Editorial: A new view of Rick Perry, beyond the nerd-chic glasses | Dallas Morning News
Much of America saw Rick Perry in two dimensions in 2011, more persona than person, as governors from states that aren’t yours often are.
Recall his splashy entry into the Republican presidential sweepstakes, when he shot past a middling GOP field to the top of the polls. Perry had proved two things over three decades: He could raise money, and he could win elections.
Until he couldn’t.
His collapse from red-state character to red-faced caricature was thorough. Bluster gave way to bumbling, lowlighted by his inability to remember which three federal agencies he would eliminate as president. “Oops,” indeed. Perry 2012 barely made it to that January.
Why tread back over this well-trod ground? Rick Perry certainly hasn’t forgotten and, in fact, is giving every indication that he’s using that embarrassment to energize a 2016 campaign. “The lessons I learned in 2011 were frustrating and humbling,” he says. “I may have been a little arrogant in my thinking that I had been the governor of Texas for 12 years and what could be harder than that?”
This newspaper, which has had a closer view of Perry than most, finds such introspection unusual, almost refreshing. We’ll freely admit our differences with the governor, expanding over his extended tenure on matters of policy and politics, but even the harshest Perry critic had to feel some twinge of regret at his first presidential run. If nothing else, what Perry does on the national stage — not unlike what a Sen. Ted Cruz might do — reflects to varying degrees on all Texans.
Instead of swaggering in unprepared, Perry appears to be doing the nuts-and-bolts work of building a campaign from the ground up. And it’s more than adding nerd-chic glasses, although every little bit helps.
Recognizing admitted shortcomings, he has visited and brought in experts in the kinds of policy areas that differentiate presidents from governors. Perry might not strike you as the most think-tank kind of guy, but he is building inroads to right-of-center thought leaders, impressing some with his willingness to absorb.
He continues his travels to spread the word of the “Texas Miracle,” essentially his view of how low taxes and light regulation lead a state to economic greatness. He has boosted his national stature this summer as a border governor reacting to our nation’s immigration crisis. This newspaper disagrees with some of Perry’s border platform, including his National Guard show of force, but his more immediate consideration is how such moves play with Republican base voters.
The field is far from set this time, and where Perry fits among other Republicans seeking the White House — including, perhaps, that fellow Texan — remains an open question. It’s far from clear that
Perry can regain his fundraising touch.
For now, though, the point is less winning than simply giving a better account. On that score, Perry is working hard for a second chance.
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