What's Wrong With Rick Perry?

We won't be discussing Geoffrey Conner in this post

Most Texas voters never much cared that Rick Perry used his office to enrich himself. Nor do they seem to mind that his right-wing agenda has impoverished working families. Yesterday Jason Cherkis posted a frightening story at Huff Po about how Texas firefighters-- who apparently Perry thinks take a back seat to the power of prayer in fighting fires-- have to buy their own protective gear.

In Texas, firefighters aren't just battling the wild fires raging around Austin and Houston. The state's first responders have also had to deal with budget cuts affecting everything from fuel purchases to hoses and air tanks.

In some cases, fire officials say, firefighters have had to pay out of pocket for basic necessities like proper protective gear and fuel to get them to the scene. One fire department that battled the blazes in Bastrop County had to pay for a hose, recalled Bastrop City Fire Chief Henry Perry... Gov. Rick Perry, the GOP front-runner for president, had signed off on millions in firefighting cuts as part of the state's most recent budget legislation. The Texas Forest Service's funding has gone from $117.7 million in the 2010-2011 budget years to $83 million in the 2012-2013 budget years.

Severe cuts have also hit assistance grants to volunteer fire departments throughout Texas. The grants decreased from $30 million per year in 2010 and 2011 to $13.5 million per year in 2012 and 2013. These are cuts that firemen are now dealing with.

But taxes on Big Oil and on the super wealthy are low. These are the people who have paid for Perry's political career, financed his rise to power and are trying to get him into the White House. He takes care of them (low taxes); they take care of him (lots of cash). And Texas Republicans... never get asked to think about camels going through eyes of needles by the most corrupted, anti-Jesus ministers anywhere in "Christianity."

[F]or years Perry has enjoyed lavish perks and travel-- mostly funded by a group of deep-pocketed supporters-- that are allowed under his state’s lax ethics and campaign rules.

Some of the same Texas donors who have funded Perry’s political rise also have footed the bills for Perry and his family to jet around the world, stay in luxury hotels and resorts, vacation in tony Colorado ski towns, attend all manner of sporting events and concerts, and to maintain, entertain-- and even pay the cable bill-- at the 4,600-square-foot mansion with a heated pool that taxpayers are renting him at a cost of about $10,000 a month.

And that’s to say nothing of the wide range of sometimes-expensive gifts Perry has accepted over the years, including 22 pairs of cowboy boots, Stetson hats, belt buckles, cuff links and at least nine hunting trips.

Perry’s enjoyment of gifts and luxury travel led the Houston Chronicle to declare in a 2009 headline that he’s “a long way from the cotton farm.”

“He came from a family without means, and coming from a family without means, I think the perks of office can be more important to you, as opposed to if you grew up with means and are more accustomed to it,” said Gary Polland, a Republican lawyer and consultant who worked with Perry during Polland’s three terms as chairman of Republican Party in Harris County.

Craig McDonald, director of the liberal watchdog group Texans for Public Justice is less charitable.
“He’s enhanced his lifestyle by taking advantage of a wealthy class that supports him and his campaigns and wants to lavish him with favors,” said McDonald. “Even though he may not have their money, he has favors that he can give them, including policy, legislation, appointments, state grants and tax subsidies.”

...Watchdog groups and political opponents have argued Perry’s acceptance of such perks feeds a corrupt pay-to-play political culture in Texas, and they have filed complaints alleging ethics and campaign finance violations. But Perry appears to have only been found in violation once-- for a relatively minor disclosure violation, though his campaign also paid $426,000 last year to settle an opponent’s lawsuit alleging it accepted illegal contributions from a top donor.

Right now a desperate Republican Establishment-- desperate to get corporate shill Mitt Romney the nomination-- is attacking Perry for his extremist jihad against Social Security, not usually something Republicans use against each other. We'll know when Romney is really tanking when he starts using crony capitalism and corruption-- which the GOP usually paint as part of their "free market" vision-- against Perry (the way Michele Bachmann did last night at the Crazy Town hate debate-- watch the video). Willard's new attack dog, the somewhat toothless Tim ObamneyCare Pawlenty, panting for a job in a Willard Administration, is probably preparing right now. Ron Paul isn't getting a job in anyone's administration and, in many ways, he's an absolute crackpot... but not in every way. There's a reason why sensible progressives like Barney Frank and Alan Grayson found common ground to work across the aisle with Paul. And he was smart enough to figure out what a pair of phonies Romney and Perry are. Watch his new campaign ad: