Rick Perry's Very Bad Evening (or Not?)

Partisans, whether on the left or the right, look as much to the other political party for errors than for policy successes that put the other behind the eight ball. Rick "Social Security's a Ponzi Scheme" Perry's opening-night debate was one such moment. David Frum, who has lately actually risen to keen observer status, at least as far as his honest observation of conservative blunders are concerned, weighs in on Perry:

During the September 7th Republican Presidential debate, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas repeated an earlier assertion of his that Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme. Read that again: in the age of Bernie Madoff, Rick Perry called Social Security a Ponzi Scheme.

...I’m not going to go so far as to predict the result of a Presidential Election that is 14 months away, but I will posit that while “Change we can Believe in” might be a somewhat tired slogan by that point, it sure as hell beats “Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme”.

George W. Bush looked eminently beatable until Democrats nominated John Kerry. Aside from being a decent human being, Kerry's one flaw was he was one big doofus when it came to national campaigning, especially against a party ready to play the swift boat card as viciously as it did.

So we can always hope that the country hasn't gone so crazy to the right as to destroy its key pension system. Instead, let's hope, from a partisan point of view, that Perry-rhymes-with-Kerry is just as incapable on the national stump as his euphonious friend.

Question: Why is a conservative party against preserving its parents/grandparents/great grandparents' safety net? Oh yeah, it's their children and grandchildren they're damning. Wait, I thought those were the generations they're protecting with the debt fight. Good luck with the messaging this election year. You may yet save the Dem's bacon.

Of course, I've been wrong before about where this country is headed. I hope we get a dose of Rove's math, as in what 2006 added up to.