Posted on 11/10/2011 2:37:12 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
By facing the issue and joking about it, Perry frames his gaffe as a funny moment rather than a serious, and seriously stupid, one. He takes control of the discussion. Every minute he's on the air being interviewed about it is one more minute his moment isn't being replayed, one more minute some panel of pundits isn't fretfully analyzing its stupendous terribleness. By allowing his memory glitch to be the topic of discussion and owning up to it, he helps exhaust the subject.
Most of all, Perry is being humanized, albeit not in the way any politician would wish.
For all the talk about the Republican field's lack of a credible conservative to take on Mitt Romney, there's another, just as glaring void: the humanity gap. Romney's woodenness and lack of approachability are arguably just as much of an issue as his ideological heresies and lack of consistency. He's just not relatable. A little personality goes a long way in a politician -- just look at Herman Cain.
Perry's reputation in Texas is as a folksy charmer, but it's a persona he seems to have left back in Austin for most of this campaign. He's been stilted and spacey and unsure by turns, with flashes of a better politician occasionally showing through.
Now, though it may be too late, Perry is seizing the chance to show he's just like us. He, too, saw what happened on that stage and groaned. He, too, thought he looked awfully dumb. But in refusing to let it get him down, he can show forthrightness and sincerity, two traits voters are surely wishing they saw more of from this field of Republican candidates.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
Do conservatives rule by executive order? DO they subsidize illegals? Perry does both. Oh yeah, he’s a public liar, too, as he said he wouldn’t run for another office, and would finish his term, when he ran in 2010. Life long politicians are a big problem, they make sure they’re always in an office and running for another.
“I don’t understand the intense animosity toward Perry, that so many freepers express. Why is a conservative, pro-life governor of Texas treated with contempt in these forums?”
Because we’re heartless.
“but.... People should be more critical of Perry’s ideas.”
Some of us are both. We don’t like either the message, nor the man, based upon his actions.
lol!
I have yet to hear something that Rick Perry is constitutionally conservative on. Not one thing.
Being President “entails quick decisions under stressful circumstances”? That’s a common belief which I find to be untrue, except perhaps in times of nuclear attack. We are not electing a field military commander. Frankly, I would prefer a leader who thinks things through, consults with others, and then makes a decision to someone who is slick and glib like Romney and Gingrich. Some people bashed Cain for not giving an instant answer about something but saying he would call together experts and listen to them, which is in fact how Cain operated as a business executive, and the way other executives work. Would you rather have someone who ignored all his advisors and acted expert, although he was a fool...kind of like Adolf Hitler?
“I don’t understand the intense animosity toward Perry ....”
Illegal immigration and crony capitalism (aka pay to play schemes).
Perry is not seen as conservative.
Gardasil
TTC
Instate tuition for ILLEGAL aliens
Saying conservatives 'have no heart'
Calling conservatives racists
Opposing a border fence
Opposing AZ's SB1070
Did not agree with the bailouts but managed the Texas budget using bailout money
That's just a few reasons why conservatives in this conservative forum hold such animosity toward La Raza Rick Perry.
You forgot to add that Texans will have to have a picture ID to vote after Jan 1 2012.
Oh wait that doesn’t fit with your “he not a conservative” meme.
But don't let that stop you; continue cheering for the loser all the way up until the day he drops out. That day should be coming soon.
Between Newt and Cain I believe Newt is the candidate who could actually perform the job of President and do it successfully. Which is the only reason I don’t support Cain.
Thats okay, JDW. I was just givin’ a fellow Freeper a hard time. You should have seen my first and only Vanity. It was in ‘08 and I was a wreck about the election and Hussein.
So I verbally spewed and all my sentences ran together and didn’t make sense. A Freeper edited my rant, added paragraphs, and make it look more sane. :-)
Perry did plenty of conservative things or I would not have voted for him for gov. I am not married to him or to any of the candidates. I did that with Fred Thompson and he waited for my check to clear and dropped out. I said I would never pick a candidate early again and I haven’t but to say that Perry is not a conservative is just dumb.
I’ve come to like Perry and wish him well but he’s not going to be POTUS ever.
Well, that's pretty much how G. W. Bush behaved. (Not that I approve).
Being President is very different from being good in these phony debates, or impressing us in the conservative base by telling off the MSM, as Gingrich is. Gingrich seems smart at first, but he has a fatal weakness for bad but fashionable ideas, like "future shock", AGW, etc. The Republicans in Congress actually had to oust him from the Speakership. I do not trust him. He has real talent which can be used by the cause, however.
The Perry campaign is a dead horse.
It’s time for him to get off.
.
Newt can speak to issues in a more professorial, academic way.
Cain can manage an organization and execute.
.
The answer is quite obvious. I have been generally supportive of Rick Perry. Cain has been my no 1 and Perry has been my no 2. After watching Perry's "Gerald Ford" moment I think Perry needs to withdraw.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.