The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    The ugly texan: can good republicans stomach Rick Perry?

    By Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 10:05am |

    Rick Perry has just warned Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke not to come to Texas because "we would treat him pretty ugly".

    Economics Professor Nouriel Roubini tweeted: "This Texas thug is making murder threats on the Fed Chairman."

    I wonder what the good Republicans think of Perry's threat? It's an ugly threat. The 2012 election is only going to get worse. Will good Republicans, in the name of a 3% tax hike, help put Perry in the White House. Or will some of them say enough is enough!

    And I wonder how Richard Fisher of the Dallas Federal Reserve is feeling this morning? I don't know if Fisher is a good Republican; he ran as a Democrat against Hutchison in 1993. But Fisher might have some good Republican friends. There are no doubt some good Republicans who work at the Dallas Federal Reserve. Do they take Perry's threat seriously? No? Do you think Bernanke will now come to Dallas? Do you think Richard Fisher will publicly condemn Perry's threat?

    Dallas, 1963. Adlai Stevenson spoke in support of the United Nations at Dallas Memorial Auditorium. He was booed and heckled. A woman hit him with a placard. He was jostled and spat upon. It seems that the Texas blood lust against the United Nations was running high. Three weeks later Kennedy was shot to death.

    In threatening a public servant of Bernanke's stature, Perry has threatened all public servants everywhere, including those in Texas. Think about it. Intimidation. If you were Richard Fisher would you speak out? If you were Bernanke would you, like Adlai Stevenson, go to Dallas and speak out on behalf of any further Fed actions to stimulate the economy?

    I think Perry will get the nomination. I don't think the 2012 election will be a tough choice for Democrats. I think it will be a tough choice for good Republicans. There is a death struggle within the Republican party of which faction is going to control the party. The forty year coalition of the religious right, the corporate interests and the libertarians will be stretched to the limit in the candidacy of Rick Perry. Is maintaining the coalition worth putting a loose cannon like Rick Perry in the White House.  Is Rick Perry really a compelling President to : the evangelical who supports the poor; the CEO's wife who votes Republican but supports Planned Parenthood; the self made Reagan Democrats who vote Republican? The pure libertarians? The pure fiscal conservatives?

    Will good Republicans allow Rick Perry to tear this country apart? I don't know, I hope not. When a presidential candidate threatens a member of the financial establishment, a man with international prowess, a man with an advanced education, a moderate man--will good Republicans go along in lock step fashion with a candidate who would threaten a man like Ben Bernanke?

    Richard Fisher of the Dallas Fed. disagrees sharply with Bernanke on policy. He would agree that "printing money"--i.e., QE3 is wrong. But threatening to rough up Bernanke, or worse? Where will the line be drawn? Will a man like Richard Fisher and his good Republican friends condemn Rick Perry or do they underestimate the Texas Uglies? Or have the the good people just been intimidated? As a start they might want to read the article in Time magazine, Nov 3, 1963. "Texas: A city Disgraced", the Adlai Stevenson affair.  In fact, Stevenson and Bernanke seem somehow alike.

    I can hear Bernanke's statement should he also be jostled in Dallas-- in fact, thewords  of Adlai Stevenson concerning the people who spat on him:

    "I don't want to put them in jail. I want to send them to school"  

     

    Comments

    Wishful thinking, I'm afraid. Perry is appealing enough to fiscal conservatives to hold the coalition together with ease. I think that he will blow everyone away in Iowa by capturing the evangelical vote (60 percent of caucus participants) and most of the rest to boot. From there, it will be a straightforward stride to the nomination. There will be no Republican death struggle next year.


    by Michael Wolraich on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 10:30am

    I agree with you about the nomination process, didn't say otherwise, and wouldn't wish for anything there except a news blackout.  If it wasn't clear, my comments related to the general election, will there be final capitulation there? I do hope in fact that some Republicans will draw the line at Perry actually being President. Wishful thinking. Perhaps.


    by Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 11:09am

    Perhaps some, but I don't envision a radical schism as you might have if Bachmann were nominated.

    I think that the real question is how well Perry appeals to independents. My sense is that he'll do pretty well with them, unfortunately. His views are far to the right, but he's a sitting governor of a huge state and doesn't come off as a Tea Party werewolf.


    by Michael Wolraich on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 11:19am

    He's a good retailer, a "populist" stance that's missing on our side. Also pivots on a dime, as he did against Hutchison in the governor's race. I think his actual popular vote was low, but Democrats screwed up, Kinky Friedman was in the race, etc.

    I think threatening the head of the Fed if not werewolfy, kind of coyotey--everybody hates coyotes, country and suburbs alike.

    Obama will need to tie the tea party 'round Perry's neck.


    by Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 11:31am

    Obama will need to tie the tea party 'round Perry's neck

    So strange you should use that metaphor because I was just now looking at his picture on another thread and thought: geez what a godawful tie he's wearing. And just for fun I ran a search for him on Google images and lo and behold, there isn't  one picture where he isn't wearing the most terrible boring tie, it would be hard to pick worse, a blind person could pick better ties.....blush


    by artappraiser on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 11:53am

    Actually, I noticed the same thing. I think it's like the rusty corrugated shed that the jokers, like Dana Bash, always stood in front of when reporting on Bush from the Crawford ranch. It was a signal. Hey, ah got me a shed jus like thet back on the fence row. Or. Ah got a shitty tie like that from my ex one Christmas. Sure can relate to these fellas.


    by Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 12:42pm

    Slick Rick should not be underestimated. 

    True that apparently the running joke in Texas is that between GW Bush and Slick Rick, GW is the 'thinky' one.

    Yes he may be a true American Idiot.  I think he may be afraid of the Fed because he got a D in economics and that monetary policy stuff hurts his head.

    And its true that Texas is a disaster...  but king of minimum wage jobs that let you live below the poverty level.  Maybe that's why they receive more federal tax dollars than they pay in.

    But Slick Rick, like a used car salesman, knows how to put shinola on cowpie and win elections.  This is his forte, his gift in life, let's say.  So underestimating him on that score would be a mistake.


    by synchronicity on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 11:53am

    I absolutely agree with you, he is not to be underestimated. This is a case in which you have to take apart his appeal piece by piece, day by day.


    by Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 12:38pm

    No rocket scientist...

    For his part, Mr. Perry seemed pleased to take as many questions on the subject that came his way. He paused for a moment, as he reached a patch of shade on a warm afternoon, and told how he would lower the nation’s unemployment rate.

    “This is pretty simple stuff,” Mr. Perry said. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist. You don’t have to have a Ph.D. in economics to understand that you have to keep the taxes low, have a regulatory climate that’s fair and predictable and you have a legal system that doesn’t allow for over-suing.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/us/politics/16perry.html


    by Michael Wolraich on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 2:06pm

    I want to send them to school.  I suspect "gettin' schooled" has a whole different meaning in Texas.

     

    As far as the general election goes, picking one or the other is the flaw in our system.  How often have you voted for the lesser of two evils?  For even moderate, sensible Republicans, the choice between Perry and Obama may not be that difficult.  Hold your nose, push the button and let Diebold do the counting.


    by TJ on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 12:49pm

    I think Perry will get the nomination

    And I think Karl Rove disagrees.


    by lamont (not verified) on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 1:08pm

    The article suggests that Rove doesn't want Perry to get the nomination, not that he thinks he won't.


    by Michael Wolraich on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 1:59pm

    Jeb?


    by Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 2:27pm

    Who else but Rick Perry? Romney is a Mormon which may rank down around Muslim in the intolerant and bigoted world of evangelicals.

    Motherjones has an article with 10 reasons why Perry will NOT be nominated, with explanations like 'too dumb, too Texan, another Guv of Texas, overly religious, can't beat Obama...' yet it seems most of the reasons make him a likely selection for the GOP. The GOP tried one Texas guv, and their final verdict on him and his disastrous 8 years, was he was a liberal, it only makes sense this time around they would go for the real deal, a Texas guv who is a truly radical right wing nutjob, is reportedly even dumber than Dubya, and is a world class Bible thumper to boot.

    The late Molly Ivins on Perry.


    by NCD on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 1:35pm

    Hat tip to The Dish:

    "Here's the question I'd like to see Perry asked: 'Your predecessor as governor of Texas, George W. Bush, appointed Ben Bernanke to the Fed in 2006. In 2008, during an election year in which the Republican incumbency was threatened, Bernanke effectively doubled the monetary base. In other words, he more or less printed money on a massive scale. Was that "almost treasonous"? If so, what is Bush's culpability, given that he knew beforehand from Bernanke's academic work that he would print money in response to a financial crisis?'" - Joseph Lawler, American Spectator.


    by Donal on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 2:12pm

    I like that a lot.

    I'm just wondering though, if Perry is going to be running against Bush also. If I have my facts correct there is no love lost between Bush,Hutchison and Rove on the one hand and Perryon the other..  


    by Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 2:26pm

    And his response would be: "Did I tell you about the time I shot a coyote while out jogging?"


    by Elusive Trope on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 2:31pm

    Ha. I think that will be his response to about everything.

    Or, did I tell you I flew a C-130? Big damn airplane.


    by Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 2:37pm

    And my dream someday is to shoot a coyote while flying a C-130 while listening to the national anthem.  And, oh yeah, there would be a big old picture of Jesus painted on the side of the plane.


    by Elusive Trope on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 2:43pm

    After Perry "exercised" his right to carry, Sturm Ruger issued 1000 Coyote Specials.

    Not exactly a hog leg, is it?


    by Donal on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 3:15pm

    Didn't he say he choked the coyote with his bare hands, after it pulling off a Cub Scout? He saves the Ruger for ocelots, jaguars or other endangered species.


    by NCD on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 4:46pm

    choked the coyote 

    That was a chicken....not that there's anything wrong etc. etc.


    by jollyroger on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 5:22am

    Yeah, but it was A VERY BEEG chicken my friend! You should have seen it!


    by NCD on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 10:13am

    Rick Perry is a pig and an unapologetic pig at that!


    by Richard Day on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 6:08pm

    I'm not really clear on your feelings. Would you then be pretty ugly (oxymoron) with Perry if he wandered onto your property?

    On second thought, you might not want to answer that. In any case, I will take any reply you might make as metaphorical speech.  


    by Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 6:23pm

    Dick would just hog tie him and throw him in the duck pond out back. It would give the ducks some thing to argue over.

    by trkingmomoe on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 8:30pm

    As a Texan I find myself needing to constantly assure people that not everyone in Texas is crazy. A ridiculously high number are, yes, but certainly not all. Just read in the NY Times that our drought could last for 30 to 40 years. What! Abnormally high number of crazy people plus 40 year drought?! Something is not right.
    Hey Oxy. Twice my page reloaded as I tried to post. Definitely not coincidence. I've got your number man.


    by emerson jr. (not verified) on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 8:26pm

    Yeah, I wondered about that. I seem to be losing a lot of posts. Finally did what it said, and entered the code.

    A 30 to 40 year drought. Man, do we need to replace Obama.


    by Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 9:58pm

    Rick Perry wants to 'fix' the nation like his longest governorship in Texas history has 'fixed' Texas! THE TEXAS MIRACLE!

    Texas is #1, Texas Tribune, Feb. 15, 2011:

    Here's a look at how Texas compares to other states:  

    At the bottom:

    — Tax expenditures per capita (47th)

    — Percent of population 25 and older with a high school diploma (50th)

    — Percent of poor people covered by Medicaid (49th)

    — Percent of population with employer-based health insurance (48th)

    — Per capita spending on mental health (50th)

    — Per capita spending on Medicaid (49th)

    — Percent of non-elderly women with health insurance (50th)

    — Percent of women receiving prenatal care in first trimester (50th)

    — Average credit score (49th)

    — Workers' compensation coverage (50th)

    Near the top:

    — Number of executions (1st)

    — Percent of uninsured children (1st)

    — Percent of children living in poverty (4th)

    — Percent of population uninsured (1st)

    — Percent of population living below poverty (4th)

    — Percent of population with food insecurity (2nd)

    — Overall birth rate (2nd)

    — Amount of carbon dioxide emissions (1st)

    — Amount of toxic chemicals released into water (1st)

    — Amount of hazardous waste generated (1st)


    by NCD on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 8:40pm

    So there you have it folks. Elect Rick Perry and Texecute America!


    by Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 10:01pm

    You could turn this into a blog.  'the truth about the Texas Miracle'.


    by synchronicity on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 1:08am

    One might be excused for thinking after Dallas 1963 that Texans should watch their fuckin' murderous mouths, but I am too seized by your "good Republican" formulation and the recollection it gives rise to of an occasion when Bill Graham was asked if he had any spare change.

    "Spare change?" he said.  Spare change??  What the fuck is spare change?"

     


    by jollyroger on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 3:55am

    Isn't spare change what you put into the collection plate at church?


    by Oxy Mora on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 7:18am

    I always prefer an envelope (empty, of course...)  Now that I rethink your handle, of course you reference "Good republican" it"s. (wait for it....)an oxymoron!


    by jollyroger on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 9:04pm

    Damn. I chose my handle as a constant reminder not to--and there I went and did it again.


    by Oxy Mora on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 9:45pm