Posted on 11/09/2011 8:50:24 PM PST by This Just In
Why Rick Perry's Brain Freeze Matters
By W. James Antle, III on 11.9.11 @ 10:49PM
Everybody has at some point lost their train of thought. I've set out to make multiple points on television and forgotten one, or forgotten if I had run through them all, before myself. So on one level, Rick Perry's inability to remember the third federal agency he would eliminate is simply part of being human.
Unfortunately, it also seems to be a big part of what it means to be candidate Rick Perry. There are small debate gaffes that seem to sum up what's wrong with an entire campaign -- Bob Dole's "Democrat wars" line in 1976, George Bush looking at his watch in 1992, Al Gore sighing prissily and behaving like a lunatic in 2000. This is one of them.
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
I haven’t posted to you since you told me not to while you were defending Cain’s inconsistency on abortion law a few weeks ago. However, you have crossed a very important line here by giving a medical opinion that you are not in any way qualified to make. A practicing neurologist wouldn’t be able to make a positive diagnosis from these debates.
However, as a Family Physician, I can rule out syndromes.
I would be very comfortable confirming that forgetting a point while speaking is not a sign of a neurological problem. He is logical, goal oriented, his memory is otherwise intact and organized and connected for complex concepts and collections.
The pattern that I’ve noticed is that he appears to be thinking the issues through anew, as he goes along, rather than spewing slogans and sound bites.
This statement is illogical:
“Perry has also raised questions about his two biggest assets: his conservatism relative to Mitt Romney and his electablity relative to all the non-Romney candidates. Perry’s slip symbolizes both problems.”
I wonder if people who know Perry have noticed any changes in the last few years.
Yeah, that's what happened, ROTFLMOBAMAO!
The sad thing is that in the future the revisionists will blame this brain freeze rather than the “Heartless” comment for the demise of his campaign. It was already over, this was just window dressing.
Even so...he recovered nicely and handled it well...and I don’t support him in fact would oppose him and have. However his response of.... “glad I had my boots on tonight for I sure stepped into it out there”..... was excellant.
I give credit where due and further do not expect perfection from any candidate in these debates...especially in THESE debates.
Still he does continue to make blunders with some frequency but I suspect he’s just never going to do well in debates much..just not in his makeup for whatever reasons...and we hear plenty of those here on FR.
Texas — have you no shame? My Gawd, that boy is stooooopid!
He has generally seemed uniformed and uninterested in matters of substance. His forgetfulness was the only memorable thing about his entire performance.
Fairly or not, it has raised questions about his intellect.
Perry has also raised questions about his two biggest assets: his conservatism relative to Mitt Romney and his electablity relative to all the non-Romney candidates. Perry's slip symbolizes both problems.
It is hard to imagine him successfully debating President Obama.
And what conservative can't come up with considerably more than three agencies he would like to abolish?"
Some people need to get off their high horse and pay attention to what they are reading instead of framing it thereafter “out of context”.
It's no secret Perry's done poorly at debates...nobody needed this article to inform them except those not paying attention.
Sheesh...I'm suspecting you're likely one of those who jumps at every chance and assumes an awful lot in order to make your claims...wrongful as they may be.
thems fightin words. Of course Texas has shame. Weve made mistakes, we joined the USA, didn’t we.
Had we not The Republ;ic of Texas would be the 6th largest economy in the world, we’d be shipping you your earl (Oil for you yankees) and karl rove would be our president. Again we do make mistakes.
I believe Preparation H will help with the swelling. A diaper change will alleviate that nasty rash, and a nap should clear your head.
Let’s take this from the top.........
caww said:
“It is known that when “three” of anything is presented as a question the first two will always come to mind quickly but the third hangs most people up...they have to think and often get it wrong.
Example...
What are the top three cola beverages? ...and there are three. I venture all would be fast to say Coke and Pepsi...but what of the third?”
You’re using Perry’s “Brain Freeze” to qualify your “cola” point. It’s a flawed analogy. Antle makes a case by drawing on Perry’s consistent inability to effectively debate other candidates. Furthermore, he specifically sights the fact that Perry couldn’t even recall an agency, and yet it was Perry who introduced the “abolish” topic. It was his own baby, so to speak, and Perry couldn’t remember one of his own childs name.
Your cola analogy is an illogical hypothetical because you’ve chosen an arbitrary example. The question presented to Perry wasn’t an arbitrary one.
You also quote Antle in an effort to draw the parallel. You said:
“Rick Perry’s inability to remember the third federal agency he would eliminate is simply part of being human.”
This is taken out of context, which is why I posted Antle’s following paragraph. The above sentence, on its own, appears to justify Rick Perry’s lapse of memory, but, in fact that’s not Antle’s point. He goes on to clarify his observation.
BINGO
“He does not look alert, except in brief moments, and he looks physically uncomfortable, even when he is not speaking but merely watching the other candidates.”
Nah, he’s just not the brightest bulb in the pack. I think his wife is the brains behind the throne.
Saying Perry is human is insulting--they`re all human. He`s up for the job of most powerful person on the planet, and this is the interview.
I`ve kept an open mind, but Perry failed tonight. Looking at the whole field, I am convinced of two things that scare the heck out of me--Romney is going to get the nomination, and Obama is going to win as of now.
We have to turn this around, and fast. I have no idea who can do it. I like Cain, but if I hear `9-9-9` again as the answer to everything, I`m gonna hurl. The Princess line may make us chuckle, but one thing independents hate about Obama is his divisiveness--enjoy the yucks, but Cain is marginalizing himself. Newt is smart but he will be destroyed by a year of personal stuff. Depressing.
A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies
P.S. — FRiends, don't EVEN click that link unless you REALLY want to be disgusted.
A fine rant! I concur!
Bottom line:
Do we want Rick Perry representing us in the campaign against Obama?
To ask the question is to answer it.
It’s better that this happened now, early in the primary, than later, in the middle of the general election.
Newt has his problems, but he’s now my choice.
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