It’s a pretty bad state of affairs when any high school junior or senior prepping for a scholarship interview can sound more knowledgeable and passionate than a candidate seeking the office of United States President, but that’s exactly what Texas Governor Rick Perry accomplished during the November 9, 2011 CNBC sponsored presidential debate. And its not just debates; Perry’s often incoherent “Cornerstone” speech in Manchester, New Hampshire on October 29 demonstrated that the man who strives to be the next president would have trouble getting hired as a standup comic.
Eliminating Federal Departments
Perry promised the November 9 audience that if elected, he would eliminate “Commerce, Education, and….what’s the third one?” Turning to Congressman Ron Paul, another candidate, Perry finally sputtered “EPA,” meaning the Energy Department. Republican presidential candidates since Ronald Reagan in 1980 have promised to eliminate the Education Department, only to realize after election that it served a purpose.
Eliminating the Department of Energy would, however, be consistent with Rick Perry’s political character. Most of the jobs created in Texas during his tenure in office were energy-related. His top contributors, according to followthemoney.org, have been in the oil and gas sector. Eliminating the Energy Department would do away with federal regulatory control of the industry Perry is closest to.
The Education Department has been equated with liberalism by the conservative right for years. This is especially true in Texas where school learning standards forced major text book suppliers to write American history according to fundamentalist revisionism. Perry himself is a creationist and has denied the existence of global warming. Much like another notable Texan, George W. Bush, Perry’s respect for science is tenuous.
According to his Cornerstone speech, Perry wants to reform taxes with a post-card shaped tax return but keep certain deductions like charitable giving. Perry is very good at talking elimination, but short on specific solutions to job creation other than pointing to Texas where most of the new jobs created related to federal initiatives.
Defending Governor Perry
The Christian Science Monitor (November 3, 2011) quoted Jennifer Horn of We the People defending Perry’s Cornerstone speech saying that, “We’re choosing the next leader of the free world here…” Ms. Horn, however, forgets that the term “free world” is obsolete. In 2011, the United States depends upon Russia to keep the International Space Station supplied. There is no such a thing as “Eastern Europe” and the country once called Red China holds billions in U.S. treasury notes.
Why is this important? Governor Perry and his most ardent supporters must come to realize that the United States in the twenty-first century is a vastly different country and far more diverse than in the final decades of the last century. Perry’s lack of preparation and his apparent lapses and gaffes demonstrate a poor fit for a White House occupant. Debacles like the CNBC presidential debate confirm that candidates must be better prepared and, at the very least, know the structure of American government.
References:
- Holly Bailey, “ ‘Oops’, Rick Perry stumbles at CNBC debate,” Yahoo News, November 10, 2011
- Peggy Fikac, “Debate forum may benefit Rick Perry,” Houston Chronicle, November 9, 2011
- Stacy Teicher Khadaroo, “N.H. Republican activists: Enough about the Perry Video,” Christian Science Monitor, November 3, 2011
- Andrew Zak Williams, “Rick Perry’s true ID: creationism in the classroom,” Guardian, August 23, 2011
- Major Foreign Holders of Treasury Securities, Treasury Department
- Rick Perry On the Issues
- Cornerstone speech can be seen on Youtube
