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Subscribe to RSSCOLUMBIA, S.C. -- Just one day after taping an interview in which he called questions about the validity of President Obama's birth certificate "a good issue to keep alive," Gov. Rick Perry dismissed the controversy as a distraction.
"That is one of the biggest distractions that there is going," Perry said at a press conference touting his 20-20 post card plan. "We need to be talking about jobs. If somebody wants to see my birth certificate, I'd be happy to show it to them. But the fact is that is a distraction and Americans really don't care about that, if you wanna know the truth."
He added, "What Americans want to talk about is jobs."
The Texas governor, who has plummeted in polls, sounded optimistic about his chances in the first-in-the-South primary state, where he promised to campaign "in every corner" until the January contest.
"I feel pretty good about the prospects," he said, noting the "pro-military and pro-freedom, patriotic" values of voters in the state.
Despite low poll numbers and the calling in of staff reinforcements, Perry characteristically used a sports metaphor to say that the campaign has not yet run its full course.
"My bet is that when Clemson or South Carolina are at halftime -- you know it doesn't happen very often that they're behind at halftime -- but they're not going to call the game at halftime. So, we're going to continue to be working. You know, we may change defense a little bit. We may call an audible or two. But the fact is it's a long time until this campaign is over with, and we're going to be talking about things like this."
Perry believes that his newly unveiled flat-tax plan will be politically successful, despite the high-profile defeat of one of its backers, Steve Forbes, in 1996.
"I just happen to think that when Americans look at what happened, there's a lot that's changed since 1996 from the standpoint of our tax code in this country," Perry said, adding that financial regulations like Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley, as well as new laws like the Obama-passed health care law, have built public support for reform.
"Let's do it on a post card," Perry declared, brandishing the envelope-sized mock flat-tax form his campaign has distributed today. "Let's do it this way."
About two dozen "Occupy Columbia" protesters attended the press conference in the South Carolina state capitol, but remained mostly quiet. One unidentified member of the audience yelled, "Answer the question!" after Perry's response on the president's birth certificate.
Perry received the endorsement of South Carolina House Speaker Bobby Harrell and met with Gov. Nikki Haley while in Columbia. His next public appearance will be on Friday in New Hampshire.
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You all really are one trick ponies.
Hey Carrie Dann - how about a analysis on Obama's latest and greatest plan?
I know numbers, the housing market and economics are not your thing, but something other than republican primary stuff might be nice.
As usual....
Irrelevant.
@ Spanky..
Your comment has nothing to do with the topic at hand. What is Perry going to say anyway after Obama stuffed his birth certificate in the Trump's A**?
Perry kisses his ring, and he knows that he does not need to touch that question at all -really made Trump look as an A***E.
We're supposed to take this guy seriously?
Another classic example of Republican humor.
He's dumber than dirt.
Who created the distraction Slick Rick?
Then WHY are you talking about birth certificates?
I swear if one of these tea baggers EVER took an ounce of personal responsibility the earth would fall off it's axis!
PS: Anyone else remember the NJ nut job throwing her support behind this douche bag?
That's right, she did!
So Perry creates the "distraction" by refusing to directly acknowledge the fallacy of birtherism in an interview, then later admits that it is "fun" to keep the issue alive (and the corresponding disrespect to the President of the United States--an office to which he himself aspires) and only THEN does he call birtherism a "distraction"--after it makes him look even more idiotic and a lackey of Donald Trump. I guess he means a distraction from his poor debate performances where he shows an inability to do anything but recite talking points.
Well, sure it's a distraction.
Haven't you all heard? If something is 'dstractive', it's a distraction.
I bet it's a new word that combines 'attractive' and 'distraction'.
As in "that new babe on Fox Noise with the great cleavage is sure 'distractive'.
Hey, you suppose Spanky is 'distrelevant'??
Definitely distrelevant! Ignore buttom avoids the d'straction.
Ignore button----the cure for the distractive!!
So the birther issue is good to keep alive and it is a distraction? Which is it? I would have said it was a distraction all along. Perry continuously uses a supply of distractions so he doesn't have to answer questions directly. Deflect and distract or smoke and mirrors....sound bytes for small minds!
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" Pogo by Walt Kelly
Perry is starting to remind me of the ugly relative that you avoid at family parties. You know the type. The one that makes the comment like "I'm glad your husband signed this gift check, wouldn't be good if you did." When you call them on that behavior they say "what's the matter, can't you take a joke?"
Yep, Perry is someone to be avoided, as a neighbor, relative, or God forbid, the President of the United States.
So, Mr. Perry, if it is such a distraction, please explain why the heck you brought it up again. Earlier today or last night, he was trying to say it's funny, a joke Donald is playing. Perry brought it up and now he looks as stupid as The Donald was made to look even before the WH Correspondent's Dinner where President Obama turned Donald Trump into the joke. Remember, Trump slinking out of the room hoping no one would notice him.
More specifically, Perry is dumber than dirt. All he had to do was say, "Obama has ruined the economy and I am going to let loose the free market." The teabaggers would have swept him into office. He should have grinned and said the affable things that Reagan said. Instead, he gets a mean dumb look in his eyes and says dumb things. He's apparently toast in Iowa.
" He's apparently toast in Iowa."
The boy's not just toast, he's TEXAS Toast.
(or as Feisty would more properly call him, a 'douche-bag'....)
I remember the republican guy at the Iowa State Fair. After Perry spoke, a reporter asked the guy what he thought of Perry and he said "we don't need another flag-waving Texan." I think that summed up a lot of Iowans opinions of the guy and it didn't take long for Perry to prove that guy at the fair was right.
Jody---I didn't think there was anyone who could make me think he or she was less qualified than George W. Bush was but this whole crop of candidates is making me wonder.
I love birthers, they truly are God's gift to the rest of us. Is there another group of people that we can get such shameless and guilt free pleasure from mocking and making fun of?
This current collection of Republicans running for president is an insult to every Republican who has ever been president of the United States. Reagan, Ike, Ford, Hoover, Taft, Grant, Lincoln --- even Nixon must be kicking their caskets apart over what their party has become. This nation needs two vibrant, relative political parties. But what we do not need is the Republican Party of the 21st century. It has become a party offering only fear, hate and most of all -- total ignorance. The 21st century republican Party prides itself on finding stupid candidates. When else has a candidate for president talked about his poor grades in college a something positive - a reason to vote for him? This nation has not accomplished what we have by supporting ignorance and stupidity. Todays' Republican Party needs to be rebuilt form the local dog catcher candidate up the very top.