He looked like he hadn't had any sleep and was road weary.
I can’ imagine he got any rest before the debate which could explain his demeanor and lack of effectiveness.
Rationalizing poor performance.
He wasn’t just tired. He is still dealing with spells of back pain from a recent surgery and subsequent recovery, and this week has not been a good one for that. I read on some FR threads yesterday that he has been having quite a bit of pain during his interview in South Carolina on September 5, even before coming back to Texas to deal with the wildfires, although I’m sure the additional time on his feet and hectic schedules has not helped with providing the quickest road to healing.
Someone on FR last night commented Perry has been injected with adult brain stem cells to aid in his recovery, so let’s hope he starts feeling better and gets back to his top.
All that said, I should clarify I think he did well last night. He did not drive it out of the park like he could have done, and I believe he’ll do better as he becomes more acquainted with the presidential debate environment, but he did well by most accounts, no one knocked him down even with the heavy hitting, and he stood by his principles no hold barred.
In fact, I was proud of every man and woman up on that stage last night who stood with their heads high against the attack dog media. It is not going to get EASIER but HARDER from this point on, and these honorable candidates showed they do not give up, will not back down, and are not afraid to fight.