Oops is Out - Perry is the Past

Texas Governor Rick Perry has finally figured it all out and and decided to drop out of the contest for the Republican nomination for President. But the interesting thing is that he even made it this far!  Ever since Perry announced his candidacy back in August 2011, his poor debate skills made us laugh, his awkward campaign ads (especially this one) made us cringe, and some of his ultra-conservative Christian beliefs, combined with how often he expressed them, scared us witless.  And so, in memoriam, here are some of the most memorable “oops!” moments of Perry’s campaign:

• THE “oops” moment. “It’s three agencies of government when I get there that are gone: Commerce, Education and the… uh, what’s the third one there? Let’s see…” (Nov. 9, 2011: GOP Debate at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich.)
• Comparing Social Security to a “Ponzi Scheme.”  The federal government is hardly a con-artist trying to swindle its constituents out of their money as Charles Ponzi did in the 1920s. His answer was massively unpopular among swing voters and older Republicans. It was a turning point in the campaign.
• That weird speech in New Hampshire. It looked like Perry was drunk or on drugs after watching a hyperactive, overly demonstrative Perry deliver a 25-minute speech to a conservative group in New Hampshire on Oct. 28.
• Failing to qualify for the Virginia primary election ballot. Perry failed to collect the 10,000 required for all candidates seeking inclusion on the Viriginia primary ballot. (Dec. 23, 2011)
• Confusing the voting age and 2012 election date. “Those that will be 21 by Nov. 12, I ask for your support.” (Nov. 29, 2011: Manchester, NH.) Shouldn’t a candidate running for president would know that the voting age is 18 and that Election Day is Nov. 6?
• “In Texas, we teach both creationism and evolutionism in our public schools.” (Aug. 18, 2011: Portsmouth, NH) Creationism? That would be news to Texas teachers and students. We would hope that the governor of Texas would be more knowledgeable about the policies of public schools in the state he represents.
• Defending the Marines who urinated on the corpses of Taliban soldiers: “Obviously 18-, 19-year-old kids make stupid mistakes all too often and that’s what’s occurred here. What is really disturbing to me is the over-the-top rhetoric from this administration and their disdain for the military. These kids made a mistake, there’s not any doubt about it,” he said. “[They] shouldn’t have done it, it’s bad — but to call it a criminal act, I think is over the top.” (Jan. 15, 2012: “State of the Union” show on CNN.)

And...last, but not least…Gov. Rick Perry endorsed Newt Gingrich, by saying, "Newt is not perfect, but who among us is?" Obviously NOT Perry.  It is good that he finally saw the light and is moving on.  However, with each Republican candidate that withdraws, so does my interest in the race. It’s getting a little less interesting; however, there still are Santorum, Paul, Gingrich, and Romney.  Still a lot of fun to be had.