Ford. Quayle. Stockdale. Now, Poor Rick Perry

[Benny B]

This field of repube candidates is truly embarrassing. And to think some clown on the politics board said that I should get used to saying "president Perry" when he entered the race.   

Ford. Quayle. Stockdale. Now, Poor Rick Perry
By James Fallows
In the long annals of presidential-campaign debating, there had until this evening been three famous-disaster moments:

1) 1976, Gerald Ford and Poland. This one wasn't quite fair. Ford was trying to make a reasonable point -- that the Polish people would never consider themselves a vanquished population. But what he actually said was, "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and under a Ford Administration there never will be."  And since the background imagery of those days was an (also unfair) mainly SNL-based theme that Ford was not really that bright ... well, it made trouble for him. And the Jimmy Carter campaign, for which I was working at the time, did all we could to rub it in.

2) 1988, Dan Quayle and Jack Kennedy. He walked right into this one -- and Lloyd Bentsen was there, crocodile-like, just waiting for him.

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3) 1992, James Stockdale, "who am I?" Sigh. (For the young: he was Ross Perot's running mate, and was in a debate against the other VP candidates, Quayle and Al Gore.)

4) 2011. Now, sadly, there is a fourth. I think anyone watching had to feel bad for Perry. I do.

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More from Garance Franke-Ruta. Poor Perry.

[Benny B]

Why Did Perry Get Into The Race, Really?
By Marc Ambinder

Republican consultants at loose ends and looking for work sold the Texas governor a bill of goods about his prospects

So I have this theory about why Gov. Rick Perry decided to run for president, despite what appeared to be his instincts telling him that the job just wasn't for him. There came a point late last Spring when, as you will recall, a number of Republicans who could have posed a challenge to Mitt Romney decided not to. Mitch Daniels's consultants no longer had a horse to ride.

Perry, I think, was sold a bill of goods. You're a governor of Texas, he was told. You have this incredible record on jobs. Romney is gonna get killed by health care and is so vulnerable. The other candidates are jokes. It's gonna be a lot easier than you think. You just have to let Romney self-destruct and you can roll. You can actually be president!

And that's basically what Perry did. He entered the race, dawdled, presented an economic plan late in the game, appeared to have no solid strategy, and thought he could coast. He didn't prepare himself for the discipline required of a modern presidential campaign.

I don't think Perry's consultants pushed him into the race just to make a buck. I legitimately think they thought that the race would be easy, and so the bar for Perry would be much lower than it turned out to be.

[Necrosis]

Sad this guy is allowed to run for leader of the free world, such a stupid fuck. How can you not know something like this for a debate/talk?

[howardroark]

My favorite part about that part of the debate was that Rick Perry was almost directly speaking and showing off to Ron Paul. Perry said something to the effect of "my flat tax plan is the only one that balanced the budget by 2020 and I cut three federal departments..." While Ron Paul's plan calls for eliminating five federal departments and balanced the federal budget in a year. LOL.

I'll give Perry props that he has better conservative credentials than most of the other Presidential candidates, but he's still a dirty politician - and now apparently he comes high to every debate as well. I almost feel sorry for him and his gaffes. I don't know why he's still running.

[Necrosis]

My favorite part about that part of the debate was that Rick Perry was almost directly speaking and showing off to Ron Paul. Perry said something to the effect of "my flat tax plan is the only one that balanced the budget by 2020 and I cut three federal departments..." While Ron Paul's plan calls for eliminating five federal departments and balanced the federal budget in a year. LOL.

I'll give Perry props that he has better conservative credentials than most of the other Presidential candidates, but he's still a dirty politician - and now apparently he comes high to every debate as well. I almost feel sorry for him and his gaffes. I don't know why he's still running.

seriously, props to perry he is clearly a stupid son of a bitch. Him palin and bachmann are the laughing stock of the world, the republican party is dying with clowns like this at the helm, cain is a fucking puppet, well they all are including obama. But the sheer stupidity on display from this party is appaling, they appeal to stupid christians and big corporations. To bad its obama again,  you guys really need a better president and better candidates i almost feel like this is a joke.

[240 is Back]

My favorite part about that part of the debate was that Rick Perry was almost directly speaking and showing off to Ron Paul. Perry said something to the effect of "my flat tax plan is the only one that balanced the budget by 2020 and I cut three federal departments..." While Ron Paul's plan calls for eliminating five federal departments and balanced the federal budget in a year. LOL.

agreed 100%

I'll give Perry props that he has better conservative credentials than most of the other Presidential candidates, but he's still a dirty politician - and now apparently he comes high to every debate as well. I almost feel sorry for him and his gaffes. I don't know why he's still running.

yeah, but for half his life, perry was a dem.  Worked on the 1988 al gore campaign to get gore to beat bush.  Trashed reagan for years, served in office as a dem.  Then decided if he wanted Duby'a job in TX gov, he'd better become a repub.

[240 is Back]

all the 'smart' repubs stayed home in 2012.  They know it's VERY hard to beat an incumbent president.  Only has happened once in the last 30 years... 1992 with Perot... and Bush would have cleaned clintons clock without Perot stealing away 18% of the vote that were fiscal conservatives.

[dr.chimps]

What was that 3rd dep't he wanted to axe. Did that ever come out?   

[Necrosis]

What was that 3rd dep't he wanted to axe. Did that ever come out?   

energy

[Necrosis]

all the 'smart' repubs stayed home in 2012.  They know it's VERY hard to beat an incumbent president.  Only has happened once in the last 30 years... 1992 with Perot... and Bush would have cleaned clintons clock without Perot stealing away 18% of the vote that were fiscal conservatives.

good point, but fuck man this is sad. I would personally like to see a scientist in charge someone who has ample critical thinking skills, is unmoved by emotion and uses facts and best data to make decisions. Seriously, smart people would make good presidents, not morons like perry who can't remember simple things.

[MORTALCOIL]

What was that 3rd dep't he wanted to axe. Did that ever come out?   

Intelligence?

[chadstallion]

Damn Rick Perry and his bumblings....
I was hoping we could pawn him off on the rest of the US and git him outta Texas.
we all warned y'll the first time about "W", but noooooooo, you wouldn't listen.
Heed our warnings this time!!!