Rick Perry, You're No Ronald Reagan

I always liked Ronald Reagan, even when I voted against him in 1984 (I supported his initial election in 1980 although I didn't make it to the polls that year). Agree or disagree with his viewpoints or political philosophy, I greatly respected his oratory skill and his capacity to not only convey a sense that he wanted to unify the country behind him, with the greater national welfare being his aim, but also to bear that out in his public service. In other words, Ronald Reagan was no phony. And quite unlike the latest pretender to his legacy, Texas governor and presidential wannabe Rick Perry, Reagan was civil and respectful to his political opponents. Perry, by contrast, delights in accusing those whose policies he disagrees with of "treason" or of not loving America.

Do you want to know how bad Rick Perry is? Even respected conservative Texans like President George W. Bush and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison can't stand him. But because he knows how to play the cameras onstage, there seems to be a groundswell of momentum within the once-honorable Republican Party to hoist him onward to nomination in 2012. Damn. I've always said that whoever serves as president deserves a modicum of respect, if only for the sake of the important office they hold. A Perry presidency might well put a strain on that notion for me.

I have voted for Republicans in past elections (Dole in 1996 and Bush in 2000 when he presented himself as more of a centrist who could work with the Democrats). So I am one of those voters out there whom the Republican Party should be courting for support. I wanted more than anything to arrive at the 2012 presidential election in November with a difficult time deciding between President Obama and a worthy GOP challenger, someone like Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman (whom Dubya is currently supporting). Instead, though, it looks like we're in for a complete bozo like Perry. I use "bozo" to avoid using the long list of unprintable designations that would more accurately convey my impressions of this malevolent clown.

Then again, what am I thinking? It's still only August 2011, and I think at least Mitt Romney can get in there and get that nomination. The funny thing is that conservative talk show hosts like Laura Ingraham were extolling him in 2008 while blasting the eventual nominee John McCain. Now the same dude that the right wing preferred three years ago is apparently too "liberal" now. No, Romney hasn't changed: the Republican Party itself has shifted way over to the extreme right.

Say it ain't so, party of Lincoln!