Understanding Rick Perry
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010Something struck me while watching yesterday’s interview with Texas governor Rick Perry (in three convenient parts) on yesterday’s Daily Show. I’m using this post to work out the specifics of this idea, so bear with me, but it seems to me that the dichotomy Perry asserts — as evidenced in the subtitle of his book Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America from Washington, a “federal government vs. We The People” distinction — is inherently false.
Now, okay, that’s not a new realization; Jon Stewart even challenges Perry on it early in the interview when he asks what Perry thinks happens to these well-meaning people once they enter D.C. But challenging the dichotomy isn’t really what I’m interested in. I guess what I really want is to understand where it comes from, because I don’t see it. And it’s a new step to that understanding that struck me during the interview.