| Just for the record, Perry spent his final day of campaigning: - Predicting the Rangers would lose the World Series, then walking it back:
Perry compared election day to big athletic events: “Tomorrow is the final day of the World Series; it’s the Super Bowl,” which prompted his spokesman later to emphatically clarify that the governor was not predicting the Rangers would lose Monday night, but fervently rooting for the series to be extended.
- Accidentally releasing his book early and then trying to cover it up -- to no avail, I have a copy right here -- all while explaining why he thinks Social Security is a failure. The mistaked caused the campaign by surprise and sent them into "damage control": First, from the Associated Press, "Rick Perry's new book focuses on states' rights"
The excerpts, which appeared on the publisher's website, were no longer available for viewing Monday evening. The book's publisher, Little, Brown and Co., did not immediately respond to a message left by The Associated Press.Although Perry has made similar comments on the campaign trail, the release caught his campaign staff by surprise. They were going to release excerpts after Tuesday's election. White pounced on Perry's thoughts on issues such as the Voting Rights Act and said the governor referred to Social Security as a Ponzi scheme. A pro-White crowd in Corpus Christi booed. Perry repeatedly declined to address the excerpts during a Monday campaign visit to a San Antonio restaurant, specifically questions about whether he equated Social Security to an illegal scam. "You don't know what's in there," he said. The book is going to come out at the appropriate time."
Actually, Governor, we know a little of what's in there. I have a copy right here. The Statesman described the "damage control": White, apparently seeking to paint Perry as an extremist who is not focused on Texas, chided the governor during a stop in Corpus Christi on Monday after the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Perry's book calls Social Security a failure and compares it to a Ponzi scheme. White called Perry's views on Social Security "alarming." "He is trying to audition to be sort of a celebrity in the far right wing," White said. An excerpt of Perry's book on his publisher's website was quickly taken down, but the report of his comments on Social Security put his campaign in damage-control mode.
Again -- the copy was pulled, but you can read the excerpt of it right here. And Perry can try to avoid the Social Security conversation all he wants, but the fact remains that both the Washington Post and Politico honed in on those comments, as did the Associated Press, Austin American-Statesman, Dallas Morning News, San Antonio Express-News, etc. I have not checked to see the television stories, yet, to see where else it was picked up.
Let's remember -- this is the same campaign that:
I'm sure I'm forgetting more, but it's pretty easy to see -- this is not the stuff of Presidential campaigns. |
