Rick Perry's End

Rick Perry ended his own campaign last night in the CNBC GOP debate last night in Michigan. This happened early on in the debate when Perry was unable to name the three federal agencies he would eliminate if he were to become President.

The Drudge Report ran the headline "53 SECONDS", which linked to the video showing the gaff. "Why is this a big deal? We've all had moments like this", a friend asked me this morning. The answer to that question is two-fold. First, this is not Rick Perry's first moment like this. In past debates Rick Perry has had his share of problems. Rick Perry knows he doesn't debate well. Perry has served as the governor of Texas longer than anyone else in history, but he has only had four debates against opponents throughout his time as governor. In the last election in 2010, he skipped debating his challenger altogether.

That doesn't work in presidential politics. Debates make or break presidential candidates. From the first televised presidential debate, where Nixon looked pale and ill versus a young energetic John F. Kennedy, presidential debates have played a key role in who wins the election. In the 1992 election debate, George H. W. Bush made a huge mistake when he checked his watch during an audience question about how the recession had personally affected him. That gaff and Clinton's smoothness in the debate helped Clinton into the White House. In 2008, it was clear that Obama was a much better debater than McCain. The best debater always goes on to win the White House.

Second, this shows Rick Perry's lack of conviction in what he says and believes. The fact of the matter is, if you truly believe what you are saying, and are sure in your convictions about what you are proposing, you do not need notes. If you want to eliminate three departments in the government that is great! If that is something you firmly believe will help get us out of the morass we are in then tell us which departments you want to get rid of and tell us why. Perry was not only unable to tell us which departments he wants to get rid of, he was also unable to tell us why. To me this shows that he doesn't truly believe in what he is saying. Instead this is likely a political ploy that was aimed to gain support. That ploy backfired when he was unable to name the three departments.

This is the end of Rick Perry's candidacy. Sure, he may stay in the race through several primaries. He will most definitely show up to more debates. The GOP will not nominate someone who cannot debate. Presidential debates are too important. Perry also does not seem to actually believe what he is saying, otherwise he would not have forgotten one of three departments he wants to eliminate. The fact is, Rick Perry is done.

David W Gray invites you to join The Political Zealot's community at http://thepoliticalzealot.com/ where we bring politics from an independent's point of view to light. Our goal at The Political Zealot is to show other like minded independents what they can do to impact the political world by bringing their ideas to the forefront of the political discussion. Come join the community and post your comments at http://thepoliticalzealot.com/

View article source