It has been about eight months since Gov. Rick Perry backed out of the running for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for president.
Any politician that runs for office, in today’s split-second society, is bound for a rocky road filled with faux pas. Perry has had arguably some of the worst of all the front-runners, barring maybe Herman Cain.
Perry has been a master at fundraising since he took office as governor in 2000. After quickly raising the cash for his failed presidential run, he continues to raise millions through his own political committee.
Republicans, and obviously Democrats, should cringe at the hint that Perry might try for governor in 2014. Democrats should oppose because of blatant platform disagreements, and Republicans should because the last two Texas Republican governors’ appearances have brands in the state’s political arena.
The exchange of a “can-do” bravado to get into office, instead of candidates with true pro-business policies, has created an unfavorable image of Texas political culture. The economy in Texas is largely autonomous, so it seems as if most anyone with a smirk and the right financial backing can kick their cowboy boots around Austin’s capitol building.
Perry is already the longest-serving governor in the state’s history, and the time has come for a change of appearances on the Republican Party’s behalf. The idea that Texans are broad-picture people when it comes to politics doesn’t go over well with the other 49 states, nor should it in Texas. Regardless of political affiliation, no one should welcome the idea that Perry might seek another term.
Whether Americans like to admit it or not, politicians have to play politics. There is no candidate out there that doesn’t have to pull strings, that is why we choose them in the first place. A certain degree of being a scapegoat comes with the job description of a politician and only increases with importance. Republicans and Democrats alike cannot afford to let a “personality politician” prevail if we want to be taken seriously.
Although Perry is a well-known name among Texans, Attorney General Greg Abbott might try to run for governor and has raised campaign money as well. There are plenty of respectable Republican politicians in Texas, but the ones who have been in the spotlight in the past decade have made Texans out to look like a caricature instead of a representation.
Nick Bell is a media production senior and may be reached at [email protected].
