Perry Gets Gotcha’d

Watch this Talking Points Memo video showing Rick Perry being quizzed on how he can be in favor of small government in light of his opposition to the very famous 2003 landmark Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas.

It is obvious that Perry had forgotten what that case was all about, yet when the case was decided, Perry, as governor of Texas, railed against the decision.

The decision struck down Texas’ anti-sodomy law that barred homosexuals from this sexual act, but not heterosexuals. Perry decried the decision at the time, calling the Texas law, a heavy-handed intrusion of government into the private bedrooms of Texas “appropriate,” and calling the Supreme Court Justices “nine oligarchs in robes” (even the 3 dissenters apparently).

And more recently in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (no relation) the dissenting opinion in Lawrence v. Texas, penned by Antonin Scalia, was used by Judge Vaughn Walker in his 2010 ruling that California’s Proposition 8, outlawing same-sex marriage in that state, was unconstitutional.

And yes, Perry was perfectly right in labeling the question as a “gotcha question” because he sure was.

Gotcha’d, that is.

Rick Perry, Well Baked But Not Done Yet

I think Jason Embry at the Austin American-Statesman has a good point. He makes it here.

Rick Perry is polling in 4^th place in Florida polls, but there is good reason to believe that he is not done yet. And God knows Rick Perry leads a charmed life because normally such a really dumb guy would have the chances of winning an election as a cat in a roomful of rocking chairs.

First, he’s a really bad debater. He even admits that debate is “not his strong suit,” a little understated maybe. But Embry argues that debates are the main exposure people are getting of him. TV ads have not begun yet, and Perry has got the money to buy some air time in primary states.

He simply has money to continue, His competition doesn’t, and will start to drop out as they run out.

So people will continue to have to choose again as the field narrows.

Herman Cain will continue for awhile, but everyone knows that his campaign is a vanity campaign – not a serious one. They will have to choose again and I am doubtful that those who went for Cain will choose Mitt Romney. After all, Romney is the chief reason Herman Cain is doing so well in the polls now.

And Embry is right again. Mitt Romney polls a consistent 23%. It hasn’t changed in weeks while polling for his competition has wildly fluctuated. Indicating that Romney has a solid base of traditional moderate Republicans, but can’t attract a Teabagger vote to save his soul.

Nope. Keep the fork in the silverware tray for a little while more. Rick isn’t done yet.