A River in Egypt Dogs Rick Perry at Every Turn

A new Bill White campaign video claims that Texas governor Rick Perry is in denial about the projected $18 billion shortfall in next year’s budget. This video has Rick Perry interacting with a television reporter with Perry saying that these people in the Bloomberg news organization “don’t know what the budget is in the state of Texas” and that no one does. When it is brought up that AP reporters are also saying this Perry reiterates his point, this time that Bloomberg and AP reporters “are not the experts in the state of Texas.”

And clearly, Rick Perry is in denial that he is in denial.

So if that’s true, maybe instead of being “in denial,” maybe it’s the case that Rick Perry is in “The Nile” as in that river that courses through Egypt. And we’re not talking Egypt, Texas.

Yeah, that’s the ticket . . .

Where does Bloomberg and AP get off claiming that they know about the Texas state budget better than Rick Perry?

Could it be Texas State House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio):

“Like you, we will have to make some very tough choices next session," he said. "I've asked members of the House to keep that in mind as they work on developing a balanced, no-new-taxes budget -- especially as we contemplate how to bridge a budget gap at the state level that is projected by the House to be at least $18 billion.”

Or could it be Texas State House Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Jim Pitts (R-Waxahatchie):

“Pitts' original discussion with aide Wayne Pulver went as follows: Pitts asked, ‘So that could add up to between $15 billion and $18 billion?’ Pulver called that range reasonable.’”

I have to ask myself, whose party does this governor ally himself with? Surely it’s not with Republicans who want fiscal responsibility, nor is it with Democrats who demand the same along with a little social justice on the side.

And the Libertarians have their own candidate. So then, I have to wonder whether the party that Rick Perry allies himself with is the Party of Perry.

You know how this is playing to me? If this were playing out in Washington DC and the Republicans controlled the house, it would resemble Republican House Members’ talking points mounted against a Democratic President who wants to operate a budget deficit, maybe paying for a few unfunded things like tax cuts for the rich and two wars. And the Democratic president launching a fit of pique back at them.

And Rick Perry is in it for himself.