Chris Adamo
Liberals and "moderates" unwittingly campaign for Perry
By Chris Adamo
All too predictably, the insidious onslaught against Texas Governor Rick Perry is now in full swing. On the heels of the very first rumors last spring that he might consider a run for the presidency, and long before he officially announced, the Democrat political hit machine, its collaborators in "mainstream" liberal media, and even the standard RINO mouthpieces were lining up to cut him down to size. Perry has hit the campaign trail in a big way, and as such he poses a threat not only to Barack Obama, but to the entire "bipartisan" apparatus of Beltway insiders.
In contrast to Mitt Romney, the former pre-ordained "front runner," a Perry presidency portends major changes to the way things are done in Washington. And those who regard themselves as the political "elite" simply will not tolerate such an incursion. Thus, they are looking to fully exploit any potential flaws in the Texas Governor, or completely contrive them if needs be.
From the moment that news surfaced of his support for, and eventual participation in the August 5 national day of prayer, the God-hating left has sanctimoniously sought to spotlight the situation as a means of undermining his credibility. Under such auspices, the "Freedom From Religion Foundation" filed a lawsuit ostensibly aimed at preventing him from joining the prayer event, but in reality only intended to sully his public image by painting him as a religious extremist.
Recent "mainstream" news coverage of Perry invariably portrays him as an uncultured simpleton from the far right. High profile coverage of his characterization of the current Social Security system as a "Ponzi scheme" has loudly decried the supposed threat such a mindset might represent to the millions of Americans who rely on it for their sustenance. If a significant portion of America's seniors could be convinced that Perry intends to turn them out onto the streets and starve them, his support might dwindle significantly.
Likewise, media reports of his practice of carrying a gun when jogging clearly contain an alarmist edge, implying that he may pose a threat to the safety of his fellow citizens. Elsewhere, the "legality" of his action is put into question, leaving the incomprehensibly gullible to ponder just how far out on the gun-toting "fringe" Perry might reside.
The ultimate aim is to consistently erode Perry's credibility, and steadily persuade the public that he simply does not meet the standards of the nation's chief executive. As a glaring example, Jonathan Martin of The Politico led off his most recent editorial posing the question (rhetorical in his mind), "Is Rick Perry Dumb?" What followed was a transparent dismissal of the governor as second-rate in every mental aspect, from his less than Ivy League education to his insufficiency of governing "ideas."
Not surprisingly, Republican "moderates" are lining up to take their own cheap shots at Perry. From former Bush advisor Karl Rove to one-time Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan (best known as the "staunch conservative" who in the 2008 campaign season reviled Sarah Palin but adored Barack Obama), to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a veritable "Who's who" of liberal Republicans are clamoring to take their swipes at Perry.
The general message conveyed by his detractors is simply that Rick Perry is too simple minded, unsophisticated, and given to right-wing religious peculiarities to handle the post-constitutional demands of a statist White House and the burgeoning mega-government it oversees. Perry cannot even refrain from overstepping those lines of "politically correct" propriety to avoid regular controversy when he makes a statement. Obviously, his lack of Washingtonian "refinement" renders him unfit for what the intelligentsia insist is the proper role and conduct of the modern presidency.
However, to the dismay of his detractors from both sides of that increasingly undefined political "aisle," Governor Perry is not merely proving to be immune to all of the exaggerated criticism and phony hand-wringing, on an ever increasing basis he actually appears to be benefiting from all of it. Relying on the singular conservative strategy that has almost universally worked but is so rarely practiced, Rick Perry steadfastly refuses to go on the defensive when attacked for his unabashed conservatism.
As a result, rather than resorting to "damage control," in response to charges the liberals level against his bold past statements and governing record, such things are trumpeted as proof of the real conservative that he is. The more of this type of press that he gets, the more opportunities he has to communicate to America just how staunch and unshakable are his convictions.
Rick Perry is not going to back down from his aversion to the current pitfalls of Social Security, but will take every opportunity of its mention to remind America of the problems it faces and the ineptitude of his predecessors to properly address it.
The same can be said of his allusion to "treason" committed by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. While generating an immediate firestorm of outrage and dismay from every major political insider, the intensity of Perry's statement resonated with the grassroots. The people of Heartland America are no longer going to be distracted by some supposed lapse in propriety when so much is at stake.
With the nation's monetary supply being diluted and undermined by Barack Obama's profligate spending, abetted by Bernanke's back-door taxation scheme of "quantitative easing" (When conducted in a dark basement, it was termed "counterfeiting"), the American people have had enough. Gruff words from Rick Perry, clearly indicating plans for a drastic "course correction" if elected, are far more significant and inspiring to the American people than the polite nodding and winking of the current conspirators who would prefer to continue the ruse.
In short, the Washington elite, along with their media minions, may have reason to despise Perry, and may rant endlessly about what they claim to be his deficiencies. But the mood of the nation is not what they perceive it to be within their cloistered circles. The more Perry is proven to be unsuited to their self-serving power structure, the more likely it appears that he will uphold and advance the founding principles and values of Real America.
© Chris Adamo
September 1, 2011
All too predictably, the insidious onslaught against Texas Governor Rick Perry is now in full swing. On the heels of the very first rumors last spring that he might consider a run for the presidency, and long before he officially announced, the Democrat political hit machine, its collaborators in "mainstream" liberal media, and even the standard RINO mouthpieces were lining up to cut him down to size. Perry has hit the campaign trail in a big way, and as such he poses a threat not only to Barack Obama, but to the entire "bipartisan" apparatus of Beltway insiders.
In contrast to Mitt Romney, the former pre-ordained "front runner," a Perry presidency portends major changes to the way things are done in Washington. And those who regard themselves as the political "elite" simply will not tolerate such an incursion. Thus, they are looking to fully exploit any potential flaws in the Texas Governor, or completely contrive them if needs be.
From the moment that news surfaced of his support for, and eventual participation in the August 5 national day of prayer, the God-hating left has sanctimoniously sought to spotlight the situation as a means of undermining his credibility. Under such auspices, the "Freedom From Religion Foundation" filed a lawsuit ostensibly aimed at preventing him from joining the prayer event, but in reality only intended to sully his public image by painting him as a religious extremist.
Recent "mainstream" news coverage of Perry invariably portrays him as an uncultured simpleton from the far right. High profile coverage of his characterization of the current Social Security system as a "Ponzi scheme" has loudly decried the supposed threat such a mindset might represent to the millions of Americans who rely on it for their sustenance. If a significant portion of America's seniors could be convinced that Perry intends to turn them out onto the streets and starve them, his support might dwindle significantly.
Likewise, media reports of his practice of carrying a gun when jogging clearly contain an alarmist edge, implying that he may pose a threat to the safety of his fellow citizens. Elsewhere, the "legality" of his action is put into question, leaving the incomprehensibly gullible to ponder just how far out on the gun-toting "fringe" Perry might reside.
The ultimate aim is to consistently erode Perry's credibility, and steadily persuade the public that he simply does not meet the standards of the nation's chief executive. As a glaring example, Jonathan Martin of The Politico led off his most recent editorial posing the question (rhetorical in his mind), "Is Rick Perry Dumb?" What followed was a transparent dismissal of the governor as second-rate in every mental aspect, from his less than Ivy League education to his insufficiency of governing "ideas."
Not surprisingly, Republican "moderates" are lining up to take their own cheap shots at Perry. From former Bush advisor Karl Rove to one-time Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan (best known as the "staunch conservative" who in the 2008 campaign season reviled Sarah Palin but adored Barack Obama), to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a veritable "Who's who" of liberal Republicans are clamoring to take their swipes at Perry.
The general message conveyed by his detractors is simply that Rick Perry is too simple minded, unsophisticated, and given to right-wing religious peculiarities to handle the post-constitutional demands of a statist White House and the burgeoning mega-government it oversees. Perry cannot even refrain from overstepping those lines of "politically correct" propriety to avoid regular controversy when he makes a statement. Obviously, his lack of Washingtonian "refinement" renders him unfit for what the intelligentsia insist is the proper role and conduct of the modern presidency.
However, to the dismay of his detractors from both sides of that increasingly undefined political "aisle," Governor Perry is not merely proving to be immune to all of the exaggerated criticism and phony hand-wringing, on an ever increasing basis he actually appears to be benefiting from all of it. Relying on the singular conservative strategy that has almost universally worked but is so rarely practiced, Rick Perry steadfastly refuses to go on the defensive when attacked for his unabashed conservatism.
As a result, rather than resorting to "damage control," in response to charges the liberals level against his bold past statements and governing record, such things are trumpeted as proof of the real conservative that he is. The more of this type of press that he gets, the more opportunities he has to communicate to America just how staunch and unshakable are his convictions.
Rick Perry is not going to back down from his aversion to the current pitfalls of Social Security, but will take every opportunity of its mention to remind America of the problems it faces and the ineptitude of his predecessors to properly address it.
The same can be said of his allusion to "treason" committed by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. While generating an immediate firestorm of outrage and dismay from every major political insider, the intensity of Perry's statement resonated with the grassroots. The people of Heartland America are no longer going to be distracted by some supposed lapse in propriety when so much is at stake.
With the nation's monetary supply being diluted and undermined by Barack Obama's profligate spending, abetted by Bernanke's back-door taxation scheme of "quantitative easing" (When conducted in a dark basement, it was termed "counterfeiting"), the American people have had enough. Gruff words from Rick Perry, clearly indicating plans for a drastic "course correction" if elected, are far more significant and inspiring to the American people than the polite nodding and winking of the current conspirators who would prefer to continue the ruse.
In short, the Washington elite, along with their media minions, may have reason to despise Perry, and may rant endlessly about what they claim to be his deficiencies. But the mood of the nation is not what they perceive it to be within their cloistered circles. The more Perry is proven to be unsuited to their self-serving power structure, the more likely it appears that he will uphold and advance the founding principles and values of Real America.
© Chris Adamo
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
