Governor Goodhair Attacks Gays, Is Still Stupid

The gay blogosphere is all abuzz with Rick Perry's latest attempt to find relevancy after multiple gaffes which have derailed his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President, as yesterday he released a video attacking the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and "the war on religion."  Watch:



Oh, Rick... if only you had a better wardrobe consultant. AMERICAblog and others have pointed out in glee that the jacket he's wearing has a gay significance of its own:

Poor Rick. He just can't get ahead! Word to the wise: don't dress like a gay cowboy when you're attacking... uh, gay people.


Not everyone in Camp Perry are pleased with the ad, with top pollster (and, as reported by JoeMyGod, big-time homo) Tony Fabrizio calling it "nuts":

But not everyone was comfortable with the script. When the ad was being crafted several weeks ago, Perry's top pollster, Tony Fabrizio, called it "nuts," according to an email sent from Fabrizio to the ad's main creator, longtime GOP operative Nelson Warfield. In a separate email to The Huffington Post, Warfield confirmed that the ad was made over Fabrizio's objections. 

"Tony was against it from the get-go," Warfield wrote. "It was the source of some extended conversation in the campaign. To be very clear: That spot was mine from writing the poll question to test[ing] it to drafting the script to overseeing production."

Hint to gay strategists: if you don't want to work for a CRAZY PERSON don't sign on with a governor from Texas.  They're ALL nutty.

Also In Irrelevant Posturing...

Rick Perry has joined Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, and Mitt Romney in signing the anti-marriage equality NOM pledge.

He signed the pledge this weekend, affirming that if he wins the presidency, he will:

• Push for a federal ban on same-sex marriage.
• Nominate strictly conservative Constitutionalist judges.
• Defend DOMA in court.
• Investigate the "harassment" of anti-gay bigots at the hands of LGBT activists.  McCarthy what?

Well, at least we know he has at some point learned to sign his name.  Other than that, I don't really think this has much bearing on his race to obscurity.

Rick Perry Loves Vets! He Just Doesn't Want Them To Vote

Rick Perry is hoping that his military service is one of the many factors you'll vote for him in the Presidential race, banking heavily on his experience as a pilot in the Air Force to give him the kind of "Patriot Cred" necessary to defeat Obama's reputation as un-American.  Unfortunately, Perry has a rather damning albatross around his neck.  You see, one of his recents acts as governor was to sign a voter ID law into effect that is designed to combat Texas' (nonexistent) voter fraud problem.

Why is that counterintuitive to his so-called military chops?  Because it bans the use of military identification as valid voter ID, disenfranchising many veterans who only have a military ID.

From VetVoice, via ThinkProgress:

"Given that Governor Perry is talking up his veteran status in Iowa, and taking constant hits at our Commander in Chief, one would think he has a pretty good record when it comes to those who served," said Allen Vaught, an Iraq War Veteran, who was awarded a Purple Heart. "Iowans, and Americans at large should know, however, that Governor Perry put partisan politics above the rights of veterans by recently signing a Voter ID Law in Texas that prohibits veterans from using their Department of Veterans Affairs ID card to vote." 

Vaught added, "Governor Perry knows full well that a Veterans ID Card is a legitimate, government-issued ID. In some cases, it's the only government ID a veteran has. Veterans fought to protect our democracy. Yet, Governor Perry's ill-conceived voter ID law will ensure that some veterans don't get to participate in the democracy they fought to preserve. That doesn't earn the respect of any man or woman in uniform that I know. I'd urge the press to dig into Rick Perry's record on veterans issues. They'll find his record doesn't stand up to his blustery rhetoric."

Perry is reportedly running to "make sure that every young man and woman who puts on the uniform of this country respects highly the president of the United States."  How, by presidential edict?  Because you sure as hell are not going to garner respect by taking away military personnel's ability to vote.

Is Rick Perry Confused About What Treason Is?

Rick Perry has kicked off his campaign with remarks that the Washington Post cleverly referred to as an "ugly start" in reference to Fed chairman Bernanke:

“If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I dunno what y’all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas.”

Um, what does ugly treatment entail, Perry?  Uh, are we going to beat him up?  Hmmm.

He continues:

“Printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history is almost treacherous, or treasonous, in my opinion,” Mr. Perry said.

Perry's remarks about the Bush-appointed Chairman are misleading.  He not only seems to be implying that America's money troubles are due to too much money being printed (how is that for oversimplification?) but he confuses voters on what treason actually entails.  Matt Browner Hamlin at AMERICAblog raises an interesting point: which is more treasonous, doing your job as appointed by the President of the United States, or threatening to secede from the Union?

Perry's comments about the President not loving America, the troops deserving a patriotic veteran Commander in Chief, and Bernanke committing treason they all get at his biggest weakness: his secession comments. Perry is deploying a classic Rovian tactic - go after your opponent where you are weakest.

Video of his secessionist statement:



Do I think that Texas has the legal right to secede?  On reviewing info from others, yeah, maybe.  Are his statements treasonous?  Probably not.  Is Hamlin right that Perry is attacking the President and other members of the government on subjects that he himself is weak?  Abso-friggin-lutely.  You can't threaten to take your State out of the Union and then claim to be a patriot, sir.

In this case, sir=asshat.

Bill Clinton Thinks Rick Perry Is Crazy

I love Bill Clinton.  I loved him during his presidency and I love him now.

I took the weekend off.  I needed it.  I've been working nonstop since my brother's death and hadn't taken any "me-time," so with this past weekend's Pride festivities in Eugene, I took the opportunity to put the laptop down and get some fresh air.  Thus, I missed Rick Perry's announcement that he would be running for President:  

Speaking to a crowded hotel ballroom of conservative bloggers and more than 100 members of the media in South Carolina, the Texas governor unveiled a new tagline of his presidential contest: "It is time to get America working again." 

"'That's why, with the support of my family and unwavering belief in the goodness of America, I declare to you today as a candidate for president of the United States," he said. 

Perry's remarks focused squarely on America's economic situation, and he held the Obama administration flatly responsible for sluggish job growth and the recent downgrade of the country's credit rating by Standard and Poor's.

So the GOP clown car has gained another member, and it's one of my favorite examples of hypocrisy and religious extremism.  Not only is he pandering to the right-wing set, having headlined the Response and given legitimacy to the insane rantings of hate groups such as the American Family Association, he is running on a "small federal government" platform.  It's one he's espoused before, back when the Obama Administration was handing out stimulus money and shoring up state governments.  He said "no way!" to the money publicly, then accepted federal aid on the sly, then claimed he single-handedly balanced the Texas budget himself.

I've kept track of his nonsense for a while, thus earning him the moniker "Ricky Hypocrite" on this blog.  Well, I'm not the only one calling him crazy, with former President and all-around badass Bill Clinton decrying the foundation blocks of Perry's campaign as unrealistic.

"I got tickled by watching Governor Perry announce for governor, for president," Clinton said -- perhaps stumbling a bit in the wind-up of a joke. "He's a good looking rascal." 

The former president elaborated: "And he's saying 'Oh, I'm going to Washington to make sure that the federal government stays as far away from you as possible -- while I ride on Air Force One and that Marine One helicopter and go to Camp David and travel around the world and have a good time.' I mean, this is crazy.

I love Slick Willie.

Yeah, America Is Still Effed Financially. Nice Try, Though, Ricky

Rick Perry's call to prayer, "The Response," drew about 30,000 fasting and praying Christians to the Reliant Stadium on Saturday, with protesters outside and plenty of crazy on the inside.

GetEQUAL was there to protest the event, which drew such nutjobs as Sam Brownback (who insists that Rainbow Flags are dangerous weapons) and John Hagee (who thinks Hurricane Katrina is the gays' fault).

Right Wing Watch compiled a video of the various whackjob speakers, half of whom were SPLC certified hate-group representatives:



Of course, the whole fasting thing didn't seem to work out well, with Perry himself having breakfast and dinner plans, while the concession stands at the stadium were busy:

"It was billed as a day of prayer and fasting to halt America’s national decline, and about 30,000 answered the call, flooding into Houston’s Reliant stadium for a seven-hour marathon which blended Christian revivalism with hard-headed electoral campaigning.

"There was plenty of prayer: some of the faithful stood with arms held high in supplication, others danced trancelike in the aisles and still more lay spreadeagled on the floor.

"The fasting was less conspicuous: long queues formed at Prince’s Hamburgers, Tejas Nachos, Five Star Dogs and other fast-food stands inside the cavernous arena.

"The rally on Saturday marked another step towards the launch of Rick Perry’s presidential campaign, giving the governor of Texas a national platform for the first time, with 250 reporters and camera crews covering it."

Maybe that's why America wasn't miraculously saved from disaster!  Rick Perry ate too much and God is punishing us!  

I mean, it's just as plausible as God punishing America because I'm marrying a man, right?

Video: GetEQUAL Protests "The Response"

Rick Perry's prayer rally is happening today, with an attendance estimated at 20,000 individuals (to put it into context, however, many megachurches in Texas list attendance in the tens of thousands every Sunday).

GetEQUAL held a "funeral procession" outside Reliant Stadium, where the event was taking place.  The procession was to highlight the violence against LGBTs at the urging, they allege, of evangelicals in America.




Plus, the dude playing the drum is hot.  Yay for hot activists!

Rick Perry Thinks God Hates The EPA. Ian Awesome (And God) Put The Smack Down On Ricky Hypocrite

Rick Perry's insane Christians-only prayer rally is being held tomorrow, with lackluster attendance expected, but that isn't stopping him from bleating out nonsense about his personal line to Jesus.

Always willing to protect big business with the Bible, Rick Perry came out today in an interview with CBN stating that he prays for the President every day, but then goes one step further!  He states that, in his belief, God is going to intervene to stop the EPA from preventing the industrial rape of the environment:

"Frankly I pray for the president every day. I pray for his wisdom, I pray that God will open his eyes. I wish this president would turn back the health care law that's been passed, ask that his EPA back down these regulations that are causing businesses to hesitate to spend money...I read my Bible faithfully and every morning try to get up and take that devotional to heart and I don't know what God's got planned for me. For 61 years he's given me good direction. He's put roadblocks up or he's opened up ways for me and so I'm glad I've got a… God's got a great sense of humor, I know that as well so anyway, whatever He has in store for me I look forward to it. I pray for God's guidance."

Listen, I get that you're trying to set up a one-man theocracy (Seven Mountains Dominionism, anyone?), but if you're going to try and demolish the separation of church and state, you should at least get your fucking Scripture right.  

I'm not strictly Judeo-Christian, but I knew enough about the Bible to think that perhaps Rick Perry is a bit misguided regarding its view of stewardship of our planet.  I asked Michael Sebastian Lux, our resident OneAngryCultist, to provide for me a few Bible passages in which God specifically tasks humanity with safeguarding the environment:  

Genesis 1:26. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 

Lev. 25:23-24. The land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. 

Ezekiel 34:2-4. Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not the shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you did not take care of the flock! You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.

If you have further questions about Scripture's position on environmentalism, click on over to the Christians for Environmental Stewardship. Perry's insistence on basing his political career on Biblical expediency (and then fucking it up) is leading some to wonder if he might not be a dumber Texan than George W. Bush. I have to say, resoundingly, YES.

Even The Christians Are Pissed About "The Response"

Rick Perry's "The Response" prayer event, a Christians-only rally promoted by the Texan governor and backed by the American Family Association, has received a lot of flack from non-Christians due to its Jesus-centric ideology and involvement of a prominent elected official.  This week, however, local Houston-based clergy, to include Christians, have signed a document objecting to the event.

On Tuesday, just three days before the rally is due to take place, around 50 prominent members of Houston's religious communities signed a statement drafted by the Anti-Defamation League condemning the event and Perry's involvement.

"'Governor Perry has a constitutional duty to treat all Texans equally, regardless of race, religion or ethnicity,' the ADL statement reads. 'His official involvement with The Response, at minimum, violates the spirit of that duty.'

"Signatories include Rabbi Samuel E. Karff, rabbi emeritus of congregation Beth Israel; Shaikh Omar Inshanally, head clergy of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston; the Rev. Lisa Hunt, rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church; and Rev. William A. Lawson, pastor emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.

"'We strongly believe this statement, signed by so many of our most respected religious and community leaders, reflects the feelings of many Texans who are concerned that Governor Perry is overstepping his bounds in supporting an exclusionary sectarian religious event,' Martin B. Cominsky, ADL southwest regional director, said in a news release.

"Lawson also will be the keynote speaker at a 'family, faith and freedom' event on Friday at the Mount Ararat Baptist Church. The event is sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and Americans United for Separation of Church and State."

It's notable that Perry invited all 50 state governors to attend the rally, with just one agreeing, Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas.  After publicly accepting the invitation in June, however, Brownback may be having second thoughts, as his office will not confirm his attendance, only that he is going on vacation this week.

If I was in Rick Perry's position, I would be a bit worried that none of my colleagues felt it appropriate to get involved in this event.

Bryan Fischer Is Giving Away All Rick Perry's Strategeries

Bryan Fischer wants you to know that Rick Perry is going to be utilizing the secret to American success: fusing Christianity and politics.  Fuck that whole separation of church and state thing!  Fischer references De Tocqueville, and NCRM had a handy-dandy quote from that particular demagogue to illustrate the kind of policy Perry and Fischer would like to see enacted in modern politics:

"Moreover, almost all the sects of the United States are comprised within the great unity of Christianity, and Christian morality is everywhere the same. In the United States the sovereign authority is religious, and consequently hypocrisy must be common; but there is no country in the whole world in which the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America, and there can be no greater proof of its utility, and of its conformity to human nature, than that its influence is most powerfully felt over the most enlightened and free nation of the earth.

"The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other; and with them this conviction does not spring from that barren traditionary faith which seems to vegetate in the soul rather than to live.

"There are certain populations in Europe whose unbelief is only equaled by their ignorance and their debasement, while in America one of the freest and most enlightened nations in the world fulfills all the outward duties of religion with fervor.

"Upon my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer I stayed there, the more did I perceive the great political consequences resulting from this state of things, to which I was unaccustomed. In France I had almost always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom pursuing courses diametrically opposed to each other; but in America I found that they were intimately united, and that they reigned in common over the same country."

Oh good.  I just can't wait to see the advent of the New Puritanism.  

Rick Perry And His Group Of Merrie Preachers

If you have any doubts that Rick Perry's upcoming "The Response" prayer rally is the worst sort of religious demagoguery and craziness, check out this video including clips of the various supporters and organizer of the event.  It includes Mike Bickle (who said that Oprah is a forerunner of the post-apocalyptic Harlot Babylon) and one of my personal favorites, the ever-rabid Bryan Fischer.

Rick Perry's Prayer Event: Christians Only, Please

This takes the cake.

Texas Governor Rick Perry and the hate extravaganza known as the American Family Association have an upcoming prayer rally called "the Response" and the event has already gotten some bad press, thanks to the jerkwads in charge.  The gathering is purportedly also organized by such religious figures such as John Hagee, who blamed Hurricane Katrina on the gays.

The event originally invited people from all faiths to attend in order to find Jesus, but their latest missive from the Governor's spokesperson has clarified: the event is for Christian prayers only.

Via Right Wing Watch:

"Recently, I was very privileged and honored to be on a conference call with national religious leaders and Governor Rick Perry. He explained his call for a national solemn assembly to repent and seek the Lord on August 6 in Houston, Texas. I believe the Lord is calling Rick Perry to lead us in a day of national repentance before the Lord. It is a solemn assembly according to Joel 2. As we are approaching the end times, it is even more important than ever for the Body of Christ to pray and seek His face. We must repent and turn from our wicked ways so that God may heal our land.

"This is an explicitly Christian event because we are going to be praying to the one true God through His son, Jesus Christ. It would be idolatry of the worst sort for Christians to gather and invite false gods like Allah and Buddha and their false prophets to be with us at that time. Because we have religious liberty in this country, they are free to have events and pray to Buddha and Allah on their own. But this is time of prayer to the One True God through His son, Jesus Christ, who is The Way, The Truth, and The Life."

How very interesting.  So a public figure, the leader of one of our largest states, believes that all non-Christians are idolaters?  If one red cent of public money is going to this rally it would be a social crime of epic proportions.  

I think this act of wingnuttery clearly indicates that Rick Perry should run for President.  He would fit right in with the rest of the GOP clown car.  

Rick Perry: Yet Another GOP Schmuck For Prez

Rick Perry, governor of the great state of Texas, has been hinting at a presidential bid for the 2012 race, adding yet another whackadoodle bonehead to the Repub mix.  Perry, of course, being the guy who was going to save Texas from wildfires via prayer and waged a successful war against your right to vote. 

He's been talking up his success in job creation in the state of Texas in order to build momentum for a possible announcement of his candidac, and ThinkProgress wants you to know that it just isn't necessarily true. 

"'In Texas, you don’t have to use your imagination, saying, "What’ll happen if we apply this or that conservative principle?"' Perry said earlier this week. 'You just need to look around, because they’ve been in play across our state for years, generating real results like unmatched job creation, more exports than any other state and a balanced budget.'"

The problem being, of course, that his assertion of unmatched job creation is blatantly untrue.  While Texas has a lower unemployment rate than the national average, New York is even lower (and that's just one instance of his statement's inaccuracy).  And the problem with all those jobs?  They're poverty level minimum wage positions, with Texas actually leading the country in low-paid employment.

Oh, and that vaunted balanced budget he's touting?  I might buy that-- but the key to that being that Perry accepted billions of stimulus money from the federal government on the sly after insisting that Texas was above the recession and didn't need help.

In essence: please run for President, Governor Rick Perry.  I can't think of anything better for my blog and the progressive movement as a whole than to have such a weak, lame candidate seeking the nomination.