Gov. Rick Perry of Texas got noticed right away in his first days as an active candidate for the Republican nomination for president. The headlines came when he called Ben Bernanke a traitor for the policies he is following as chairman of the Federal Reserve. He compounded that absurd insult by saying, “I don’t know what y’all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas.” What does he have in mind? Tar and feathers? Or, considering that treason is a capital crime, even worse.
Lawrence H. Summers, who was treasury secretary in the Clinton administration and a top economic adviser to President Obama, made the appropriate response:
“This may be the least responsible statement in the modern history of presidential politics.
“While there is room for sharp debate over many economic issues,” Mr. Summers said, “the economic thinking is primitive, the mention of treason is outrageous and the intimation of violence is abhorrent.”
Well, maybe Gov. Perry is thinking to himself, “Hey, talk like this has made me the longest serving governor Texas has ever had. Why would I change just because I’m running for president?”
His advisers will try to explain.
Throwing red meat to the mad-as-hell extremists does make headlines and may win votes in primaries. But it also turns off independents and arouses the opposition. Since independents provide the margin it takes to win the presidency, it is not a good idea to drive them away from your campaign three days into the race.
But maybe Perry is crazy like a fox. His no-apologies extremist style will give voters in the Republican primaries a clear choice between governor types. They can go with urbane Mitt Romney, who would no more call the Federal Reserve chairman a traitor than he would spit on the floor during a debate, or turn to tough-as-nails Perry, who doesn’t put much stock in sissy stuff like good manners.
Perry obviously believes that down and dirty will win him the brass ring.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.
