# Can somebody explain what point Rick Perry was trying to make? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 23, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286 "2014-09-23T00:37:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/41 "2014-09-24T01:42:58Z")
The place her operation was done WAS an ambulatory surgical center. ---
**Author:** ![LonghornDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@LonghornDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonghornDave)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/42 "2014-09-24T19:47:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If so, that seems like an unusual position for a conservative politician to be taking. Well, Rick Perry did spend the first 40 years of his life as a Democrat including working on Gore’s 1988 presidential campaign, so maybe he’s not exactly a principled man. Maybe he just does and says whatever he needs to in order to get elected. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/43 "2014-09-24T19:48:40Z")
I can overlook the pandering but those hipster glasses are fucking unforgivable. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/44 "2014-09-25T03:03:41Z")
> [@LonghornDave](#): > > Maybe he just does and says whatever he needs to in order to get elected. That’s pretty much what I wanted to know. It seemed to me that this was a poorly conceived statement that would backfire on him. But I’m open to the possibility that Perry is more politically astute than I am (hey, I’ve never been elected Governor) so he might have a crafty plan that I wasn’t seeing. However, it appears if there’s a crafty plan behind this statement, it’s eluding everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/45 "2014-09-25T14:51:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It seemed to me that this was a poorly conceived statement that would backfire on him. But I’m open to the possibility that Perry is more politically astute than I am Can’t be both? It plays well in Texas but not nationally. Story of his political career in a single sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/46 "2014-09-25T15:24:57Z")
Perry no longer has political aspirations in Texas (IIRC, he’s either pledged not to run for another gubernatorial term or is prohibited from doing so by law) so it wouldn’t be both. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/47 "2014-09-25T16:13:13Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Perry no longer has political aspirations in Texas (IIRC, he’s either pledged not to run for another gubernatorial term or is prohibited from doing so by law) so it wouldn’t be both. Umm… Senate? President? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/48 "2014-09-25T16:33:32Z")
Texas doesn’t have a president. But I suppose the Senate thing is a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambrosio_Spinola)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/49 "2014-09-25T16:52:09Z")
He’s just insinuating that “clinics” are dangerous places, and therefore attempting to justify the recent spate of target regulations of abortion providers in Texas. This doesn’t really have to make sense (for instance, Rivers was already at an ambulatory surgical center, the standard that Texas is trying to insist that abortion providers should meet), it just has to sound like something that would make a person nod their head if they already agreed with that position. He gets to position himself as someone who wants to crack down on these unsafe “clinics”. And he doesn’t have to come right out and specifically say anything detailed. Will this statement cause him to lose a vote from anyone inclined to vote for him for any elected office? I don’t think so. He’s talking to the audience he’s making a play for, and simply ignoring everyone who’s already not going to vote for him, which is what has made him so successful in Texas all these years. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/50 "2014-09-25T16:54:47Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Can’t be both? > > It plays well in Texas but not nationally. Story of his political career in a single sentence. This still goes back to my original point. Does this play well in Texas? Perry made a point of not talking about opposing abortions, which might have been popular in Texas. He was saying he supported the general idea of the government regulating medical facilities. Is government regulation a popular cause among Texas voters? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/51 "2014-09-25T17:02:48Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Texas doesn’t have a president. But I suppose the Senate thing is a possibility. No, despite what Texans think, Texas is still part of the USA and thus the President of the USA is also President in that state, too. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286/52 "2014-09-25T17:33:02Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > This still goes back to my original point. Does this play well in Texas? It doesn’t play badly, at any rate. Perry would have to be caught diddling a 10 year old boy to lose the broad support of Texans. And even then, I’d wager good money a small minority would claim he was set up by liberals. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Is government regulation a popular cause among Texas voters? Not if presented as such. There are a lot of faux/pseudo libertarians in the state (Ron Paul comes to mind here) who claim not to like government regulation. That is, of course, unless such regulation deals with their pet causes, like abortion or business or Voter ID or some such. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-what-point-rick-perry-was-trying-to-make/699286.md?page=2)