Undercurrent Grows for Perry Candidacy

[W.E.B. Du Bois]

Time reports:

Prominent members of the Christian right held a conference call "to discuss their dissatisfaction with the current GOP presidential field, and agreed that Rick Perry would be their preferred candidate if he entered the race. Among those on the call were Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council; David Barton, the Texas activist and go-to historian for the Christian Right; and John Hagee, the controversial San Antonio pastor whose endorsement John McCain rejected in 2008."

"Religious conservatives have often played a substantial role in choosing past Republican nominees, but leaders on the Christian Right have been conspicuously quiet so far in this campaign season. Privately, however, they are enthusiastic about Perry and are encouraging the Texas governor to throw his ten-gallon hat in the ring."

It remains an open question if:

* Perry is electable (despite talk of secession, support of teaching creationism in schools, and any other far right stuff he engaged in)

* Perry can beat Romney in a field that is already flooded with far right candidates (Bachmann, Cain, Paul, Santorum)

[W.E.B. Du Bois]

I looked up Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor plan. It doesn't seem THAT bad as it seems to be implied by many (including/especially the right).

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6196406.html

I don't like that it's privately funded. I don't see what the right-wing objection is to it. They mention fear of it spreading crime, which appears to be racist. If the argument is that merely inter-Texas travel spreads crime, then the argument is that allowing Latinos and blacks to go into white neighborhoods causes crime, which is racist.



This map shows the heavy volume of freight shipped through Texas, a major trade gateway from Mexico and South America, as red lines branching out from the heart of the Lone Star State.


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