if Perry is the GOP nominee, uniting and motivating Democrats to vote will not be a problem

[scheming daemons]

Absolute fear tends to focus the mind.

[Deep13]

1. Yeah, that R. fear-mongering is a double-edged sword. nt

[bluerum]

2. Nixon. Regan. Bush I. Bush II.

How soon they forget.

[theoldman]

3. Democrats will not allow Bush III to be president.

I also think that Obama can beat Perry in a debate. If he can't beat this ignoramus, he deserves to lose the election.

[USMCMustang]

5. Really?

Mi amigo,
Do you really think that that matters to dumbed down people?

With all due respect.

[sufrommich]

4. I didn't to watch it. But reading the coments here and elsewhere,

I feel a little sick to my stomach. I fear for this country.

[banned from Kos]

8. You should fear. Perry is a total throwback asshole Neanderthal

He is simple, uneducated and proud of it!

[beanwire]

6. Sure,

the moderates, though, will split, especially if he continues to waffle between cutting wages for firemen and requesting federal troops for border security , but if liberal moderates are completely disenfranchised by Obama's centrism, the party will be screwed, and is it really about the party or the comprehensive idea of "American." in which case, why aren't more people for the absolute division of corporate and political america.

even if you choose to deny it, we all see ourselves as part of the greater whole(s). Sure I get mad when people refer to petroleum based products as energy wealth, but that's because I work in plastics (it's a disjoint no one seems to acknowledge). But is the service industry creating wealth or just moving it about? Do salesfolk vote their jobs or their ideals? It's a closed pistachio and we've been biting our nails. How do you share what you want without slobbering all over the prize, making it unappealing for anyone else? That's the conundrum.

[distantearlywarning]

7. It's true.

I'm not too thrilled with Obama these days, but if Perry was the GOP candidate I would literally vote for "anyone but him". I would vote for a bag of goose shit before I would mark that ballot for Perry.

[glinda]

9. Voting machines, voter suppression will be the problem.

[Deep13]

10. I don't think you're giving "outright lies" enough credit.

:(

[Golden Raisin]

11. Then there's always the Supreme

Court for the coup de grace.

[glinda]

13. True on all counts.

[Douglas Carpenter]

12. I agree. but I would not want to hope for such a risky situation

The fact still remains that most likely the economy will still be in a state of malaise come October/November 2012. Historically whenever the economy is down or perceived as down - the incumbent president almost always becomes very unpopular and almost always loses reelection. There are exceptions to that rule of course, but they are rare. Hopefully, if Perry becomes the GOP nominee it will become so apparent to most Americans that Perry is a dangerous kook who does not share their values. However, in economically desperate times - I would not count on people being reasonable and seeing the obvious.

[0rganism]

14. better not wait until the primaries are over to motivate voters

With all the new voter ID restrictions, getting people to the polls has to start real early and then some. In several states, we need a serious boots-on-the-ground effort to get Democratic voters to DMVs with all the right information lined up to meet the new requirements.