Opinion> Bill Oreilly> The Romney Perry Feud

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The Romney-Perry Feud

Political feuds are entertaining, especially when they involve presidential contenders. Thus, the alleged bad blood between Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is worth examining because they are currently the frontrunners to challenge President Obama next year.

According to reporting by The Boston Globe, there are two issues in play. First, back in 2002, when Romney was rescuing the Salt Lake City Olympic games from chaos, Perry wanted the Boy Scouts of America to be named the official volunteers of the games. Romney said no because most scouts are under 18, the minimum age to work at the Olympics.

Perry, however, thought there was a gay component to Romney's decision, since the Boy Scouts do not accept declared homosexuals as scoutmasters. Romney denied that.

Then in 2006, Romney traveled to Texas as the chairman of the Republican Governors Association. He met with Perry, who was furious that Romney had hired a man named Alex Castellanos as an adviser. It seems that Castellanos was also advising Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who was running against Perry for governor. It was a chilly meeting.

On paper, those incidents look small, and they are. But now Romney and Perry find themselves in a high-noon situation, and there will be a showdown, most likely in the form of a debate. At the end of the primary season, only one will be standing tall.

I say that because there is not much chance that Michele Bachmann, currently running third in the polls, will gain enough traction to threaten the governors.

The congresswoman is waging an energetic campaign, but big-money Republicans are looking for "gravitas" this time around, not ideology. Those running the GOP well understand that economics will decide the next presidential election.

Both Romney and Perry are well positioned in the economic arena. While governor of Massachusetts, a liberal bastion, state bonds received an upgrade by Standard and Poor's, the credit rating agency that just downgraded the USA.

Perry's economic story is solid, as well. Texas leads the league in job creation in the teeth of a stubborn recession, and tort reform has attracted major medical concerns and personnel to the state. So, on balance, both governors match up well against Obama in the area of economics.

Perry is counting on his conservative credibility to hold his poll lead over Romney, who is suspect in some rightwing precincts because of the Massachusetts health care law. You may remember that Obama gave Romney credit for passing the law, which, of course, was like putting a nail in the governor's shoe.

The Romney-Perry match-up should be interesting, especially if it gets vicious. Both men are capable of slinging some mud. And with the hair situations they both have, that could get messy.

Veteran TV news anchor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show "The O'Reilly Factor" and author of the book "Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama." To find out more about Bill O'Reilly, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. This column originates on the website www.billoreilly.com.

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Comments

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It wouldn't have to be a "messy" situation if spineless pundits like you would stand up and call for statesmanlike approaches to the nation's problems. We need to have healthcare for all. End of story. There is no excuse not to. If we don't we are not a civilized nation. Not true conservative can argue with that. Those who can't commit to that principle just want to live in the jungle.

Romney needs to be invited to man up and embrace the amazing step forward he took in Massachusetts. There were plenty of flaws, but who else in the country took such a monumental first step? And it was a Republican, get it?

Any right-wing nutcracker who wants to ignore the healthcare needs of the citizens of this nation needs to be invited to immigrate to any of the backward, third world countries on the planet that do the same thing. Conversely, if a true and responsible conservative wants to step up to the problem, he should be invited to look at what the rest of the civilized world is doing with healthcare, and use a rational and scientific study of what's out there to propose solutions for the U.S.

You know what? Japan did something like that in the 1800's. As they were coming out of a feudal, warrior-class dominated system that those in the country who weren't in denial could see was just plain out of date, they decided to send their best students to universities in the most advanced western countries, so they could figure out how to emulate the best and most modern approaches the world had to offer to setting up an effective government.

Wouldn't it be nice if the ignorant, out-of-date, and proud-of-it in the good old U.S. of A. could shelve their arrogance and take the same humble and empirical approach to solving the healtcare problem?

If Romney wants to feature some spine, he can take this kind of approach. I'd be willing to be bet other spine-sporting, true conservatives like Chis Christie would step up and support it. True conservatives can chart the way to the future. All that's needed is using the gray matter that God gave us and relying on that wonderful labyrinth of woven bone that keeps us humans upright.

Comment: #1
Posted by: Masako
Sat Sep 3, 2011 5:58 PM