Ayatollah were secretly celebrating Hannukah, or Jesse Jackson calling David Duke a closet black.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

No, just cynical. However, have you noticed the outrageous behavior among the political classes lately? Every vice known to man i.e. lust(women/men, little boys/girls); greed, gluttony, drunkeness(alcohol and/or drugs. It is a little disturbing especially since the so called conservative has bought into the argument "it is their private life let's move on!"