Re: OT:Capitol Idea: Rick Perry’s No George W. Bush? Oh, Sure, He Is
- From: levi <levi@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:27:34 -0700 (PDT)
On Aug 25, 1:40 pm, libnus <lib...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Pay attention, and you will see similarities emerge between Gov. Rick
Perry and the 43rd president.
As we get to know the current Republican Texas governor who might become
president, we re being encouraged not to draw too many comparisons to the
last Republican Texas governor who actually held the job.
Biographical similarities aside, [Rick] Perry is not the second coming
of George W. Bush, either stylistically or substantively, advises Evan
Smith, editor-in-chief of the Texas Tribune.
As the head of an Austin-based news service which covers Perry as the
chief executive of the Lone Star State, Smith certainly is in a position
to offer such advice.
Smith observes that there is no love lost between the former Bushies and
Team Perry.
The fact that it was no less than top Bush White House aide Karl Rove who
rose last week to slam Perry s attack on Federal Reserve Chairman (and
fellow Bush alumnus) Ben Bernanke as a traitor certainly attests to the
truthfulness of that.
And Smith wisely notes that Perry is much more hard-knuckled than in
his predecessor in governing Texas, and that unlike Bush, Perry makes no
pretense that his conservatism is in any way compassionate.
(I would argue, however, that in the current hyper-conservative political
climate of the GOP, if Bush could come back to run for another four years
in the White House, even he would be running to the right of his own
eight-year presidency.)
All in all, Smith makes a cogent case, and for what it is, he offers good
counsel.
Yet, at a broader scale, I think Smith misses a vital point. For most of
the American people, Rick Perry will come across very much like the Bush
they remember.
Smith s argument comes with a nuance that will be lost on most casual
voters who are outside of Texas or the Capital Beltway.
It may be true that as a candidate, Bush would never have savaged the
incumbent Fed chairman the way Perry did.
But to a a wider audience not familiar with the intricacies of the issue,
Perry s rant just sounds like more of the the sort of cowboy bluster they
had grown accustomed to hearing from, you guessed it, George W. Bush.
And the next time Perry comes on TV, just watch him. Something
something about him seems very Bush like. Close your eyes and listen to
him speak. Occasionally, but often enough to notice, you ll hear
something in the cadence that hints back at the 43rd president.
Also, watch Perry. Again, there s something about a recurring tilt of the
head, point of the fingers just the general cocksure swagger that has
George W. Bush all over it.
Consciously and intellectually, of course, voters will separate Perry and
Bush, and understand these are different men.
Unconsciously, though, I think over the long haul of the campaign, as
voters continue to watch and listen to Perry, the association will be
made and will become hard to ignore.
Which is not to say that Perry is unelectable as president.
In 1980, many Democrats rooted for Ronald Reagan to emerge as the GOP
nominee. They believed, erroneously, that Reagan s (for the times) hard-
charging conservatism and cowboy swagger would turn off voters and
deliver Jimmy Carter a second term.
Obviously, the results that year were different, and as they say, Fool
me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Democrats in 2012 would be unwise to make the same mistake they did in
1980. They should not misunderestimate Rick Perry, to coin a term.
The economy could be so poor, and the anger at President Obama, so
pronounced, that voters choose to pull the lever for Rick Perry.
What I am saying is that by Election Day, they would be doing so having
to drown out eight years of George W. Bush echoing in their heads.
Scott Nance has covered Congress and the federal government for more than
a decade. Capitol Idea is his regular column from Washington. This
article was first published as Rick Perry s No George W. Bush? Oh, Sure,
He Is on Blogcritics.
http://bit.ly/nmEWeu
btw...guess I totaly mindfucked those cheetos from the right...I've never
owned a band of sock puppets before...its an honor to be the only marble
in their heads
re cheetos and marble - hilarious.
.
- References:
- Prev by Date: Re: OT:Cafferty: Why are GOP voters are ‘allergic to brains?’
- Next by Date: Ot - "Claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week" AGAIN with the unexpectedly.
- Previous by thread: OT:Capitol Idea: Rick Perry’s No George W. Bush? Oh, Sure, He Is
- Next by thread: OT:Do Investors Care About Anything Other Than Money?
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
