Red State Mythology

Here's Rick Perry, trying to claim that abstinence is an effective means of adolescent birth control. Not only is there no evidence that abstinence programs work, he looks fairly stupid trying to claim there is. His handlers must wince when they see performances like this.



Meanwhile, Red State mythology suffers another bitch slap from reality. Conservatives, Republicans, teabaggers, Bible-belters and the rest love to claim that middle America is the real America; god-fearing, family-first types who honor traditions such as marriage and the wedding vows they swore to uphold. 

I can hear it now: "No gay marriage here, fella. Real 'merkins don't like that filth. If you want to see how weak socialistic liberals want to destroy 'Merkin culture, go to California or Massachusetts. But we take marriage seriously around here."

Apparently not, Teabags; here's a list of the ten states with the highest divorce rate. Leading the pack is Oklahoma, followed by Arkansas, Alaska, Alabama, Kentucky, Nevada, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, and Arizona.

Nevada is arguably purple, but the other states are bright red, the pride and joy of conservative America.

Facts Don't Matter

Ah yes, Fox News working its magic. Get a load of the guy in this video admitting that the facts on global warming are on Republican candidate John Huntsman's side. Texas Governor Rick Perry's comments "don't hold a lot of water, but it doesn't matter."

"Perry's gaining traction, facts or not."  

If ignorance is bliss, Perry must be ecstatic.

Media: Once Bitten, Twice Shy on Texan Bloviators

It is gratifying that so many are already speaking out against Rick Perry and his Presidential campaign. This contrasts with Bush, where we suffered from a national press that acted like it was his lapdog.

Take, for example, that hotbed of Marxism, The Houston Chronicle, which has enough journalistic integrity to remind us that Texas's recent job creation has nothing to do with Rick Perry, though he is quick to claim credit.

According to their online edition, there are 10 reasons why:

1. Rising oil prices) Glad to see Texans admit that much of the wealth in their state was already there in the ground when they arrived; swaggering Republicans have nothing to do with it. (Same for Alaska, Sarah)

2. Government growth) Ouch, that one must be galling to Randian purists. But as the Chronicle notes, government jobs grew twice as fast as private sector jobs since 2000. Teabaggers aren't going to like that.  Such jobs expand the tax base, and create ancillary jobs in Texas just like everywhere else.

3. Military spending) The feds ratcheted up military spending since 2001, back when Bush the Lesser completely missed the 9/11 warning signs. But since that time, TX has had more than its share of taxpayers' money, from other states, pour into the state's huge military facilities.

4. No housing bubble) This is fairly involved. Read the Chronicle's take on it. But note the irony; Texas has strict regulations on mortgages. The downside is home ownership is very low, but hey, no disaster as in other states. Why? Because of strict and enforceable regulations, exactly what conservatives claim are a drag on the economy.

5. Cheap Immigrant labor) Now this is one area conservatives love; docile, cheap, non-unionized workers with few rights, no benefits, no pensions, no strikes, and no worker's comp claims (see chart below). And these low-paying and low-skilled jobs are a major portion of those Perry claims he created.

There are five more reasons, some of which Texas politicians could ostensibly take at least some credit, such as the state's high-tech industries. But the Chronicle's argument is that these too are long-standing conditions; maybe someone can take credit, but it ain't Perry.

As far as current conditions are concerned, Perry needs to explain his state's poor socio-demographic standing, as the chart below reveals (From Texaswatch.org).

Not a record I would want to run on.

Wasn't the Last Texas Governor Bad Enough?

Rick Perry has announced he is running for President, to the delight of some, and the horror and disgust of others. So it looks like we are going to be hearing a lot more about this guy. Democrats, and his Republican opponents, will need to get out in front on Perry and his Texas Mirage. Don't wait for Obama to make the case.

Lets do a quick review of the Perry's record as Governor; the one he has already set about to distort. First, the folks at The American Dream, hardly a far-left bastion, offer 14 reasons why Perry would be a "really really bad President." Among them: Texas has the highest percentage of workers at the minimum wage of all 50 states. The site's main complaint is that Perry has raised taxes even while the state has increased its debt and failed to address unemployment, poverty, and poor educational achievement. The takeaway is that most Republicans are going to hesitate when they see his record.

Jason Cherkis writes that the "Texas Miracle" includes low-wage jobs, crowded homeless shelters, and budget shortfalls. Joshua Holland echoes this sentiment, warning us to get ready for a "boat-load of spin" as Perry's campaign strategy will be to distort his "abysmal economic record."

Finally, Paul Krugman notes a beggar-thy-neighbor element to Texas economic policy. Offering an appealing mix of jobs, low taxes, low wages, and cheap housing will attract both corporations and desperate workers.  As Krugman puts it:

What Texas shows is that a state offering cheap labor and, less important, weak regulation can attract jobs from other states. I believe that the appropriate response to this insight is “Well, duh.” The point is that arguing from this experience that depressing wages and dismantling regulation in America as a whole would create more jobs — which is, whatever Mr. Perry may say, what Perrynomics amounts to in practice — involves a fallacy of composition: every state can’t lure jobs away from every other state.

We are only in the middle of 2011; the election is not until next year, ferchristsake. We'll be seeing Perry strut and swagger from here on out. He is a combination (as in the worst) of Michelle Bachmann and Mitt Romney.

Let the pushback begin.

Texas Miracle, My Ass

So what is it with Republican voters and swaggering Texan Governors? The last one should have been a warning. Rick Perry is said to be considering a run for President. His supporters seem to think his record as TX Governor is something to run on.

Here's Rachel Maddow taking down Perry (starts at about the 8:30 mark). Among the highlights:
   --Wages have been nearly flat since 12/07, lagging behind NY, CA, and the national average.
  --TX has a higher percentage of workers earning minimum wages than any other state.
  --The median hourly wage in TX is $11.20. Yikes! Even if one assumes a year-long, full-time workweek, that is barely $23,000. And that is the median: many are earning significantly less.
  --TX has the highest percentage of citizens without healthcare in the country, currently over 25%.

Near the end of the clip, Maddow reviews Perry's amazing hypocrisy when he railed against Washington's irresponsible stimulus, but quietly took $billions that shored up 97% of the TX budget shortfall.

She might have added an item that Perry's cheerleaders, and most of us, ignore. Texas has a huge advantage over most states, it has nothing to do with Perry, and it can be stated in three words: oil and gas. That advantage is a fortuitous accident of nature.

Joshua Holland also provides a withering analysis of the so-called "Texas Miracle." Highly recommended.