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David Brooks

How Romney should attack Perry

First, Romney could accuse Perry of being the latest iteration of Tom DeLay Republicanism. On the one hand, he is ideologically slippery. The man who sounds so right wing today was the Texas chairman of the Al Gore for President campaign. The man who now vows to appoint only anti-abortion officials to relevant administration jobs endorsed Rudy Giuliani four short years ago. On the other hand, he is unwavering in his commitment to the government-cash nexus. Even this week — amid much attention to his pay-to-play proclivities — Perry named two big donors to powerful state jobs.

The second line of attack is to shift what the campaign is about. If voters think Nancy Pelosi is the biggest threat to their children’s prosperity, they will hire Perry. If they think competition from Chinese and Indian workers is the biggest threat, they will hire Romney. He’s just more credible as someone who can manage economic problems, build human capital and nurture an innovation-based global economy.

Romney might be able to beat back the Perry surge. In the meantime, it’s time to take Perry seriously. He could be our next president.

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A sharp crease in the trouser can be used as a shank. Just sayin’…

Fallon on August 26, 2011 at 10:34 AM

The best way for Romney to go after Perry is to say he has uncreased pants.

john bono on August 26, 2011 at 10:35 AM

Hey David, I’ll bet Perry’s pants aren’t deeply creased. Yeah, that’s the ticket!

jwolf on August 26, 2011 at 10:35 AM

LOL looks like we’re all on the same wavelength here.

jwolf on August 26, 2011 at 10:36 AM

You know, I really don’t care for Romney that much, but I would strongly advise him against taking any advice that Brooks has

ConservativePartyNow on August 26, 2011 at 10:36 AM

I just can’t help it. The more I read about Perry’s surge, the more I think “Geez, wait’ll you get a load of the Palin surge when the real conservative dives in”.

SKYFOX on August 26, 2011 at 10:38 AM

Brooks just isn’t into Perry. Perry doesn’t make his naughty bits tingle.

RBMN on August 26, 2011 at 10:39 AM

Um, yeah, I really want to take presidential advice from David Brooks.

rbj on August 26, 2011 at 10:40 AM

If voters think Nancy Pelosi is the biggest threat to their children’s prosperity, they will hire Perry. If they think competition from Chinese and Indian workers is the biggest threat, they will hire Romney. He’s just more credible as someone who can manage economic problems

Perry is hired.

Brooks can’t honestly be missing the connection between Pelosi/Obama types massively increasing regulation, taxes, government and favoring unions and our increasing inability to compete and create wealth.

If we want to succeed economically, the Pelosis must lose power and their policies must be reversed and then some. Nothing short of that will work.

forest on August 26, 2011 at 10:40 AM

On the one hand, he is ideologically slippery. The man who sounds so right wing today was the Texas chairman of the Al Gore for President campaign. The man who now vows to appoint only anti-abortion officials to relevant administration jobs endorsed Rudy Giuliani four short years ago.

I hate to tell ya, Brooksie, but that might make Perry look a lot more appealing in the eyes of independents and even some Democrats. It proves he can’t be the far right ideologue his opponents will desperately try to convince voters he is.

The second line of attack is to shift what the campaign is about. If voters think Nancy Pelosi is the biggest threat to their children’s prosperity, they will hire Perry.

She’s not? Certainly her individual power has diminished considerably since last November, but to act like the agenda she and the Dems rammed down our throats and continue to push today isn’t negatively impacting our economy is naive to say the least.

Doughboy on August 26, 2011 at 10:40 AM

Brooksie is one of those “bad idea friends” my Preacher talks about.

kingsjester on August 26, 2011 at 10:42 AM

Romney should accuse Perry of being slippery?

Seth Halpern on August 26, 2011 at 10:42 AM

A sharp crease in the trouser can be used as a shank. Just sayin’…

Fallon on August 26, 2011 at 10:34 AM

that’s money!++

ted c on August 26, 2011 at 10:44 AM

Romney should accuse Perry of being slippery?

Seth Halpern on August 26, 2011 at 10:42 AM

Well, if it works for Obama to accuse the Republicans of everything he does…

SKYFOX on August 26, 2011 at 10:44 AM

Aw, Brooks is giving advice to Romney. Cute.

conservative pilgrim on August 26, 2011 at 10:45 AM

Perry attacked by Noonan yesterday and Brooks today. Yep, he’s looking better and better.

Ted Torgerson on August 26, 2011 at 10:50 AM

Yeah, that’s a great plan. By attacking Perry for being a fully reformed ex-liberal, Romney can emphasize the fact that he STILL supports socialized medicine.

logis on August 26, 2011 at 10:50 AM

If voters think Nancy Pelosi is the biggest threat to their children’s prosperity, they will hire Perry. If they think competition from Chinese and Indian workers is the biggest threat, they will hire Romney. He’s just more credible as someone who can manage economic problems

Perry is hired.

forest on August 26, 2011 at 10:40 AM

Actually, Perry wins either way. It’s safe to say that anyone whose “job” is threatened by Third-World slave labor is practically useless to society – i.e., a hardcore radical liberal.

logis on August 26, 2011 at 10:55 AM

So Our Miss Brooks is in bed — figuratively, at least — with Mutt Romney?

Seeya, Mutt. That’s the final nail in the coffin of your candidacy.

MrScribbler on August 26, 2011 at 10:58 AM

You know, I really don’t care for Romney that much, but I would strongly advise him against taking any advice that Brooks has

ConservativePartyNow on August 26, 2011 at 10:36 AM

heh

If they think competition from Chinese and Indian workers is the biggest threat, they will hire Romney. He’s just more credible as someone who can manage economic problems, build human capital and nurture an innovation-based global economy.

Build human capital? innovation-based global economy? When did that become a conservative priority

Sounds suspiciously like ‘service based economy’ which was supposed to replace ‘rust belt’ manufacturing in America.

Poor Romney having Brooks defend him. Did Perry put Brooks up to this?

I recall in the last primary in my Michigan, McCain made a flip remark that the jobs shipped overseas are never coming back. Romney responded ‘of course they can come back’. It was a marvelous phrase for the blue collar state, and Romney took the primary. I heard him and he was definitely not talking about building human capital or creating a new innovation based global economy. He said it and meant it.

Meanwhile whose state is doing better economically? Not to blame Romney for leading the most liberal populace next to the republic of san francisco. Massachusetts is heavily bought into the idea that innovative start ups can design in a manufacturing vacuum, while China is getting rich making can openers

In the long run, innovation migrates to where the factories are located, not because innovation cannot exist elsewhere, but because there is a symbiosis between idea and execution. The Wright brothers built their own engines in their bicycle shop. Where is the bicycle shop today?

Bicycle shops do better in texas, because the populace is less against smokestacks and junkyards. That isn’t Romney’s fault.

The same disjoint between production, and innovation, occurs in news columns where columnists who exist in a vacuum tell you how to live outside the vacuum

entagor on August 26, 2011 at 10:58 AM

David Brooks: How Romney should attack Perry

…says the man that pimped McCain, went on to vote for Obama and will surely do so again…

TheRightMan on August 26, 2011 at 11:06 AM

If voters think Nancy Pelosi is the biggest threat to their children’s prosperity, they will hire Perry. If they think competition from Chinese and Indian workers is the biggest threat, they will hire Romney.

Wow! Simply wow!

Can someone tell me why Brooks is still considered a Republican?

TheRightMan on August 26, 2011 at 11:08 AM

The man who sounds so right wing today was the Texas chairman of the Al Gore for President campaign.

“I got religion and Gore went to Hell!”

Rick Perry

cartooner on August 26, 2011 at 11:15 AM

Jobs, David.

David must be soiling his drawers at this point.

This is very bad advice for Romney. TX has been encouraging innovation for many years. The comptroller even puts out a newsletter called Texas Innovator.

juliesa on August 26, 2011 at 11:15 AM

Dingleperrys hardest hit

wheelgun on August 26, 2011 at 11:20 AM

So the answer isn’t “with an ironing board”?

andycanuck on August 26, 2011 at 11:23 AM

The man who sounds so right wing today was the Texas chairman of the Al Gore for President campaign.

I’m thinking Al Gore was sounding so very right wing back in the day himself. That was when Al was when he was pulling the wool over the eyes of Tennesee voters. Al’s wife, Tipper, led the charge for cleaning up foul-mouthed rap lyrics — the kind of language Democrats use these days to describe Republicans when they don’t think anyone else is listening. So, I have to ask myself, who’s really the slippery, idealogically flexible one here — Perry, not so much.

littleguy on August 26, 2011 at 11:25 AM

LOL looks like we’re all on the same wavelength here.

jwolf on August 26, 2011 at 10:36 AM

..actually, it’s kind of pathetic. This asss-clown will be remembered for only one thing: his man-crush on our sack-of-crap president’s pant leg.

The War Planner on August 26, 2011 at 11:27 AM

Seeya, Mutt. That’s the final nail in the coffin of your candidacy.

MrScribbler on August 26, 2011 at 10:58 AM

..hey, it’s Mitt’s turn to talk. When it’s your turn, he will hand you the microphone.

The War Planner on August 26, 2011 at 11:31 AM

Romney should hit Perry’s fists with his face. Rhetorically speaking, of course.

Jim Treacher on August 26, 2011 at 11:32 AM

When David Brooks speaks….people listen point and laugh….

BigWyo on August 26, 2011 at 11:36 AM

If voters think Nancy Pelosi is the biggest threat to their children’s prosperity, they will hire Perry. If they think competition from Chinese and Indian workers is the biggest threat, they will hire Romney.

Is this even debatable? Pelosi is a scourge who needs to be purged.

BuckeyeSam on August 26, 2011 at 12:19 PM

Why don’t we see more articles like: “Perry: How Romney should attack Brooks”?

cthulhu on August 26, 2011 at 1:56 PM