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Rick Perry - The Repubicans' 'Shiny New Toy'

Shane Pearlman reviews last night's Republican presidential debate at the Reagan Library.

By Shana Pearlman

7 Sep 2011, 20:07

Early presidential debates are a bit grim; you’ve got eight or nine candidates all standing in a line on a stage, each standing behind a curiously small podium, and an electronic image of an American flag waving in the background.  Even though the multiplicity of candidates are all supposedly equal contenders, we know who the real fight is going to be against, so while the two or three top candidates spar and parry, the rest try vainly to get a zinger in or complain about being ignored.

So it was last night at the Reagan Presidential Library Republican debate. Political observers were interested in this one as it was Texas governor Rick Perry’s debut on the national stage. Would he justify his frontrunner status or would Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney turn him into a quivering heap?

The Reagan Library could not have been a friendlier venue for the candidates; their statements were constantly greeted with cheers and applause. The moderators, however, Brian Williams of NBC and John F. Harris of Politico, had an unambiguous point of view. When questions are asked like, “Your state has executed 234 people, more than any other governor in modern times.  Have you struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of them might have been innocent?” It’s hard to claim that’s an objective question.

In fact, in some ways the moderators’ questions were the most revealing thing about the debate, because they revealed the line of attack the media will use against each of the nominees. If in fact Perry wins the nomination, the line the media will use is that he’s a governor who cut spending on happy shiny things we like. If it’s Romney, it will be, “How can you claim to be against Obamacare if you did it yourself?” If Bachmann is the nominee, the line of attack will be, “You said this thing we find crazy. Explain yourself, if you can.”  

But back to Perry, who, as Andrew Malcolm of the LA Times said, “was the shiny new toy” at the debate last night. Perry put up a credible performance. He pointed out that Romney’s job creation record was worse than the dreaded Michael Dukakis; he doubled down on his comments that Social Security was a “Ponzi scheme” and a “monstrous lie” if we tell 25-30 year olds it will still exist when they retire, to rapturous applause; and defended himself against criticisms of requiring Texas girls to get the HPV vaccine by saying, frankly, “I hate cancer…at the end of the day, I will always err on the side of saving lives.”  Romney was the other night’s star of the debate, polished and smooth as usual; and while Bachmann sounded reasoned and well-prepared, she didn’t get as much of a chance to shine as the two front-runners.

Blogger Stephen Green pointed out, “For all the talk you hear about how weak or weird or crazy this GOP field is, really what Republican voters face here is –almost– an embarrassment of riches…there wasn’t anyone I wouldn’t choose in a heartbeat over the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And I’m not sure I fully expected that to happen.” Thoughtful political observers knew that Obama’s main weaknesses – a lack of executive experience, a complete paucity of experience in dealing with setbacks, and a tendency to petulance when he doesn’t get his own way - would hurt him after he actually served a term as president.  The GOP field of candidates, particularly Perry and Romney, are uniquely positioned to exploit these weaknesses, and will have a particularly compelling case to sell to America. Last night’s debate performance showed that both governors are poised to give the incumbent an extremely rough ride in the 2012 election.