Perry Unfazed by Charges, Wary of the Future

On Aug 15 Gov. Rick Perry was indicted by a grand jury on two felony charges. He is being accused of abusing the power of his office and coercing a public official. This political scandal has had people taking sides since the news first came to light. There have been a number of accusations thrown both at the governor and at those who brought the charges against him.

While this is probably nothing more than a political move made by those who would rather not see Rick Perry as a real contender of the 2016 presidential election, it has created quite a bit of stir in the media and in the minds of constituents. In fact, it seems that to a certain extent, the governor has benefitted from this indictment. Politically, his calm and eloquent responses to the scandal have his enemies taken aback. 

The Texas governor has seen an understandable increase in opportunities to send out his message in front of the camera, and he has taken advantage of these opportunities. He has up until now managed to play the victim to the so-called politically driven and “outrageous” charges brought against him. Many of his supporters have been galvanized into action by the recent events. For example, Perry’s political action committee, RickPac, has been selling shirts that proclaim his innocence while denouncing former District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg. So far, the shirts have been quite popular according to the RickPAC website.

While he has enjoyed a momentary boost in publicity, the media will soon dissipate until January to cover the trial that will take place if Perry’s lawyers cannot get the case dismissed. Perry will then have a hard time keeping up appearances while fighting the charges during a crucial point in the campaigning cycle. Since he will be stepping down from his position as governor at the end of his term, the next election may well be his last opportunity to get his name in a position of power. It is now up to his dream team of lawyers to have the case dismissed  before the overall effect of the indictment becomes more than simply a boost in airtime for Rick Perry and his fabulous hair.

In the end, it doesn’t matter if he did abuse his power as governor or not. The accusations are vague and flimsy at best, since what he did to pressure Lehmberg into stepping down from office was within his legal capacity. Even if he is guilty of some crime, his team of lawyers will undoubtedly bail him out. The real question was never if Rick Perry would go to jail but whether the accusations he faces will help or hurt his murky chances at the presidency.

The answer is that even if he stands to gain something from the indictment and possible trial, he still would have to beat Chris Christie, his strongest projected opponent as of now. Other well known Republican figures that might run also stand in his way, such as Jeb Bush, in the Republican primary. 

This is all before facing off with either Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden. Both democrats are seasoned veterans of White House politics with well-established and sizable followings. Rick Perry, in a best case scenario, is an underdog contender for the republican spot. Additionally, he is perceived by many to be a two dimensional candidate whose only concrete message to the country so far has been to criticize President Obama’s presidency, a platform which will look feeble compared to those of other, more established and well-rounded politicians.

Governor Perry’s indictment has only really served to bring his name to the forefront of the news long enough for people to examine this potential presidential candidate for the 2016 elections. What can be taken away from this reflection is that Rick Perry will not be our next president any more than the democrats will hold on to the Senate or Putin will get over his ego. It simply won’t happen.