Rick Perry: A Man to Watch

I lived in Texas with Rick Perry as governor for three years, but, perhaps because I could barely tell you who vice-president of the United States was at the time, I certainly didn’t know, at nine years old, who my governor was. I didn’t hear about that guy until in 2012, when I had another governor in another state that I heard a handsome man with good values and a full head of hair was running for president that I started paying attention.

Of course Perry lost to the other good looking guy with even better hair and more money in that race, but now the Republican Nominee for 2016 is up for grabs, and Perry is in line with a lot of others who are interested.

He is governor of a state where Democrats have not won anything bigger than a game of tag football since 1994, and has appointed many people in key positions. As Perry reaches for the prize of stepping up, like our last Republican President did, from governor of the Lone Star State to President of the Fifty-Starred Country, he has hit a bit of a snag. Actually, two little snags. Nothing bigger than two felony charges that could land him in prison for over a hundred years.

Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg had herself too much to drink one night, and still got in her car. After her extremely embarrassing night, she still refused to resign, and, according to the charges, Perry tried to coerce her to do just that.

Of course, at this stage, no one can quite tell what happened with Perry, which is for the courts to decide. Some are saying it is true, others are saying “so what?” According to Politico “I know the Democratic Party died and made him governor, but who died and made him king?”

If Perry was trying to act like a king, he won’t last the two years until president 45 is picked. He will go the way of Chris Christi, across the bridge to where the bad governors go. But for now, Perry will not be issued an arrest warrant, and a court date has not been set. Instead he is still campaigning around the country for the presidency, visiting battle ground states and raising funds.

If Perry committed felonies, he is definitely a man to watch. And if he didn’t, well, there is a political election coming up in a few years, and along with a few others, in 2016, Perry will be the man to watch.

Andrew C. Abbott