Rick Perry's "what recession' and Kay Bailey's purse boys

Here's what Perry said: "Why is Texas kind of recession-proof, if you will? As a matter of fact ... someone had put a report out that the first state that's coming out of the recession is going to be the state of Texas ... I said, 'We're in one?'"

As the elevator proceeded downward, the senator turned to her J. Crew aides. They were 'the purse boys.' That was the nickname staffers gave them because their job seemed to consist of carrying Sen. Hutchison's purse around Capitol Hill. They also were known to drive her from her house to work - a distance of approximately two blocks. They were basically taxpayer-subsidized butlers.

This was an unusual day, since normally only one purse boy was with Sen. Hutchison at a time. (The other must have been a trainee). As one of the boys quietly held her large purse, she started to fish through it. Then she issued a list of instructions.

"Now I want you to take my purse back to the office," she said.
"Yes, senator," the purse boy responded.
"Take the nail polish out and put it in the refrigerator."
"Yes, senator."
"Take the rest of the makeup out and put that in the refrigerator too."
"Yes, senator."
"Then put the purse by my desk." She said this as though it were her routine speech.

The purse boy nodded dutifully, and the trainee looked like he wanted a pen to jot all this down. Elizabeth and I gazed at each other uncomfortably. I felt a little like entering your parents' bedroom and finding your mother putting on deodorant. It was something you knew happened, but you didn't really want to think about. Then the elevator doors opened. We moved to the side to let KBH pass. She did so regally, without a word to either of us, the purse boys following close behind. In those few minutes, my enthusiasm for KBH sunk to a previously unfathomable low.

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Unlike “Adios mofo,” or “Why don’t you just let us get on down the road?” or “If Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that?” there is nothing redeeming or feisty about Perry’s comment. The words and the body language betray an egotism, an arrogance, a self-importance, a callousness that are downright creepy. This is “power corrupts” in action. If a governor of a state were running for president and made this comment in a public forum, he would be finished as a candidate.

If I had to pick one word to describe my reaction, it would not come from the shopworn political vocabulary: “shocked,” “disturbed,” “outraged,” or “appalled.” It would be “surprised.” I saw the video just a short time after I had posted a writeup about the Rasmussen poll and about how the Perry campaign has been arrogant and overconfident. Seldom have I been proven so right so quickly. Never have I seen Perry so much off his game.

(snip)
This gaffe is going to stick. It is going to be national news. It will come back to haunt him in a campaign spot. If Hutchison can’t make something of it, the Democrats can. You cannot be callous and cavalier when people are losing their jobs and their homes. I don’t care how ideological the Republican base is. Unemployment in Texas just reached the 8% mark. Everybody knows someone who is suffering in these times. Everybody has lost part of their life savings. It could cost him the race.

www.tpj.org

News From TPJ
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TPJ Report Dissects $29 Million Raised
by Hutchison & Perry

A new TPJ report, "Senator v. Governor," analyzes the first $29 million raised by GOP gubernatorial candidates Kay Bailey Hutchison and Rick Perry. The report is the most comprehensive look yet at their rival fundraising machines.

"Senator v. Governor" finds evidence of a gender gap, with women supplying 21 percent of Hutchison's funds and 6 percent of Governor Perry's cash. Hutchison also leads Perry in the number of overall contributions--including those from Texans.

The new report allows readers to download the full list of itemized contributions for both candidates.

Check out the report at Texans for Public Justice.