Rick Perry In His Own Words

In what I can only guess was a warm up act to his hitting the Tea Party social circuit later today, Governor Rick Perry tilted at the biggest windmill of his political career yesterday. Salon's War Room quotes Governor Perry:

The 10th Amendment was enacted by folks who remembered what it was like to have a very oppressive government, to be under the thumb of tyrants in an all-powerful government. Unfortunately, the protections it guarantees have melted away over the course of the years... I believe the federal government has become oppressive. I believe it's become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of its citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state.

"The 10th Amendment was enacted by folks who remembered what it was like to have a very oppressive government, to be under the thumb of tyrants in an all-powerful government."

Whenever I read something like this, I always wonder if it's craven pandering or historical ignorance. What Governor Perry and every conservative who trots out this same opening act always conveniently leave out is that those "folks who remembered what it was like to have a very oppressive government" didn't have representation in said government. That lack of representation was the genesis of the birth of the United States. The last time I checked, we have plenty of representation in Washington D.C. Governor Perry, like most Republicans, seems to confuse the American people rejecting the contemporary Republican Party's 19th century political ideology with not being represented. To clarify: You lost on your ideas, not your lack of representation.

"Unfortunately, the protections it guarantees have melted away over the course of the years..."

Governor Rick Perry, five days ago: Governor Perry Calls FEMA To Assist With Wildfires

Governor Rick Perry, last month: Governor Perry Calls For 1,000 Troops To Be Sent To Border

Governor Rick Perry, five months ago: Governor Perry Requests 18 Month Extension Of Federal Aid For Ike Debris Removal

It looks to me like the only thing that has melted away over the course of the years is any sense of decency or shame that Republicans like Governor Perry may have had at some point in their lives.