Why you don't 'mess with Texas'

By: Bill Schneider
Politico.com
August 23, 2011 06:06 AM EDT

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas makes the Republican establishment very nervous.

The George W. Bush people are virtually apoplectic over the prospect of Perry’s winning the nomination. Karl Rove warned on Fox News, “Gov. Perry is going to have to fight the impression that he’s a cowboy from Texas.” Rove wrote in his column, “The Republican Party will find it more difficult to gain the support [of disaffected Obama voters] if its nominee adopts a tone that’s harshly negative.”

Here’s a handy rule of thumb: If Rove believes a candidate is too right-wing to get elected, then the candidate may be too right-wing to get elected.

Perry is an authentic Texan — more authentic than either President George W. Bush or George H.W. Bush. The Bushes were both born in New England, the epicenter of the Eastern establishment, and went to Yale. They were more like faux Texan than the real deal. Perry was born in Paint Creek, Texas, where his family roots are five generations deep. He went to Texas A&M.

(More here.)