Rick Perry's Social Security Extremism: Why It Will Sink Him

[Benny B]

Rick Perry's Social Security Extremism: Why It Will Sink Him
by: Matt Taibbi

Presidential debates aren't often interesting, but last night's GOP "standoff" was – a little bit, anyway. It was a little like that final scene in Rounders where Matt Damon draws cowboys and takes out half of Teddy KGB's stack on the first hand. The field did the same thing to Perry last night, taking out one of his legs in his coming-out party.

And just like that Damon-Malkovitch no-limit showdown, the game is basically up once you have a huge advantage. In poker, once you have a huge stack, the rest of the way, all you have to do is lean on the guy, and he falls over.

In politics, it's the same. Once a candidate like Perry comes out of the gate threatening Social Security, the game is up. All you have to do from there is make him say it, over and over again. Romney and Hunstman will obviously do just that. They have the next six months to make sure every elderly and soon-to-be elderly person in America knows that Rick Perry wants to take their checks away.

The other candidates ganged up on Perry last night and attacked him, in essence, from the left, trying to paint him as someone who will take away popular programs. The situation reminded me a little of 2004, when other Democrats suddenly started attacking a surging Howard Dean, calling him a wimp and a socialist who was "too liberal" to win a general election. Hackish grinders like Kerry turned Dean's antiwar stance (which happened to be morally right) into a political albatross, forcing him to own it in every public appearance while highlighting his own army cred.

The move succeeded in part, among other things because the press signed on to Kerry's logic and relentlessly portrayed Dean as a candidate with no chance to beat Bush. But the strategy also deflated the party's base, which violently opposed the war, and left the Dems with comparatively little energy and enthusiasm heading into the general election.

I can see something like that happening here. Romney, if he's smart, can really hurt Perry with exchanges like the ones we saw last night. But if he wins the nomination, it'll be 2008 all over again, with bummed-out Tea Party types holding their noses for Romney/McCain as they go to war against Elvis in the general election.

BOOM!

[Soul Crusher]

Hey Step n Fetch It - 

Peter Schiff already got the SS Trustee himself to admit SS is a ponzi scam no different than Madoff other than intent.

[ Invalid YouTube link ] 

[Coach is Back!]

Hahaha, Benny can't even understand what he posts. lol

[Soul Crusher]

Hahaha, Benny can't even understand what he posts. lol

Benny is afraid to even go within a mile of the Pol board because we send him away crying instantly and he can't deal with it.   

[supernick]

why dont u join a politics board

[bike nut]

Benny, from now on please refer to Rick Perry as "President-Elect Rick Perry".

Thank you - best of luck with the welfare and the aids.

[oldtimer1]

Let me explain what he is saying for the guys who went to school on the short bus.  He is saying that social security can't sustain itself.  It will fall apart like a Ponzi scheme.  There has to be changes in order to protect seniors social security.

[Soul Crusher]

Wake up morons! 

[polychronopolous]

Benny, from now on please refer to Rick Perry as "President-Elect Rick Perry".

Thank you - best of luck with the welfare and the aids.

Very likely.

Although I prefer Romney, Perry came across pretty well last night. No major mistakes, catered extremely well to his conservative base, addressed the social security issue in a fair way as it concerns to the baby boomers.

The responses concerning capital punishment and global warming went over extremely well. Lets face it, India and China are not going to start issuing regulations anytime soon so it is what it is and Perry did come across as being very pro American energy on that front.

Again I prefer a Romney or even Cain over Perry but I would give the Texas Governor a better than not chance against Obama in 2012. He will OWN the South.

[bike nut]

Lets face it, India and China are not going to start issuing regulations anytime soon so it is what it is and Perry did come across as being very pro American energy on that front.

An interesting perspective here in America. We used cheap, dirty, energy as the backbone of our industrial revolution. Once our industrial base was built, we now expect the rest of the world to use expensive, clean energy as the backbone of their industrial revolution.

Prolly ain't gonna happen.   

Perry will romp over Obama....I'm not sure Obama could withstand a challenge from Hilary at this point.

[ManBearPig...]

benny rarely responds to his threads.

he's either retarded, or doesn't know what he posted, or is a bot that posts random stories.

[bike nut]

benny rarely responds to his threads.

he's either retarded, or doesn't know what he posted, or is a bot that posts random stories.

He's on the bus headed home from middle school. But he has a raging chubby going because his hero is going to dole out $300 billion more of our money to his peeps tonight.

 

[dr.chimps]

Hahaha, Benny can't even understand what he posts. lol

Did you just say that!? Let me introduce you to your post history. 

[bike nut]

Benny is afraid to even go within a mile of the Pol board because we send him away crying instantly and he can't deal with it.   

How much do you want to bet Obama's address tonight is nothing more then a re-election speech? If that is what he delivers with nothing more then the same regurgitated bullshit about building bridges, roads, payroll tax breaks and spending money.....Perry will win the Presidency by the largest margin in history.

Chisel it in stone.

[Soul Crusher]

How much do you want to bet Obama's address tonight is nothing more then a re-election speech? If that is what he delivers with nothing more then the same regurgitated bullshit about building bridges, roads, payroll tax breaks and spending money.....Perry will win the Presidency by the largest margin in history.

Chisel it in stone.

Blame Bush, lemme be clear, millionaires, jet owners, rich, blah blah   

[dr.chimps]

How much do you want to bet Obama's address tonight is nothing more then a re-election speech? If that is what he delivers with nothing more then the same regurgitated bullshit about building bridges, roads, payroll tax breaks and spending money.....Perry will win the Presidency by the largest margin in history.

Chisel it in stone.

It'll have to be. Not much Obama can say about an economy that isn't doing anything. Lucky for Obama  Perry is a tomato can. Maybe Perry can pray his way to the White House?  

[George Whorewell]

Benny, from now on please refer to Rick Perry as "President-Elect Rick Perry".

Thank you - best of luck with the welfare and the aids.

LMAOOOOOOOOOOO

[Dr Loomis]

Perry is the biggest liar and most corrupt of them all, he'll sink himself.

The only thing anyone can say about Barry is that he's dumb. People will take that a million times over someone corrupt. Look how far it's gotten Palin. The only thing you can hold against her is that she knows nothing, and people in general don't really care that she's simple.

Bachmann should've talked less and just winked at the camera more and let these other idiots embarrass themselves. That would've been her best strategy. But, she's nuts and can't keep quiet.