Jim Hightower: Perry Is Peddling Texas Snake Oil

Creator's Syndicate - A Syndicate of Talent ^ | June 22, 2011 | Jim Hightower

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and get your ticket to see "Rick the Wonder Worker!"

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is less than revered back home, where he is widely ridiculed as Gov. Good Hair. So he's now on the road with a traveling medicine show, billing himself as the "Texas Miracle Man." From New York to New Orleans, he's been wowing the Republican hard core by telling astounding tales of his job-creating prowess in our state, suggesting he can do for America what he's done for Texas.

Such GOP sparklies as Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich are hailing the economic wunderkind, and his roadshow spiel has prompted some party stalwarts to tout him for the presidency, hoping he can do for America what he has done for Texas. As a giddy New Yorker put it, "We want a piece of that!"

....Do Republicans really want a piece of this kind of "leadership"? PR hype aside, Perry is so embarrassingly inept at governing that he has lately turned to prayer as his official solution for all problems. Interestingly, the 1836 Republic of Texas Constitution banned "ministers of the gospel" from holding office. Our problem these days, however, is not ministers in office, but politicians posing as ministers, literally seizing the pulpit to preach and proselytize.

Perry's praying is not quiet and contemplative, but garish public displays — Elmer Gantryism in action. In April, with a biblical-level drought and some 800 wildfires ravaging the state, his gubernatorial response was to proclaim three "Days of Prayer for Rain." The days came and went, but no rain. Presumably, Rick was praying up a storm, but not a drop fell from the heavens.

....Toward the end of George W.'s right-wing presidency, national columnist and Texas icon Molly Ivins [coined term "Gov."Good Hair"] wrote.....

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Rick Perry.

I think Jim Hightower needs a puppy to love.

Rick Perry won the Texas Agriculture Commission seat from Jim Hightower in 1990.

Jim never recovered.

Today, while Rick Perry is weighing a possible GOP Primary run to challenge Barack Obama in 2012....

GOP letter to Perry encourages him to run....

Jim Hightower is Peddling his books on the Internet --NOTE: Jim Hightower likes to wear a cowboy hat.

[..."Hightower was raised in Denison, Texas, in a family of small business people, tenant farmers, and working folks. A graduate of the University of North Texas, he worked in Washington as legislative aide to Sen. Ralph Yarborough of Texas; he then co-founded the Agribusiness Accountability Project, a public interest project that focused on corporate power in the food economy; and he was national coordinator of the 1976 "Fred Harris for President" campaign. Hightower then returned to his home state, where he became editor of the feisty biweekly, The Texas Observer. He served as director of the Texas Consumer Association before running for statewide office and being elected to two terms as Texas Agriculture Commissioner (1983-1991)...."] Source

Jim Hightower Jesse Jackson, Jr. -- “Jim Hightower is a tireless champion for every American, and he has the right prescription for what ails our nation.”

Molly Ivans -- "As political columnist Molly Ivins said, "If Will Rogers and Mother Jones had a baby, Jim Hightower would be that rambunctious child -- mad as hell, with a sense of humor."

Jim Hightower the man "truthfreedom" continues to link to on every Perry thread. (I think "truthfreedom is Jim Hightower but he deny's it).

[Enterprise]

This needed a barf alert - hugh and series barf alert.

[blue-duncan]

Jim Hightower is Molly Ivans light, with a smaller mustache.

[gitmogrunt]

Jim Hightower...Texas Democrat....gas masks up!

[hosepipe]

Bachmann / Caine ... THE dream team..

[oldtimer]

Mark White, Jim Mattox, Jim Hightower, and other limp wristed pansies all worked hard to turn Texas into another kalifornistan.

[hosepipe]

I agree with Piper Palin.. (totally unimpressed) by Rick Perry..

[rlmorel]

Anyone that Jesse Jackson mentions in the same sentence as the word ‘tireless’ is certified 100% guaranteed to be anti-American and bad for this country.

Period, no exceptions.

[VRW Conspirator]

Jim Hightower? The 1-800-agitate guy?

Pinko Commie Liberal! Whatever he says will be a distortion...from reality.

[oyez]

Perry seems be getting good mileage off his Texas snake oil. The inert gasses that the Democrats pass are going to take us back to the Dark Ages.

[Army Air Corps]

Good ol’ Comrade Jim. He is just Molly Ivins with “wedding tackle.”

[ansel12]

Jim Hightower is another radical lefty that they tried to turn into a national talk radio host, he failed of course.

Like so many giants of the left that they tried to place on radio, his monologue was great, but the first five conservative callers would then proceed to easily dismantle it.

[newzjunkey]

James Allen "Jim" Hightower (born January 11, 1943) is an American syndicated progressive columnist, populist activist and author.

[Da Coyote]

Hightower missed the PA announcement when IQ was being portioned out.

He dumber than....even...Obama.

[libstripper]

Not really. Given the source, it’s a great endorsement for Perry.

[DaxtonBrown]

Jim Hightower is a crackpot aggie communist. Mind him no heed.

[Proud_texan]

Hightower might be the biggest idiot I've ever heard and in fact he's so stupid that one time I actually felt sorry for him.

He was on some show with William F. Buckley and he was so outgunned that I had to cringe for him. I mean the guy isn't just a commie, he's a stupid as dirt commie.

I quickly recovered from my brief bout of compassion. Perhaps I had been drinking.

[Lancey Howard]

LOL, I was wondering whatever happened to this liberal assclown Hightower. He and the dead Molly Ivins were Texas-sized Ann (’The Drunk’) Richards scumbags back in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

[sauropod]

Sure is.

Glad that old battleaxe is pushing up the daisies!