Posted on 08/15/2011 10:49:04 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
As Tim Pawlenty said early in the campaign, if you govern long enough, you’ll have a clunker or two on your record. The key to running for higher office is whether the candidate can acknowledge, explain, and if necessary apologize for them while maintaining credibility. Rick Perry faced that challenge in libertarian-tinged New Hampshire over a mandate he pushed to vaccinate young girls against the HPV virus, a cause of cervical cancer, a mandate that a friendly legislature overturned when Texans balked at the notion. Perry said he made a mistake, and the legislature took the right action:
His third question from the crowd was about an issue that his critics have touched on — his 2007 mandate for girls to get vaccinated against the cervical cancer-causing HPV virus.
“I signed an executive order that allowed for an opt-out, but the fact of the matter is I didn’t do my research well enough to understand that we needed to have a substantial conversation with our citizenry,” he said. “I hate cancer. Let me tell you, as a son who has a mother and father who are both cancer survivors.”
Perry said he’d invested government resources in cancer cures, adding, “I hate cancer. And this HPV, we were seeing young ladies die at the early age. What we should have done was a program that frankly should have allowed them to opt in, or some type of program like that, but here’s what I learned — when you get too far out in front of the parade they will let you know. And that’s exactly what our legislature did.”
The mandate angered evangelicals and Catholics, who prefer to use abstinence as a method for avoiding STDs. The vaccine itself didn’t present any problems, presumably, but the requirement to immunize young girls against an STD did. Joshua Mercer explained the argument at Catholic Vote in June:
So why would Culture of Life Catholics and evangelicals have a problem with this?
Unlike other public health threats like meningitis, which spreads easily between people in close quarters, the only way a teenager will get HPV is from sexual intercourse. If they abstain, they are in no real danger in getting this virus which causes cervical cancer.
Obviously Merck wants to make a lot of money by making all of our daughters get the $120 shots. And I understand that sexually transmitted diseases have become a pandemic, one that we don’t talk enough about.
But if we force every daughter to get Gardasil, we have lost hope in the ability of our children to say no to hazardous premarital sex.
In effect, the very decision to give your daughter Gardasil tells your daughter: “I know you can’t say no.” This gives her the green light. She’ll think: “After all, Mom and Dad think I’m having sex anyway.”
But having the state mandate this is even worse. You establish a culture where young girls are resigned to becoming a sex object. It’s an assault on the dignity of young women.
Mercer was pleased with Perry’s statement in New Hampshire:
When a voter in New Hampshire confronted Perry on this issue, he gave a great response … Had Rick Perry not addressed this issue, Michelle Bachmann surely would have pounced on it. I’m glad the Texas Legislature overruled Perry. And I’m glad that he calls it a mistake.
Steven Ertelt at Life News notes that pro-life advocates should be pleased with Perry as a candidate regardless:
However, pro-life advocates and conservatives reacted strongly to the mandate and said the only way young girls would get the disease is if they engaged in sexual activity — prompting a call for more promotion of abstinence education, which Perry favors, instead. After the outcry, Perry allowed a bill to become law that the Texas legislature approved to backtrack on the decision, making it so young girls are no longer required to get the vaccine.
Despite the HPV vaccine controversy, Perry has compiled a stellar pro-life record and received A grades from the two top pro-life organizations in the state for signing and promoting numerous pro-life bills and working closely with their to promote life.
I’m not sure that Gardasil would have been a big deal, especially in a general election against Obama, but it’s interesting that Perry acted to defuse it immediately. It’s also interesting that he used the mea culpa strategy, admitting that he used the wrong tactics in addressing a real health issue, and for the record I agree with that assessment. HPV is a serious problem and parents should consider the vaccine carefully, but having a state mandate goes too far. For diseases communicable through respiration or normal physical contact, vaccination requirements make more sense (ie, for measles, mumps, and whooping cough), but HPV has a specific transmission path that is easily avoidable — and young women who don’t want to avoid it can get the vaccination on their own.
What do readers think? Well handled, fumbled, or no big deal in the first place? Take the poll:
How is Perry’s record in Texas in this area?
From 2001 to 2010 (Perry's term as governor), Texas has mantained a position as the 4th lowest in state spending as a percentage of state GDP. During that time, state spending only increased 1.5% as a percentage of GDP (.15% per year)- the national average increase for all states during that period was 2%. (By way of contrast, Alaska's spending as a percentage of GDP during the 3 years of Sarah's administration went up by 1.9% or 0.6% per year. Alaska also had the highest spending to GDP ratio in the country for the entire decade.)
During that same 10 year period, Texas went from having the 8th lowest state debt to GDP ratio to having the 2nd lowest state debt to GDP ratio in the country. (Alaska has the 3rd highest debt to GDP ratio in the country, including during Palin's term in office.)
Does that help. (BTW, I only incude the Alaska data becuase some have been trying to claim that Sarah had a better record on spending and debt than Perry.)
I want to hear him denounce the Trans-Texas Corridor and associated foreign-run toll roads that he champions.
And explain his veto of the eminent domain reform bill. It took years and too much political pressure to get that West Texas farm boy to do what was right.
Even the Farm Bureau refused to endorse his last run.
But I will vote for Perry over Obama.
Well, I have to give him credit for that. It is more of an admission than we are ever likely to hear from Romney on his health care bill.
If Perry would now lay out a full accounting of every penny that Merck ever put into any of his campaigns I might feel better about him.
“I signed an executive order that allowed for an opt-out, but the fact of the matter is I didn’t do my research well enough to understand that we needed to have a substantial conversation with our citizenry,” he said. “I hate cancer. Let me tell you, as a son who has a mother and father who are both cancer survivors.”
hey - the same could be said for the light bulb ban and dozens of other little things like McCain Feingold - opps I made a mistake, look what it cost the avergae Joe.
Aug 15, 2011: Under Scrutiny, Perry Walks Back HPV Decision
Wow, you’re very busy on Free Republic today, trying to explain away all Perry’s betrayals of conservative principles. ;-)
>>This is just the beginning of his apologies and walk-backs. While running, he’s the perfect conservative, while serving he’s George Bush II. Just look at his record.<<
Exactly. “Don’t pay any attention to my record. Those were all honest mistakes.”
He hates cancer so that’s the reason why the government should force people to take a vaccine? If that’s the way he thinks then no thanks. Smoking causes cancer. So does almost everything else. I’m a son and I have members of my family who didn’t survive cancer. So my grief and pain gives me a right to force something on others?
Perry’s not perfect, but he’s probably our best candidate. Bachmann has a better conservative heart, but the media will decimate her credibility, and electability is an important factor. Spare me the straight-arrow line, because an imperfect conservative is better than Obama.
Perry made the voter id bill here an emergency item in the past session. It passed, and now have a voter id bill.
>>Spare me the straight-arrow line, because an imperfect conservative is better than Obama.<<
Spare me THAT. I will vote for anybody but Obama. But if you think I am going to conceal the truth about any candidate...forget it. Not gonna happen.
It’s called “vetting the candidate.” Get used to it. ;-)
“Wow, you’re very busy on Free Republic today, trying to explain away all Perry’s betrayals of conservative principles.”
Give her a break, it’s really, really, tough work.
“He hates cancer so that’s the reason why the government should force people to take a vaccine? If that’s the way he thinks then no thanks. Smoking causes cancer.”
Yea, and then why not force birth control on these little girls? After all, having sex can also get them pregnant.
(the libs HATE when I say that)
Just what we need in the White House, again.
I'm sure he didn't mind that $6,000 campaign contribution from Merck though.
Not reading about it sounds more like Obama. Knee jerk nanny staters..
Oh, I know. Tell me if you heard this one before: "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it”~ Nancy Pelosi.
His penchant for knee jerk nanny state reactions is extremely troubling.
The mere fact that he ever thought such a mandate was a good thing says he is still a Democrat. Obama thinks mandatory health care, too, it a good thing. Birds of a feather.
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