The Associated Press story from yesterday -- "Gov. Perry's temporary digs costs Texas big bucks" -- made the rounds across the country yesterday. It was the #2 story, with its own box & photo, atop Yahoo for a long time. And Nick Anderson, political cartoonist for the Houston Chronicle, took the opportunity to illustrate another classic:
Anderson gets to the heart of the issue extremely well. For weeks, Texas headlines have proclaimed that Texas is facing a $15 - $18 billion budget shortfall in the upcoming legislative session. The headlines on Quorum Report within the last hour proclaim that Perry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, and Republican Spekaer Joe Straus have made decisions on $1.2 billion in budget cuts. For Rick Perry to be living the lavish lifestyle of luxury right now -- at a time when everyone else in Texas is having to tighten their belts -- is ridiculous. It's a perfect example of his arrogance -- and a prime reason why he is extremely vulnerable this election cycle.
Austin TV station KXAN ran a brief story on the rental mansion, as well. Watch the video below, and check out the links at the bottom of the post for more on Perry's extravagant lifestyle.:
Finally, here's the Texas Democratic Party video about the rental mansion:
