ladyliberal
Progressive Princess
- Aug 5, 2011
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Perry: Bernanke would be 'treasonous' to use stimulus again - Aug. 16, 2011
"If this guy [Ben Bernanke] prints more money between now and the election, I don't know what y'all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas.
I mean, printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history, is almost treacherous, or treasonous, in my opinion."
I don't want to debate monetary policy, except to say that it seems entirely plausible that the Fed will indeed increase the money supply sometime in the fifteen months. I do want to debate Perry's rhetoric.
Perry's words are clearly part of his populist, anti-Washington appeal, which has served him well in Texas. I think it will continue to help him with the politically active conservative Republicans that he's currently wooing. I think it will be awful for him in the general election.
Perry has many obvious strengths. I think his biggest weakness is that he will scare some voters. Quotes like these will do just that. To me, "treat him pretty ugly down in Texas," conjures up images of some violent action. Similar (indeed, more explicit) quotes got Palin in trouble following the Loughner shootings, and I think Perry's words risk being construed in a very negative light, however he intended them.
Perry's choice of target is a little odd as well. Certainly, Bernanke is not popular. However, he is a pro-business Republican originally appointed to his *independent* agency by a Republican President. It's not particularly plausible that he would damage the economy over which he has accepted stewardship in order to help a Democratic President against a pro-business Republican challenger.
If I were Perry, I would cool it on the angry words and run on my record. Perry has a record of job creation and solid conservativism nearly perfectly in line with the average Republican primary voter. He can capture the nomination as a jobs candidate rather than as a flamethrower and be better positioned to get to the White House.
"If this guy [Ben Bernanke] prints more money between now and the election, I don't know what y'all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas.
I mean, printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history, is almost treacherous, or treasonous, in my opinion."
I don't want to debate monetary policy, except to say that it seems entirely plausible that the Fed will indeed increase the money supply sometime in the fifteen months. I do want to debate Perry's rhetoric.
Perry's words are clearly part of his populist, anti-Washington appeal, which has served him well in Texas. I think it will continue to help him with the politically active conservative Republicans that he's currently wooing. I think it will be awful for him in the general election.
Perry has many obvious strengths. I think his biggest weakness is that he will scare some voters. Quotes like these will do just that. To me, "treat him pretty ugly down in Texas," conjures up images of some violent action. Similar (indeed, more explicit) quotes got Palin in trouble following the Loughner shootings, and I think Perry's words risk being construed in a very negative light, however he intended them.
Perry's choice of target is a little odd as well. Certainly, Bernanke is not popular. However, he is a pro-business Republican originally appointed to his *independent* agency by a Republican President. It's not particularly plausible that he would damage the economy over which he has accepted stewardship in order to help a Democratic President against a pro-business Republican challenger.
If I were Perry, I would cool it on the angry words and run on my record. Perry has a record of job creation and solid conservativism nearly perfectly in line with the average Republican primary voter. He can capture the nomination as a jobs candidate rather than as a flamethrower and be better positioned to get to the White House.
