If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
With all the speculation about a possible Rick Perry run for president yesterday, I began to bone up on the Texas governor and his record. From what I have read so far, one of his potential obstacles to the nomination involves an executive order he issued regarding HPV vaccinations. Here is how Kevin Williamson briefly lays out the issue in a National Review profile of Governor Perry:
One of the stranger episodes of Perry’s governorship was his signing an executive order mandating the vaccination of sixth-grade girls against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer and genital warts. Though the executive order included an opt-out for parents who objected to the vaccine, the move lit a fire under the Religious Right, which argued that the program was a concession to the culture of promiscuity. It didn’t help matters when it came out that the maker of the vaccine, Merck, was a Perry campaign donor. Perry found himself on the outs with the very conservatives who are his core constituency.
Fellow Ricocheteers, how damaging will this issue be to the governor--if he runs--in the upcoming primaries? Any other possible roadblocks for a Perry nomination run? I don't know much about the governor, and I want to learn all that I can before I get too excited (as I found myself last night).
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Mar '11
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
Andrew Barrett:
Fellow Ricocheteers, how damaging will this issue be to the governor--if he runs--in the upcoming primaries?
Somewhere between a proclamation in recognition of Kwaanza and failure to ban Halloween because of its "pagan roots."
If this is the best dirt that can be dug up on the man, then he makes Caesar's wife look like a regular correspondent with a certain Congressman.
Apr '11
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
Probably things that will hurt more is his talk about secession, which has been highlighted several times by Paul Rahe. I can't imagine this being much of a problem.
Oct '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
the secession talk could cause some problems for him.
Jun '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
While I am angry to hear Perry signed this executive order, I think it's unlikely to be a deal breaker.
Emily interviewed him a year or so ago.....I hope she will chime in with her thoughts on his chances.
Jul '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
The most disturbing part of the vaccination thing was that one of Perry's former aides and closest friends was a lobbyist for the vaccine manufacturer - and a campaign-contribution bundler for Perry's re-election effort.
But what the heck; compared to Pawlenty's pimping for ethanol or Romney's omni-pandering, Vaccine-gate is small beer.
And for the record, I love secession talk.
Oct '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
I'm from Texas. I'd vote for Perry only if he were the last man standing after the Republican primaries.
As a primary voter though, the Gardasil (vaccine) executive order, the Trans-Texas corridor fiasco, and the wimping out on border security tell me that Perry is a big government, big business "conservative". He's not on my short list.
Aug '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
His mandate of the vaccine is disgusting to me as a libertarian, as a gal who discovered that it still is possible to say no until marriage, and as a skeptic on the importance of virus-hunting in the War on Cancer. (Not that viruses play no role in cancer. I just think the role is overblown -- and a lot of money might have been wasted chasing "cancer viruses" simply because the phrase "cancer virus" sounds sexy, rather than because the cancer-virus hypothesis has really been more productive than other hypotheses would have been if they had gotten funding instead.)
But that's just me -- one insignificant, inconspicuous serpent. Whether others feel as I do is another matter. And it's not like the other guys never got their pander on, either.
Kenneth:
And for the record, I love secession talk.
I will have to keep that in mind...
Edited on Jun 10, 2011 at 12:29pmOct '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
I'm all for mandatory vaccinations; they're the first line of defense against epidemics. For STDs I'm less sure, but it's probably a good idea too (it's not like you can completely remove the risk of sexually transmitted disease, and measures like this are probably worth it just for the money they save by preventing later care. I wouldn't be surprised if preventing a dozen cases in a class of 1000 students pays for all the vaccinations).
Jun '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
Midget -- I agree, but we are probably in the minority. Most parents I know went along like sheep getting their daughters vaccinated. I don't think voters are going to think this one through. Vaccine proponents tried to casually present the likelihood of HPV infection as a given, as if its mode of transmission were airborne, like whooping cough!
Limestone, you give us a few issues to look into before getting excited about Perry.
Aug '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
I think alot of people, myself included , view gardasil as a preventive cure for a cancer that could affect their daughters. That it has additional benefits is not important to me .
We conservatives have a tendency to nitpick things to death. We have so few victories, and beating Jimmah Carter wasn't the result of some inspired uprising in America. No one in America could imagine another four years of that sad sack.
We are waiting for Reagan, but we need to see whether Beckett wrote this script.
Oct '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
StickerShock: Midget -- I agree, but we are probably in the minority. Most parents I know went along like sheep getting their daughters vaccinated. I don't think voters are going to think this one through. Vaccine proponents tried to casually present the likelihood of HPV infection as a given, as if its mode of transmission were airborne, like whooping cough!
Limestone, you give us a few issues to look into before getting excited about Perry. · Jun 10 at 11:41am
Well yeah, but the problem is teaching abstinence to 12-year-olds doesn't work; supervision does. Kids in early adolescence need lots of supervision, and the school can't control if their parents are providing that supervision or not.
I tend to feel obsessive over vaccinations (what if the virus suddenly went airborne? I guess that's silly). I dunno; sometimes I think all these problems could be solved with mandatory civic/parenting education for married adults.
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
I agree with Dan IV. Perry's signing this executive order is an indication of good sense on his part.
Apr '11
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
How is mandating a vaccine for an STD because it will save money any less intrusive then the Obamacare individual mandate?
Was Texas the only state to require this vaccine? Was it debated in other states?
I'm not an anti-vaccine nut and I don't know enough about this matter to pass judgement. Also, I don't obsess over corruption regarding campaign donors, but if what I've heard about the connections involved is true it does sound rather shady. How come Perry couldn't find any support in the legislature? Why did Perry use up so much political capital on this particular issue in the face of bipartisan outrage?
Also, I find it revolting that Perry blasted opponents in his own party with vile attacks in the vein of "anyone who doesn't support this law must want little girls to die of cancer."
The bottom line: If we're going to run a states-rights talking Texas cowboy against a black president and a media desperate to play the race card he had better be squeaky clean.
Aug '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
Good question, Cutlass. Because there is an opt-out? Because the vaccine was required only for enrollment in public schools (was it???)? I don't know...
I'm not an anti-vaccine nut...
Nor am I. But I think there's sometimes pro-vaccine nuttiness, too (or anti-anti-vaccine nuttiness elicited by anti-vaccine nuttiness). It is not, after all, automatically wrong for people to question, "Is this particular vaccine right for me or my child?" before agreeing to be vaccinated.
I strongly prefer to get many vaccinations myself -- even "optional" ones -- but I chose not to get the H-pap vac, and I believe that decision was right for me. And, given the not-always-very clear relationship between the viruses that cause cancer and the resultant cancers, I would want to investigate any "anti-cancer vaccine" I might consider getting carefully before I agreed to it.
Oct '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
Joseph, my objection to Governor Perry's proposal was his method and rationale. If Perry believes that Gardasil creates a significant public good, then bring it before the legislature, have legislative hearings on cost, efficacy and safety, let the legislature vote. That's what a conservative would do... not legislate by executive order.
I agree with you completely on mandatory vaccinations in cases where the lack of vaccination imposes clear and immediate risk of contagion, especially in early childhood settings like schools.
Gardasil does not meet this standard.
So why create a false sense of security? This is an issue for parents and doctors to decide.
Dec '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
Paul A. Rahe
I agree with Dan IV. Perry's signing this executive order is an indication of good sense on his part. · Jun 10 at 12:02pm
As a libertarian-leaning conservative, I find this shocking. Vaccinating kids for viruses spread by sexual contact, i.e., not air-born public health risks, is exactly the kind of intrusive government action we're fighting, isn't it? I thought it good sense to leave such decisions, ahem, to parents and their kids' doctor. The fact that money changed hands to get this done makes it doubly offensive.
I'm more inclined to forgive Herman Cain for not knowing what the right of return is. At least he doesn't want the state giving medical advice.
Jun '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
He's as good as any. It's probably not going to be the Ricochet readers that push any of these GOP candidates over the top, so I'm not very fussy at this point. He has a pulse and he's not a socialist. Sounds good.
Jun '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
Limestone & Western are spot on.
Gardasil is a classic example of politics trumping science.
If anyone believes his 6th grade daughter is sexually active, then it would make sense to research the Gardasil vaccine. You'd find that it has a terrible record of serious side effects and has had limited study.
However, administering a questionable vaccine to combat a sexually transmitted disease to a child who is not sexually active is, in my opinion, a violation of medical ethics.
And I couldn't let htis one pass: "Well yeah, but the problem is teaching abstinence to 12-year-olds doesn't work; supervision does."
I sincerely hope you are not relying on supervision to keep your kids from having sex. There is absolutley no way to supervise a child around the clock. A consistently reinforced moral foundation, coupled with common sense science-based instruction on reproduction, is the best amunition a parent can offer. If you don't present abstinance as the wisest choice, and only rely on watching him like a hawk, his hormones will trigger some incredibly creative ways to sneak around your suveillance.
Dec '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
The HPV vaccine is useless in protecting sixth-grade girls from HPV.
That's because the immunity has to build up over a period of several years and the course of several injections.
If you want your daughter to have an immunity to HPV so that on her wedding night she doesn't get a nasty surprise when she gives her groom her virginity, you have to start years in advance.
Opposing Perry over this issue strikes me as wrong-headed.
Aug '10
Re: If Governor Rick Perry Runs for President...
Stuart Creque:
If you want your daughter to have an immunity to HPV so that on her wedding night she doesn't get a nasty surprise when she gives her groom her virginity, you have to start years in advance.
On the other hand, she is not necessarily going to get a nasty surprise on her wedding night. (Even virgins can have the sense to ask their grooms to get tested for STDs before the wedding.)
Even if you believe the vaccine is good, and wish to persuade others of its benefits, why should it be mandated?
An unvaccinated woman may pose some risk to herself (though her behavior may make the risk of HPV low, and even if you get HPV, cancer is hardly inevitable), but what public health risk is she posing, unless she shares her ladyparts with all and sundry?