There’s a good Texas Monthly article about all the elections Perry has won. Here’s my favorite part:
Running against Perry is like running against God. Everything breaks his way! Either he’s the luckiest guy in the world or the Lord is taking care of him. In 1998 Governor Bush told Bob Bullock he was going to stay out of our lieutenant governor’s race, according to Bullock. Then Bush realized that he could not run for president if it meant leaving office would elevate a Democrat to governor. So he was forced to get involved, and his parents ran ads for Perry.
He’s a relentless campaigner. I was up at five every morning just to match his schedule. Our money was about even, until an extra million dollars miraculously came to him at the last minute. Two weeks before the election, the largest flood of the century hit the Eighteenth District, which I’d represented in the state Senate. The flood inundated towns all along the Guadalupe River, with massive flooding in Gonzales, Cuero, and Victoria, my hometown. No one thinks about voting when their house is flooded. I received 70 percent of the vote there, but, of course, it was a record-low turnout. It’s hard to get out the vote from a boat. I don’t know if God is calling Rick Perry to run for president, but if he runs, the other candidates are going to need a big dose of magic and a lot of shoe leather. He is focused with a capital F, and his political advisers are the best I’ve ever seen. If you run against Rick Perry, you better pack a big lunch.
One thing to bear in mind is that Rove backed Perry during much of Perry’s career in Texas, now Rove will be on the other side, most likely. On the other hand, while Josh Marshall reads this WSJ editorial as mostly anti-Bachmann, I read it as a tentative step towards backing Perry (you can read it and judge or yourself). If Perry has the backing of the Murdoch empire, that gives him a big edge in the primary.
eemom
Kornacki at Salon has a totally different read on the WSJ piece, i.e., that the murdoch-republican complex “is begging for someone, anyone, to save them” from all three of these clowns. Look at the last line of the article. A desperate cry for help. bwaaahaaaahaaaahaaaaa
Bruce S
Perry is perfect for FOX and just fine for the WSJ – Stephen Moore probably would like to crawl in the sack with this guy. He’s what one might imagine as the offspring of a night of drunken coupling between Ayn Rand and Pat Robertson. Hard to imagine a better fit for Murdoch’s creatures.
Ron Beasley
Keep in mind the WSJ also had a Perry hit piece on Saturday so I don’t see Perry getting the backing of the Murdoch empire.
Redshift
Since it’s frequently been noted that Obama has always been extremely lucky in his choice of opponents, this could be an election turning on who’s the luckiest. Hmmm.
Ken
Or perhaps some other powerful entity to whom Perry has pledged his soul. But who…?
Baud
And now with Citizens United, there is no limit to how much God can spend.
Zifnab
From a FOX News perspective, I’m not sure what you’d find about Perry not to love. He’s a hard right, deeply religious, shallow pretty-boy who loves guns. Ye-haw.
Of course, FOX backed Giuliani and Fred Thompson in ’08 and those candidacies were total flops. I don’t think I’d call FOX a kingmaker.
Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen
It is really hard to concentrate on what I’m reading when all I hear are loud sucking and nom-nom noises.
Ugg. I feel like a got the full Duhkakke treatment.
Citizen_X
Love the Conanesque (as in The Barbarian, not The O’Brien) graphic there, complete with laser-sighted pistol.
FlipYrWhig
@Bruce S:
He’s what one might imagine as the offspring of a night of drunken coupling between George Dubya Bush and himself.
ETA: Or, no, better yet, between Dubya and Dubya’s fantasy self-image, Narcissus-style.
frapalinger
@@Bruce S: He doesn’t need Murdoch, He’s already got Greggers and Chuck Todd telling us how hilariously folksy and legitimately secessionist he is. Thank god I don’t have cable, I can just imagine the table on Morning Douche being lifted up by the boner that asshole Scarborough has for this fucking redneck.
trollhattan
Perry can acquire
sacks truckloadstrainloads o’ cash that Bachmann can only dream of (and yes, what pleasant dreams those must be). That he’s a certified whackdoodle is a mere trifle–he can be counted on to defend our plutocracy with zeal, and hollow-points.And that’s good enough for the kingmakers. Bachmann, I believe, actually scares them not to mention she’d flame out in the presidential campaign spectacularly. With Perry the folks who delivered us Dubya might again hit paydirt.
Folks, let’s remember the fight we’re fighting here. We’re struggling to preserve the status quo for our overlords that they may retain their ability to go bid on stuff. This, for instance.
http://www.jpking.com/index.asp?r=3423&aid=3793&p=3793
waratah
He is a snake oil salesman and he has sold it to Texans who do not seem to know after all these years it is snake oil.
Paul in KY
@FlipYrWhig: Probably used a Monroe Transfer there.
Keith G
But there is no way Perry can win!!!
/sarcasm
trollhattan
@waratah:
Bug/feature; rinse/repeat.
Whatever happened to the Texas that elected Ann Richards?
Violet
@eemom:
Interesting. The last paragraph from the WSJ editorial:
Palin probably thinks they mean her.
He looks and sounds like Dubya. I just don’t see how he gets around that if he wins the primaries. People haven’t forgotten.
frapalinger
Here is more proof that the Media are all in for Perry. The big news about this isn’t that politician’s security are roughing people up, that’s been going on for a while, it’s that they are going after Bachmann’s people for doing it. I am sure that we will be hearing this right after we here about the Texas Miracle somewhere on the boob tube tonight.
Yossarian
I’m sure Perry’s a formidable campaigner, but keep in mind defeated opponents always have an incentive to pump up the victor’s A) skill, and B) ruthlessness.
All this talk about Perry’s talent, real as it might be, shouldn’t obscure the fact that he’s a Republican in Texas who succeeded another extremely popular Republican, won re-election in a hugely Republican year (2002), and never really faced a truly formidable opponent. Running for President against Barack Obama is just another level entirely.
FFrank
Perry is a win for the Hispanic population, snark is wonderful thing.
Sentient Puddle
Wait wait wait, I’m confused about something. From that last paragraph of the WSJ editorial:
Why the hell would independents care? Wouldn’t they kind of stop being independent at that point?
Judas Escargot
@Violet:
You have far more faith in “People” than some of us do.
But that’s what will make or break him, isn’t it?
rikyrah
Well, considering that Barack Obama went from the State Senate in Illinois to the White House in 4 years……
I believe he’s got blessings his way too.
LOL
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@Yossarian: And the one year, 2006, that everyone wanted to get rid of Perry, everone ran against him. He only got 38% of the vote, but there were like 6 candidates against him, with at least two of them serious.
Zyla
By independent, the media usually means “socially progressive” conservatives.
Bruce S
The problem with “the Murdoch empire” is that it’s – even given the economic xtremism of the WSJ’s editorialists – got split personalities. Mitt can’t feed the FOX fire, although he’s probably the guy who Paul Gigot would pick out of the current crowd. The GOP is all about its “base” now, not it’s opinion elite – partly because it’s primary season, but also because they’ve driven everyone else into a corner with the Tea Party craze. The crazies have sway and Perry seems like the guy who can bridge between full-on wild-ass wing-nut and the free-market ideologues represented by WSJ. Frankly, beyond those two factions, there’s nobody left in the GOP’s scriptwriting department that I can see – aside from Brooks and Frum with their hair on fire, as horrified as they are irrelevant. Thankfully, the question of how any of these fruitcakes storming out of Iowa might win a general election – even given the disastrous economy – isn’t my problem. I’m more concerned about a Dem message that can galvanize our own turnout, more than handicapping the Klown-Kar factor among GOPers.
Worst thing about this is that the more it remains a carnival sideshow, the more it sucks air out of reporting on anything that actually matters. Better reporting on real problems would actually help the President communicate a more consequential message. The more these jerks are allowed by the Chuck Todds to frame the political debate, the harder it becomes to make any sense out of anything.
lamh34
I see a Perry nomination as the one way to get all sides of the “liberal blogospheres” on one page regarding working towards Obama’s election.
With Romeny, I can actually see a scenario where some “soft supporters” of Obama while not wanting a GOP in the WH see Mittens as someone who while pandering to the right at this moment, if he makes it to the office they figured that Mitts will govern the way he governed Mass as “moderately” as he possibly can. So I can see a scenario where people who worked for and supported Obama last time would in the back of their minds think well at least Romney isn’t that bad.
With Bachmann, I think we see her as so certifiably crazy, that there is no way she’ll even make it to the nomination. I kinda see the scenario that Bachmann makes it to the nomination, but crashes an burns in the general.
With Perry, I think he will reminds them of the days of Bush, and if he makes it to the nomination, he will be able to unify liberal, progressives, whoever else who loyally vote Democrats to actual work for, campaign for and donate even more to Obama in ’12.
I guess what I’m saying is I do see Romney has a bigger threat against Obama than Perry in a general.
Either way though, I think Perry can win the nomination, but I can’t wait to see if Romney has that “eye of the Tiger” to put it to Perry before Perry totally buries Romney. If people think Obama doesn’t punch back enough, I certainly don’t see “Who let the dogs out” Mitt Romney punching back against Perry. He’d looked even phonier than he usually does.
WereBear
@Sentient Puddle: Independents are now what Republicans call themselves when they don’t want to admit it.
redshirt
I’m tired of only getting to choose between God and Jesus when voting. Time for a third party – a Pasta Party, perhaps?
schrodinger's cat
Tunch?
Felinious Wench
@trollhattan:
I love Bill White, but he’s not a politician, he’s a work horse and a damned fine mayor. But, if we’d have had an Ann Richards to run against Perry, he could have been beaten by a Dem the last time.
He’s seriously disliked here. Establishment Republicans wanted Kay Bailey. Both her and White ran a lackluster campaign, Perry did not. So, here we are with The Coif.
WereBear
Cranky tired old man McCain, the one who wandered around the stage after a debate like a guy escaped from the Old Folk’s Home? Remember him? He beat Mittens for the nomination, and no one was excited by him.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@redshirt: There’s still room for a Holy Ghost party.
trollhattan
@Felinious Wench:
Interesting. Y’all have a two-term limit or can he run again if this latest hobby craters?
aisce
@ rikyrah
so john kerry was merely an instrument of His Divine Will in 2004?
waratah
@trollhattan: Every election I wish for the Reagan democrats to wake up, has not happened.
schrodinger's cat
@redshirt: Ceiling Cat is funnier! Check out the lolcat bible
Grumpy Code Monkey
@Citizen_X:
The scary thing is, it’s not too far off the mark. He’s obviously not that beefy, but Perry’s about as fit a human being as you’re going to find. He’s an avid jogger and cyclist, he’s done a few sprint triathlons.
He’s in good enough shape that he can maintain a pace that would crush most people his age.
schrodinger's cat
@waratah: I think Reagan Democrats are a figment of the punditubbies’ imagination.
jibeaux
@Violet:
I’m pretty sure they all have the same “vision of how to constrain a runaway government and revive America’s once-great private economy”. It rhymes with “fax nuts.” If you want economic ideas other than that, best look outside the Republican party because so far it’s just Shar’ia law and Obamacare as far as the eye can see. Anybody happen to see this infographic from the O campaign? I love the inclusion of “anti-chicken” and “spicy.”
Villago Delenda Est
What “once-great private economy”? There never has been one, and there never will be. The great fortunes of the robber barons were built on government largess, be it in the form of land grants, eminent domain to acquire right of ways, loans, or military intervention to dispose of troublesome aboriginals.
The stupid of the WSJ. It burns!
lamh34
here’s a new Obama 2012 Ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSaqDrYwdM4&feature=player_embedded#at=19
what do ya’ll think?
Bruce S
“the boner that asshole Scarborough has for this fucking redneck”
FWIW Scarborough has had some pretty scathing remarks against Perry – mocking his Jesus rally and his image as a recycled W. Also, I don’t think Scarborough matters much. The GOP base pretty much hates him. He’s (correctly) seen as a NY-DC media creature who likely has only about 1% of the influence he imagines beyond the compulsive chatterers. His “sell” might be to so-called independents, but my guess is that Rick Perry is a bridge too far even for that. If Scarborough has any power, it’s negative – he’s positioned himself as someone who can demoralize, poking at “both sides.” Nice gig though. Much, much better than congressman’s pay and I’m sure it’s more fun.
Paul in KY
@Grumpy Code Monkey: I guess like Dubya, he works out for about 5 hours a day. All on the company dime, so to speak.
Bruce S
Jesus, that ad at #42 is horrible. Is that real?
Grumpy Code Monkey
@trollhattan:
No term limits, at least not at that level. If he biffs the national race (crosses fingers), there’s nothing to stop him from running for Governor again except his own desire.
Speaking as a liberalish Texan, I’d rather have a fourth term of Governor Perry than have him come anywhere near the White House. The Texas Governor is weak (the whole damn executive is weak), so he can’t quite wreak the havoc here that he could as President. Texas can survive him (it’s the Lege we have to worry about); I’m not sure the country could.
JC
Just got a chance to see his announcement speech.
The guy is VERY GOOD.
A much better speaker than Bush. Much better.
And his story is better as well. He doesn’t come across as trust fund boomer smirker-in-chief.
He comes across as a ‘true conservative’, who has been successful, comes from nothing, worked his way up, and had success in Texas.
With his presentational style, and 9% unemployment, Perry should be a shoo-in.
The only things that mitigate against this, are, of course, he’s lying his A$$ off. That his beliefs are crazy. And that there is a ‘Texas governor’ that three years ago, was a national nightmare.
But from a pure political horserace perspective? Perry is gold.
My initial reaction is that that the Obama campaign has to go ALL IN on ‘this guy/these guys are crazy’. Full-bore Truman on perry, and nationalize the ‘Republicans are crazy’.
Every announcment that Perry says – “that’s untrue and insane’.
Every platform – ‘that’s untrue, insane, and leads to full on destruction of this country’.
Full FUD on this guy. My initial reaction it’s the only thing that will work.
A year and a half of pushing that this guy’s policies will destroy the country, and are insane.
Jon O.
I realize that for some voters this is actually a plus, but there’s no way I’m not going to say it every time Rick Perry’s name comes up:
He stopped the state of Texas from intervening in the execution of an innocent man. That alone shows such a grievously poor sense of judgment that he has no business at the levers of power.
Paul in KY
@Jon O.: Personally, I wouldn’t harp on this as a national issue. Most people who would be shocked by that claim are going to vote Democratic anyway.
As for the case, it’s not like they have videotape of him playing p0ker in Vegas when the crime happened or some other 100% proof vindication. Analysis of the evidence certainly seems to point to him not doing it, but (IMO) doesn’t exonerate him to the point that your average wingnut-curious-voter would be disturbed by what Perry did.
Edit: Got in moderation for the game-of-chance word.
Bruce S
“It takes balls to execute an innocent man.”
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/08/03/perry_willingham_survey
aisce
@ lamh32
i think that’s one of the lamest ads i’ve ever seen, honestly.
was that the batman theme from dark knight?
Bruce S
Perry must be stopped…otherwise…uh…you know…”Sharia Law!”
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/08/perrys_problematic_pals.html
Jewish Steel
@lamh34: Music needs work.
JCT
Not to mention the “method” he used as it became clear that they were going to expose the shoddy evidence used to support the guy’s execution — he basically fired the committee.
Brave, brave Sir Rick. Ball-less asshole, laser-sighted gun or not.
lamh34
@aisce: @Bruce S:
Personally, I didn’t think the ad was that bad, but I also suspect that only an ad that goes a little something like this would be enough for some people.
Still I thought it was a good starting point at least until you can make direct ads against one individual. At this point, the GOP has the easier task of knowing who there opponent will be, so ads directly against the Obama campaign can be made pretty easily.
Jinxtigr
Awesome. So, Bush talked directly to God, but this time around, Perry directly IS God. Thanks for clearing that up.
I guess that counts as an upgrade, huh?
gene108
@Grumpy Code Monkey:
Bush, Jr. was also someone, who had a very admirable exercise regimen that could have let him crush people his age and younger.
Bush, Jr. was an awful President.
I wonder, if voters will make that connection?
gnomedad
Former President Bill Clinton said Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is “a good-looking rascal.”
: snicker :
trollhattan
@Grumpy Code Monkey:
Your willingness to sacrifice for the greater good is duly noted and saluted. Let’s hope he gets so savaged in the national campaign he loses his zeal for office and goes off to collect his Wingnut Welfare.
schrodinger's cat
@Grumpy Code Monkey: If that’s the criterion then may be we should Olympic Gold Medalists to run, is Michael Phelps available?
Derf
So God would have no problem ignoring an innocent man on death row as well? Even with Gods psychic power.
srv
Roger Ailes needs to extract enough fealty from Romney and Perry before he makes his decision. Fox will probably attack one candidate while the WSJ does the other.
He has enough on the crazies to destroy them anytime. But Ailes is crazy enough that he might back a Bachmann.
Suffern ACE
@jibeaux: Why are they talking about Heroin so much?
Common Sense
Cameron Willingham is an ugly, messy situation, but you can sum up Perry’s Presidential run in a bumper sticker: The man advocated secession.
jibeaux
@Suffern ACE:
My only issue with it, as a dedicated nitpicker, is that it doesn’t follow the conventions of a cloud, in which the larger the word the more it is mentioned. You have to look over to the side for the color-coding, which means “heroin” was mentioned once, but it’s bigger than “Soviets” which was mentioned five+ times. They never called it a cloud, but I think it’s still misleading. But I think the point holds that they discussed an awful lot of weird things while they weren’t discussing the middle class.
lamh34
maybe Ben Smith and his MSM cohorts should just give up their careers as reporters and become Perry’s campaign managers
‘Iron my shirt’
It ends with a little advice from Mr. Smith:
Villago Delenda Est
@Bruce S:
Wow, I had no idea that Grover Norquist was such a running dog dupe of the Caliph and his henchmen.
Whatever that Geller broad is smoking (hashish, perhaps?) she’d better start sharing.
trollhattan
@Common Sense:
So did/does Tawd(tm). Aren’t we lucky to be bookended by these traitorous idiots from Alaska and Texas?
(BTW, I think all Perry has to do to brush it aside is say, “Wouldn’t you if you were having your rights taken away from the fed-rule gummint?” The true believers will think it’s pretty keen.)
chopper
@lamh34:
exactly. with the exception of the distilled-out crazies, nothing is going to get dems, liberals and progressives to drop their shit and focus on hatin on the GOP like the second coming of W.
gbear
I agree with Violet that Perry just sounds way too much like W. Sane people aren’t going to want to revisit the Bush years.
I realize the term ‘sane people’ doesn’t remotely apply to the republican primaries, but in a general election, it’s going to make a difference.
burnspbesq
Chunky Bobo is dreaming of Christie getting into the race. It would be worth it just to see a Perry/Christe debate.
Calouste
@Suffern ACE:
Not as much as they are talking about Soviets.
cleek
i really hope the libosphere is not going to be RICKPERRYRICKPERRYRICKPERRY for the next 15 months…
cause, fukkadatshit
Suffern ACE
@Calouste: True. Nothing will turn on the voters like policies aimed at addressing that important foreign policy issue.
CalD
For all the talk about Perry’s deep pockets and relentless campaigning, I can’t help remembering that politics ain’t exactly beanbag in Massachusetts either, and Willard ain’t exactly poor either.
The 2002 Mass governor’s race was among nastiest I’ve ever witnessed and Romney won it as a Republican taking on an entrenched political machine in one of the most Democratic-leaning states in the country. Perry on the other hand would have gotten his ass kicked hard in 2006 if two Democrats and a Friedman hadn’t split 60% of the vote. And no one’s luck holds out forever. So fuck him and the magical horse he rode in on.
Felinious Wench
@trollhattan:
He’s hit his term limit, thank God. No more Governor Perry.
Thus, he needs something new to do. And here we are.
amk
@lamh34: Too noisy. And the announcer sux. Plouffe needs to do better than that
Tom Q
@efgoldman: I agree. The only fantasy part is TV pundits (a la Chris Matthews) thinking they’re still key to winning elections. Which is pie in the sky — these folk are solid GOP at this point, despite how disastrous it’s been for their economic position.
The reason Democrats now hold a commanding position in presidential elections is not that they’ve re-persuaded these people; it’s that they’ve found new groups — especially the young, and every ethnic minority — who, combined, outpoint them.
Herbal Infusion Bagger
“With Bachmann, I think we see her as so certifiably crazy, that there is no way she’ll even make it to the nomination. I kinda see the scenario that Bachmann makes it to the nomination, but crashes an burns in the general.”
Perry getting in mean if Mittens wins, then he doesn’t have to offer Bachmann the VP slot. ‘Cos otherwise she’d be the #2.
trollhattan
Yglesias is counseled to not quote Perry. Because shut up, is why.
http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/08/15/296241/conservatives-whine-about-unfairness-of-quoting-rick-perry-accurately/
Kyle
I saw Perry on TV giving a speech, and thought I was viewing a Saturday Night Live parody of a Repuke candidate.
He’s a clownish buffoon, a perfect representation of the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the GOP.
trollhattan
@Kyle:
He just needs more cowbell.
Geoduck
@Felinious Wench:
I’m pretty sure Texas doesn’t term-limit its governor.
Also, for any Texans in the crowd.. the ‘Perry is gay’ thing. Is there anything serious to that, or is it just his opponents wildly flinging mud and hoping it sticks? It’s clear he’s made a few enemies over the years..
mike in dc
There are 4 solo contests before March Madness(multiple states, proportional delegate allocation), and All-in April(winner-take-all states). If someone wins all 4 of those contests, they’re probably a lock for the nomination. Ditto, if they manage a couple wins and a couple 2nd place wins. Iowa and Nevada are caucus states and reward ground game and supporter enthusiasm. South Carolina is ultra-conservative and will lean towards the craziest candidate still in the running. New Hampshire is fairly libertarian, and sometimes unpredictable. Currently Bachmann is favored in Iowa, and Romney’s favored in NH. Where is Perry’s breakthrough state? It’s at least as easy to construct a “Bachmann wins 3 out of 4” scenario as it is to come up with one where Perry wins 2 out of 4, with 2 2nd place finishes. Nobody’s going to beat Bachmann by banging the electability drum if she’s been kicking their butts for weeks.
The one guy I don’t see a victory path for is Romney. Okay, let’s say he wins NH, then what? A loss in SC, probably another loss in Nevada, then he’s 1 for 4, with maybe 1 second place finish, with everyone else having at least one win apiece. A weak frontrunner who performs weakly quickly becomes the guy giving the concession speech.
Elliecat
@WereBear:
Now there might be more Republicans who call themselves “independents” to hide their affiliation but this has been going on since I started voting 30 years ago. I have never in my life met an “independent” who wasn’t a Republican who took the title to boost his rugged individualist view of himself (never met a female “independent” either). Back in 2004, one of my relatives finally admitted that although he’d always called himself an “independent” he had never voted anything other than Republican.
Brachiator
@Violet:
I said before and will say it again. Look for an entry of Jeb Bush into the Republican field, followed by hosannas and garlands from all the Murdoch media entities.
FlipYrWhig
@Brachiator: A primary campaign between someone who acts, moves, and talks like a dinner-theater actor playing George W. Bush, and George W. Bush’s fatter, smarter brother… that would be truly grotesque.
Bill Arnold
Can help asking. Is “pack a big lunch” a Texanism (“Texism”?) or did he mean “punch”?
FlipYrWhig
@Bill Arnold: I think it’s “lunch,” because the idea is that since Perry’s going to be on the move all day, you will be too, and since you’re not going to get a chance to rest, you need to bring food with you.
Grumpy Code Monkey
@schrodinger’s cat:
I’m just pointing out that Perry will be able to maintain a pace on his campaign that his opponents will be hard-pressed to match. That quote from John Sharp about having to start at 5:00 a.m. just to keep pace is no less relevant today. If he does win the nomination, he won’t need to take a nap between March and August like the last guy did.
Yes, Presidential campaigning is different. Yes, Perry has never had a serious primary challenge since becoming Governor. Yes, in 2006 he won with only a 39% plurality.
None of that matters. Perry’s been rolling natural 20s for the bulk of his political career. I don’t see that trend changing. He’s not qualified to be President; none of the GOP candidates are. That has no bearing on whether or not he will win.
Felonius Wench:
No term limits. There’s nothing stopping Perry from running for a fourth term other than his own desire to do so.
gene108:
No, they will not. They’re not going to look at Perry and think “he’s fit.” They’re going to look at Perry and think, “he’s white, he’s Christian, and he’s not making me buy health insurance.”
Judas Escargot
@FlipYrWhig:
Wusses. RealMurkins(tm) just shoot the first edible thing they come across on the trail, and eat that.
Hal
So basically, I should throw myself off the Golden Gate Bride now? Shit folks, why so pessimistic?
Brachiator
@FlipYrWhig:
As I noted in another thread, Dubya was born in New Haven, and steeped in his family’s Eastern elitist values, and tried hard to appear as an aw shucks guy, while Perry is a fifth generation Texan. Jeb sealed the deal with evangelicals and conservative Christians forever with his odious decisions during the Terry Schiavo case.
While I enjoy a lot of the Balloon Juice banter, as the primaries heat up, I discount both the snark and the cheerleading and try to pay attention to how the candidates are appealing to likely voters. Perry didn’t win all those elections in Texas just because he was Karl Rove’s boy, and a lot of people are quietly asking Jeb to run.
Romney, apparently the preferred candidate of a lot of Balloon Juicers, looks to be about as inevitable as Hillary or Rudy 911 in 2008. And it is not that the Republican cognoscenti are afraid of Bachmann, but they believe that they can channel and control the Tea Party People.
I remember way back when political savvy friends dismissed Dubya, and mocked his born again sentiments and his lack of smarts. Now I hear these same wise heads dissing the GOP field. And there is this new nonsense about how Perry reminds people of Bush and this is bad, BAD.
But here’s the thing. Dubya himself keeps a low profile, but the Bush tax cuts are still in place, and despite the spectacular economic failure of the Bush Administration, every Republican is promising more of the same. And voters are receptive to their facile promises.
Tom Q
@Hal: Too many Democrats are addicted to failure. Which made half-sense during the Nixon/Reagan years, when they were failing regularly. But you’d think recent Dem success in presidential elections would turn the fatalism around.
fhtagn
Reads like a “None of the above” piece to me, with Perry being seen as Dubya II = loser.
TenguPhule
Since God is Dead, it must follow that Perry’s goose is cooked.
FlipYrWhig
@Tom Q: Democratic “moderates” like to put the smelly hippies in their place, and Democratic “liberals” like to put the glad-handing corporatists in their place. And none of that fun finger-pointing can occur without the exquisite pain of losing.
priscianusjr
@waratah:
demz taters
@CalD: A lot of the nastiness was intra-party as Romney was called in to save Republicans from the disaster that was Weld’s successor, Jane Swift.
gpleigh
Rick Perry is excruciating ignorant. Stupefyingly moronic. Just a complete and total idiot. Right-wing extremist Repubs will lap it up but he cannot win. Just too fucking stupid.
becca
Perry swaggers like Nathan Lane trying to walk butch in The Bird Cage.
MazeDancer
@lamh34:
Unfathomably dreadful, completely strange, and almost incoherent ad. Can’t be real. But wouldn’t make much of a spoof either. Who was the voice over? What was with the Superman D logo? What was the point of the angsty movie music? Or even the whole thing? Can’t be real.
Brachiator
@gpleigh:
This is America. Being stupid is a feature.