(It's not often you seen Rick Perry uncomfortable in his political situation. You can't push"Sanctuary Cities" legislation fiercely opposed by the left and business right in a play to GOP xenophobes and then show up to NALEO where you paper over the issue. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Governor Perry thinks he's clever. Latinos do not.
On Thursday, Perry went to San Antonio to address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Before he arrived, Latino leaders, including hugely popular San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, slammed Perry and Texas Republicans for the deep harm that the current Legislative session has caused Texas Latinos.
The governor was met by a loud group of protesters outside the building. Once inside, Perry gave his standard conservative stump speech, seemingly oblivious to the group he was addressing. To his surprise, no one bought it. Perry was "frequently staring blankly at the audience when they failed to respond to his conservative applause lines," reports the Associated Press. "...The politicians and public policy professionals were unimpressed with his stock-speech touting the state's business-friendly climate."
Then, our dumbfounded governor doubled down on his failing charm. Referring to his appointment of Jose Cuevas to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Perry joked about how appropriately similar Cuevas' name is to Jose Cuervo, the tequila brand. In response, Perry "heard only the clink of forks on plates as he stared out at the crowd". Perry then "struggled to regain his confidence as he described Texas as a land of opportunity." Watch The Young Turks' Cenk Uygur break down the speech here.
Say it with me: "Fail!" Perry thinks his swagger can make anyone ignore his terrible record. Clearly, it can't.
Rick Perry is the leader of Texas Republicans' anti-Latino agenda. The 2011 Republican Legislature's passage of Voter ID, gratuitous bans on alleged sanctuary cities and deep cuts to public education has repulsed Latinos in Texas and across the nation.
Perry has alienated Latinos in a state where they make up 48% of the population. That's bad news for any potential candidate, especially one approaching the 2012 election when the Hispanic vote is expected to jump 26%.
As Perry approaches a decision on whether to run - and according to the Wall Street Journal, he's in - Perry's Latino problem will become more of one. |
