“Oops.” It may mark the first time in presidential election history that a single uttered word destroyed the hopes of an otherwise surging candidate on his road to the White House.
Rick Perry gaffed during a Republican debate when he was unable to recall the third federal agency he would close when president. It sealed the deal for his tailspinning campaign and he bowed out abruptly after the South Carolina primary.
However, few doubt Perry’s intention to run again in 2016. His numerous media appearances on critical issues du jour, along with his frenzied cross-country travel in support of Republican candidates make his run very likely.
The plan for Team Perry is his message of hope from Texas. They need it to be better heard and have it outshine the shadow cast by the “Oops” moment, Will Weissert writes for Real Clear Politics . Former Perry Chief of Staff Ray Sullivan detailed, “Our own errors on the campaign trail led to a shortened campaign. So the message got overshadowed.”
The state of Texas has been the source of more than 30% of the total of all private-sector jobs created in the U.S. since the recession in 2001. The boom in the state continues to stand a testimony in the face of other failed state economies like Illinois, Michigan and others that the so-called Great Recession is reversible.
Perry’s strategy is to preach a sermon of progress coupled with a proven track-record he might take to the White House. In short, Perry quipped, “It’s easier to judge someone by how they get up from a failure when they’ve been knocked down. Being tested is a good thing.”
