(
matzav.com) United in agreement for once, Republican presidential rivals warned forcefully last night the United States could be doomed to the same sort of financial crisis that is afflicting Europe unless federal deficits are drastically cut and the economy somehow revived.
The debate in economically ailing Michigan focused almost entirely on financial worries and proposed solutions in the U.S.
The candidates generally stuck to practiced speech lines - with a late exception. In the middle of one answer, Texas Gov. Rick Perry found himself unable to recall the names of all three of the Cabinet-level agencies he wants to eliminate, even leaning over to Rep. Ron Paul for help at one point.
“The third agency of government I would do away with - the education, the commerce. And let’s see. I can’t. The third one I can’t. Oops,” he said, forgetting for a moment that he wants to abolish the Department of Energy.
(Boker Tov) I arrived at last night's debate with one foot still in Perry's camp and the other, testing the water over at Lake Newt. By the end, I thought that Perry was toast (because of the brain freeze moment), Newt was disappointingly churlish and Cain's 9-9-9 is starting to wear thin. Rick Santorum just cannot get over himself and stop whining; Bachmann was better, for not being on the attack; but I still... deeply... don't want Romney.
So this morning I've been reading around the comments, from Politico to RedState, and have been amazed to find Perry's support seeming to hold strong. Here's one commenter, who uses a baseball analogy to make his/her point:
The way I look at Perrys flub tonight, is like watching a baseball game. Your star hitter comes up with runners on first and third, and your two runs down. You’re wanting that home run, but he strikes out.
With some of the comments here tonight, I would bet if they were at that game, They would leave, and start yelling for the team to trade him. It doesn’t matter to them that the game isn’t over, that there are 5 innings left. Their hero didn’t come through, so they’ve had it. They’re going to quit supporting that team.
It is the total opposite of loyalty. It’s not taught in scool no more, so they don’t know what it is.
Later they find out that in the bottom of the ninth, the star player hit a grand slam home run, and wins the game by one run.
They will jump on board again.
The question is, do we as a team want them back.
The answer is yes.
And then there's the email sent out by Team Perry at 2:30 a.m., again according to comments:
“We’ve all had human moments. President Obama is still trying to find all 57 states. Ronald Reagan got lost somewhere on the Pacific Highway in an answer to a debate question. Gerald Ford ate a tamale without removing the husk. And tonight Rick Perry forgot the third agency he wants to eliminate. Just goes to show there are too damn many federal agencies.
The governor said it best afterwards: “I’m glad I had my boots on, because I sure stepped in it tonight.”
While the media froths over this all too human moment, we thought we would take this opportunity to ask your help in doing something much more constructive: write us to let us know what federal agency you would most like to forget.
Is it the EPA and its job-killing zealots? The NLRB and its czar-like dictates? The edu-crats at the Department of Education who aim to control your local curriculum?
Send your answer to forgetmenot@rickperry.org, and if you are on twitter join us in using a new twitter hashtag: #forgetmenot. And, if you could, throw in a $5 contribution for every agency you would like to forget. We hope you have a long list. And we promise we will write down every last idea. So we don’t forget.
Still standing in our Boots,
Team Perry”
Lastly, this one made a striking point about the Enemedia:
... let’s be clear, the media today is another branch of the federal govt. Without being appointed Czar of Public Opinion or having a vote in Congress or a seat on the SCOTUS, they drive agendas, pick winners and losers, shape our minds while we don’t even realize it.
Remember Mark Halperin on Morning Joke saying after an Obama speech, “I think he was a d—.” ? Where’s Mark this morning? Sitting at the desk on Morning Joke, claiming Perry’s done, no chance, ever. It’s over.
There's a lot to think about, so for the time being I'm reserving judgement. The
next debate is -
brace yourself - the day after tomorrow: Saturday 8 pm on CBS, moderated by Scott Pelley for CBS and
Major Garrett for National Journal.
I don't have a problem with not knowing the answer. I have a problem that he had to lean over to Ron Paul to answer it for him. It isn't so much that I think he is stupid. I'm not looking at him that way. I know he isn't stupid. What I fear with Perry is that he depends on smart people who do not share values that are good for Jews and Christians. If you are a devout spiritual person and you count on intellectuals that are philosophically rooted without a sound foundation (P.S. that is what religion is supposed to do), then you are not giving your voters what you are promising. I want a religious man that can get his hands dirty in the issues and doesn't have to play more pure then thou... and leaves the details to those that don't share positive values. That was the problem with G W Bush... and Perry appears to be a lot alike. Bush really wanted to be the born again President, but if you look at his record he wasn't much different then Obama. And the reason we have Obama now is not that Conservatism failed... it is that Conservative values did not lead. Conservatives can not lean over to people like Ron Paul, Condi Rice, or other so called intellectuals and say... "HELP, I'm just a stupid religious person who the voters like because I'm the symbolic man of G-d". Letting your enemies step in when you fail because you don't have a clue was the undoing of the Republican party and I fear we are going back in the same direction.
