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February 05, 2007
Trying To Read The Guv
Since Texas Governor Rick Perry romped to reelection victory in November with a stunning 39% of the vote (can anyone say mandate?), it makes sense, we suppose, that he would take this electoral affirmation as license to assert his individualism in what figures to be his final term in Austin. (We suspect this term will mark his exit from electoral politics alltogether, despite his continuing fantasy of being on the 2008 GOP presidential ticket.)
Shortly after the campaign, during which he effectively exploited illegal immigration to his political advantage, Perry did an about face and declared that building a wall to keep immigrants out was not the answer, but that a guest worker program was needed. Perry's post-election 180 no doubt delighted the legions of conservative Texans who, in spite of their anger at the Governor over the business tax and other issues, held their noses and returned him to office one more time. Strange behavior from Mr. Perry indeed.
Even stranger was Governor Perry's decision a few days ago to require Texas girls to be vaccinated against HPV -- a sexually transmitted virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer in women. While many may applaud Perry's decision as a progressive, common-sense move to promote public health, that same conservative base does not see it that way. They instead believe requiring the vaccine promotes promiscuity. Needless to say, they are not happy with the Guv.
Who is this Rick Perry, one might ask? No, he hasn't been reborn, as far as we know, in the opposite direction. Nor is his latest shocker the principled stand of a senior statesman. No, it's just more of the same kind of influence peddling we've come to expect from the GOP clan running the show in Austin these days. Turns out the Guv's former chief of staff, Mike Toomey, is a lobbyist for Merck -- the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the HPV vaccine in question. Shocking, isn't it?
Landslide Rick is off to a great start in his final term. Soon he may give his predecessor's current job approval numbers a run for their money.
Posted by houtopia at February 5, 2007 09:13 PM