Apparently Perry skipped ALL of the debates in the last Texas Gov. election?
He was ahead...he didn't have to I guess.
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Perry avoids White with simple scheme
By David Haydon
Published on: Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Modified on: Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The election for governor of Texas is a few weeks away, with no hope for the Perry/White debate.
For those not in the know, Gov. Rick Perry refuses to go on public debate with former Houston mayor Bill White, demanding that White must first make his tax records from when he was deputy US secretary in the 1990’s public. However, White refuses to do so, stating he’s published his records all the way back to his time as Houston mayor.
Debates are the norm in politics. Although it doesn’t actually produce a winner or a loser, it gives undecided voters an idea of where the politicians stand.
Yet, Perry has refused to debate White. He also shuns interviews by newspaper editorial boards and questions at the end of his well-prepared speeches.
This is a truly masterful sleight of hand. Perry has turned the tables on White, making him the villain for not publishing arbitrary tax records, and in doing so keeps from ever having to deviate from his script.
The catch-22 for White is, if he doesn’t publish the tax records he will be at fault not only for appearing to hide something, but also for failing to get Perry to the podium. If he does make the records public, White essentially submits to his opponent, and in all likelihood Perry would just come up with another reason for not debating White.
From a strategic standpoint, Perry’s strategy is smart. He is ahead in the polls, and has a strong voter following. It would be risky to debate or be interviewed where he might be asked to answer a question that doesn’t come from a pre-written speech. |
