Turns out
bromantic walks on the border with Sean Hannity are a good thing for Texas Gov. Rick Perry as far as appealing to Republicans is concerned, at least according to
this report from Kate Nocera, who says Rick Perry is back:
Whether he means it to or not, the border crisis has been very good for Rick Perry.
The Texas governor and failed 2012 presidential candidate has been trying to re-emerge on the national stage as a serious contender for another presidential run. Brandishing glasses instead of cowboy boots, he’s gone to great lengths to explain away his embarrassing performance during the 2012 election and had some serious early missteps, including having to walk back a comment where he compared homosexuality to alcoholism.
But the thousands of undocumented immigrants crossing into the United States in recent months, and Perry’s perch as the top executive in Texas, have given him the opportunity to be out in front on an issue he knows well: the border.
And when Rick Perry knows an issue well, one anonymous Republican ...
... said that in a setting where Perry feels comfortable with an issue, “people love his ass.”
And why do they love his ass? Because when he speaks with a handful of people about something he understands ...
... he’s a stud at it,” the operative said. “He owns a small room and flops in front of the national camera.”
Speaking of flopping, perhaps this is a good time to remember that moment when Rick Perry truly bombed in the GOP debates. No, I'm not talking about the "Ooops" moment. I'm talking about
when he said that people who opposed the DREAM Act in Texas were "heartless." As soon as he said that word, his campaign was over—and he's been trying to make up for it ever since. And whether or not exploiting a humanitarian crisis like the one taking place in his state turns out to be the best thing that could have happened to his political career, he certainly seems to hope that it will be.