How bad was the Texas governor? Bad enough to have sparked an untold number of biting critiques, many of them speculating about his intellectual heft — or lack of it. And this was all from his putative allies on the right
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The conservative commentariat spoke with near-unanimity Friday on Rick Perry’s debate performance: The Texas governor didn’t just lose, he bombed.
There was no election-ending gaffe or singularly disqualifying remark. But his second consecutive weak outing set off alarms on the right, where too many cringeworthy moments raised questions about Perry’s durability, his seriousness and ability to compete on a stage with President Barack Obama. Worse, after a near-flawless August rollout fueled his rise in the polls and quieted critics who fretted about the quality of the GOP field, Perry’s nationally televised face-plant revived dormant talk — and hopes — about the possibility of new candidates entering the race.
10 comments:
Perry is a weak stick. He may be great by Texas standards, but he is an embarrassment by reasonable standards.
This Blog and its editor seem obsessed with the fact that Perry might win the nomination and subsequently the Presidency. I don't really think either will happen since the Republicans have some other very good candidates this time around. I'm afraid Perry has sunk his own ship with the illegal immigration college tuition debacle. In his attempt to woo the Hispanic vote he may have lost the rest of us. I know that is my case and I won't vote for a religious right fanatic anymore than I would for an incompetent socialist such as the incumbent.
It is telling that the neo right wingers, especially southerners - call Obama a "socialist"- when they have no idea what a socialist really is.
The real issue re: Obama is the reality that the word "socialist" has become a politically correct label to replace the N word. All one has to do is observe who calls Obama a socialist.
It almost always a southerner.
Yet all this disguised racism is ultimately good for America. Obama's biggest accomplishment is to finally bring all this closeted hate out into the open so our nation can deal with it once and for all.
Btw, if Obama is a socialist, Republicans are also "socialists." They are corporate socialists - because their entire economic policy is to give our tax dollars to the rich and their corporate masters in the form of subsidies, tax breaks and pro-monopoly legislation.
All democracy killers are worse than socialist. That is called totalitarianism.
Are you serious Rocky? I can't think of any reasonable person who thinks that the word "socialist" is a replacement for the N word.
I appreciate the variety of sources and updates published in the Roundup on Perry's tin hat campaign for the nomination. If anyone is piling on Guv Good Hair, it would be the extreme right wing in his own party at the moment.
Perry is the picture of a crony capitalist politician. Win or lose (and it looks like he is starting to fade fast) all he is doing really is funneling more millions into his campaign and personal bankroll. A sleight of hand you are not supposed to notice.
He says he will work everyday in the White House to make government as irrelevant as possible in the lives of Americans.
What he isn't saying is that he will work everyday in the White House to make government and the government spigot as financially lucrative as possible for himself and his rich friends. He's done it in Texas and he wants to take his Texas model to Washington. I believe that.
Perry is no statesman, he is not even good enough to be president of the greatest nation on the planet. He is a huckster and a riverboat gambler. Americans will see him for what he is in due time.
Anonymous says:
"Are you serious Rocky? I can't think of any reasonable person who thinks that the word "socialist" is a replacement for the N word."
Sadly, I am very serious.
First of all, using your own word, no "serious" person would ever call Obama a socialist.
That is a mindlessly inaccurate and ignorantly inflammatory right wing brainwashing term that only the ugly hate wing of the Republican Party would ever use in any "serious" sense.
Any "serious" person would know that a real socialist would try and get government to actually PROVIDE services - such as health care - instead of just provide the funding for goods and services that are still being provided by the private sector.
If Obama is a socialist, than our entire US military and all our veteran's services as well as Medicare and social security are socialist programs. Get real!
Obama has never done anything like try to get government to provide goods or services and none of his economic proposals have ever even suggested such government provision of goods or services to replace the current private sector.
Even General Motors, temporarily owned by the Federal government, is nothing more than a repeat of the Chrysler bailout that occurred under the Reagan Administration.
Moreover, billions in TARP money was unquestionably given to GM and Chrysler under George W. Bush at the end of his term.
So, why is Obama called "socialist" and Reagan and W. Bush are not?
I can only believe the utter hate and disrespectful contempt toward Obama - especially from the southern Republicans - can only be rooted in a deeper unresolved racism that very few whites have the honesty to admit. Black people see it clearly. Why don't you? That is the "serious" question.
Finally, what "serious" or even "normal" person or persons - while attending a Presidential debate, would:
1) Cheer loudly at letting someone die because they don't have health insurance;
2) Jeer and boo a soldier who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan for their perceived protection and freedoms - just because he was gay;
3) Cheer Michelle Bachmann when she said CHILDREN of illegals should be denied health care - when they are simply helpless bystanders of their parents;
This is some sick stuff.
These callously xenophobic and homophobic attitudes fit very well with the latent racism that Obama's Presidency has brought to the surface via the political hate that has been so clearly exposed.
Believe what you want Anonymous, but until our nation is willing to really look at why the hate and lies about Obama are so unprecedented in our modern Presidential history, there can be only one "serious" answer.
And I will surely vote for Obama again not because he has done a great job in his first term, but because he has more personal courage in his little finger than all the right wing hate politicians and their supplicant voters will ever have together.
He knows why the hate is so strong against him. But he is better than the people who hate him - and that just pisses them off even more.
Rick Perry is the most vaccuous, unprepared, undisciplined person to appear on the national stage since Sarah Palin. He can't even measure up to George W. Bush. And I disagree with Lee who suggested that "there are some other very good candidates this time around." Really? Who? Mittens Romney? Tiffanys Gingrich? Crazy eyes Bachman? Maybe those Florida repubs are on to something with Herman Cain--at least he has a sense of humor. But let's get real...most republicans would rather saw off their left one than vote for an African American for president. I guess that leaves them with....hmmmmm...another Rick...Santorum. Yeah...Rick Santorum. He's their man!
After trying to pass off his dismal college grades as just a phase in his life when he was still wandering in the spiritual wilderness, Perry has only confirmed by his debate performances that he has not moved the intellectual needle much since those days.
And yet George "Dubya" won twice. He had to rig the elections, but he still won.
Obama will be reelected since the GOP leader are idiots and their candidates stink.
BTW, the people who argue on this blog are a joke, especially you Rocky. You should know better. But I guess you want people to come back to this blog, no matter who they are.
Wow, last Anonymous. We are all a joke, especially me?
Heady stuff coming from the shadows.
Please tell us why we are a joke. And what should I know better?
And since I don't own or control the Roundup, are you saying the Roundup Editor is wasting everyone's time with the Blog?
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