Rick Perry Post Mortem

Rick Perry (Aug. 13, 2011-January 19,2012)

may he return to Texas in Peace.

Before my eulogy, I must state my reservation. ↓

Because, you know, there is always an almost irresistible urge at a funeral – even just a political funeral – to let the sense of sympathy for the departed and his remaining loved ones overcome common sense and to praise the departed beyond that which is appropriate – excusing or ignoring his shortcomings and even his serious sins. I mean, the guy’s dead, for gosh sakes, how can you say nasty things about him? Even if they’re true?

And my reservation about Rick Perry, I am honor-bound to tell you, is this: Rick Perry was not qualified to be President.

Sad, but true. Although he might have been a good choice in 1968. And although I like him and believe him to be a fun guy and a relatively good person as persons in the early 21^st century go, (particularly as politicians go) and – it appears – a real Christian (as Christians in the early 21^st century go), I cannot deceive myself as  to his political principles: he was not a man particularly interested in Government.

And that tends to be a drawback in a President, even a politically gifted President. And he was politically gifted.

But he is not a man capable of being mistaken for a fiscal conservative when in our current circumstances we desperately need an economic Churchill, an experienced expert in the interrelationships between national policy and economic consequences, and one committed to the right course of action. And to be committed to the right course of action, you have to recognize  the right course  and there is no indication that Perry had much of a clue. Despite his well-meaning ability to pick up a good idea now and then (like his energy policy) and his political ability to get what he wants out of a legislature or prevent what he doesn’t.

But once you get past the fact that he was not qualified for the job, I think he was a relatively appealing candidate. He was a genuine Texan (as opposed to an Ivy League transplant from Skull & Bones), a pistol-toting supporter of the 2^nd Amendment, and when he was on his game, able to change the subject to his talking points with the best of them. Good looking, with a great smile and hair, comfortable in his own skin, I liked him. Especially at that moment in one of the early debates…

you remember…

Rick had just gotten in the race and was the ONLY one going after Mitt Romney and Romney responded with one of his focus-group-tested, long-rehearsed lies and Rick was at a podium right next to Pixie Dust and the Texan began to track the Massachusetts fascist† down like he would small game back in Paint Creek. And there was that short interlude when Romney betrayed a look of muffled panic as it became clear Perry realized the Jack Mormon was spinning a falsehood and leaned in for the “kill.” I remember  Rick looked like he might reach over and do to the lying left-wing liberal what he actually deserved and Mitt looked genuinely scared, physically intimidated.

It was truly a gratifying moment. It was the delicious contrast between a real Democrat-turned-Republican-Texan and a disingenuous Ivy League technocrat, suddenly standing without his retinue to protect him.

And my study of Perry taught me that as philosophically clueless as he was in office, he really was politically gifted at doing the things necessary to get the office. (Both he and Gingrich are more gifted with that showtime chessmanship than Ron Paul.) That he fended off the entire Bush machine – including Rove – in Texas, to beat a sitting US Senator in one gubernatorial race speaks for itself. He could figure out the right thing to say and the right way to say it.

Yesterday, however, despite a huge war chest, Perry bowed out of the 2012 GOP Presidential Nomination race, at the bottom of the polls, thoroughly defeated. I believe it was clearly by the direct intervention of the Almighty.

“This is the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful in our eyes.”

Because as a student of the 2012 Candidates, among all the unqualified applicants for the GOP Nomination who could conceivably have won the Presidency, I would have preferred Perry.

How did I arrive at that conclusion?

Of course, any candidate worth supporting in 2012 absolutely MUST know how to save our nation from the potential continuance-of-the-Republic threatening economic disaster just around the corner. So, he must draw the line of his Presidency at the limits on Federal power in the Constitution to save our economy – not as a distant “goal” or “ideal” but as a line he will not cross or compromise. That is my minimum qualification for the next President. Only two candidates met it,  Ron Paul and Gary Johnson. Both had economic policies that could save the economy. Unlike Paul, Johnson is a pro-Death social liberal I could never have voted for or supported (responsibility for killing innocent people is not a moral burden I’m willing to carry).

But there are big differences between all the remaining candidates – the ones who will slowly compromise away our rights and give away our wealth for temporary popularity, but might be good on other things.

Most of them will look squarely at the camera and lie to you.

But of all the remaining, clueless but carnivorous careerists, I think Rick Perry is the only one who really prays to the real God. And I think that if he were President when the real collapse occurs, (and remember, Paul will be the only one left who could have prevented it)  he would be driven to his knees – not to his advisers and financiers – and he might remember the man who predicted in every particular the disaster that had just befallen us – and he might listen to the still, small, voice and repent for assuming an office whose duties he would as well know then as we know now he was completely unprepared to discharge.

Such a man, driven, as were Washington and Lincoln in the darkest hours of their wars, to prayer, might listen to what God tells him. I think, in fact, that it was God that was responsible for the merciful intervention to suspend Rick Perry’s political talent at the most critical moment.

Remember?

On November 9^th, with the national debate spotlight focused on him, Rick Perry’s presence of mind Completely left him. Turning to Ron Paul he said:

“I will tell ya, its three agencies of government, when I get there, that are gone: Commerce, Education and the… um… uh…” (He looked at Ron Paul)

“What’s the third one there? …let’s see… “

(Willing to help, Paul said, “you need five.” It didn’t help. Rick couldn’t remember, but tried again.)

“Commerce, Education and, uh…the um… uh… uh…

(The moderator shortly asked, “But you can’t name the third one?” and Rick took the bait.)

“The third agency of government, I would… I would do away with uh… Education… uh… the… uh… “

(There was a pause during which it looked like Perry could now only remember one of the three… someone supplied, “Commerce”)

“Commerce… and let’s see….. pause… I can’t… the third… sorry…”

“Oops.”

In the 12 hours following that debate more than half a million people watched Rick Perry’s “Oops” video on YouTube.

WHAT IMAGE DOES

Rick Perry entered the Presidential race on August 13, 2011 and in eleven days held a double-digit lead over every other candidate in national polling. The imaging was Reaganesque.

On the 57^th day of his campaign, Rick Perry walked into the CNBC debate in Rochester, Michigan and lost the Presidential race in 53 seconds, the image of a fool.

Almost any Republican who would vote for Gingrich or Bachmann or Santorum or Cain and most who would vote for Romney (except the hard left) would have voted for Rick Perry… before he was stricken dumb on national TV.

And that 53 seconds of “disaster,” its timing and improbability has all the marks of the intervention of God, as He has been intervening.

It was, at once a divine chastening (for his pursuit of “image”) and a stroke of mercy to Rick Perry who cannot possibly now be blamed for the failure of the nation that well may follow the 2012 election season.

Only one man has the policy that can save us these coming hardships.

If Obama, Romney, Gingrich, or Santorum were to be the next President (not that Romney could), they would ultimately be blamed for a hundred years for what will occur on their watch (unless it happens before then).

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

†We do not use the word “fascist” figuratively or lightly. It is not intended to imply censorship, antisemitism or any connection to the Nazi Party. Fascism is an early-20th century economic theory that combined totalitarian State control with Private Profit to build powerful de-facto monopolies. Obama/Romney Care is, quite literally, a fascist concept, combining totalitarian State control of health care  and private insurance company profits by policy legislation. Another code word for fascist policy is “Public/Private Partnerships.”

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