Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Meet Rick Perry, GOP macho traitor-hunter

WELL,THERE HE goes again and I guess we had better get used to it. Rick Perry, I mean, the boastful chest-pounding marauder just out of Texas who likes to remind everybody that they do things quite differently in his state, pardner. That much is clear from his threat that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Beranke was a traitor who would be treated "pretty ugly down in Texas''. You can read a lot of macho in this Lone Star cowboy with an ego twice the height of an oil well.

In some ways he is an expansive innocent abroad in a nation that dwarfs Texas in size and perspective. At the moment he is riding the media-driven fascination with his dashing entrance into the Republican presidential field as the party's latest Mordred, the bad Arthurian knight who disrupted the round table. The TV folks love something new and controversial on the scene. But can he sustain it all of the way to the GOP convention next year? Should we think Donald Trump?

In the meantime he will pepper his remarks with geographical references that "Back in Texas, etc etc. etc." or 'We can tell you that in Texas blah blah blah." Even Karl Rove, no slouch himself at causing mayhem, found Perry's comments offensive and "non-presidential".

But Rove is one guy that the Biblically pure Perry will not pray for salvation.

11 comments:

PJJinOregon said...

It may be early in the campaign cycle, but Perry seems to fit the "big hat, big belt buckle, no cattle" stereotype that Texans love to laugh about (and at). Even Dallas' JR was more subdued.

PaulRyanFan84 said...

Rick Perry entered the presidential race only days ago and already the attacks on him have been relentless.

It is pretty obvious that the left is very scared of Perry's candidacy.

PJJinOregon said...

PRF84 - Somehow Rove doesn't fit the mold of a leftist; nevertheless he's heading up the "dump Perry" move.

Mencken said...

Help us out here PRF84. Can you explain to us why Perry calling Bernanke a traitor and saying that he would be treated pretty ugly down in Texas didn't trigger your usual righteous indignation when it comes to uncivil comments by politicians ?

Your usual boilerplate comments suggest that liberals are obviously scared, confused, crazy, or whatever.

What's obvious to me, is that beyond your own name calling, you have no more than the thinnest patina of knowledge or insight on any of the issues discussed here. And bless your conservative heart, that's exactly what candidates like Bachmann and Perry are counting on.

JLM said...

Bravo, Mencken.

PaulRyanFan84 said...

Mencken,

As usual, you don't know what you are talking about. Unlike most liberals, I don't have a constant need to be outraged about something. When I brought up Joe Biden's "terrorist" comment a week or so ago, it was less about me being outraged and more about the hypocricy of the left's calls for civility.

Personally, I think both Biden and Perry's comments were dumb. But unlike you, I focus on more substantive issues like economic growth, job creation, unsustainable debt, etc. Then again, if I had to defend Obama's economic record against that of Rick Perry, I would probably want to change the subject too.

Bring on the stories about Christian prayer services, evolution, and gay marriage!

mencken said...

If you don't think that I, or anyone else here knows what we're talking about, we're certainly making ourselves available for your "corrections". Sir, equal time is always open to you here.

But your claims of gravitas on today's issues are never backed up by actual discussion. Obama's policies or Grumpy's opinions are never countered or discredited by you. You seem to think that concerns about "economic growth, job creation, unsustainable debt" are exclusively Republican. What hubris on your part. Everyone benefits from growth & jobs and everyone is hurt by unsustainable debt.

Gay marriage, abortion, contraception info for teens,
prayer services, evolution, etc. are secondary issues kept on the front burner by evangelical christians and most conservatives, not liberals. Liberals have no choice but to react to these knee jerk issues.

Bachmann, Perry, Palin, etc. love banging their drums on these issues because they play to the emotions rather than to the intellect. Plus it relieves them of the responsibility of delving into complicated economic policy which quite frankly, they're not even remotely qualified to discuss. I doubt Palin could explain compound interest.

No no, it's far easier to wave the flag and chant USA! USA! USA! and pass the collection plate.

How many Tea Partiers know that the majority of our Founding Fathers were Deists and not Christians ?
How many of them know that the TARP legislation was signed into law by GWBush and not Obama ?
How many know that 80% of the money loaned to GM and others has been paid back? I could go on and list a dozen more myths held onto by the right.

But I don't know what I'm talking about.

FanMan, the floor is yours.

PaulRyanFan84 said...

Mencken,

What on earth are you talking about? I follow the news very closely and pay particular attention to the Republican presidential candidates. None of the top contenders....Mitt Romney, Michelle Bachman, or Rick Perry....are "banging the drums" on social issues. Everytime I read their interviews or watch their speeches, they all focus on the same theme of the economy and jobs. Considering the high unemployment rate and Obama's low job approval rating, to talk about anything else would be foolish.

The only time I ever see any discussion of social issues like prayer services, evolution vs. creationism, or abortion is on left wing blogs or liberal networks like MSNBC. They are the ones trying to shift the debate and play on emotions because they know Obama is vulnerable on the issue of the economy. Obviously the strategy in 2012 is going to be portraying the Republicans as out of the mainstream and extreme. However, I don't think anything is going to trump the issue of the jobs for voters. Everything else is just trivial nonsense.

It's the economy, stupid.

Anonymous said...

I suggest you make an appointment with an optometrist and a good Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist
as soon as possible as it's clear you only see what you want to see and hear what you want to hear. Not only will it improve your senses, it might keep you from making a fool of yourself every time you open your mouth.

Seriously.

Grumpy Abe said...

Thanks for the advisory, whoever you are. How about joining me for a checkup for the same problem. Seriously.

Anonymous said...

Grumpy, that comment was intended for PRFAN84.