Right now Gov. Perry seems to have the best balance of conservative values and electability. That does not mean that he triumphed [in] his absence last night as the author asserts. It means that he has a good record subject to complaints especially about immigration and he combines that record with an extremely good telegenic appearance. In that respect he ranks right up there with Romney. The problem for Perry is that he comes off too Texas and too much of a folksy shit kicker which people will describe as a resemblance to George Bush but which can turn off a lot of Easter and Northern voters who might as a result regard him as a masculine version of Sarah Palin.
So Gov. Perry must submit himself to the process like every other candidate and he must show that he can look presidential and avoid gaffes. He must to some degree mitigate his good ole boy image If he does so we can expect to emerge at the head of the pack and, most important, he can beat Obama.
Subsequent to posting these remarks, I watched Gov. Perry's announcement speech and I was disappointed not in content but in style. I make no criticism of the content whatsoever but I was disappointed because the speech lacked a thematic unity and it failed as a result to touch an emotional chord. The absence of that very necessary emotional element in a successful campaign speech, coupled with the awe shucks mannerisms and Chautauqua tent style, are identifiable negatives.
I certainly hope Perry is playing to the bleachers and can dial down the folksiness and increase the earnestness and authenticity. I hope he gets more coherence to a good substantive message and learns a better delivery. A political speech is not a laundry list of talking points. Above all he must evoke an emotional response and that is not obtained by shouting at the audience or by dropping your "g"s, it is obtained by a transparent commitment to a conservative message.
I hope Perry looks at the videotape of his own speech because the Washington Post is certainly watching.
