Barack Obama: Rick Perry’s #1 Fan
On Wednesday, November 9th, Rick Perry made a campaign gaffe for the ages. During a CNBC Republican Debate, Perry — looking to communicate his predilection for small-government — produced this masterpiece:
“And, I will tell you (addressing his libertarian fellow candidate Ron Paul)… It’s three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, Education and the-uh…uh-what’s the third one there, let’s see.”
It wasn’t over, though. Romney was kind enough to suggest the EPA as the third one to go. Perry acknowledged that the EPA needs to be “rebuilt” but was not, in fact, his third government agency on the chopping block. When prodded again by the moderator for the third agency, Perry replied, “Let’s see… I can’t… The third one I can’t. Sorry.”
Political analysts speculate that Perry’s gaffe is the beginning of the end for a campaign that was already struggling. Jon Stewart suggests that Perry would have been better off had he woozily said “Uh, uh, I smell toast” and then faked a stroke. Those at the Department of Energy — the agency Perry supposedly intended to mention — are just relieved that the candidate who wants to cut their jobs has suffered a major political setback.
I would argue, however, that Rick Perry is not the biggest loser here. That honor goes to President Barack Obama. Perry’s idiocy all but paves the way for former governor Mitt Romney to win the Republican nomination and Romney, in my opinion, is by far the most equipped to challenge the president.
Leading up to the debate, Perry and Herman Cain were both legitimate competition for Romney. However, Cain is mired in a two-pronged sexual harassment scandal that shows no signs of letting up, and Perry committed what should have been considered the “cardinal sin” of his campaign: solidifying his association with George W. Bush.
The unavoidable similarities are well known. Both are former Republican governors of Texas. Both have built their image as a “cowboy.” And both are loyal and dedicated Christians. Yet, until the CNBC debate, Perry had been moderately successful in preventing any further discussion of similarities.
Bush provided plenty of unintentional entertainment during his presidency, and it’s a shame that Perry won’t get the same opportunity. Whether comparing Perry and Bush’s intelligence levels is appropriate or not, the affinity for public slip-ups would have weighed on Perry’s candidacy.
Obama would have easily outclassed and outsmarted Perry during debates and press conferences. Every one of Perry’s actions would be scrutinized and equated with some event of Bush’s candidacy or presidency. Wealthy, moderate, conservative donors would have a hard time rallying behind a candidate so easily associated with the man Republican politicians still stay away from three years later.
Romney, on the other hand, is a serious concern for President Obama. Most importantly for Romney’s candidacy, he will not beat himself. He is also the only other serious candidate who can appeal to a wide spectrum of voters. Moderation is not necessarily an asset during the primaries, but, once Romney secures the nomination, he can steal voters who are no longer as devoted to Obama.
The Tea Party will vote for the Republican candidate no matter what. After all, most “partiers” hate Obama more than they can ever love a Republican candidate. The key to the 2012 election, however, is finding a candidate tolerable to the larger moderate bloc of the Republican Party.
Obama faces steeper competition than expected heading into the 2012 election, and I look forward to seeing which candidate can best appease his party’s radicals while enticing his party’s moderates.