# Rick Perry Needs to Shut Up **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 7, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407 "2011-12-07T19:49:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/1 "2011-12-07T19:49:04Z")
Evidently Perry has a [new ad coming out](http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/perry-ad-focuses-on-gays-and-christianity/). My favorite excerpt: “I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian,” Mr. Perry says in the ad, “but you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military **but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school**.” (bold and underline mine) Excuse me, you fucking backwater idiot, but NO child is being prevented from openly celebrating Christmas or praying in school. What the hell is wrong with you? As much as you might like to prance around with your delusions of being an opressed (secretly closeted gay) Christian, you have no idea what the fuck you are talking about. When was the last time someone got beaten to death in this country for celebrating Christmas? When was the last time someone felt nervous or scared to admit that they celebrated Christmas to their friends, family or coworkers? I’d like to challenge ANYONE here to back up his clueless claims with some actual cites. Can you cite a time when a student was prevented from praying in school? I’d like to see what happened to the teachers or administrators who prevented that from happening if it ever did go down. I bet they got their asses handed to them in court since it is OBVIOUSLY a student’s first amendment right to pray in school if they choose. Do any of you have any personal anecdotes on being afraid to celebrate Christmas openly? And don’t trot out that tired “Merry Christmas” vs “Happy Holidays” bullshit. Just because SOME corporations want their employees to say “Happy Holidays” does not mean they are preventing them from openly celebrating or embracing Christmas. And then we get to this… “As president, I’ll end Obama’s war on religion…” Another gem! I am an atheist and a damn proud one. Obama has been unabashedly religious in his presidency and sometimes it even gets on my nerves. There is no war on religion in this country, other than the war being waged by Christians against Muslims. If anyone in this country has been waging a religious war, it has been the conservative Christians against Obama by claiming he’s not a real Christian, that he’s a secret Muslim, etc. So, a mighty fuck you to Rick Perry. May a thousand porcupines crawl up your ass backwards, and may a seagull shit all over your perfect hair. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/2 "2011-12-07T20:02:35Z")
Alas, he’s still Our Problem. But let’s look at some fine prose from [The Texas Observer](http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/think-rick-perrys-collapsing-campaign-is-funny-the-jokes-on-you-texas)… > [@](#): > > Rick Perry is collapsing faster than a $10 tent in a hurricane. He’s a house of cards built of nothing but one-eyed jackasses. He’s the punchline to every Aggie joke ever told. By the time this column is printed, he’ll probably be trailing in the polls to Newt Gingrich’s jowls. Or maybe he’ll have given himself a swirly on national television. > > For Texans who never bought into Perry’s, um, uh … thing … the last two months have been pure schadenfreude. You just can’t help yourself, right? Watching Gov. Goodhair’s 27-year electoral win streak melt away under the klieg lights during debates with such luminaries as Rick Santorum and Herman Cain is simply great fun. > > Molly Ivins would be pleased. Even Republicans are heeding her Bush-era advice: “The next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be in the White House, would you _please_ pay attention?” > > But schadenfreude has its limitations. It’s like a sugar high—it wears off fast. And when it does, what are we left with? With Governor Perry, alas. Let’s hope we gather strength to dump him next time we have a chance. However, he’s used his years in office to build a political power base in Texas. If you’re not a Texan, you don’t need to read the depressing part of the article… ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/3 "2011-12-07T20:04:01Z")
You’re kind of missing the point. To the people whose support Perry is seeking, there is a war on Christmas, Christians are a persecuted minority who are badgered and bullied when they try to profess their faith, and Obama is (or may well be) a secret Muslim — in any case, he’s not one of “us.” Remember, it’s primary season. The demographic that matters is the zealotistas, and for the GOP these days this is comprised to a great (perhaps disproportionate) extent of religious and/or social fundamentalists. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/4 "2011-12-07T20:16:07Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > You’re kind of missing the point. To the people whose support Perry is seeking, there is a war on Christmas, Christians are a persecuted minority who are badgered and bullied when they try to profess their faith, and Obama is (or may well be) a secret Muslim — in any case, he’s not one of “us.” Right. They think they are being persecuted because they can’t have their nativity displays on the county courthouse steps or in the school room. Conversely, if the few Hindus managed to get a Diwali display in one of those public arenas, or if a few Muslims carried out their obligatory daily prayers there, that would be further evidence that the Christians were a persecuted minority. One of their great faults is a failure to see that religious tolerance cuts both ways. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/5 "2011-12-07T20:17:12Z")
[David Frum on the GOP’s Lost Sense of Reality -- New York Magazine - Nymag](http://nymag.com/news/politics/conservatives-david-frum-2011-11/) has some useful quotes here… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/6 "2011-12-07T20:33:19Z")
It’s about time someone stood up for the persecuted Christians in this country! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/7 "2011-12-07T20:56:26Z")
In the Prop 8 campaign we learned that Christians are persecuted if society exposes their kids to two gay people holding hands. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/8 "2011-12-07T21:22:55Z")
“… there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military …” Pandering to the base, schmandering to the base. How does he expect win a national election when he’s quoted accurately with this bald-faced bigotry? ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/9 "2011-12-07T21:32:48Z")
There’s nothing I hate more than right-wing Christians with persecution complexes. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/10 "2011-12-07T21:48:09Z")
The problem is that some Christians see themselves as being oppressed by equality. They feel that the One True Faith is being persecuted by the idea that atheists, Jews, and Muslims have just as much rights as Christians. In their view, Christians aren’t really free as long as non-Christians are also free. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/11 "2011-12-07T21:49:01Z")
Wait…they do? What kind of crazy talk is that? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/12 "2011-12-07T21:59:54Z")
Maybe you should ask Rick Perry, as that seems to be theory he’s subscribing to. You don’t see him freaking out because Ramadan isn’t celebrated in school, do ya? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/13 "2011-12-07T22:00:50Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > You’re kind of missing the point. To the people whose support Perry is seeking, there is a war on Christmas, Christians are a persecuted minority who are badgered and bullied when they try to profess their faith, and Obama is (or may well be) a secret Muslim — in any case, he’s not one of “us.” > > Remember, it’s primary season. The demographic that matters is the zealotistas, and for the GOP these days this is comprised to a great (perhaps disproportionate) extent of religious and/or social fundamentalists. Kind of what I was going to say. OP: you’re not going to win this with logic and facts. It’s about manipulating the dialogue and making emotional appeals to the base. It’s true that Christmas isn’t officially endorsed in schools now, whereas there was a time when our culture was more lax about such things and the population was more mono-cultural. That’s enough for it to be perceived as an attack by people who hold that cultural event near and dear to them. There is no way you are ever going to convince them otherwise. I sort of understand the sentiment - the price of being an inclusive and diverse country is that we are extremely fragmented culturally, and don’t really share but the most nominal common bonds with our fellow countrymen. We are a smattering of isolated sub-cultures, each with their own rituals, holidays, cuisine, traditions, values, etc. that rarely intersect. It encourages extreme cliquishness on a mass scale which is isolating and damaging to morale. Who wants to go to war for their neighbor who they wouldn’t even feel comfortable sharing a meal with? I’m not sure there’s any clear or appropriate solution here, but if you want to rebut someone like that you need to fight fire with fire and make it personal, rather than treating it as a logical thought exercise and analysis of facts. ---
**Author:** ![Feyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/fbc32d/32.png) [@Feyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feyrat)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/14 "2011-12-07T22:12:27Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > “… there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military …” > > Pandering to the base, schmandering to the base. How does he expect win a national election when he’s quoted accurately with this bald-faced bigotry? Frankly, you know there’s something wrong with our country when a presidential candidate is ok saying shit like this on TV. And people LIKE it. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/15 "2011-12-07T22:17:27Z")
Can’t be the only person thinking that if we’re going to get accused of oppressing them, maybe we should start oppressing them. I’m gonna start by oppressing fucking christmas right back to where it belongs: after thanksgiving. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/16 "2011-12-07T22:23:30Z")
I agree partially with those of you who are saying that it’s just pandering, and that it’s not rational or logical, and that there may be a modicum of truth to what he is saying. I get that it’s what he’s trying to do. But it should upset you and everyone else when a politician goes on TV and spouts out blatant lies. Forget the bigotry and the persecution complex for a minute (those are good points too), but the fact that he is actually LYING in a campaign ad is ridiculous. You say they aren’t lies? That he’s just stretching the truth? Well then show me an instance of a student not being allowed to pray in schools. Show me an instance of someone not being able to embrace and celebrate Christmas openly. If you can’t show me that, then this is more than pandering, this is outright fabrication. And yes he’s a bigot too. A self-hating closeted gay conservative if there ever was one. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/17 "2011-12-07T22:37:00Z")
Rick Perry, for those who liked Bush, but thought he was too intellectual. Never has epithet rang more true. Bush would have at least tried to not sound like he was declaring open warfare on the gays. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/18 "2011-12-07T22:38:12Z")
The ad is on [youtube](http://www.youtube.com/user/RPerry2012?v=0PAJNntoRgA). It has 436 “likes” and 14,771 “dislikes.” The comments are great. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/19 "2011-12-07T22:46:27Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > The ad is on [youtube](http://www.youtube.com/user/RPerry2012?v=0PAJNntoRgA). It has 436 “likes” and 14,771 “dislikes.” The comments are great. “Adding comments has been disabled for this video.” WHY IS RICK PERRY STOMPING ON MY FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH? IS HE SOME SORT OF OBAMA-LOVING FASCIST, MARXIST, LENINIST, STALINIST, MAOIST, POL-POTIST NAZI, NAZI, NAZI, NAZI, NAZI??? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407/20 "2011-12-07T22:51:39Z")
I think he needs to talk more. He is spending money on his campaign that will not be available to anyone like him to use after he is forced to drop out of the race–which he will, as his numbers keep dropping like his IQ. We all win with these ads: the media gets cash, the electorate gets a less bad (not good, I’m afraid), selection of candidates, and Perry gets to go home and find something useful to do with his life. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-perry-needs-to-shut-up/605407.md?page=2)