Rick Perry is Impugning the Federal Government Again (Not Really)

America learned last debate that Texas Gov. Rick Perry supports militarizing  --"boots on the ground" -- the border with Mexico; we know he supports federal amendments to ban gay marriage and abortion, and we definitely know he's not worried about potential failures in Texas "justice."

So naturally the biggest problem is his (rhetorical) aversion to the federal government. It's up to Howard Fineman to leap to the defense over at The Huffington Post:

The man who made the federal government's role the center of the campaign is also the man who was the center of attention in the debate: Rick Perry.

He has his story about the 10th Amendment and he is sticking to it. An all-but-forgotten part of the Bill of Rights until recently, it has become the organizing principle of the GOP race this year. When Perry mentioned the federal government during the debate, he used the word "they." It was "they" -- the feds -- who were disregarding their duty to protect the border with Mexico.

Think about it: the federal government is "they."

Is that the way most Americans regard it?

The GOP nomination, it seems, is going to go to the candidate who most forcefully makes the case for his or her antagonism to the federal government.

It will be up to President Obama not only to make the case for his own re-election, but for the role of the federal government itself.

There's some truth to this change in framing. As Matt Welch points out below, even four years ago, the GOP sounded more interested in praising God than dissing the Fed (besides the obvious exception.) 

But here at Reason, both Mike Riggs and Peter Suderman recently pointed out that Perry's radicalism is not what it has been described -- both lovingly and fearfully -- as. Like all good politicians, the man who wrote "if you don't like medicinal marijuana and gay marriage, don't move to California" may fade more and more as the presidential race gets closer to a finish. And, as Salon points out, already there are downsides to every debate tactic, including being the front-runner friend of Federalism:

Perry was reduced to pleading the Tenth -- arguing that he was guilty only of handling immigration in a way that worked for his state and stressing that he vehemently opposes a national version of the Dream Act. Of course, this is the same basic defense that Romney offers Republicans whenever his Massachusetts healthcare law is attacked.I did what was right for my state, but believe me I hate ObamaCare just as much as you do. And whenever Perry says or does anything that makes him seem more like Romney and less like the "pure" conservative alternative, well, it's probably a good moment for Romney. 

Perry, if he manages to find the sweet spot between demanding massive government cuts and not condemning Social Security too harshly, could be the new president. The federal government is probably safe regardless.

Comments

[copy editor]

It's "militarizing", you don't capitalize after a semicolon, and it's bad form to leave "as" dangling by itself after a parenthetical.

[mitch]

Think about it: the federal government is "they."

Is that the way most Americans regard it?

Um, yes?

[Holy Cow]

Ahh, remember those heady days back in '04 when Bush went around the country touting SS privatization?

And remember how Reason pooh-poohed the effort as unserious?

Yes, if only the GOP stopped talking about God....

[sarcasmic]

the GOP sounded more interested in praising God than dissing the Fed

When will they realize that they alienate more people than they attract with all their moralizing?

[Holy Cow]

Unlike the Left, which never moralizes about:

the environment
the car you drive
the wealth you've stolen-- err, earned
the way employees should be pampered
the way illegal immigrants should be treated

nah, no moralizing on the other side.
So which party keeps on running Reverends in the Prez primaries? Huh? What?

[sarcasmic]

*religious* moralizing

[Brett L]

See: "the environment"

[James Ard]

Beltway people are genuinely surprised the federal government has become "they". Jeez these people are isolated.

[P Brooks]

I generally think of the government as "the enemy".

[CE]

They rob me twice a month, so yeah, I think of them as "they".

[Lost_In_Translation]

Perry may be a disingenuous asshole, but he has a pretty good grip on the gripes of the grassroots GOP. And its not that the federal isn't doing enough.

[CE]

The GOP nomination, it seems, is going to go to the candidate who most forcefully makes the case for his or her antagonism to the federal government.

Ron Paul FTW!

[Eduard van Haalen]

The candidate who opposes the federal government, but wasn't a spoilsport Cassandra about the economy, making everyone else look bad. Nobody likes a know-it-all.

[CE]

Perry took a beating in the debate last night. Expect his poll numbers to start dropping.

The worst part was when Bachmann reminded the viewers that Perry took big campaign donations from the maker of Gardasil, and Perry responded by saying it was only 5K out of 30M he raised, and that he was offended if she thought he could be bought for only 5,000 dollars. (Begging the question of how much it would cost to buy him off.)

[Mike G]

"Think about it: the federal government is 'they.' Is that the way most Americans regard it?"

YESSSSSS!!! You're just now getting that, Howard?

[deified]

Every time I see Rick Perry's hair, I want to cum.

[Eduard van Haalen]

"An all-but-forgotten part of the Bill of Rights until recently"

Yes, that's kind of the problem, isn't it?

[iguanodon]

Think about it: the federal government is "they."

Is that the way most Americans regard it?

That's just silly. Technically, most Americans regard it as "They". With a capital.

[R C Dean]

Of course the federal government is "they" to anyone not cashing a federal paycheck. How is it not?

You'd have to be completely in the grips of Stockholm Syndrome (and/or the Statist Fallacy) to think otherwise.

[JC]

If you want a true conservative, you won't find it in Perry or Romney -- both have social policies they supported. Jon Huntsman is labeled a moderate, but he has a strong track record of innovative thinking and free market policies. I hope people start looking at Huntsman more seriously. He's more real than the other two "front runners."