Shortly after former Texas Governor Rick Perry announced his bid for the Republican nomination yesterday, less-than-objective MSNBC sought out the author of an anti-Perry, anti-Texas book to discuss the highlights of the Texas hopeful’s speech. MSNBC Live host Thomas Roberts and James Moore, an analyst for the network and author of Adios Mofo: Why Rick Perry Will Make America Miss George W Bush, seem to agree 2015's newest presidential candidate is mired in “big negatives.”
After MSNBC The Cycle co-host Abby Huntsman -- daughter of failed liberal GOP presidential contender Jon Huntsman -- laid out what she believed were the Republican’s biggest obstacles, Roberts introduced Moore by further highlighting Perry’s perceived flaws:
ROBERTS: James let me talk to you about the facts of ‘no one is perfect’
MOORE: And man, is he not perfect.
ROBERTS: Yes, some big negatives. He’s currently under federal indictment for abuse of power as governor. That makes him distinctive in the GOP field. The “Texas Miracle”- that’s the booming Lone Star economy, is stumbling a bit. Then there’s the 2012 debate performance that Abby brought up. That can be summed up by saying “oops”. So can he survive these problems and re-brand?
The network analyst made sure he didn’t waste this opportunity to trash Rick Perry and his claimed success as governor. Included in this roasting was a comment that Mexico, not Texas, was responsible for the border improvements touted in his speech:
The difference between what he describes in Texas and the reality is a bit disturbing. I mean, he takes credit for shutting down the border. That’s not what happened. Mexico shut down it’s border to the south with Guatemala, and the immigrants stopped coming.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that getting an objective opinion from Moore would be a near impossibility. Amazon’s description of his book begins with this revealing endorsement by former Bill Clinton spinmeister and partisan Democrat extraordinaire Paul Begala:
Rick Perry is the perfect candidate for those who thought George W. Bush was just too dang cerebral. And Adios Mofo is the perfect guide to his record, his rhetoric and his remarkable hair. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll vote.
The link to Moore’s abrasive book, along with the rest of the transcript from this panel can be found below:
http://www.amazon.com/Adios-Mofo-Perry-America-George-ebook/dp/B0069CJ6U8
MSNBC
Live With Thomas Roberts
June 4, 2015(17:37)
THOMAS ROBERTS, host: I want to bring in now Abby Huntsman, co-host of The Cycle, and James Moore, political analyst and author of Adios MOFO: Why Rick Perry Will Make America Miss George W. Bush. Great to have you both here. Abby, let me start with you, because I want to play you what the big talking points are, the big selling points as we think about the record of Rick Perry. Take a listen.
(CLIP FROM PERRY SPEECH): We will rebuild American industry. We will lift wages for American workers. It can be done because it has been done in Texas
ROBERTS: So here are the other talking points: Successful governor, big fundraiser, military service- we’ve already heard that a lot in this speech, personable, great retail politics guy. So, all this together, can that emerge through this crowded field?
ABBY HUNTSMAN, guest: He is a man of service. He's an authentic guy. I argue he is probably, out of the bunch so far, The most likable. Anyone who meets Rick Perry says you can't help but want to hang out with the guy. He's the one you want to get a beer with. Watching that announcement though, I have to say because I got to know his family last go around, you can’t help but wonder how things play out differently this time had he not run last time. Would the polls be different? Now he’s just hoping to make it on the debate stage. But, as Case was mentioning, he had some bumps in the road. He went through a surgery, was on medication, then he had the “oops” moment. I was at that debate when he had the “oops” moment, sitting right next to his wife actually. And we all looked at each other knowing things we’re going to be a little bit different after that. But a lot to speak for Rick Perry. He’s the longest serving governor of Texas. He talked about jobs, creating 1.5 million jobs as governor. Texas companies making up a third of the American jobs. There's a lot to like there including him, himself.
ROBERTS: Alright, so James let me talk to you about what facts of no one is perfect because there are some negatives.
JAMES MOORE, guest: And man is he not perfect.
ROBERTS: Yes, some big negatives. He’s currently under federal indictment for abuse of power as governor, that makes him distinctive in the GOP field. The “Texas Miracle”, that’s the booming Lone Star economy, is stumbling a bit. Then there’s the 2012 debate performance that Abby brought up. That can be summed up by saying “oops”. So can he survive these problems and re-brand?
MOORE: I don’t know. You know the elephant in hanger there is of course the indictment. It's been appealed three times, tossed out, it’s before the court of criminal appeals now. One of the judges there was appointed by Perry and he’s refused to recuse himself. Even if this does gets tossed out down the road, it's going to get appealed by the state. I don't think the indictment goes away all throughout the primary process. So he’s dealing with the notion that his party will nominate him even with the indictment hanging over head. But the larger issues here, Thomas, is the perspective. The difference between what he describes in Texas and the reality is a bit disturbing. I mean he takes credit for shutting down the border. That’s not what happened. Mexico shut down it’s border to the south with Guatemala, and the immigrants stopped coming. And on top of all of that, we have the highest number of uninsured people in the state of Texas, of any place in the country. We have the highest number, this miracle, includes the highest number of low income jobs in united States of America. And if you are unemployed or underemployed in Texas, there's no support net whatsoever. So it’s not the promised land he paints it to be. I love Texas. I'm living my life here. But I am dedicated, as a lot of people are, to making sure the truth get out so we can tell the accurate story about what's happening here.
