Perry’s flip-flop
One of the skills that has kept Rick Perry in power is that he has a knack for knowing where his constituency stands on most issues. But his instincts failed him when he comingled states-rights with gay marriage. I’m referring, of course, to Perry’s statement to the Family Research Council, a Christian advocacy group, that New York’s approval of same-sex marriages was “fine with me.”
This will probably turn out to be a minor bobble in Perry’s pursuit of the presidency, but it is definitely a bobble. It looks as if Perry hasn’t yet figured out who his constituency is, for a presidential race. Talking states rights works great for a Texas constituency that Perry has kept stirred up with his repeated confrontations with the federal government over EPA interference, lack of border security, immigration, and health care, but it isn’t going to play well in the states that were on the winning side in the Civil War. Do Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York care about the Tenth Amendment? Taking the country as a whole, millions more are concerned about gay marriage than states rights.
If Perry is going to have a successful race for the presidency, one of the first things he is going to have to come to grips with is that the rest of the country (outside the South, at least) doesn’t think like Texas does and isn’t as conservative as Texas is. That is certainly true when it comes to states’ rights, and also for gay marriage. Perry tried to undo his flip-flop in an interview that the Family Research Council posted on its Web site, stating (as he often has) his opposition to gay marriage and his support for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution limiting marriage to one man and one woman (an issue that was a favorite of Karl Rove’s during the Bush years).
Perry rarely gets caught in a squeeze like this. And the reason he rarely gets caught is that he rarely interacts with people who don’t think like he does–especially the media. He was able to stiff them in the governor’s race, and maybe he can control his schedule for a presidential race to Fox and more Fox, but the bobble ought to be a warning sign to Perry that presidential races are much more complex than state races, and that he is going to have to choose his words carefully.
Gov. Rick Perry, speaking Thursday to a leading Christian advocacy group, clarified his recently stated position that New York’s decision to allow same-sex marriages was “fine with me.”
That opinion, based on Perry’s belief that the 10th Amendment grants the authority for such decisions to the states, was criticized by some members of the governor’s base of political support — social and religious conservatives.
But in an interview with the Family Research Council that was posted on the organization’s blog, Perry repeated his opposition to gay marriage and his support for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that limits marriage to one man and one woman.
“I probably needed to add a few words after that ‘it’s fine with me,’ and that it’s fine with me that a state is using their sovereign rights to decide an issue,” Perry told council President Tony Perkins. “Obviously, gay marriage is not fine with me. My stance hasn’t changed.”
While critics have noted that a constitutional amendment would be akin to the federal government telling New York and other states how to define marriage, Perry said it would be “strong medicine” that protects states like Texas that have banned same-sex nuptials.
“Indeed, to not pass the federal marriage amendment would impinge on Texas and other states not to have (gay) marriage forced upon them by these activist judges, these special interest groups,” Perry said.
Perry’s statement about New York’s new policy raised unwelcome questions about his conservative credentials as the governor contemplates a run for president. Emerging as a potential front-runner for the GOP nomination, Perry also has been targeted by some conservatives for his 2008 endorsement of “pro-abortion, pro-same-sex marriage” Rudy Giuliani, as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee recently described the former New York mayor.
By reaching out to the Family Research Council, Perry gains access to supporters of an organization that opposes abortion, gay rights and stem cell research while supporting school prayer, abstinence-based sex education and the teaching of intelligent design as a counterpoint to evolution.
The council’s leader, Perkins, is a former Republican member of the Louisiana House who was recently named a co-chair for the Response, Perry’s Christian prayer rally set for Aug. 6 in Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
Perkins’ organization posted the marriage portion of the Perry interview online and planned to make the rest available today.
Tagged: family research council, gay marriage, rick perry
Governor Toolshed says:
Then sighing, said the other, ‘Have thy will,
I am the Love that dare not speak its name.’
he doth protest too much
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Cow Droppings Reply:
July 30th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Paul, I defy you to explain how Perry changed his position one iota.
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Anonymous Reply:
July 30th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Really??? You need it explained to you? First perry says gay marriage should be left up to the states and if NY wants it that’s fine with him. Then after having his leash yanked, he comes out and says states should have no say on the issue and we need a federal law to not allow gay marriage in any state. How much drugs do you need to be on before that looks like he hasn’t changed his position one iota???
Perry’s mistake was telling wingnuts the truth. They can’t handle the truth.
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Cow Droppings Reply:
July 30th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Wrong. He still says it is up to New York. He simply made sure a) people knew his personal position in his own state and b) consistent with state rights, states ought to have the right not to recognize gay unions consummated in other states via constituional amendment.
Totally consistent.
Anonymous Reply:
July 30th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Advocating for a federal law to ban states from recognizing gay marriage is the opposite of consistent from saying it’s up to each state. The only thing more pathetic than perry’s flip-flop is watching his supporters tie themselves into knots explaining how it’s not a flip flop. Sad, very sad, but not unexpected.
Tnix Reply:
July 31st, 2011 at 11:36 am
You’ll are right. Once a flat earther always a flat earther, doesn’t matter if it is gay marriage, or taxes. Please send Perry to run in the general election–otherwise Texas will vote for the R candidate.
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linda says:
so..first he was for states’ rights before he was against them?
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Kenneth D. Franks Reply:
July 31st, 2011 at 9:06 am
He was for the 10th Amendment before he was against it or it only applies to certain issues he supports.
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Cow Droppings Reply:
July 31st, 2011 at 12:25 pm
It does only apply to certain issues. Read the actual Amendment before professing ignorance.
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longleaf says:
I’m beginning to think none of this matters very much. Given Obama’s disastrous austerity measures (suggested to him by the GOPers so as to destroy him), the economy will be in a full-blown depression by this time next year.
All Perry has to do is secure the GOPer nomination (not that difficult a task, given his willingness, as seen in this episode, to play to the Bible-banging base which constitutes the majority of the GOPer primary electorate) and wait for Election Day. He should try to change his name to “Generic Republican Candidate” but even that probably won’t be necessary.
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Anonymous says:
Perry = Totally Consistent.
Like the Bible. LOL.
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Anonymous Reply:
July 30th, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Lucky for Perry that his base, the bible thumping wingnuts, have never read the dang thing.
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Tellinlikeitis Reply:
July 30th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
That’s for sure.
They can’t find one ministry moment from Christ regarding homosexuality. Christ would have spoken to us about it – if it mattered.
Christ focused on personal salvation issues….and how we are to treat others…and, how we are to approach wealth and material possessions.
This is all very much an inconvenient truth for many folks.
Sure, you can find a verse in Leviticus about homosexuality.
We also are told in Proverbs that anyone with a large appetite should cut out his/her tongue.
So….why aren’t the bible thumpers picking on fat folk?
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Anonymous Reply:
July 31st, 2011 at 7:12 am
I’m pretty sure that chicken fried bacon was one of Jesus’ favorites.
Cow Droppings Reply:
July 31st, 2011 at 8:57 am
Telli:
I Corinthians 6:9-10:
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Look, these are hard teachings. And it points out there are a whole category of folks who are separated from God, and I personally don’t think it is right to single out one group — homosexuals — to the exclusion of the many who need God’s grace. In fact, I fit a couple of the categories above that would keep me from the Kingdom of God.
But the beauty of repentance — of turning from our past ways — is that God wipes the slate clean according to the Gospel.
But you simply can’t say with a straight face that it was only an Old Testament teaching. We haven’t been left with that choice.
More New Testament, Romans 1:24-27:
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for [p]a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed [q]forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is [r]unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing [s]indecent acts and receiving in [t]their own persons the due penalty of their error.
Tellinlikeitis Reply:
July 31st, 2011 at 9:25 am
Cow…
I wasn’t talking about the Apostle Paul. I was talking about Christ…His teachings and ministry.
Not once did he mention homosexuality. Why not?
Paul wrote that letter to the Corinthians…..in which he also instructed women to veil their head.
So…why don’t women cover their head today with a veil?
Tellinlikeitis Reply:
July 31st, 2011 at 9:41 am
Another point, Cow…since you quoted Paul.
Let’s turn to his guide for living when he wrote in Acts: 2:44-45.
“The faithful all lived together and owned everything in common: they sold their goods
and possessions and shared out the proceeds among themselves according to what each one needed.”
Any prediction on when Perry and his crowd will actually practice what they preach?
paulburka Reply:
August 1st, 2011 at 1:54 am
Sorry, I had to send another comment to trash because it violated the rules of the blog.
Cow Droppings Reply:
July 31st, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Jesus came for salvation agenda, not a social agenda. One period of the early church living in commune does not make for a prescription for all Christian living, and subsequent believers did not have joint possessions, but were encouraged to give richly, taking care of orphans and widows. Notice that the responsibility of the church not the government.
Jesus said He came to fulfill the Old Testament. He sourced it as the Word of God when tempted by the Devil. He ran not from Leviticus, nor any other word in the Old T.
Tellinlikeitis Reply:
July 31st, 2011 at 1:47 pm
The salvation agenda intersects with everything we do and say.
We are to treat others as we want to be treated.
We are to love our neighbor as our self.
It’s how we treat the least of these that is important.
You are correct about the salvation part. Remember the guy who came to the Lord and asked what he must do to be saved?
Remember the response, Cow? Go and sell everything and give to the poor.
This was a penetrating message because the guy who came to the Lord with the question was very wealthy.
You can’t find salvation when you worship money.
Lots of folks preach religion – and worship money.
Ever wonder why Perry doesn’t give?
anita says:
I believe Perry will have the pleasure of hearing his “fine by me” comment repeated over and over and over in every primary state he visits.
CD, you need to read his smug comments on Thursday — something to the effect of “you either believe in the 10th Amendment or you don’t, if that’s what the citizens of New York want, who am I to say no”. Then 24 hours later, he says he’s the one who would say no. Flip. Flop.
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Anon. says:
Cow Droppings: what you just wrote is wrong. It is not correct.
The Federal Marriage Amendment in Congress does not say that states are not required to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. It says that, across the United States, marriage is only the union of one man and one woman. So if the Federal Marriage Amendment passed, gay marriage would be illegal in every state in the United States, including states that have elected legislatures and governors that passed and signed legislation recognizing same-sex marriage.
The one thing Perry was right about is that you can’t have it both ways: you can’t say that the states know better than the federal government, except for when states do something you don’t agree with, in which case the federal government knows better.
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Robert Morrow says:
The great thing about being a supporter of Ron Paul is we don’t have to worry about what he is going to say day to day. He’s been giving the same pro-individual, pro states’ rights, pro-Constitution, pro-liberty, very small government message for 35 years.
By the end of this race, if Rick Perry is the nominee, he will be marching in drag in a gay parade in NYC if he thinks that will secure him some votes in a few swing states.
For the supporters of Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, etc. life is fun, exciting and like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get!
Rick Perry … he was for the TARP bailout on 10/1/08, before he was against it 2 months later in the WSJ.
He was for parental rights … until he supported a mandatory HPV vaccine on every little girl in Texas.
Perry is for family values and the presidential prayer rally, well I will just skip the rest.
He is for states rights BUT ONLY AFTER Barack Obama was elected president. Get the picture.
Perry is *for* fiscal conservatism and tax cuts … and – just like those Wash DC Republicans, he is for BORROWING lots and lots of money for roads, cancer research, water bonds, school buildings and he acts like DEBT SERVICE is magical pixie dust and not a tax that Texans have to pay for out the nose.
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING HERE – and get used to that with Slick Rick Perry – one can for the 10th Amendment and also for adding a new “marriage” amendment at the same time.
As as side note, and this is a big issue of mine, when are we going to quit arresting Willie Nelson (and everyone else) for smoking dope? Does Rick Perry support STATES RIGHTS and say the Feds should completely butt out of the drug wars and let the states decide?
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Lance says:
Rick Perry has controlled Texas media very well. The national media is not going to be as friendly. Texans have no ideal who Perry really is, otherwise he would have been tosed out of office years ago. His need for extreme privacy will become an issue for the national media. A great example is Politico’s article questioning if he had a gay affair. With the need for all the security and more privacy than the President recieves this will raise a red flag.
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Duke Silver says:
Of all the reasons to oppose Rick Perry, I have trouble of thinking of one stupider than that he is not opposed to gay marriage strongly enough.
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Anonymous says:
This actually reminds me of a national version of Perry trying to read the state’s electorate in the wake of his 2006 victory with just 39 percent of the vote and getting it wrong, at least when it came to the core base of Republicans in Texas.
Perry read his tepid support in ’06 as an indication that voters in the state were moving to the left towards a more activist state government role, and tried to get out in the lead with his Gardasil edict and pushing forward on the Trans-Texas Corridor initiatives and the land seizures that involved. He ended up being rescued by opposition within the Legislature and then realized with Kay Bailey’s primary challenge in 2010 looming, he had to shift back to the right to secure the conservative primary base — if not for that, we probably wouldn’t have seen Rick Perry v3.0 starting in 2008, when voters in the rest of the country were moving left with the wins by Obama and the Democratic Congress.
With the 10th amendment statement, what it looked like was Rick Perry v3.1.9 — he understands that the rest of the country isn’t as conservative as Texas and that a hard-line position on social issues could come back to haunt him in November 2012 if he did win the nomination. But he thought he could finesse the situation by simply making issues like abortion and gay marriage states right matters, especially since on something like Roe v. Wade one of the major arguments of abortion opponents is that it isn’t a federal issue and should be left up to the states.
Where Perry screwed up is in not realizing that for the hardest of hard-line social conservatives, that’s just a talking point. It’s not that they want abortion or gay marriage to be decided on a state-by-state basis; instead, just as the left wanted the abortion issue nationalized in favor of legalization, they wanted it nationalized in favor of re-criminalizing the practice. Which is why Rick had to revise and extend his remarks, because he can’t afford to get on the bad side of the social conservative activists in the GOP even before he announces his candidacy.
On the other hand, it does fly in the face of those on the Democratic side who think Rick Perry is some hard-line ideologue. He’s not — he’s just the guy trying to convince a majority of voters he’s at the head of the parade, even if he was marching in a different direction when the parade started. He may try to run as a True Believer in the presidential primary, but down deep, he’s closer to Charles Durning’s Academy Award-nominated role as the state’s governor in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”.
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paulburka says:
I am not going to post a comment from “Buddy@hillco partners.com. It is a violation of the rules of the blog to use the name of a real person. “The Old Chisum Fail” is acceptable; “Buddy @hillcopartners” is not.
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Fed Up (for Real) says:
And what about the flip flop on the school rankings? Amazing that the press is refusing to go beyond “school rankings dropped”. Scratch down a millimeter and you realize that the political reality is being lost in translation. The numbers were cooked in 2010 two months before the election. Perry/TEA knew it was a sham then but (accurately) banked on the willingness of the education community to accept the false praise ahead of a budget cutting session. (Lot of good that did.) Better to be stroked with a fake velvet glove than beaten with a heavy wooden stick.
If the national media wants to know about the true Perry Way (politics over policy ALWAYS), just look at the number of schools that magically “improved” in 2010, only to be exposed as poor performing in reality a post-election year later. Shiny over substantive, every way and every day. The story is there to be written. (Silence.)
Is there anything more cynical than baking school rankings for short-term political gain? I have a sickening feeling that we will be finding out soon enough.
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Anonymous says:
This incident shows Gov. Perry doesn’t always think an issue through clearly before deciding on what he’s going to say or what he’s going to do.
If Perry wants to be president, he’s got to do a better job in this respect.
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Big O says:
My hope is that the voters will remember the last guy they elected from Texas…
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rw says:
The Democrats / MSM strategy for the election is pretty apparent. Ask the Republicans about anything except the economy and jobs.
That’s why Perry is being fed a steady diet of questions about evolution, creation, gay marriage, etc. These issues are meaningless distractions by comparison.
We just raised the debt 2.5T, Social Security, and Medicare are about to go under, and Obamacare is going to kill the healthcare industry and cause rates to skyrocket. Who cares? Let’s talk about the .03 % of the population that is demanding to get married.
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Briscoe Democrat says:
Burka, Obama will still WIN re-election next year and the GOP nominee will be Romney (I’m sticking by my stand here on this one).
Perry will fall flat on his face just like Fred Thompson-wait and see.
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