Lately – and by “lately,” I really mean since he’s been governor of Texas – Rick Perry has committed so many vile political maneuvers and made so many stupid remarks, many of which have somehow managed to embarrass the entire human race, that even members of his own extremist brand of Republicanism have begun to shrink away from his repugnant stink. Most recently, Perry claims that his recent misogynistic comments directed at Senator Wendy Davis were actually, paradoxically complimentary.
Speaking to the National Right to Life conference in June, Perry “slut-shamed” Davis, who successfully blocked Texas GOP legislation to restrict women’s reproductive rights, by describing her as
…the daughter of a single woman [and] a teenage mother herself. It is just unfortunate that she hasn’t learned from her own example that every life must be given a chance to realize its full potential and that every life matters.
Reacting to criticism, even from those in his own party, Perry tried to contextualize his slut-shaming as a veiled compliment towards Senator Davis. It’s?an arresting display of irrational back-pedaling that would feel right at home in a mid-twentieth-century French absurdist play. Alluding to the state senator’s graduation from Harvard Law School and service in the Texas Senate, he told?Fox News’ John Roberts
You think about where she came from and what she accomplished, and as a matter of fact, I would think that she’s very proud of that as well.
Governor Perry’s attempt to hide his misogyny behind a backhanded compliment proves once-and-for-all that no amount of Febreze can mask the scent of cow dung he’s spreading. How else are we to interpret his comment other than condescending? At best, the takeaway is that we should all be astounded when a young mother succeeds at anything other than changing diapers. At worst,?Perry aligns himself nicely with chauvinistic employers who systemically overlook women, especially mothers, for promotion.
Hypocrisy at Its Finest
To be sure, anyone who lives and works under constant media scrutiny is bound to slip up occasionally and sound ungracious, insensitive or crass. But whereas many celebrities and politicians might retract their clumsy remarks, hard-line Republicans like Perry seem to believe that an admittance of wrongness is a sign of weakness, and that stubbornness and inflexibility are a sign of leadership and resolve.
This flawed attitude is perhaps most visible in the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in 2004 for the 1994 murder of his three children by arson. Even though the evidence largely points to Willingham’s innocence, Perry not only refused to grant a stay of execution but also tellingly?brought a halt to a 2009 investigation by replacing three of the nine members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission two days before the body was to hear from an expert who had authored a damning report of the case. It certainly makes Perry’s insistence that “every life matters” a tad disingenuous.
Now that the governor has just announced that he will not run for a fourth term in 2016, the only thing left for me to say is: Hypocrisy, thy name is Rick Perry. And I meant that as a compliment.
Edited and published by WP.
