Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Rick Perry, Better Than Michele Bachmann

Calling Will Ferrell. The SNL star better dust off his Bush impression. The Republican Party could very well nominate a slightly less bright George W. Bush.

As much as I dislike Perry, I think that it is necessary to give him an honest look.

First, the economy of Texas. I don't care how you slice it, the Texas economy is doing remarkably well. This post here soundly refutes the arguments being made by Perry critics (like yours truly). New jobs in Texas are not all low wage jobs and employment has not been drastically boosted by the energy industry. While, Texas has 8.2% unemployment, that number is low when you consider the fact that so many people have flocked to Texas in the past couple of years.

Is Rick Perry responsible for all of this? I am not sure. Governors often get credit for things that they didn't do and blame for things they didn't do. Mitt Romney saw Massachusetts' deficit erode in a year's time, but it stemmed largely from a national economic recovery (as well as "fee" hikes and the closing of tax loopholes). Likewise, while Perry's low tax policies may have contributed to Texas' good fortune, it is not clear that they are the dominant cause.

Second, Perry's recent comments regarding Ben Bernanke are shameful. Click here to see a sound refutation of the Ron Paul/Tea Party view of the Federal Reserve. The Republican Party ought to return to its Milton Friedman roots, instead of the current libertarian posturing. Perry's comments were both offensive and wrong from a policy standpoint.

Third, Perry has shirked some of his governing duties. For example, the education system in Texas is abysmal. Please Barbara Bush's excellent article on the need for reform there. Also, Texas has the highest rate of people who lack health insurance. Perry's tax cuts may or may not have been the cause of job creation in Texas, but they have also come with a price tag in other areas. Perry should be commended for focusing his attention on jobs, but his low revenue policies have caused him to accept a massive amount of federal stimulus money and gut some needed government services.

Fourth, Perry presents himself as a partisan, Tea Party advocate. This means he is going to have to work tirelessly to change that perception if he wants to become President. It is possible. For example, Perry's immigration policies were quite moderate (you have to be if you want to be Governor of Texas). Perry has also earned criticism from World Net Daily and Pamela Geller for his friendship with some Texan Muslims. These are the same people who think that Chris Christie and Grover Norquist are conspiring with radical Muslims to implement Sharia law into American government. When Geller attacks, it only makes Perry look good. Nevertheless, Perry, in his current form, is unelectable. He needs to move to the middle. And fast.

Basically, Rick Perry is a mixed bag. He doesn't appear to be insane like Michelle Bachmann, but he also has a penchant for stepping foot in that direction. Time will tell who the real Rick Perry is.


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26 comments:

Joe said...

Sorry Pablo - cannot support Perry - I would sit this one out.

Anonymous said...

Pablo, I would like to know how much power Perry had as governor, compared to the legislature, and how much he actually influenced jobs, the econ, etc. I think that if 30% of the new jobs are government, then it may not be such a great achievement after all. He wants to ditch social security and let the states do it, oh wait--he changed his mind on that the other day, along with the vaccine, and Al Gore. Ha ha. I wonder if he'll EVER get called a flip-flopper. No, that's reserved for Romney only.

But so far what I know about him is almost disgusting to me. The $10,000 rent expenses that taxpayers are paying, the prayer breakfast complete with the AFA bigots, the "God is calling me", the crony capitalism deals, the vaccine, the "we done that in Texas" drawl, etc.

I'm not going to get upset about Perry and illegal immigration.

I think, like CraigS, that Perry is a fake. And I think it will show sooner or later. The thing that worries me is that a lot of the party doesn't seem to mind a fake.

-Martha

Anonymous said...

I agree, rather reluctantly, that Perry is better than Bachmann.

Pablo said...

Martha, all your points are true. I dislike Perry. I am just trying to be fair to him. And Anonymous, I reluctantly came to that conclusion as well.

BOSMAN said...

I won't reluctantly agree that one is better than they other.

In fact, if it came down to either Bachmann or Perry in the primary, I'd take 2 different colored dog biscuits, and let my dog choose for me.

Noelle said...

Based on what I see in the media, Perry is likely to be a formidable opponent. But that could change as more of his record is investigated, and he is more completely vetted.

I have a couple of major questions regarding what appears at first glance as corruption. I could be wrong, however, and could be persuaded to change my mind.

The economy in Texas is good, no doubt about that, especially compared to the rest of the country, and I have to wonder how much of that is due specifically to Perry's policies, and how much is due to Texas' overall conservative leadership. Is Perry maintaining a good ship or is Perry directing it? I don't know.

The education in Texas, from what I understand, is abysmal. That's not good for him.

I still think Romney is the far superior candidate. Romney has a record of turning around failing and struggling institutions. Not to beat a dead horse or anything, okay, maybe I will. ;) He turned around numerous failing businesses and made them into successes, he turned the corruption-riddled, debt-riddled Olympics into a resounding success, he turned the multi-billion dollar deficit into a multi-million dollar surplus while at the helm of MA.

If the US economy were currently humming along nicely, Perry might be the right person for the job, but in our current situation, I prefer someone with experience in turning things around. Mitt Romney is still the man for me. (Presidentially speaking. I don't want my husband to get jealous or anything.)

Anonymous said...

If the primary were between Bachmann and Perry, I would probably not bother to go vote. If Bachmann were the nominee I'd vote for her. If it were Perry, I'd write or not vote. But it doesn't matter. If either is the nominee then Obama wins.

Right Wingnut said...

I think anyone will be able to beat Obama...except Bachmann or Ron Paul.

Joe said...

This was passed on from Saul Anuzis - http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/rick-perry-closet-keynesian/2011/08/16/gIQAdFIHJJ_blog.html

Anonymous said...

Guv. Gardisill.
Next.
ellie.

Anonymous said...

Illegal immigration also tends to increase the number of people who don't have health insurance. I am not defending Perry here, I am simply stating a fact. The federal gov't won't enforce the borders, and they won't let the states do it. Lack of health insurance for illegals is one of the results; I expect Texas to have a greater number of uninsured, than, say, Massachusetts. Perry has been pretty soft on immigration, anyway.

My concern is that people have flocked to the latest "Savior," Perry without really checking out who he is and what he stands for. Not to mention that nominating another Texas Governor for President could be a major mistake at this time. I wish people would look at Perry without seeing and hearing George W, but they won't. Mind you, I have a lot of respect for W, but there are still a LOT of feelings out there at this time.

AZ

Right Wingnut said...

Pablo,

FYI- Michele with one "l."

Check your headline.

Anonymous said...

Here's an example of a fella who's in over his head:

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas extended his sharp criticism of President Obama’s economic policies to the Federal Reserve, declaring: “Printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history is almost treacherous — or treasonous in my opinion.”

“I know there’s a lot of talk and what have you about if this guy prints more money between now and the election,” Mr. Perry told an audience Monday evening. “I don’t know what y’all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas.”

Perry's having a rough start to say the least.

-Martha

Ohio JOE said...

"Sorry Pablo - cannot support Perry - I would sit this one out." I guess we are even. I would essentially do the same if Romney 4.0 was the nominee.

Jenny said...

Please please PLEASE don't sit this election out! There are no perfect candidates I'll give you that. But if conservatives cannot get behind whoever the Republican nominee is--warts and all--we will have another 4 years of Obama and that is a worse fate for our country than a Perry or Romney. I live in Texas and we all held our noses and voted for Perry simply as a vote against a liberal democrat opponent. We may have to do it again in the Presidential election.

Right Wingnut said...

Jenny, Tell that to your fellow Romney supporters.

I've never said I would NOT vote for Mitt in the general...just taht I won't commit to it now. In reality, I will most likely vote for ABO.

Noelle said...

I agree with you Jenny. I admit that there are some GOP candidates that would be more difficult to vote for than others. But another 4 years of Obama would be terrible.

Ohio JOE said...

"Jenny, Tell that to your fellow Romney supporters." Bingo, I am really rather flexible. I would hold my nose and vote for Mr. Perry, Mr. Pawlenty and Dr. Paul if I have to. On the other hand, for the Romneyites, it is all or nothing.

Anonymous said...

OJ, as usual, you are unfair. I have said repeatedly that I will vote for the Republican nominee no matter who it is, against Obama. I have read that from many, many Romney supporters on this blog alone. It is not true that a lot of us are committed to destroying the country by not voting. It is true, however, that we are extremely loyal to our guy. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you get over it.

AZ

Noelle said...

OJ, your comment "On the other hand, for the Romneyites, it is all or nothing" is simply untrue.

You lose credibility when you express your feelings and beliefs and combine it with such a misstatement of the facts.

Right Wingnut said...

Noelle and AZ,

Pablo, Martha, and Ellie are on record as saying they would not vote for Palin. Talk to them befor you criticize OJ.

Noelle said...

There are a lot more Romney fans than Pablo, Martha and Ellie. And not voting for Palin is not the same thing as saying Romney or nobody else.

Pablo said...

I would not vote for Palin or Bachmann. But like Noelle says, there are a lot more Romney fans than me. In fact, I am not a typical Romney fan since I am probably a good bit to the left of him.

Anonymous said...

"...since I am probably a good bit to the left of him." Truer words have probably never been written on this blog, Pablo. LOL!!

Anonymous said...

The anon at 7:55 was me. Sorry, forgot to sign it!

AZ

Ohio JOE said...

"There are a lot more Romney fans than Pablo, Martha and Ellie" Yes there are; a whole bunch of them on race who tend to be bitter and vile.