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August 16, 2011 04:12 AM UTC

Texas Gov. Rick Perry: An Opposition Campaign Primer

  • 25 Comments
  • by: The Journeying Progressive

Ah! Fresh meat!

That’s what’s on the mind of political pundits this week as they come down off the high of the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames. With nothing to report until–well–something unpredictable happens, or until the Iowa caucuses in January, the media and blogosphere will gush with pedantics about this outsider to the GOP fratricide-fest that has been the 2012 presidential nominating process thus far.

Unless something extraordinary happens, Texas Governor Rick Perry will be the GOP and Tea Party presidential nominee in 2012. He’s the darling of the extreme right and can be stomached by party moderates who know Mitt Romney has no chance of winning the top spot on the ticket without flip-flopping on nearly all of his social positions. So, no big deal, we’re looking at Rick Perry.

Here is some friendly advice that an opposing campaign should follow–Republican, Democrat or Independent:

1) Texas Governor Rick Perry shall not be referred to as the “Wal-Mart Candidate,” or “[Insert Fast-Food Chain Here] Candidate.”

Though bulk international realtors like Wal-Mart and unhealthy fast-food companies have crumbled the professional occupational base of this country, they remain wildly popular with folks struggling to get by on an unemployment check or–surprise, surprise–a minimum-wage job from one of the aforementioned. By undermining American business, Wal-Mart and McDonald’s can afford to churn out cheap (both quantitative and qualitative) goods; in tough economic times, folks are almost forced to shop here in order to feed and clothe their families. Many feel they don’t have an option.

Scoffing at Wal-Mart or fast food will almost certainly alienate the working families needed to win this election. The Texas Governor’s opposition will thus have popularly branded him without any effort on his part.

2) Don’t call him “Ricky Perry,” either.

Haven’t you seen Talledega Nights? This moniker will only draw comparisons with Will Ferrell’s character, Ricky Bobby. Yet another popular brand not to bestow on the Tea Party Candidate for President.

3) Refer to him as Texas Governor Rick Perry as much as possible.

Voters remember the last Governor from Texas in the White House–they sent a very resounding message that he messed things up for the country pretty bad with their vote in 2008.

(Disclaimer: Don’t push this point too hard or mention George W. Bush too often. You’ll look petty and juvenile.)

4) Refer to him as the Tea Party Candidate for President whenever possible.

The Tea Party has a very high unfavorability rating among Independents and voters who have not yet made up their mind in this election. And make no mistake: Texas Gov. Rick Perry got into this race because he knows he will have Tea Party support the whole way.

5) Do NOT mock Texas Governor Rick Perry’s faith.

Democrats and Independents who mock the faith of Texas Gov. Perry will absolutely be labeled as anti-Christian, anti-moral, typical liberals. This couldn’t be more untimely, as voters are finally seeing that being a good Christian in America means the Republican Party isn’t the only political congregation available. Progressive Christians put their faith into action every day through actual works of good both within government and without–highlight that heavily instead.

6) Do NOT mention his work for Al Gore…

…Unless you’re using it to highlight his flip-flopping on the issues or you live in a district where Gore is rabidly unpopular. Campaign on his work for the former Democratic Vice President and you’re just asking for voters to infer that he is bipartisan–big mistake. This guy is no Reagan.

7) Talk a lot about secession.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry advocated that policy for Texas for a time–do you really think a man who preached absolute disunion deserves the highest office in the land? Frame the choice as between a candidate of Lincoln and government “of the people, by the people, for the people” versus a candidate of discord and yesterday.

8) Show you have gall and grit when it comes to standing up for your faith; don’t allow it to be used as Texas Governor Perry did.

If he is bringing showmanship-faith into the public debate, good Christians of any political persuasion are entitled to remind the Texas Governor: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:5) Don’t cede an inch of ground to the Tea Party Candidate for President on this issue. His brand of Christianity is a sensationalist, boastful brand; highlight the alternative, which is true, humble, oats-and-barley faith.

9) Texas Governor Rick Perry is responsible for the death of 234 Americans.

For what it’s worth. Emphasize that one can be tough on crime without condoning more murder, which is what Texas’ death penalty allows–the most extreme of all fifty states.

10) If all else fails, give him the “$500 Hair Cut” treatment.

Hey, it worked against John Edwards. Sorry men, if you’ve got good hair, expect to have it used against you by the majority of the country bereft of such a privileged feature.

This is by no means an all-inclusive instruction manual on how to defeat Texas Governor Rick Perry, but it should be a starting point. There is no need to campaign negative or maliciously, but an informative opposition drive is necessary to lay bare the Tea Party Candidate.

In politics, like in football, there are no pre-ordained candidates. On any given election day, the campaign that has worked the hardest–and the smartest–with enough heart and drive will win the day. Let that be your mantra for a better American campaign in 2012.

(Cross-posted from The Journeying Progressive)

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25 thoughts on “Texas Gov. Rick Perry: An Opposition Campaign Primer”

  1. http://politicalticker.blogs.c…

    Although the reporting about the pork tenderloin are a bit much. Really, CNN?

    Also, what a blatant disrespect to this nation’s military. Tea Party Candidate Rick Perry thinks that soldiers, sailors & airmen allow politics to dictate their loyalty and duty to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution?

    Somebody should lambaste him for that one. He talks a big talk, but he doesn’t walk the walk when it comes to honor in this instance.

    1. He’ll field some flak in the primary, but who is going to be a viable candidate that is more conservative? The Bachmann honeymoon is unlikely to extend past Iowa, and the “weird” strategy seems destined to doom Romney.

      Good comment on the Catholic Church. There are a few states that will hurt in. Let’s keep the message going strong–50 states, my friends.

      1. Perry apparently invited Rev John Hagee to speak at his prayer rally.  Hagee is known as

        “the wildly anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish pastor who claims that Hitler was only doing the will of god by slaughtering Jews. Hagee also called Catholicism “a falst cult system” and “a godless theology of hate”.

        http://www.rawstory.com/rawrep…

          1. for Hurricane Katrina. That because of their blatant sin, God wrought destruction via a hurricane that somehow managed to cause massive damage to at least 3 other coastal states. Guess God got kind of carried away on that one.

            Excellent article by Bruce Wilson, who digs in Hagee and his crazy ass views. And yes, I do mean crazy.

            “I went down there and joined this church. We were taught to vomit demons into bags. It was a very, very weird situation.” — Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi, on his experiences at John Hagee’s San Antonio Cornerstone Church

            Does Rick Perry know that his friend and political endorser John Hagee has claimed cops across America are conspiring with satanists who ritually slaughter their own babies as sacrifices to the devil? Does he know Hagee is an avowed exorcist who claims to have cast out a demon from a woman whom Hagee says had the face of a cat? Does Perry know Hagee has promoted a variant of Hitler’s favorite anti-Jewish conspiracy theory, that Rothschild bankers control the world economy and are scheming against the common folk?

            1. When you can’t blame Canada, blame the gays.

              Not so much the gay wimmin – especially the ones that are (paid to) do porn.  Those are employees.

              But the men.  Seriously- who’s more blameworthy than gay men?  Gay Canadian men.

  3. but I think you are write about all these things. Great diary, Journeying. Your #2 implies don’t call him the NASCAR candidate either. Good call.

    We need to jump on the blogs and facebook and discredit this jobs thing, and not just by quoting people from the New York Times. We need to tell people it’s bunk — his alleged job building mostly came from woowing businesses from nearby states, and a lot of it was from military contracts too. “More war, Perry.”

    1. And would it hurt the press secretary to let the public know that the president watches NASCAR races on the weekend? SOMETHING to make him more genuine as these false choices start popping up in this race to trip him up…

    1. The devastating commercials against Ken Buck had to do with abortion. The one where he was gleefully bragging about how he was against it even in the cases of rape and incest sealed his fate.

      The Social Security/Medicare ones were touched on, and certainly contributed to his demise as well. But it was college-educated, suburban women who turned the tide for Bennet due to his constant hammering on Buck’s abortion stance.

        1. It was a rich palette of bone-headed and flat-out stupid remarks from Buck. But my point was that it was reproductive rights that really did him in, not entitlements.

      2. You act like it’s objective fact that the abortion commercial had more impact than the social sec/medicare commercial. Obviously it’s debatable, and I’m not interested in the “less filling versus tastes great” debate, to which the obviously is “both:

        * It hurt Buck that he looked extreme in opposing all abortion

        * It hurt Buck that he looked extreme in opposing all social security and medicare

        1. I don’t have time to delve into voting record demographics right now and give you some hard data (sorry about that, I wish I did) but it was the 25-45 y/o suburban woman–typically highly educated–who won it for Bennet.

          Seniors, who would be more likely to be swayed by arguments on entitlements, went for Buck anyway despite the evidence that he would screw them over policy-wise.

          It was reproductive rights that won the day. It is both, but it’s like 70% abortion and only 30% Medicare/Social Security, which only helped deepen the broader “too extreme” picture.

          1. if he hadn’t blown it with Unaffiliated female voters. He bled support with them once his views that 16 year old girls, raped by their fathers, should be considered criminals. That viewpoint sort of sealed the deal. Every poll showed him doing pretty well with female voters up until his extreme views on abortion became well known.  

          2. Yeah, I do recall now that you’re right, Bennet had a huge lead among women. I think he was in the ballpark of tied among seniors.

            Still think “social security and medicare are unconstitutional” is a great attack line too.  Especially in swing states in the rust belt and south (OH, WI, PA, VA, NC), there are lots of dems/independents who are religiously pro-life but liberal on economic issues.

            1. But this is a state that has voted down anti-abortion measures twice by huge numbers, and wouldn’t even sign enough petitions to get it on the ballot a third time. Colorado is not Ohio, as Republicans will (painfully) find out in 2012.

              3. 48 and 62 were just too extreme, and threatened lots more than abortion.

                Personhood people will be back in ’12, no matter what happens in Mississippi.  With an SOS committed to advancing the conservative agenda their signatures will be good.

                I’d rather not wager at any odds how a more straightforward abortion ban or limitation might fare.  

        2. will tell you it was always about winning independent women voters, from day one. The reproductive freedoms angle sealed the deal. No one had to lie or exaggerate — all the evidence was there — our side just had to share it. Knowing the demographics of the race, and what voters in CO said they wanted, Wadhams was a fool for putting a social conservative in that race.  

  6. http://online.wsj.com/article/…

    There was twice as much job creation in the public sector than the private in Texas.  Tell me how bad the government is again?

    BTW largest employer in the state–federal government.  Fort Hood itself is the single biggest employer with about 17,000 people employed there.

    Personally, I don’t mind government jobs, just don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth, Rick.  

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