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.

[AppyPappy]

I thought this was his personal life. Everyone does it. A sex-obsessed prosecutor?

Oh that's just for Democrats.

[AppyPappy]

Do you think we can get moveon.org to take this case?

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Mr. Perry is an American politician in 2004 A.D. He has denied the rumours. Therefore, the rumours probably set forth the truth.

[lonestar]

I got this email last week--

GOP LAUNCHES RUMOR CONTROL

Risking the wrath of Common Cause, the governor's office revealed that the Perrys were basking in the Bahamas last week with big donors. In its published version of the story, the News obliged with a photo of Anita Perry. The word is also out that Geoff Connor, Perry's secretary of state, is threatening to track down the source of the rumor and sue. Republicans are putting out the word that it all comes from a Democratic operative in Houston.

Wick Allison · February 24, 2004 09:06 AM

[hummingbird]

...under Perry's regime,"

Is it my imagination, or are the Democrats taking every opportunity to use the word "regime" when referring to a Republican in office? Its getting tiresome....

[MEG33]

I won't recount the rumors but they were particularly vile if untrue and slimed another person.I am glad he addressed them ,though some say it is best to ignore.If a dem mentioned them in a dem meeting,that is really nasty politics.

[Freebird Forever]

references on multiple Web sites

The DUmmies have been pushing this BS for several weeks.

[Tacis]

The media will, of course, explain why going after Perry about a possible girl friend is sound journalistic inquiry but going after Kerry about a possible girl friend is not.

[William McKinley]

Which is why I wanted to bring it up. There was obviously an orchestrated campaign to smear Perry.

If you have any great ideas for how, in the future, to point to what the Democrat smear machine is doing without actually pointing out the smear, I am all ears.

It was clear to me that it was going to hit critical mass, based on what I was seeing happening on other websites (and here, where I saw two or three Freepers occasionally dropping references to it).

[DM1]

" going after Perry about a possible girl friend is sound journalistic inquiry but going after Kerry about a possible girl friend is not."
I can explain it
Perry = evil Republican
Kerry = white night liberal of salvation
media = DNC propaganda machine

[Lunatic Fringe]

Texas politics... nothing new.

[Arrowhead1952]

Dang. Beat me by a few minutes.

[MEG33]

I have no idea how one fights this kind of thing.The only people who know the truth are the people being smeared and the rumor monger who began the smear.

One doesn't know where it started so the "smeared" are left with only their credibility to fight it.I can't believe it was mentioned at that dem meeting.

[MEG33]

Any ideas about who started this?

[oldironsides]

He ought to call Gov Jim McGreevy in New Jersey and find out how his life was kept out of the papers and private.
McGreevy is a Democrat.

[anniegetyourgun]

And the media often repeats it for them.

[MEG33]

Tacis is it wasn't a "girl"friend..the Austin (left wing American) has outed the rumor while knocking it down.A lot of investigation was going on because the rumor was on the net.

[William McKinley]

I don't agree. I think we cede too much ground when we say "the only people who know the truth are...". That gives too much credence to the smearers, making what they say as plausible as the denials.

The standard we need to fight for is to tell them to put up or shut up. If a Democrat tries to pass off the story, challenge them to prove it, and if they can't then repudiate them immediately.

If ignoring it worked, then they wouldn't keep doing it, and Perry never would have ended up having to reply like this. When the Democrats start playing these games, we must make a stink about it immediately and loudly.

[MEG33]

The other thread I posted to reveals there were investigations of the rumor going on and they had no luck in verifying anything.It explains it was that UT democrat site that helped spread it.Emails purporting to be "close" to his wife,but no proof of identity fueled this..

There were things going on in an attempt to confirm or deny the rumor.Nothing found to confirm.I think the people involved usually find it too absurd and think no one would believe it any way.