Texas Gov. Rick Perry Snared by Racial Slur

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright October 4, 2011
All Rights Reserved.                                         

           Announcing his candidacy for president June 21, 61-year old Texas Gov. Rick Perry thought he’d have a cakewalk to the nomination.  Looking for an option to GOP frontrunner former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, the GOP’s evangelical base thought they had their man in Perry—a two-term Texas Gov. with sold conservative credentials.  While some GOP pundits, like former President George W. Bush’s chief strategist Karl Rove, said Perry was not ready for primetime, their psychic ball proved correct coming out of the blocks.  Perry quickly stood by his 2010 book “Fed Up:  Our Fight to Save America from Washington” in which he called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.”  When the Washington Post reported recently that Perry’s family hunting camp was called “Niggerhead,” his fellow GOP presidential hopeful African American Herman Cain called him out for “racial insensitivity.”

            Threatening to sink his campaign, the Perry camp hopes some good old fashioned damage control does the trick.  “Since Gov. Perry has been going there for years to hunt, I think it shows a lack of sensitivity for the long time of not taking that word off that rock and renaming the place,” Cain told ABC’s “This Week.”  “Mr. Cain is wrong about the Perry family’s quick action to eliminate the word on the rock, but is right the word written by others long ago is insensitive and offensive.  That is why the Perrys took quick action to cover and obscure it,” said Perry campaign spokesman Ray Sullivan.  Sullivan, without knowing it, opens up a new controversy of when Perry knew about “N”-word and what did he do about it.  Perry’s campaign now has to explain how long the family lived with the name before “blacking” it out.  When Perry covered up the racial epithet becomes the next controversy.

            Candidates from the South like Texas face even greater scrutiny about racial matters because of the region’s long history with race relations.  Whether Perry denies knowing it or not, the public tries and convicts politicians for feigning ignorance.  “A number of claims made in the story are incorrect, inconsistent, and anonymous , including the implication that Rick Perry brought groups to the lease while the word on the rock was still visible . . . “ said Sullivan, back-peddling on the racial question, no longer setting the media agenda.  Perry claims his father originally leased the property in 1983 and painted over the racial epithet.  Questions surrounding the date at which the rock bearing the offensive name was either painted or turned over continue to dog the Perry campaign.  Creating any impression of racial insensitivity carries with it a virtual political death sentence.

             After winning the Florida straw poll Sept. 24, Cain has been looking to increase his visibility on the GOP stage.  Before his big win in Florida, few took the former God Father’s Pizza  CEO seriously to contend for the Republican nomination.  Since Perry’s entrance to the race June 21, his GOP competitors have looked for any chink in the armor.  Despite certain gaffes on Medicare and Social Security, Perry has played his cards close to the vest.  Cain’s attempt to pounce on Perry is entirely political.  If Cain positions himself well, he’ll be in place for a possible VP consideration.  For the GOP, having anyone of color is always a bonus.  Playing up Perry’s racial insensitivity changes the dynamics of the race, opening the door for first-term New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.  Given Perry’s new political problems, it’s conceivable that Christie will decide to jump into the race this week.

            On “Fox News Sunday,” Cain poured it on, much to the delight of Romney.  “There isn’t a more negative word than the “N”-word, and for him to leave it there as long as they did is just plain insensitive to black people in the country,” said Cain, seizing the moment to pounce on Perry.  Whether Perry is racist is anyone’s guess.  If you take him at his word, it was purely a long-corrected oversight that had been resolved many moons ago.  Whether there are some folks disputing Perry’s story is anyone’s guess.  Civil rights activist New York-based Rev. Al Sharpton called on Perry to “fully explain his family rented from a place named after such an obvious racist term or he should withdraw from the race.”  By the time the next debate rolls around Oct. 11 in Dartmouth, New Hampshire, Perry better get his facts straight.  If he shows any inconsistency, his campaign sinks like a rock.

            Perry’s current problems stem more from his lack of preparedness than whether his family leased a hunting ranch branded with a racially-tinged name. Fellow GOP candidates can only sit back and laugh , while Perry gets butchered in the press.  “He is either blindly insensitive or hopelessly unaware of where he spends his time,” said Sharpton, questioning whether Perry is really ready for primetime.  Calling Social Security a Ponzi Scheme, like Bernie Madoff’s Wall Street larceny, makes Perry look like a big bag of wind.  No matter how much Perry seeks brownie points from the Tea Party, he must still show some political savvy.  No matter how conservative Perry’s following, they all depend on Medicare and Social Security.  Add to that issues related to race and it spells disaster.  If more damage control doesn’t happen soon, Perry could be gone with the wind.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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