Posted on 08/16/2011 1:52:40 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
CORPUS CHRISTI — On Saturday, Gov. Rick Perry acknowledged what many Texans have known for two years at least — that he's running for president. To buy into the notion that he finally gave in to the urging of his legions of supporters (especially his wife), or heeded a call from a higher power, requires a suspension of reality that would overtax the truest of his believers. And Perry doesn't like to tax.
It has been pointed out that now Perry is in for some serious scrutiny — the inferences being that it hasn't already happened here in Texas and that he might not hold up to it. Yes, he will face scrutiny and, yes, flaws, failures and contradictions will be found. Already the national press has noted that the Texas job creation he touts is primarily low-wage. Texans will remember and the nation may learn of his Trans-Texas Corridor toll-road debacle. Enterprising investigative journalists might enjoy poking into the lack of accountability for the Texas Tomorrow Fund he controls and no doubt they will point out the correlation between receiving an investment from the fund and being a Perry donor.
We'll boil down this incomplete list of warts to one contradictory thematic: Perry the private-enterprise/limited-government champion is a career politician who has cashed a government paycheck pretty much all of his adult life.
But we could — and the national news media should — pick apart every presidential candidate and point out reasons not to vote for him or her. The question remains: Can Perry stand up to it?
Only he can answer it, but if past behavior is an indicator, all who doubt him are in for a surprise. Our own experience says he deserves much scrutiny and criticism and that the possibility of him as the Republican nominee — and as president — is real.
Doubters should ask Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Last year, she looked like the gubernatorial candidate to end his career — on paper, until he wadded her up in the primary. He out-campaigned her and — this is the hard part for critics including ourselves to accept — outsmarted her.
He has never lost an election. Luck is among the reasons. Dumb luck is not. He has an instinct for knowing voters' hearts and minds before they and his opponents do.
He's a scripted candidate who refused to debate his Democratic gubernatorial challenger and wouldn't meet with newspaper editorial boards. Those who interpret that as an inability to think on his feet, veer from his script or win a debate should prepare for a surprise.
Perry already surprised the national media by attracting 30,000 people to his Aug. 6 prayer meeting in Houston. The media predictions were less than a third of that. What before was deemed a foolish gamble that would fail became, in hindsight, a bold stroke and a success.
Throwing in with the extremely evangelical Christian element appears now to be an inspired move to win the nomination that could turn into a liability in a general election. That's a logical viewpoint. It might be more logical to entertain the possibility that Perry has figured out something that logical viewpoint-holders don't know. Those 30,000 participants aren't 30,000 maybes and they aren't just votes. They'll be 30,000 zealous volunteers. They may not outnumber those who disagree with them but Perry probably has calculated that, on Election Day, they will.
Those — we — who suspect cynicism in Perry's courting of the evangelicals can't deny that he has proved to them that they can count on him. He doesn't just know the right verses. The sonogram bill he proposed is now state law. They actually can trust him — and how many politicians can claim that, truthfully?
His biggest liability may appear to be the country's most recent experience with an ex-Texas governor as president. Or, that might prove as big an obstacle as was the name George Bush to the second one's election.
We won't address yet whether Perry would make a good president, other than to say we have been displeased with how he governs Texas. But he makes an excellent presidential candidate, as the other Republican candidates and perhaps President Barack Obama will find out.
Ugh. Try reading some of the posts (#6) reagarding his stance instead of drinking the liberal kool aid.
Politico?? Hit piece?
How low will you go?
In fact, the "evolved" Al Gore lost his home state of Tennessee by 80,000 votes and those 11 Electoral votes in his 2000 bid for the presidency.
They're already printed!?
Great!
The above was poorly written. It gives the impression that Schlafly and Dobson would have supported Gore in a primary battle against Clinton. What I meant was that in other circles and as a result of their record labeling initiative, the Gores received favorable comments from Schlafly and Dobson.
Just not as part of a presidential campaign. That was poorly written. Sorry.
Yep! That article is as fair a characterization of Perry as I have seen.
Those of us outside the big cities remember with fear and loathing his land-grabbing, run roughshod over fellow Texans' property rights, TTC (AKA "Trash Texas Con-Job"), with its "Give Texas back to the Spaniards" funding strategy...
Something to think about, it would get us a new governor! Maybe even a conservative one.
When I have to describe Perry with a single word, that is the one I usually use...
CorridorBotch.org, or David Stall-ed “It appears that as a political issue, the Trans Texas Corridor (TTC) does not cut nearly the swath its opponents allege the asphalt itself will.
For we find CorridorWatch.org (CW.org) founder David Stall falling pronouncedly flat in his bid to become District 18's state Senator. In a jurisdiction he has spent the last two years dousing with disinformation regarding just what the TTC will be, his attempts at grassroots movement failed to translate into grassroots support…………
According to their website, Stall's wife Linda founded CorridorWatch.org in February of 2004. Of course her beau had a hand therein, but because he was the City Manager of Columbus, Texas, at the time, the website leans heavily on her influence at the organization's inception.
David Stall's involvement in so political an institution as this quickly led to his dismissal from his city post. Columbus officials were also less than thrilled that Stall had registered CorridorWatch.org using the city's account. Oops.
The Stalls immediately began driving hours in any direction from their Fayetteville home to attend Texas Department of Transportation (TxDoT) meetings to disingenuously participate in the open forum process. As their disinformation spread, they began culling fellow travelers on the no-Road to Anywhere; we here know from first-hand accounts that either the Stalls or members of their growing circle of lubricious surrogates have fanned out across the state to pitch false information on the potential throughway.
If everything with which these CW.org miseducators, and their brethren in groups such as Texas Toll Party, have been frightening or angering these poor residents into intellectual submission were true, the TTC would be a slab of concrete spanning from Beaumont east to El Paso west, and pave the state in totality between San Antonio and Dallas.
Every town to which these people pay a visit is told that they are in dire danger of being diametrically bifurcated by the coming highway, no matter how far east or west they might be. To cite but one fraudulent example, residents of every single city, town and village along the Taylor-Manor corridor have been regaled with egregiously fabricated tales of municipalitive destruction and vociferous eminent domain pillaging.
The problem is, Corridor Watch et. al. are by no means allowing the facts to get in the way of a good beating. Every proposed path (and there are still at the very least three) currently under consideration places the TTC on the northern and southern ends of planned SH-130, which is a good fifteen miles west of the villes in question and in crisis over their alleged impending devastation.
That these Corridor clowns are asserting anything with certitude belies their veracity on all things, because right now NO ONE outside of the TxDoT TTC circle knows anything about any aspect of the plans…………………..”
Classic city-dweller response, m’dear... the TTC would have trashed a he**uva lot more of Texas than just around the Peoples’ Repubik of Austin... FOR NO GOOD REASON!
“I am glad these guys are overreaching because when you see Perry speak, none of these Lawrence O’Donnell tactics stick”
My goodness. You know, when I saw obama speak at the televised democratic convention, I thought his speech would earn him the next presedential nomination. The ability to give a charismatic speech is, unfortunately, not a very good indicator of ability.
Unfortunately his record isn’t nearly as impressive.
Yep. That's our Rick. Elmer Gantry couldn't perform any better.
Perry's a man of achievement----achieved every single college goal he set for himself:
No. 1...to graduate.
No. 2... to be Yell Leader (cheerleader).
No. 3....to be in the Ross Volunteers---Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.
This has gotta be photoshopped.........nobody is that
dumb----to wear a clown sweater for pics. Are they?
And Perry is still a vindictive, RINO opportunist who should go back to hustling Herks.
Two reasons to wear that sweater.....
I used some Spanish so the Perrybots can understand it.
........................ 
The man is an unabashed opportunist. His sudden conservatism comes from his wet finger catching the Tea Party wind. Regardless of what he says now, if you vote for Perry, you will eventually live to regret it.
ROTFLMAO!
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