Governor Goodhair's Harebrained "Strategy"

Texas' gift to America, former Governor, Secretary of Energy and all- around simpleton Rick "Goodhair" Perry was thinking big when he texted a message to the Malignant Loser's chief of staff Mark Meadows on November 4:

Among the many problems with this (other than the spelling and punctuation), as Heather Cox Richardson points out, is that Goodhair

"wanted Republican-dominated state legislatures not even to wait to see who had won the election—none of those states had been called by November 4—but simply to ignore the will of the voters, choose their own electors, and hope that the Supreme Court would hand the election to Trump as he had been saying for weeks it would."

So, one day after the election, Goodhair and doubtless millions of fellow fascist cultists wanted to throw out the election they were well on the way to losing.  Trash the Constitution.  Repeat the 2000 Republican SCOTUS election override.  Make the Malignant Loser president for life. Nothing to see here.

Of course, Goodhair, being a brave and patriotic American, is denying he sent the text message, even though it was sent from a phone registered to him, as confirmed in two separate databases.

Well, subpoena his ass and have him deny it under oath (or have him take the fifth, as his fellow weasels are already doing).

BONUS:  Steve M at No More Mister Nice Blog says we shouldn't be surprised by Goodhair's anti- democratic text.

Monday Reading

A number of good options this morning (as always, please go to the links for the full article/ post).

Charles Pierce on the Sutherland Springs mass murder and the crux of the gun control problem:

Thanks to the everlasting impotence of our political institutions and the people within them, we once again have to accept another unfortunate exercise of Second Amendment rights as the unfortunate consequence of being a free people. Thoughts and prayers? Jesus Christ, you should pardon the expression, these 26 people were gunned down in church. I think the “prayers” part was pretty well-covered, you indolent dolts.

When will some politician actually lose his job because he made killing his fellow citizens easier in exchange for a potful of campaign money? When will gun money become as toxic as tobacco money? Hell, when will gun money become as toxic as Heroin money? Nobody would take money from the Heroin PAC. When will gun money become a disqualifying factor in a campaign? Not soon, I suspect...

Not until a critical mass of voters makes reasonable gun control the number one qualification for their vote.

Politico exposes a proposal by Energy Secretary Rick "Oops" Perry that would benefit a heinous coal operator who was a big Trump supporter:

A proposal by Energy Secretary Rick Perry to alter the nation's electricity markets would provide a windfall for a small group of companies — most strikingly one owned by coal magnate Bob Murray, a prominent backer of President Donald Trump. 

Perry's plan would force consumers to subsidize ailing coal-fired and nuclear power plants with billions of dollars, in what he calls an effort to ensure that the nation’s power network can withstand threats like terrorist attacks or severe weather. But his narrowly written proposal would mostly affect plants in a stretch of the Midwest and Northeast where Murray's mining company, Murray Energy, is the predominant supplier, according to a POLITICO analysis of Energy Department data. 

The company and its PAC together sent $200,000 to pro-Trump election efforts last year, while Bob Murray threw an invitation-only West Virginia fundraiser for Trump in 2016.  

E.J. Dionne, Jr., on what's at stake in tomorrow's gubernatorial election in Virginia:

A Northam victory would send a signal to the country that President Trump is a severe drag on the GOP, especially if it were combined with Democratic pickups in the legislature. This would bolster the forces trying to contain Trump’s abuses and give heart to those doing the organizing work against him at the grass roots. 

It would tell Republicans in Congress that coddling and imitating Trump carry a high cost while strengthening Democratic efforts to recruit strong candidates for the 2018 midterms. 

A win by Gillespie would convey exactly the opposite message. It would ratify the Republican candidate’s vile and dishonest campaign tying Northam to felons and criminal gangs. This, in turn, would lead to more ugly racial and anti-immigrant appeals by GOP candidates next year. The party would decide that playing around with a few of Trump’s more hateful themes was the way to go. The race to the bottom would continue.

Sitting this one out is not an option for Democrats. Any who do have forfeited their right to bitch and, more importantly, reneged on their duty as responsible citizens.

Finally, Infidel 753 once again has a link round- up that is worth your time to peruse.

Go get 'em!

More On That Texas "Miracle" (Wink Wink)

Here's Harold Meyerson giving us more on Rick "Oops" Perry's hollow Texas "miracle:"

... Taxpayers in the other 49 states subsidized the so-called Texas miracle. Without everyone else’s help, the vast Texas throng of the working poor would have been so destitute that consumption levels would have dwindled. Texas’s use of federal dollars to keep its workers afloat is only deepened by its favor-the-rich-and-soak-the-poor tax policies. As a result of the state’s lack of an income tax and high sales taxes, the poorest 20 percent of Texans pay 12.5 percent of their incomes in state and local taxes — one of the highest levels in the United States — while the wealthiest 1 percent pay just 2.9 percent.[snip]

“Without Texas,” Perry boasted when he announced his candidacy, “America would have lost 400,000 jobs” between 2008 and 2014. But without America paying Texas’s freight, the miracle would have sunk in the muck.  (our emphasis)

As others have noted, with Texas benefiting from an oil boom during much of Perry's administration, it was easy to point to Texas as a somewhat recession-proof economy.  Below the surface, however, was a low-wage, low-benefit, environmentally hazardous, regressive sales tax economy that would begin to sag and become even more dependent on Federal aid as soon as the oil boom turned to bust. 

Frankly, it's a miracle Perry is getting away with touting his chops as a golden boy of regressive Republican economic policy, although if you're a 1-percenter, it's working just fine for you.

That Texas "Miracle" (Wink Wink) You'll Be Hearing About

Paul Krugman writes about one of the only selling points for former governor and future Lenscrafters spokesmodel Rick "Oops" Perry:  the so-called "Texas Miracle:"

Remember the Texas economic miracle? In 2012, it was one of the three main arguments from then-Gov. Rick Perry about why he should be president, along with his strong support from the religious right and something else I can’t remember (sorry, couldn’t help myself). More broadly, conservatives have long held Texas up as a supposed demonstration that low taxes on the rich and harsh treatment of the poor are the keys to prosperity.

So it’s interesting to note that Texas is looking a lot less miraculous lately than it used to. To be fair, we’re talking about a modest stumble, not a collapse. Still, events in Texas and other states — notably Kansas and California — are providing yet another object demonstration that the tax-cut obsession that dominates the modern Republican Party is all wrong.

Krugman also contrasts the Republican economic governance of Texas and Kansas with the Democratic economic governance of California.  You might guess how that comparison goes, but if not:

For those who haven’t been following the Kansas story, in 2012, Sam Brownback, the state’s hard-right governor, pushed through large tax cuts that would, he promised, lead to rapid economic growth with little, if any, loss of revenue. But the promised boom never materialized, while big budget deficits did.

And, meanwhile, there’s California, long mocked by the right as an economy doomed by its liberal politics. Not so much, it turns out: The budget is back in surplus in part because the emergence of a Democratic supermajority finally made it possible to enact tax increases, and the state is experiencing a solid recovery.

Keep in mind too, the prevailing right-wing philosophy behind Perry's economics is deregulation, which has certainly added greater meaning to the concept of a "booming economy."

Meanwhile, in the Republican-wired newsroom at the once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle, cub reporter Jimmy Olsen Stephanie McCrummen wonders if Perry is more style or more substance, a question she somehow avoids answering ("we report, you decide").  Is the "Texas Miracle" mentioned?  Why, of course it is, but only with attendant glowing quotes from a corporate  suit who was "incentivized" to build his plant in Texas (no unions, no taxes, no environmental protections, yee-haw!).  So what issue does McCrummen spend the first 19 paragraphs talking about (and refers back to as a theme)?

... a man poses a question about the importance of speaking plainly, and Perry pauses a moment before he answers by asking rhetorically, which is to say confidently: “Did I say anything today you couldn’t understand?”

People laugh, and this is when it happens: Rick Perry winks.  (our emphasis)

Yes, Perry's wink!  Nineteen paragraphs.  He's winking at you, Stephanie! Looks like he made the sale.

Rick Perry Re-Enters The Republican Clown Car

Former Texas governor and future men's hair care product spokesman Rick "Oops" Perry is the latest clown to declare his candidacy (his second try) for the Republican presidential nomination.  (Or, perhaps he never exited the clown car in 2012?  Was that you, Rick, tapping in the trunk?).  Perry is considered to be a "second tier" candidate after his disastrous performance in the 2012 primaries, his dystopian 14- year administration, and his current indictment for abuse of power while governor.  But, who knows, now that he's sportin' those "smart" glasses!

Yes, another Republican who will never be President -- and thank goodness for that, since he seems to have no idea what's in the U.S. Constitution. 

BONUS:  Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog tells us about Perry's campaign song and the loyal Amurican who sings it.

(Photo:  Yahoo!)

Quote of the Day - "Oops" Perry Edition

“Every barrel of oil that comes out of those sands in Canada is a barrel of oil that we don’t have to buy from a foreign source.” -- Gov. Rick "Oops" Perry (Dumbshit-TX), yesterday in Clarinda, Iowa. You can't make this stuff up. (h/t Daily Kos)

Governor Gubmint

It's a longshot, but Dems think that Houston Mayor Bill White has a shot at unseating secessionist Rethug Gov. Rick "Hair" Perry in Texas. They're running an ad that takes the photogenic but vapid Governor to task for wanting to require pre-pubescent girls to get a highly controversial vaccination for the human papilloma virus, a proposal that was shot down by the Texas legislature.

Like all right-wing hypocrites, Hair Perry is all for getting the Gubmint out of your lives, except in the most personal and confidential areas: sex, religion and family.

(photo: "Was it something I said?")

Tex-ass For Sale? Yahoooo!!

Now that Texas' Rethuglican Governor-Clown Rick "Dipstick" Perry is mulling over seceding from the union, some want to beat him to the punch and sell the state to the highest bidder (Mexico, China, etc.) on eBay before they can secede. Great idea, but we'll miss seeing washed-up actor Chuckles Norris, who has said he wants to be "President of Texas," duking it out with Dipstick for the secessionist presidency. Another upside: unloading Texas would raise the average IQ of the U.S.

(photo: Texas' symbol: a lot of bull)

Another Rethug Patriot

Speaking yesterday to a crowd of tea bagging wingnuts and other assorted nutjob losers in Austin, TX, Texas Rethuglican Gov. Rick "Dipstick" Perry really did himself proud. Repeatedly referring to the "oppressive" Federal government and praising "states' rights", Dipstick had some in the crowd waving signs saying "Secede." At a press conference later, he said that at some point, Texans might get so fed up they would want to secede from the union. When asked if he supported Texas' secession from the United States, Dipstick squirmed, but said, "who knows what might come out of that." Wasn't it just a few months ago when the Rethugs were throwing around the word "treason" for anyone who disagreed with Dumbya and Dead Eye? Now who's disloyal?

News flash for Gov. Dipstick: we've already had a Civil War, and your side LOST. Also, Dip, you might want to check the legal definition of "sedition," because you're right on the edge of it.