There is no hole in my argument - because I was not arguing. I simply said that many millions of southern Democrats always voted Republican in presidential races consistently over a period of many years - and because of that fact - any ASSUMPTION that Perry did not vote for Reagan because he was a Democrat was a flawed assumption. And it is - a flawed assumption - though it might be true as a specific fact.
Since I don’t believe you were in the booth with him, and I know I wasn’t, we’ll never know how he actually did vote. But we can establish that Democrats voting for Reagan and in fact for other Republicans for President was extremely common place. Because it’s a fact. And that is the full extent of my argument, and thus it has no holes.
In a discussion as such, you’re either making an argument in support or against the topic at hand. The argument is made that because the South/Texas, et al, voted Republican for President long before it did so downballot as a “reasoning” for why Perry “must have” is far too broad to make. I already blew away that point about his home of Haskell County. They only voted GOP exactly twice before 2000, and only in the instances of the most sweeping anti-Democrat landslides. They didn’t even vote for a GOP candidate from their own state in 1988 or 1992.
The only thing supporters have to claim Perry voted GOP is a singular claim from a paid aide. When a man is a Democrat, elected as a Democrat, from a heavily Democrat county, helps Democrats to get elected, close friends with liberal Democrats, endorses Democrats, and opposes the agenda and legacy of the Republican he is “alleged” to have voted for, one would have to be either a liar or naive to somehow think that one can’t put 2 and 2 together. The weak defense by his supporters has never passed the smell test.