Why is it, do you think, that one man seems to trip over his tongue so regularly? Is it self-consciousness? Is it stupidity (as the media would like you to believe)? Or is there something more subversive at play here? I would suggest the latter.
Last week, Rick Perry made reference to the "country" Solyndra, when he meant to say "company." The press jumped up and down, rah-rahing on the sidelines and frantically waving their "Perry is Stupid" flags. But when Obama stood in his home state of Hawaii and claimed that he was in Asia, there were no flags. No ticker-tape. And no comment.
Rick Perry couldn't remember the name of one of the three federal agencies that he wanted shut down. To me, that seems almost understandable, as there are so very many government agencies that should be on that list. But the press got out the flags then too, painting Perry as the duh-duh-duh-dummy. But their hero campaigned in 57 states without so much as a sideways glance.
Rick Perry was also criticized for flip-flopping the voting and drinking ages, and for suggesting that the Presidential election would be held on November 12 rather than November 6, 2012. Both seem to be simple mistakes that anyone could have made - especially when you consider that fact that when Perry was growing up, the voting age was 21. However, following a Kansas tornado that killed twelve people, Obama had this to say: "In case you missed it this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died - an entire town destroyed."
The biggest gaffe Rick Perry has made in my mind, however was his statement concerning the heartlessness of people who don't support the Texas provision for in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants. Of course, none of the media outlets otherwise drooling over each slip of the tongue even bothered to really report that one - mainly because they agree with him. But in terms of insulting your would-be voters, I think the current President wins again. When asked why he had difficulty winning the votes of some in the working class, he responded: "It's not surprising that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."*
So why does the press not give equal coverage to the tongue-tripper-in-chief? Are they afraid he would respond to them the way he did to the reporter in a Pennsylvania diner? ("Why can't I just eat my waffle?") Why do they refuse to draw attention to the man who thinks we built an intercontinental railroad, who doesn't realize that Austrians speak English, who thinks that England and Great Britain are one and the same, and who truly believes that some of us have "made enough money?" This is the guy who, in one five minute presser that consisted of exactly two questions, racked up 2:47 worth of ums and ahs. Why is this not all over every newspaper? Every website? Every television news ticker?
BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT US TO KNOW.
*I really wanted to continue the Perry vs. Obama gaffes, but after hours of research on dozens of sites, I ran out of Perry gaffes. Seriously.
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