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What's Up With the Governor of Texas?
Texas politics has long been a source of great amusement for the people of our state, but it's often a source of bafflement for people beyond our borders. So, sometimes there's a need to explain what's going on here, and this is one of those times. In this case, the explanation is simple: Our governor is a goober.
Texans have known this for some time, but Rick Perry - whose chief claim to fame had been that he has a spectacular head of hair - was unknown outside the state, so he was our little secret. Now, however, Perry's gooberness has gone viral. He's a YouTube phenomenon and a new darling of the GOP kingmaker, Rush Limbaugh.
He broke into national consciousness on April 15, when he spoke at one of the many "teabag" rallies that Republican operatives set up around the country to protest Barack Obama's deficit spending. Appearing in Austin before a boisterous crowd of about a thousand people who were fuming about everything from gun control to the Wall Street bailout, the governor opened with this shot: "I'm sure you're not just a bunch of right-wing extremists. But if you are, I'm with you."
Then came the thought that earned him YouTuber-of-the-Day and a favorable mention from Lord Limbaugh: Texas just, By God, might secede from the union if Washington keeps messing with us.
No doubt many people in the other 49 states burst into applause at this notion, but it caused quite a bit of consternation among home folks, who rather like being both Texans and Americans. Was he serious? Apparently so. When reporters asked afterward about the legality of such a rash move, Perry pointed out that Texas had entered the union under a unique agreement that gave us the right "to leave if we decided to do that." Good line, but utterly untrue. No such agreement ever existed.
Facts aside, what's going through Perry's perfectly coiffed head is that polls presently show him losing his re-election bid in next year's Republican primary.
Thus, he's scrambling to excite the most rabid of the Texas GOP fringe by posing as a courageous defender of Texas sovereignty against meddlers from Washington. His chief target is $555 million in federal money that would come to our state under Obama's economic stimulus program. This is desperately needed money that would go straight into our nearly broke unemployment compensation fund, but he asserts that he will reject it, claiming that the federal dollars come with strings attached.The "strings" are actually simple and sensible threads of reform that would help the hard-hit workaday people of our state. For example, the federal stimulus program requires that part-time workers also be eligible for unemployment comp. In today's harsh economy, when part-time work is all that many people can get, they ought to be covered, too. But common sense has never met Perry, much less befriended him, so he continues to posture: "We think it's time to draw the line in the sand and tell Washington that no longer are we going to accept their oppressive hand in the state of Texas," he recently spewed.
Yes, comandante, but what about that other $16 billion or so in Obama's stimulus money that you are going accept? For example, while you slap away funds to help working folks, you're eagerly reaching out with your other hand to grab $1.2 billion of those filthy federal dollars to put into your pet project of saddling Texans with a network of privatized toll roads. If it's a matter of principle, why not reject all federal money? Indeed, you used to be a cotton farmer who benefited from Washington's crop subsidy programs - how oppressive was that for you?
OK, our governor has not quite attained the Blagojevichian level of gubernatorial gooberness, but he's a striver, and he's only one bad haircut away from getting to the top. Illinois, we feel your pain.
75 Comments so far
Show AllNanoo
So, to secede from the Union is illegal. Do you really think that the rest of the States would take up arms and start a civil war? What if Vermont, Alaska, Hawaii seceded as there is much dissatifaction there as well. Frankly the empire is too big and results in little opportunity for the people to have much control, let alone a democracy.
What I heard on CNN was that Texas had a legal treaty that says the Republic of Texas could be subdivided into 5 States. Just imagine this increase in Congress.
"What I heard on CNN was that Texas had a legal treaty that says the Republic of Texas could be subdivided into 5 States. Just imagine this increase in Congress"
That is correct! You guy's better start making nice with us poor old Texans or we'll get our own majority! (LOL)
I heard that once from Larry Sabato. I'll bet that if TX were split up into 5 states, 2 of them would be straight blue, 2 would be straight red, and 1 would be swing. If TX started splitting up, I wonder if CA and/or NY would follow suit.
Could be....California and NY would absolutely not follow suit.
But if CA and NY were each out of the union, Uncle Sam would be unable to snatch more money from them so theoretically they would have money to keep and pay off their own state budgets. Of course, maybe the economies in those two states are far more complicated than TX or even VA where I live ?
True. I wouldn't say their economies are any more complicated than others, certainly not Texas, I believe Ca. is mostly agriculture and defense. Someone else may know for sure.
NY I'm not sure of, but frankly I can't see any way out for California. They are bleeding business's and business people as I understand it and unless they change many commitments I can't see how they do it, even with Unc's help.
Just opinion however.
Our economy out here in VA is largely defense-related and technology based although agriculture is kind of there but only when you go out to the western part of the state. I thought that the economy of CA and even NY was even more diverse than VA or TX. I think that the I.T. part of the CA economy has been shifting East as I am seeing VA and NC grow in the I.T. sector. I'm guessing that this is to offset the textile jobs getting lost although I'm aware of outsourcing in both sectors.
His view of California is grounded in the Reagan years.
No.
If California kept all the taxes it sends out, it would do just fine. California pays more into the federal system than it receives. That is something all the critics of California like to ignore.
And the economy of California is not just agriculture and defense. That might have been true in the Reagan years, it is not the case now. Financial services, tourism, IT, all contribute significantly to California's economy, along with agriculture.
"Financial services, tourism, IT, all contribute significantly to California's economy, along with agriculture."
That is so similar to NY. Much as I don't like the high costs of living in those two states, I have a lot of sympathy for those two.
In my opinion, if 2/3 of the voters in a state vote to secede, then the state should be allowed to secede. It would be interesting to hold non-binding referenda in states just to see how the populace would vote. The federal government is corrupt and out of control from top to bottom. Voting won't work. Petitions won't work. Demonstrations and civil disobedience won't work. Violence would only beget more violence. We are cooked. We live under a third world regime. Get used to it.
EKATON
Most states can't secede, they simply can't survive on their own.But it would be interesting. California and New York would vote no for sure.
CA and NY are donor states and are being ripped off to the point of getting nearly bankrupt although Obama is trying to help them out unlike Dubya who hated those two states to begin with. I guess Dubya was upset that the 9/11 tragedy in NY and the CA recall of 2003 didn't change those two states blue. On the other hand, TX receives more federal aid than it pays up but I still have some sympathy for the state even if it brags about being like a whole new country in some of the TX tourist advertisements.
Thanks for the kind words.
No problem. By the way, your state of TX used to have strong progressives/liberals such as Ralph Yarborough, the best senator in TX to nail Big Oil. I think your state will finally have a soft heart for another one like him. And as JenniferBedingfield would say, don't be fooled by CA and NY. There's plenty of red there and even amongst the Democrats, people like Pelosi and Schumer are just social-only liberals at best.
In New York its NYC that goes mostly "blue". Most of the rest of the state is fire engine red. I'm not sure about Buffalo. I think Rochester may be about 50/50. But out in the country side, the smaller towns its all republican all the time.
In California, Orange County is a hotbed of crimson.
I LIKE Texas. Mostly because I have a few good friends there. I'm overdue for another visit. The women are all very friendly compared to the northeast (I live in PA). The almost always give you a BIG SMILE if they catch you gazing at them.
Yes, that's what I was afraid of. We have similar patterns here in VA. Northern VA is getting bluer along with Richmond, Hampton Roads is becoming more swing while it used to be solid Republican, but the rest of the state is losing population and getting redder especially near the WV border. I can only thank our stars Kaine won in 2005 or our state would have most likely been a laughing stock for not accepting stimulus money. My husband and I used to live in LA not too far from the TX border so we hear you. :)
EKATON
True!
CarlaWaters
Ralph was a hoot! We could have gone Democratic by 2012, but the way the Democrats are doing things, I think they are setting it back. We came a lot nearer 50/50 than most people realize.
Pelosi, Reid, Shumer, Feinstein and others are going to throw the greatest opportunity since WW2 right square in the middle of the ditch.
Nanoo: Actually, Texas has already been subdivided. The Republic of Texas, you will recall, was much larger than the current State of Texas.
EKATON: What the Constitution lacks is a mechanism for allowing secession -- and a mechanism for allowing EXPULSION.
Isn't secession the exact thing that Washington argued for during the recent collapse of the USSR? Was there an argument from anybody in the US against the idea of secession in Eurasia?
The problem more people are waking up to is that there's no way to pay back all this federal debt without hyperinflating the currency -- way too much warfare and welfare programs over the past few generations, regardless of party registration.
Why should the member states be forced to stick around to see the demise of the dollar and possibly lose valuable assets in the process as everything goes up for fire sale price auctions?
"The problem more people are waking up to is that there's no way to pay back all this federal debt without hyperinflating the currency ... "
Which is, of course, the plan. There is no way to pay off $12 trillion dollars which is the acknowledged debt. There are trillions more in federal government guarantees to those entities deemed too big to fail. It is simply not payable. The taxpayers are being forced to borrow money at interest to bail out large corporate entities. Despicable. There is little doubt I will be tax-inflated out of my home. At that point I shall make my violent stand. Come and take my home from me if you dare. Knowing how one is going to die carries with it an odd sort of comfort.
Right! Eventually, the Federal War Machine and Economic Rat Hole (whether run by T-Bangers or Obysmalcrats) will have to inflate their way out of this debt, ruining, in the process, the savings of ordinary people. It's almost inevitable. At that point, you can expect massive violence and moves toward secession. That will change the character of this nation forever and forever diminish it. Perhaps, if we're really, really lucky, it won't come to that. Perhaps states or regions, trying to avoid just such a catastrophe, will tell D.C. to drop bleeping dead. We won't cooperate anymore. What're you going to do? If the movement is big enough, they won't do anything.
"way too much warfare and welfare programs over the past few generations, regardless of party registration."
You mean the corporate welfare for the banks and the defense industry, yes?
Tell em' Jim! Our Gov. Goodhair is a goober.
Perry is a goober but I see this event as a manifestation of a far deeper problem than one desperate politician's silly pandering to rubes. The Republican Party appears to be disintegrating, but non-Republicans should not celebrate too quickly as I suspect the nation as a whole is disintegrating. There is no common purpose anymore for different economic classes, different regions of the country, or even different social/cultural groups, and even to some extent for the different sexes. That Russian professor, Panarin, who predicted US disintegration in 2010 may be off a bit in the timing, but I would not be surprised if he were right about the outcome.
What is sadly comical is that Obama is half-heartedly trying to apply bandaids to a gushing mortal wound, and the Republicans are ridiculing him as they advocate doing nothing at all, expecting the wound to heal naturally and easily.
"That Russian professor, Panarin, who predicted US disintegration in 2010 may be off a bit in the timing, but I would not be surprised if he were right about the outcome."
I found it amusing that he concluded that Texas was the only state capable of going it alone. Russians are smarter than I thought.
While I can't discount your reasoning and thought, I'm seeing it more as a patient with a heart attack and we are about to use the paddles to shock the patient back to life.
The demise of the Republicans is greatly exaggerated I believe and the ineptness being shown by the Democrats are certainly helping them. I believe we are going to restore a common purpose during the coming decade.
Obama is proving to be inexpierenced, gulliable and inept as far as I can tell.Though his staff is letting him down so much its hard to tell about him. They are obviously out of their depth. He seems to believe his own rhetoric. I would almost say at this moment, that he has already defined himself as a one term President.
The question in my mind is what will the common purpose be? What it was before and should be again? Who will be in charge? With the over reach so far it could be folks that will not be considerate instead of what we need. This in your face pushing is already generating a backlash, at least thats what I gather and feel.
"I would almost say at this moment, that he has already defined himself as a one term President."
Agreed. And then he will be replaced by someone worse.
EKATON
God. let's hope not. Perhaps next time we get it right.
I would also suggest thast the trillions you mentioned (and in exactly the right tone) are not set in stone yet. A lot of it is proposal. It can change. More than likely will. For example theere will be no health care agreement. No single payer.
As for the common purpose, the human race needs to come closer together, which technological innovation has made possible by enabling greater communication and interaction by individuals across the globe, and people need to begin to think of their social group as the entire human race. Then they will more likely agree about common purposes, which surely must be centered on long-term group welfare and survival, and become less likely to engage in species-threatening conflicts.
However, in the US, rapid social changes have contributed to increasing social/cultural divisions, which corporatists and other elites have exploited to create greater political divisions. And through this exploitation, elite corporatists have monopolized power, enabling them to abuse the common people, which they have, further worsening class divisions. So, as it is necessary at some points on a path to take one step back before taking two steps forward, the US may have reached such a point, and the US may have to come apart before it can come together, as the political/economic structure has evolved into something completely inconsistent with the long-term welfare of most of the people in the nation or most of the members of the human race.
"As for the common purpose, the human race needs to come closer together, which technological innovation has made possible by enabling greater communication and interaction by individuals across the globe, and people need to begin to think of their social group as the entire human race. Then they will more likely agree about common purposes, which surely must be centered on long-term group welfare and survival, and become less likely to engage in species-threatening conflicts.:"
Some good points. Especially the communication. I look at my e-mail book and it justs staggers my mind. The number of people I speak to across our country and even more amazing, reguler correspondence with friends all over the world. Who in the heck would have believed 20 years ago I would exchange ideas with a couple in Ulan Bator? Mind boggling.
I agree, our countrties political/economic structure could evolve into something completely inconsistent with the long-term welfare of most of the people in our nation (not yet). I don't believe it will. I believe we will come together when the dissenting and selfish interests are rejected and I believe they will be.
We are so far from some global agreement though its blue sky. As we speak every nation in the world is becoming even more nationalistic. Those that don't will be victims of the rest. Sad fact of life.
"So, as it is necessary at some points on a path to take one step back before taking two steps forward"
That is exactly where I believe we are at the moment.
We might be seing a restructering of the partys. If you read history, in the 1860's the republicans were the progresive party and democrats the conservitive party. The republicans had just resently seperated from the wigs just before the election of 1860. The wigs were the ultra-conservitive party. The democrats may become more conservitive while the republicans seperate into one party of ultra-conservative such as the Wigs and the other part becoming more progresive.
"I suspect the nation as a whole is disintegrating. There is no common purpose anymore for different economic classes, different regions of the country, or even different social/cultural groups"
I think that you are right, but I don't see these as bad things.
Different economic classes never really DID have a common purpose, and it's time working people stopped buying into the notion that what's good for Wall St. is necessarily good for them. Unfortunately, it takes and increase in suffering for people to galvanize for real change, but the hope is that something good will come of it. Obama's horrible bank plan(s) are driving home to people what has been going on for a very long time, in a bipartisan way. No "free market capitalism" for the wealthy- they have a massive nanny state to protect them from market discipline. I think that the idea that Texas will secede is an attempt at populist rhetoric, but the break-down of nation-states should be a genuine long-term goal.
I wish Texas would secede. I'd move there. Problem is, there would be a huge land rush, because everyone else would do the same. Hmmm... I should buy that building lot rigt now from my buddy in Tyler.
Better get in first!
I generally agree that different economic classes have different interests and purposes, but it does come down to a matter of degree. For example, I suspect that the different classes in Scandinavia share more common purposes than the different classes in Mexico.
I don't think the Republican party is disintegrating. If it were a tachometer it would be moving into red line 7000 territory, aka undisguised, outright fascism. That's where I think it's going, slowly but surely. If events put them back in control (something by no means unimagineable) we will then get our version of Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, Mugabe, ad nauseum and that will be the end of everything here. The next time it happens, the T-Bangers won't let go. If, however, we catch some good luck, the T-Bangers will be reduced to ruling the Bible Belt and its honorary brothers, like Kansas. The seeds of a brutal fascism have always been with us from the very beginnings of this nation. George Wanker Bush may have put the keys in the ignition, waiting for someone else in the future to turn over the engine.
I allow for the possibility that the Republican Party is disintegrating but that it could win in 2012 anyway. And I agree that if the Republicans do somehow manage to win the presidency in 2012, then they will attempt to implement a brutal fascist state (possibly by Newtie Mussolini?). However, I believe the results after that are entirely unpredictable.
Given that if Texas did secede it would be virtually impossible for the Republicans to win the presidency in 2012 and to then impose a hard, uncompromising, corporatist police (fascist) state, I find it ironic that many who claim to love the US and its Bill of Rights believe it would be a tragedy for Texas to secede.
Mordechai
I'm thinking that the more Conservative elements of the Republican party are going to take it back from the element thats ruled it for 10 years. If they do watch out.
The "T-Bangers" that everyone has made so much fun of is saying more than many heard. They were representative of a group that doesn't say that much but are doing a slow burn, the ones that are paying much of the freight. I found as many videos as I could and paid close attention and what I sawe mostly people absolutely POed about taxes, but far more about spending and every bunch I saw were if anything more POed at Republicans. Excluding the nut jobs that show up at every demo, right or left.
Just my opinion from what I saw and heard. They looked nore like allies than enemies to me.
Mr. Hightower I so enjoy your wit and insight.
Yes, I believe Kay Bailey Hutchinson and her band of Texas Billionaires have told Perry that he will have to clear out of the Governors Mansion come next election. He's furious as he thought since he was installed as Bush went on the White House that he could be Governor more or less forever since there are no term limits for that Office in Texas.
I left Texas awhile back as our state had become taken over first by the same extremists that later wreaked havock on our country.
I do know this, Texans are wearing of this childish and painful nonsense.
TX isn't alone. My state of VA was in the same boat until the Democrats finally started competing. While I have issues with Obama, I'll give him and the state Democratic Party for making the state competitive and turning it blue after 44 years. There are still plenty of DLCers vs the hardliners but some reconciliation was worked out surprisingly. Maybe the TX Democratic Party is losing its thread somewhere? Do any of the TX Democrats even recognize Ralph Yarborough these days? I mean LBJ is all too known I presume but Yarborough is an interesting US Senator from TX. Maybe Hightower knows him?
CarlaWaters
Sorry to tell you that Ralph passed away back in the mid nineties. Jim certainly knew him well. You weren't a Democrat in Texas back then if you didn't.
I lived in LA back then and was too stupid to understand politics. Well, you probably know what the educational level in that state was like back then. I only picked up interest in politics in the recent years. My husband and my mother who knew Ralph Yarborough well though never forgot this quote "Let's put the jam on the lower shelf so the little people can reach it". Sad to see most pols putting the jam out of reach except for the corporate pigs. There's got to be a sweetheart out in TX who share's Ralph's values. Heck, I'd probably go desperate and even put an immigrant resident living in TX who shares Yarborough's values in office.
"I lived in LA back then and was too stupid to understand politics."
I'm almost 60 and I'm pretty sure I'm too stupid to understand politics. The more I think I understand, the more I realize I don't understand.
No EAKTON, don't feel letdown. Trust me, the more one understands politics, the more overwhelming the feeling can get.
Senator Yarborough has been out of the picture for quite some time. You are right to mention him, he had a shining record. I always mention folks like Ann Richards, Bill Moyers and Molly Ivans as fine examples of Texas Progressives. Of course Mr Hightower makes us all proud as well.
Unfortunately all we've got left is Bill and Jim. I miss Molly's insight terribly.
I still have a feeling that there are more out there in TX who share Bill and Jim's values but are afraid to make the case. Say, you sound like a reasonable moderate liberal Democrat and would make an excellent governor or even senator of TX. Come on Thomas, you can run. :)
As things grow worse and worse, as both the T-Bangers and the Obysmalcrats keep on brazenly ripping off the nation, despite whatever protest there is, the only alternative left to people will be to localize economies and finally get them under some kind of rational control. Slowly, haltingly, not always successfully, the federal government and its money gobbling war machine will be told by states, counties and cities to screw off. Talk of secession by the far right isn't as crazy as it sounds. The United States will become a de facto confederation with like-minded blue and red states banding together for mutual gain. This really could happen. If it does, it could result in a third American revolution w/o bloodshed. Stranger things have happened.
Give it back to the Mexicans, who it was stolen from.