DMN Names Perry It's "Texan of the Year"

This is something that will embarrass Democrats all across the state of Texas -- and hopefully shock them into shaping up their party enough to start back on the long road to credibility in the state.   The Dallas Morning News has named Republican governor Rick Perry as it's "Texan of the Year".   Here's a portion of what they wrote justifying their pick of Perry:

After 26 years in public office, Perry still is undefeated. And now, after winning an unprecedented third full term at the helm of state government, he has made history. While his record as governor remains open for discussion, Perry's political instincts have been nearly infallible. With cowboy swagger and bold declarations, he has carved his own path, ducking debates and flirting with secession.

Foes and fans of our polarizing governor both acknowledge Perry's impact on Texas politics. In a weak-governor state, he has seized a bullhorn, making himself heard across Texas and beyond. For those reasons, Perry is the 2010 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year.

Fence-sitters are rare when talk turns to Rick Perry.

Supporters and allies laud him as a consistent, dependable conservative. He is fiercely protective of business interests and committed to keeping taxes low in Texas – even if the resulting cutbacks are painful. He has become the face of Republicanism in one of the nation's reddest red states.

Perry's detractors – and there are plenty from both parties – point to the consequences of fiscal austerity, including the state's bottom-of-the-barrel rankings in categories from the rate of children without health insurance to the number of adults without high school diplomas. They say the governor is overly concerned about political fallout and alarmingly unconcerned about developing and pushing through a coherent legislative agenda.

To many, Perry appears ruthless, Nixonian even, as he transparently rewards friends and punishes enemies.

His style raises a stream of ethical red flags. And despite his lengthy tenure, Perry can lay claim to few signature achievements, making him a more accomplished campaigner than leader.

With these misgivings in mind, major newspapers across the state endorsed Perry's opponents this year – The Dallas Morning Newsrecommended Hutchison in the GOP primary and Democrat Bill Whitein November while offering a withering review of the governor's ethics and leadership. While Perry did not earn a vote of confidence, there's no denying his mark on Texas in 2010.

I must admit that I was shocked when I first heard about the DMN choice of Perry.   I consider Perry to be a continuing embarrassment to the state and one of the worst governors that Texas has ever had.   But after thinking about it, I admit that it was probably a good choice.

Understand that choosing Perry for this "honor" does not mean he is the smartest or nicest or most likable Texan.   It doesn't mean that he has done the most to make the state a better place to live.   It doesn't mean he is a good role model or even a good governor.   If those were the criteria, then he surely won not have won.

But like it or not, Perry has kept the state in the news during the last year (although in a way that makes Texas look like the nuttiest state in the Union).   His crazy actions and pronouncements, while making no sense, have consistently made headlines -- both in the state and national media.   I'm talking about things like saying Texas should secede from the United States, or that Social Security is just a Ponzi scheme, or turning down hundreds of millions of federal dollars for education because he doesn't want Texas to have to meet national education standards.

And while I would like it to be otherwise, Perry is the most powerful politician in the state.   No one in either party even comes close.   He was the unadulterated king of Texas politics in 2010.   And the fact that he is so powerful in the state is a humiliation that people in few other states have experienced -- except maybe for Alaska (Sarah Palin), Minnesota (Michele Bachmann), Iowa (Peter King), Arizona (Jan Brewer), Oklahoma (Tom Coburn) and Mississippi (Haley Barbour).

Rick Perry is not a good person or a good governor (and I sincerely hope he doesn't run for national office, since he would be even worse than George Bush).   But I reluctantly agree with the DMN, he probably is the "Texan of the Year" -- to the state's great shame.   Now I need a few drinks to get that thought out of my head.