Here's our new TV ad, which we've unleashed this morning in several markets, that showcases the hypocrisy of Rick Perry in taking federal stimulus money meant for Hurricane Ike reconstruction for the restoration of his Governor's mansion.
This quote by Rick Perry during the Hurricane Ike disaster just says it all:
That's pure, unmitigated gall to compare himself to the thousands of Hurricane Ike victims who lost their homes. You see, while Rick Perry bemoaned the reconstruction of his Governor's mansion, he was living in the lap of luxury in a $10,000 per month rental mansion paid for by taxpayers.
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The backstory is that during Ike's aftermath, Perry sent repeated requests to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), begging for full reimbursement of emergency public assistance costs. However, when Texas did receive its FEMA reimbursement, Perry worked behind the scenes to pluck those federal dollars for his own pet project- restoring the Governor's mansion, even though he knew full well that emergency responders had not yet been fully compensated.
Here's our official statement on that shameful story about how Rick Perry misused our stimulus dollars for his Governor's Mansion:
"The story this ad tells sums up exactly what kind of politician Rick Perry is. In the middle of a recession, he takes federal dollars meant to pay back local communities hurt by Hurricane Ike, and then uses that money for his own mansion.
And at the end of the day, he runs from accountability by refusing to debate or even acknowledge his own $21 billion budget deficit. Rick Perry doesn't think that the rules we live by apply to him. While he's living on the taxpayer dole for his rent, and campaign donations for his food, his drink, parties with his buddies, and even his cable TV. If he wants to hide out in his $10,000 a month taxpayer-funded mansion, we're just going to keep holding him accountable."
