Texas Leader Calls for Rightward Tilt

[TomCADem]

Source: NY Times

NEW ORLEANS — Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, the latest Republican to muse openly about exploring a Republican presidential candidacy, drew booming applause here on Saturday for not only assailing President Obama but also lecturing some members of his own party on the importance of socially conservative principles.

“It saddens me, sometimes, when my fellow Republicans duck and cover in the face of pressure from the left,” Mr. Perry said, urging activists not to separate economic and social priorities. “We need to redouble our efforts to elect more conservative Republicans.”

* * *
His scathing broadside against the Obama administration, which he called “a mix of arrogance and audacity that is an affront to every freedom-loving American,” is precisely the message that many Republican activists say is missing from the field of candidates. “Americans voted for hope and got nothing more than greater economic misery,” he said.

His campaign pitch, should he decide to run, would be rooted in an equal measure of inspiring economic growth and preserving social values. He did not mention that Texas ranks near the bottom on several measures, including among the lowest in education funding per student and spending on the environment. But he sought to highlight legislative accomplishments like requiring voters to have ID cards.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/us/politics/19repubs.html

---

I recall back in 2000 when the corporate media was giving a megaphone to outliers who claimed that there was no difference between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Sadly, we learned that this is not true.

Yet, once again, I expect the corporate media to prop up sock puppets who will claim there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats even as Republicans use their control of State governments to roll back workers' rights. It is all part of the media strategy to Blame the Democrats and Give Republicans a Free Pass.

Notably, Rick Perry is seen as a presidential favorite even though he openly mused about Texas seceding from the U.S., which just goes to show how Republicans get a free pass from the corporate media.

[Avant Guardian]

1. The wheels are coming off the bus

...in this country.

[liberalmike27]

26. I'm Not Sure

But is the word con-servative even appropriate anymore? We need to come up with a name for anyone more conservative. I've been listening to Morning Joe, a guy I used to hate to listen to 15 years ago, and he almost sounds reasonable. It's a repeated theme too.

I think we should call them the ignorantatti, those led by corporate, wealthy people, into supporting people who will end up repaying their support by pushing policys that will hurt them economically.

[Uncle Joe]

45. Corporatists or corporate supremacists.

That's what their agenda boils down to, it's not good old fashioned "freedom" for the people, they care about, just the megas whether it be mega wealthy or mega corporation.

The problem with calling the average conservative ignorant; is that insult works against your best interests of persuasion and influence, they will tune you out.

However if you point out the logical conclusion that it must be either "We the People" or "We the Corporation" and it can't be both, they will be forced into a non-ideological choice, at least from a social issue standpoint and thus will be more acutely aware of the real stakes at risk and the true behind the curtain bankrupt morality of the Republican PTBs.

[Taverner]

50. How about 'Fascists'?

It is, after all, what they are

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Please Please Please

"Notably, Rick Perry is seen as a presidential favorite even though he openly mused about Texas seceding from the U.S., which just goes to show how Republicans get a free pass from the corporate media."

PLEASE SECEDE, and take the other insane states with you. The sane people of said states will be welcome to move to the sane part of America - an inconvenience to be sure, but a small price to pay.

[Tx4obama]

6. Please do not bash Texas.

Over 3.5 MILLION Texans voted for Obama in 2008.
Obama won all of our largest cities/counties except for one.
Obama's approval rating in Texas is now at 51%.
Texas is not so much a red state anymore - Texas is PURPLE :)

There are a hell of a lot of Democrats down here in Texas and we ain't going to go anywhere!

[Hardrada]

9. Jim Hightower, Molly Ivins, Ann Richards.

Glad J.H. is still with us. Miss the others.

[Action]

42. Ah

Hightower is still alive, isn't he.

[MannyGoldstein]

19. I hear you. But your elected representatives are highly toxic

Hutchison, Cornyn, Gohmert, Hensarling, and so forth are destroying our country. Looks like three-quarters of your reps are Republicans.

I'd love nothing more than for our country to stay together, but unless a certain group of states starts to elect rational people to office, the whole thing seems doomed - better to carve out some pieces that will survive.

Alternatively, Massachusetts and other like-minded states could secede.

I'll probably feel better about this after a cup of coffee.

[Tx4obama]

52. No state can secede from the union legally.

And the only thing that Texas can do 'legally' is to divide into four separate smaller states - and those would still be part of the United States of America.

[MannyGoldstein]

53. There's no prohibition, though (is my understanding)

It just needs to be agreed to by all parties - probably a majority of both houses of Congress.

[leftistboy]

58. on what supreme ct decision or law do you base that statement?

[Tx4obama]

61. Here's a quote from Supreme Court Justice Scalia

Scalia: "If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede."

[leftistboy]

63. a quote from a justice is not a court decision

[Tx4obama]

65. I did NOT say it was a supreme court decision.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that if a republican conservative supreme court justice states a quote such as one I provided for you publicly then anyone trying to bring a case in front of the court will NOT get a hearing.
A specific number of justices must agree to hear a case before it is brought before the court,
and any state secession case would be toss into the trash and laughed at ;)

[leftistboy]

66. are you going to retract this: "No state can secede from the union legally."?

or not?

[Tx4obama]

68. No. I am not.

In the case of Texas, a right Texas has is the right to divide into five smaller states and each of those would still remain part of the United States.

[Name removed]

70. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[liberalmike27]

27. Texas, like most of the South

Awaits the revival of the populist wing of the democratic party. Hopefully someday we'll see that, preferably before we're reduced the country to a boiling pile of steaming dogpoop.

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[leftistboy]

67. good to see an actual original thought on DU

[ananda]

29. Texas is NOT purple. It's redder than ever.

nt

[Hawaii Hiker]

32. Texas does have some blue areas

all the major cities, especially Austin, problem is the red areas are rabidly red and its difficult for a democrat to overcome that..

[atreides1]

34. Maybe

But it doesn't make Texas a "purple" state.

[atreides1]

31. Then how come the Republicans have complete control?

Texas may be "purple" on a national scale, but it's still "red" at the state level!

[chalky]

55. The repugs dominate time and again down here because of Hot Tub Tommy

and his damned gerrymandering.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Texas_redistricting

The districts are rediculously contorted down here to ensure the democratic vote gets diluted. In fact, they're doing it again. This time they're planning on dividing Austin up like a pizza to go after Doggett.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/06/why-texas-democrats-are-endangered/239797/

[still_one]

38. I have to bash almost every state, especially looking at what happened in the midterms. We lost Ted

Kennedy's and Russ Feingold seat, along with states that used to be considered Democratic, such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey can no longer be taken for granted

You indicate Texas is PURPLE. I remember when Texas was SOLID BLUE.

Now states that used to be BLUE are at best purple.

It is very depressing to realize how republican leadership has brought the country to its knees starting with the policies of reagan, and concluding with the policies of bush

That people do not seem to make the connection between republican "trickle down economics", and the state of economic disaster we are in, only serves to emphasis the disconnect

[FBaggins]

47. Hard to call Texas "purple"

Haven't had a Democratic governor elected in over twenty years. About that long for one senate seat and 50 years or so for the other. We hold only nine of the 33 US House seats and (so far) redistricting makes the map even uglier. 2:1 minority in the state House and almost as bad in the Senate (again - with redistricting making big gains unlikely).

Yes, 3.5 million Texans voted for the President... but 4.5 million voted against him. The fact that 4.5 million people voted for McCain in California doesn't make it a purple state either... just a populous one.

[Yupster]

8. Texas tried that once

They voted 80 % to 20 % to secede. Little did they know they would be squashed for doing it.

[rpannier]

3. Further to the right

I guess they want to revisit the glory days of the 9th century

[Blacksheep214]

4. We need all candidates to sign a statement

that they understand what a Theocracy is and what actual freedom of and from religion is!

NBC is in trouble for not having included the phrase 'under god'.

Whose god and if not for the cold war, it wouldn't be in there anyway.

Save us from these religious dictators!

[ixion]

5. "freedom-loving" and "socially conservative" are opposite things

but, hey, repukes have never been known for their logic skills.

[SoapBox]

7. What a frack'n loon...

Is it the water? Too much ozone? Or what?

This country has lost it's bloody mind.

[Rex]

10. Oh please, youre such a shithead you couldn't even get the numbers

right for the state debt! Actually shithead lied about the numbers to get elected again, of course stupider shitheads ate it up and asked for seconds.

[DesertDiamond]

11. With apologies to all sane Texans, I must point out that anything I read about some weird occurrence

in this country... it almost always happened in Texas. I continue to suspect that there is something in the water in Texas.

[ellenrr]

12. hey! I lived in Texas

Texans elected Perry as governor. Now I live in NJ. New Jerseyians elected Christie.

If there is something in the water, then it is not just in Texas

[Patiod]

35. And PA elected frakkin' Corbett and a Republican legislature

Dark blue Philly, blue Pittsburgh, and Alabama in between (apologies to James Carville)

Everyone I know who voted for Corbett thought he was the world's greatest AG, going after all the bad politicians. Little did they know that he's far to the right of Texas in terms of taxing frakking.

So Texas might be toxic, but it's spreading like MRSA.

[WatsonT]

54. These are pretty weird, and most definitely not in Texas

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4889165
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4890418
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1335419&mesg_id=1335419
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1332727&mesg_id=1332727

[boomerbust]

Uh, Mr. Perry

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[boomerbust]

13. Uh, Mr. Perry

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[Corruption Winz]

14. Jesus, this guy is a dick...

He talks about American freedoms, yet at one point, was questioning whether or not the state of Texas should remain a part of America. Brilliant.

This guy should be taken seriously? He would, like all republicans, try to run on economic growth. Sure. That's perfect. Yet, he couldn't get the state of Texas in strong financial shape. So, we're to elect the guy that couldn't grow the economy of a portion of America, with the hopes of him helping America as a whole, economically. Perfect, republican sense.

Values. Jesus.. When will Republicans get into churches and out of politics? You want to tell me how to think? Then use the right flat form. Get in front of a cross and stand in front of a bunch of knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing fools. But, stay out of politics. Politics is a thinking man's game and that isn't something you do when you feel you're blessed by a God that's supposed to make it rain when you're in a drought.

This Bible-thumping idiot is supposed to help America? Fine... Just tell me when he'll step down and get out of politics.

[bulloney]

39. If a state stood to benefit from NAFTA, it would be Texas. But they're hurting financially.

As stated in at the top of this OP, Texas is ranked near the bottom in so many categories.

The state has had the likes of Dubya and Rick Perry serve as governor. They have some of the biggest loons in Congress.

And we keep voting these people to POTUS and other high-powered positions.

Absolutely amazing.

[leftistboy]

15. Is perry really the most rightwing? He has addressed the secession issue

I would call that more of a leftwing thing, rather than rightwing

[av8rdave]

17. WTF?

I think you have your political ideologies mixed up. Those on the left want to make the government we have work for all of us. Those on the right threaten to take their ball and go home (that's a metaphor for secede) when they don't like who wins Presidential elections.

Real patriots, those people.

:sarcasm:

[leftistboy]

18. what nations make their govt work best for the majority?

gjve me a list

[av8rdave]

57. Check out just about any of the Scandanavian countries

But you missed my point. You seem to think that it would be those on the left that would favor secession, when contemporary events (and especially Perry's comments) show otherwise.

It's easy and fun to believe that all government is bad and the magic private sector will serve us all, but it's folly to paint with such a broad brush.

In short, your "experts" (Limbaugh, Hannity, et al) are just plain wrong. As was St. Reagan.

[leftistboy]

59. we ought not to rely on word filters for argument

you wrote:

"But you missed my point. "

Wrong.

you wrote:

"You seem to think that it would be those on the left that would favor secession, "

Secession is a leftist act.


you wrote:

"when contemporary events (and especially Perry's comments) show otherwise."

Perry has spoken favorably of considering secession. That is leftist, in and of itself.



you wrote:

"It's easy and fun to believe that all government is bad "

All large scale govt is bad. Local govt, with the right sort of locals, is the epitome of human accomplishments.



you wrote:

"and the magic private sector will serve us all, but it's folly to paint with such a broad brush."


I never said that. And I would never say that.
The private sector can be a great tool. A chain saw can also be a great tool, but a poorly controlled chain saw can kill. Likewise with government.



you wrote:

"In short, your "experts" (Limbaugh, Hannity, et al) are just plain wrong. As was St. Reagan."

Where did I quote limbaugh. I quit listening to him many many years ago. However, I did read that he recently said that he thought federalism was the enemy. As a leftist, I agree. However, I doubt that limbaugh REALLY thinks federalism is bad.


You wrote:
"Check out just about any of the Scandanavian countries"

I agree. I think that those nations are really by far teh most leftist nations ever, and the best nations ever.
Now how can we make the USA like those nations? Well, how are those nations unlike the USA? Oh, wait, we could dissolve the federal union! THen the states would be small in population, just like those nations you mentioned! So now we see that if Perry were to get what he supposedly wants, he would possibly be turning texas into Netherlands. But the problem is that he does not really want to do that, and he is just giving the idea lip service to people will vote for him. However, just that lip service makes him more leftist then the other gop candidates, at least in one important way.

Now please respond rationally after due consideration and reflection....

[av8rdave]

60. Explain to me please how secession is a "leftist act"

[leftistboy]

62. secession makes nations smaller. Smaller is more democratic. More democratic is more Leftist

QED

[sofa king]

16. ...because the good ship America hasn't capsized yet.

But rest assured, they will keep trying.

[madrchsod]

20. 40 yrs ago obama would be a liberal republican....

it really is amazing just how far the republican party has shifted to the right.

by the way is`t texas some 25 billion in the hole?

[Ex Lurker]

21. This is an excellent sign

If the fundies get a seat at the table, they'll sink the Republicans in 2012.

[Joe Bacon]

22. We don't need another TEX ASS HOLE!

But if he gets elected, I'll be gladly supporting a movement in California to secede.

[Odin2005]

23. If this country tilts any more to the Right it's gonna fall over.

[Roy Rolling]

24. "Conservative Principle"

He forgot to mention the conservative principle of running up massive budget deficits ($9 billion/year)caused by shoveling money out the door through massive tax breaks.

How conservative it is to spend money and then not have enough income to pay for it when the bill becomes due. :sarcasm:

[TxVietVet]

25. Even the pulpit pimps push the conservanazi propaganda from their radio shows.

And, of course, all the dumbass bible thumpers here in Texas vote against their own self interests. What they don't understand is that they are screwing themselves and their children, but they are blinded by their religion and racism. They think they are screwing the poor, blacks and hispanics. Most of them are too stupid to tell anything after they've been primed by their pulpit pimp. Texas, like most of the old Confederacy, is under the one-party rule. With a massive debt, they will institute reforms the conservanazis bribers want: no taxes, rape the poor, screw the teachers and the education system. It's an uphill battle.

Just like with the US government, in order to get rid of the conservanazis, we may need a government financial collapse due to their rigid ideology.

[LeftinOH]

28. Yes, please! Steer hard to the right, folks! That's exactly what needs to be done!!

}( :rofl:

[66 dmhlt]

30. Haven't we had enough gun-waving fascists?

[Scottybeamer70]

33. He's should know all about tilted...........

he's about as tilted as it gets. It's those boots holding him in an upright position.........otherwise............

[Odin2005]

56. Tilted, twisted, crooked, bent...

[RedCloud]

36. "Ready for another Texas governor in the White House?"

I think that would be a really swell slogan for him.

[russspeakeasy]

37. Take a hard look at Florida and Texas looks just slightly right of

center.

[VA_Jill]

40. Not right enough?

Any farther right and they'll fall off the face of the earth......which might not be a bad thing!

[Action]

41. Please Please Please

Repubs run as the social concervatives that you are! Don't be hypocrites.

The majority of voters do not agree with you, but hey, it appears you don't care.

[divvy]

44. Democratic Leadership calls for Progressive's resignation (Weiner)

No wonder we can't pass a bill. Our strategy seems to be "just let the republicans do it"

[Renew Deal]

46. Perry could win the nomination

Because he would be the only southern republican with wingnut credentials that won't be laughed off the stage right away. People are dying for an alternative to Romney.

[FBaggins]

49. Indeed. And a potential pairing with Rubio would make a formidable ticket.

Though if the economy renews its recovery, it would still be tough to beat the President.

[LetTimmySmoke]

48. Any more of a rightward tilt and we'll tip over.

[janburns96]

51. This facist repuke should be rounded up with..

all the other facist repukes running for president should be shackled and frogmarched before the world court for crimes against humanity.

[classysassy]

64. Mr Perry

want to take us back to those not so thrilling days of yesteryear when the BFEE were in control of a sick and sad nation,that lying sack of Texas horse manure want to rape and pillage this country for the few dollars left behind b y Bush/Chaney.If the American citizens are foolish enough to turn our country over to the republicans they deserve the hardships that will be forth coming.

[KamaAina]

69. Maybe it'll tilt far enough to the right that it'll flip over into the Gulf

:sarcasm:

Just kidding, lefty Texans (including Willie, Molly, Ann, Bill Moyers and a host of DUers).