Rick Perry 3

http://christiannews.christianet.com/1098362715.htm

            This article was written by ChrstiaNet, a Christian internet blog, prior to Perry declaring his candidacy for the Republican nomination. It describes Perry’s devotion to Christianity and his faith while serving as the Governor of Texas. While busy managing the affairs of over 23 million Texans, Perry strove to keep his family a major priority. He told ChistiaNet, “My son played high school baseball and I rarely missed a game. My daughter is a cheerleader, I’ve never missed a home game. I have an important job, but its not more important that being a father.” Obviously, Perry’s Christian beliefs helped him to live up the virtues and standards of being a good father. Those same religious ideals guided him to campaign for and pass the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage in the state of Texas and in the United States as between a man and a woman. Perry defended the Defense of Marriage Act by explaining that “another state by virtue of an activist judge, can create a gay-marriage situation where we would be forced in Texas to recognize that. “ He goes on the campaign for a national amendment where the laws about marriage in other states would not apply in Texas. The support of traditional marriage laws is a defining characteristic in Perry’s conservative political philosophy. As, the Governor, he had the power to enact these laws in the state of Texas, and should he become President, he could force his religious driven ideals on the entire nation.

            The article’s description of Gov. Perry religiously and politically resembles Carty’s depiction of John F. Kennedy as a representative and senator of Massachusetts in this past week’s readings. JFK, as a representative, supported several bills that would provide federal funds for Catholic schools. As a Catholic, he saw it as his responsibility to help fellow Catholics and endorse the ideals of his constituents. The majority of JFK’s voters were Catholics, and thus he fought and campaigned for policies that would align with their beliefs. Perry, similarly, supported the Defense of Marriage Act in Texas, where the majority of his constituents are devout Christians whose definition of marriage comes from the Bible. Gov. Perry, like the early JFK, allowed his policy decisions to be influenced by religious ideals, those same ideals and beliefs held by the majority of voters. 

Rick Perry 2

http://www.washingtonpost.com/on-faith/evangelicals-line-up-behind-rick-perry/2011/09/23/gIQAsE8HrK_story.html

     This article focuses on the vast amount of Christian support, particularly evangelicals, that Gov. Rick Perry has accrued since declaring his candidacy. Perry is very public in his Christian beliefs and has "suffused his campaign with religion building on strategies honed for years in Texas politics." Some evangelical leaders are going as far to say that Gov. Perry is the second coming of Ronald Regan in that Perry is a big state governor, staunch conservative, and devout Christian. Perry's religiously fueled campaign has earned him enormous support from elder evangelical leaders. One particular benefactor, Donald Wildmon, reportedly donated $600,000 to Perry's prayer rally, The Response, and has also instructed his following of 60,000 pastors and  180 Christian radio stations to support Perry's campaign. Wildmon, like many other evangelical leaders are directing dollars and votes towards Gov. Perry. If Perry succeeds to unite evangelicals and Christians alike behind his cause, he would have an enormous advantage that could propel him to the Republican nomination.
     This article details the immense financial and electoral power of evangelical Christians. As Fowler described in this weeks readings, Evangelicals will play a major role in the upcoming election. The article notes that in states like Iowa and South Carolina, Evangelicals make up half of the GOP votes. This article also highlights Fowler's point that a smaller dedicated group of supporters are more beneficial than appealing to the masses. As Espinosa cited in his chapter, the GOP as evidenced by Perry and Bachman are making a strong push to win the support of Christian and evangelical leaders. Perry also displays a religious journey very similar to that of Lincoln. Both Perry and Lincoln found Christianity later in life as young adults. Perry claims that "He was spiritually lost as a young man before turning to God at age 27." Lincoln turned to God and the Presbyterian Church after the death of his son. I am by no means implying that Perry may be the next Lincoln, but with the overwhelming support of Evangelicals and Christians alike, he may find himself the next Republican in the White House.

Rick Perry 1

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/392478/july-19-2011/god-calls-rick-perry-to-run

Only watch from (0-3:24) after that point, Colbert digresses to a rant about a coyote.

The clip posted above is from the Colbert Report on July 30, before Perry announced his candidacy for President. It highlights Perry's plan for The Response, a prayer ceremony led by the Governor in Houston, Texas. In the Response, Perry stresses the need for each and every citizen to ask for God's forgiveness and His help to solve our nation's problems. Perry looks to God for answers to local and national issues and does so in a large public forum. The Governor’s personal relationship to God and his church are perfectly acceptable for a political figure, but when he crosses the threshold of private to public prayer he no longer separates church and state. Gov. Perry, as the prayer leader, essentially asserts his beliefs onto each person in the stadium, and although those in attendance shared his beliefs, had they not he would be imposing his religion on non-Christians. As a leader in charge of the state of Texas, he should not show favoritism or preferences publicly for one religion over another.  The Response, is specifically a Christian rally one aimed at building support for Perry’s eminent Presidential candidacy.

In class this past week, we discussed the nation’s cultural shift and a new generation of prospective voters. Perry’s Christian rally somewhat contradicts Fowler’s idea of a cultural shift from organized religion to spiritual individuality. Fowler proposed that voters today are more private and individual in their religious practices, but the massive congregation of voters at The Response shows that many still cling to organized religion. Perry’s campaign targets these enormous pools of voters, and preaches Christian ideals in his politics to earn their electoral and more importantly financial support.

I chose this clip from the Colbert Report, because I thought it detailed Perry’s prayer rally in a refreshing and amusing manner. Colbert presents news reports and facts about The Response while offering his own comedic insight on the matter.