I’m sure by now that you’ve all seen the new poll out today showing that Rick Perry is now less popular in Texas than Obama is. In Texas, that’s the equivalent of the Mendoza line. If you’re a big time Republican and can’t get more Texans giving you a thumbs up than Obama’s getting, you don’t have much of a future.
But he’s got a little road left in front of him. Erica Grieder, the local correspondent for The Economist, is out today with a piece about his return that quotes yours truly.
He is the only one of the Republican also-rans with a high-ranking day job, and although he has some political insulation—having been re-elected in 2010—a collapse on the national stage will inevitably hurt him. “He’s been unpopular before, but never wounded,” says Jason Stanford, a Democratic consultant based in Austin. The prospect, he adds, is “thrilling and horrifying at the same time”.
Not her observation about how a weakened Perry might not be able to stop Republicans from blowing up the joint over immigration. For all his faults, Perry has kept the crazy uncles locked in the attic when it came to harassing the Hispanics. He may no longer have that power.
A political consultant, writer and family man, Jason Stanford has been living in Texas since they chose George W. Bush over Ann Richards, and he won't let them forget it. He is the co-author of "Adios Mofo: Why Rick Perry will make America miss George W. Bush," writes a syndicated column for Cagle Cartoons and blogs for The Huffington Post.
