Quantcast

Widgetized Section

Go to Admin » Appearance » Widgets » and move Gabfire Widget: Social into that MastheadOverlay zone

FOX News Loves Rick Perry But is he a Viable Option for Independents?

By: Hrafnkell HaraldssonAug. 13th, 2011more from Hrafnkell Haraldsson

Rick Perry Proclaims his Messiahship

Speaking this afternoon before a crowd at the RedState Gathering in Charleston, South Carolina, Rick Perry announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. He had already launched his website, rickperry.org. Introduced as “the jobs governor” Rick Perry took the podium with a “howdy” and then asking the audience to take a moment of silence for our fallen soldiers, found it impossible to remain silent himself.

He sold himself as folksy son of hardworking Christian farmers and as a former Eagle Scout. He appealed to Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, two Republicans who would not be considered Republicans today while appealing to the spirit of American exceptionalism and slamming Barack Obama and “Washington’s insatiable desire to spend our children’s’ inheritance.”There was nothing exceptional here; it was pretty much what we expected to hear: it’s all Obama’s fault, blah, blah, blah. Essentially, Obama is a “downgrade” – making Rick Perry the “upgrade” – yet another Republican messiah threatening destruction to anyone who casts a dirty look America’s way.

FOX News predicted Friday that “When Texas Gov. Rick Perry formally launches his presidential bid Saturday, his candidacy is expected to shake up the GOP field and give the White House pause.” What makes Rick Perry so special? According to FOX News, it’s “because Perry is seen as the one candidate who can appeal to social conservatives, Tea Party activists and establishment Republicans.”

Perhaps, but this might not be true if, as Rachel Maddow pointed out the other night, the MSM did not continue to lie on Rick Perry’s behalf, covering up his association with extremist Christian elements, the New Apostolic Reformation and Seven Mountains Dominionism, that reveal a deep-seated desire to takeover the United States government, and indeed, subsume all American society into a Taliban-like Christian state.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.comWatch the latest video at video.foxnews.comWatch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

He is credible on issues social conservatives care about and sent a strong message to evangelicals last weekend by hosting a national prayer rally in Houston that drew roughly 30,000 Christians. He also has overseen a period of job growth in his state, making Texas one of the few states in the country to have posted economic gains.

They even make his prayer-fast more of a success than it was. And it’s a mistake to claim that evangelicals are the same as Seven Mountain Dominionists. FOX News has never been shy about lying though and you won’t find any in-depth analysis of dominionists goals on the pages of FOXNews.com or discussed by the bleach-blonde bimbos who disseminate conservative Talking Points on television.

As I said here the other day, Perry is anything but a mainstream candidate and the folks behind The Response are anything but mainstream Christians. And then there is the little issue of Perry being a secessionist, a point raised by the White House. Secessionism is not all that mainstream. Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, certainly didn’t think so. And I suspect were Abe sitting in the White House today he’d be a lot less complimentary than Obama’s senior advisor David Axelrod.

FOX News cites some opinions about Perry from other GOP hopefuls:

Texas Rep. Ron Paul said he was “pleased” Perry was joining the field “because he represents the status quo.” Businessman Herman Cain called Perry “one more politician.”

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman joked that “we all need prayers” and said he hoped Perry was praying for the GOP field.

What’s rather terrifying is the claim that Perry represents the status quo. In what universe is support for theocracy over democracy, and secessionism, status quo? Perry isn’t even a conservative in that respect, because a conservative is FOR the status quo, not against it. The status quo position for the United States is democracy. Perry hates democracy and he hates the United States, otherwise he wouldn’t be talking about secession.

Cain might be closer to the mark. FOX News can claim “a devout Christian whose faith defines his politics” but there is nothing in the record to suggest this is true. It is simply another case of replacing reality with what “ought” to be true to bring reality in line with Republican political theology. Rick Perry is a player, an opportunist, and his actions suggest nothing else.

Rick Perry might fare well among Republicans as long as they can be kept in the dark about what Rick Perry really believes, and who he is associating with. In no sense are all evangelicals supporters of the NAR and Seven Mountains Dominionism. By no means do all Republicans support secession. Perry has already surrendered the vote of independents and moderates by his stance on LGBT rights issues; he will lose support from his own base if Rachel Maddow and those like us here at PoliticusUSA can get the truth out about his darker associations.

FOX News reports Republican strategist Jim Dyke as saying, “Perry hasn’t shown up in the rodeo yet, but it looks like a Romney-Perry race.” If this is true, it will pit the most moderate Republican candidate against the most extremist.

A new FOX Poll claims “Among the key voting group of independents, 33 percent would give Obama a second term, while over half — 57 percent — would vote for someone else.”

Just who would that someone else be? A man (Romney) who thinks corporations are people and claims them as his friends? A woman (Bachmann) who says a woman should stay at home and be submissive to her husband? A man (Perry) who wants to secede from the Union and who thinks prayers are the proper response to droughts? Do most independents (or even most Republicans) think demons control the Democratic Party? One of Perry’s backers at The Response does. I put it to you that independents don’t have many options in 2012 and that in the end, they will see Obama again as their best bet to stave off disaster.

According to a new CNN/ORC International poll, Perry has the support of 15 percent of respondents, just behind Romney’s 17 percent. But significantly, Obama beats out Perry in a head-to-head confrontation, 51 percent to 46 percent among registered voters.

The only way independents will go for Perry is if they’re kept from knowing the truth about Perry, which brings us back to FOX News and the dishonest meme that Rick Perry is one of us.

FOX News Loves Rick Perry But is he a Viable Option for Independents? was written by Hrafnkell Haraldsson for PoliticusUSA.
© PoliticusUSA, Aug. 13th, 2011. All Rights Reserved

Related Posts :