Kevin Drum explains why he thinks Texas governor Rick Perry cannot win (a) the Republican presidential nomination or (b) the White House. I'm not so sure about (a) but I agree with (b) and would add the following reason…
I think anyone who seriously runs for Prez this time is going to have to be able to explain in a few simple, anyone-can-repeat sentences, a plan to do a major fix on the economy and employment. Now, I don't think this plan necessarily needs to be workable or fact-based. As we have seen, a certain percentage of this country is willing to believe ultra-simplified, misleading statements about the economy…like, you know, if we just don't raise the debt ceiling, all it means is Congress will spend less. Or cutting taxes for the rich always helps those on the bottom. (Gee, given how much Bush cut 'em, we oughta be in great shape by now…)
But a candidate's going to have to be able to say something that will make moderates say, "Hey, he [or she] seems to have a handle on this." Perry, like Bachmann or Palin or a few others, can't do that. They can utter platitudes that the extreme right and the Tea Party will applaud but those folks would cheer if a candidate just got up and yelled, "Barack Obama is a doody-face!" The saner middle of this nation is too worried about the future to put someone like that in charge. I sure hope.