Will The Real Rick Perry Please Stand!

Posted by William Gee

     As Governor Rick Perry continues to dip his toes into the presidential "waters," many people are wondering why he is suddenly changing his tune on specific issues.  For instance, he pushes for legislation in the Texas government but opposes similar issues in the national political arena.  Or how about the fact that recently, he has been putting out "feelers" on issues in search of the biggest piece of the action. Just how many sides are there to Rick Perry?  This "how to win friends and influence people" approach is getting him nowhere.  If he had any decency, he would stick to his principles instead of trying to appeal to everyone at the same time. In this article, I will explain the many flip-flop tactics Governor Perry has undergone, not only as governor, but in his current actions in seeking a presidential bid.

     First, in the midst of glorifying the Texas economy, it is known that Perry boasted the 9 billion dollar Rainy Day Fund as being the safety net for Texas.  He had dilligently stated on many occasions that the savings fund should and will not be used for recurring expenses.  Then just a few short months later, by an almost unanimous vote by Congress, Rick Perry withdrew 3.1 billion dollars from the savings fund, solely to be used to aid the 2011 fiscal budget. 

    Immigration policies are another example of 2 sided tactics. If you recall Perry's Texas Dream Act,  signed in 2001 with a unanimous Replublican vote, allowed undocumented immigrants the right to in-state college tuition. However, just recently when the Democrats wanted to pass a national Dream Act, guess who was against it. That's right, Rick Perry. The recent immigration laws sparked contraversy in Arizona and were condemned by Perry.  He explicitely said that these type of laws were not for Texas.  Not long after, he called an emergency session to propose an end to sanctuary cities.

     There is no doubt that Rick Perry is a proud Texan.  He refused the President's stimulus funds in one of these proud moments only to eventually take most of it later.  He had always been opposed to any federal intervention and even more critical of accepting Federal handouts, that is, until Texas was overcome with wildfires just recently.  He practically demanded assistance, while at the same time criticizing President Obama for the aid given towards Alabama's natural disasters.  That's a fine display of compassion and gratitude.  I particularly like the "bite the hand that feeds you" approach.

    Most recently, we have seen the finest display of flip-flop political behavior by Perry.  We are all aware of the upcoming Prayer Event in Houston featuring Rick Perry, the Christian public, and of course, the contraversial American Family Association. The AFA is a super right wing non-profit organization with an ideology consisting of radical anti-everything views.  They are widely criticized as an anti-gay and lesbian hate group. However, don't you think it is odd that this event is being held in Houston?  Afterall, Houston's Mayor, Anisse Parker is a lesbian who shares a warm friendship with the govenor. Regarding issues of a morally unacceptable nature, Rick Perry believes that it is a state's right to ban or approve certain issues through legislation. We all understand where he stands on gay marriage, however just a few days ago, the King of the 10th Amendment stated he was "fine" with the idea of the state of New York allowing same sex marriage, but then he shifted toward the Federal statute to nullify the decision.  He most likely received a verbal spanking from his constituents.

     So let's recap on the many sides to Rick Perry. We have the "boastful Texas economist turned big spender,"  the "I will bait you with benefits then send you back to Mexico guy," then there's the "Proud, I need aid-I don't need aid passive agressive ingrate," and who can forget the "Anti-gay for me, pro-gay for you, holy roller prophet."  If I have left any out, I am sure if Perry decides to hit the presidential campaign trail, we will get to see how many Rick Perry's there really are. He might be the head of Texas, but he'll definitely be the butt of the nation.

*****UPDATE 8/4/2011
Just another incident came into view today in the news. Rick Perry has long been opposed to stem cell research. However, it has just been revealed that his back surgery that took place last month involved an experimental method of using stem cells. Hypocrite!