Republicans looking for a suitable presidential candidate for the 2012 election might be interested in Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
A recent article in National Review planted a wet, sloppy kiss on Gov. Perry.
Perry is a booster of federalism, which is once again in vogue. As NR author Kevin D. Williamson quips, “Lots of conservatives have been in fights over public displays of the Ten Commandments, but Governor Perry is more interested in the Tenth Amendment.” That’s entirely suitable for the chief executive of a state that was once its own country, and arguably, a recipe for defusing many national conflicts. (Here’s the text of the amendment: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”)
The article, plus what I already knew about Perry, was enough to make me wonder if he is the Republican’s best hope. When I heard him address a meeting of conservatives last week, I had to question that idea.
Why? Presentation, a critical factor in a media age.
In his cadence, vocal tone, facial expressions, and even his outstretched hand, Perry reminded me of George W. Bush.
Someone in attendance with me at the meeting told me, “If George W. Bush had governed the way that Rick Perry talks, things would have turned out very differently.” Indeed.
But now, Perry’s similarities to Bush–in presentation if not in policies–are likely to doom any presidential aspirations he might have.
(While it is true that Perry was lieutenant governor under Bush, the two offices are filled by separate elections.)
First published by the Detroit News: http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=2192