Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
Ann Althouse links to this "weird column" by Politico's Ben Smith, and asks "What kind of whammy did Perry throw on these press boys?"
Perry's appearance at the fair, where he challenged reporters on whether they were "tough" enough to walk with him, chomped on meat and a hard-boiled egg and struck rugged poses was a well-staged political triumph. (The word "manly" got thrown around a lot, with varying degrees of irony, in the press pack.)
Ann asks: "He ate a hard-boiled egg and 'meat' and somehow that gets macho points with these characters?"
So Perry's "manliness" was discussed, but only ironically. Does the press pool have a problem with manliness? What does the word even mean when inserted into a presidential race in the year 2011?
The left has already started a "Rick Perry is secretly gay" whispering campaign (a smear campaign I never understood. If "gay is okay," then why are they always trying to whip up the gay panic? cf. John Kerry and John Edwards both mentioning "Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian" in the 2004 debates.)
The left also jeered George W. for being a cowboy. Rick Perry will certainly receive the same taunt. But maybe the great mass of voters outside the Washington corridor want a cowboy in 2011.
The most interesting part of Ann's blog entry is the commentariat (as usual); Rick Perry seems to have taken over the Chuck Norris meme. ("Rick Perry's tears cure cancer. Too bad he's never cried." "Rick Perry didn't shoot the coyote. The coyote saw Perry, gently borrowed Perry's gun, and shot itself to save Perry the trouble.")
Do we have a "manliness gap" in Washington? Or in America in general? Is there a "manliness void" in the White House? How many points will a candidate's perceived manliness be worth?
If this is going to be a factor in the Presidential race, how do you see it playing out?
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Comments:
Aug '10
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
Are humility, thoughtfulness, tolerance and respect manly qualities? After all, any yahoo can shoot a deer and gut it (I've done it many times).
Seems to me there is a fine line between being "manly" and being an egotistical blowhard - I don't know enough about Perry to judge which side of the line he's on but he does seem to be throwing out a lot of "boob bait for bubbas" so far...
Dec '10
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
J.Voss
The King Prawn
But Paul is crazy. Insanity is unmanly. · Aug 16 at 11:37am
Really? Aside from rabid isolationism what has he ever been diagnosed with, or accused of that wasn't at one time or another, a major part of the RNC platform? I'm not a fan of the guy for personal reasons, but I have never seen any rational argument for why he is 'crazy'. · Aug 16 at 11:39am
I don't know... anyone who runs for president every 4 years while trying to stand on one leg of a three legged stool, even displacing his own son for yet another try at the age of 75, might, just might, qualify as crazy. The social cons and national security cons won't go for him. He only appeals to the fiscal cons, and yet, he keeps on trying. What is it when you repeat the same behaviors over and over again expecting different results? Oh, yes. Insanity.
Aug '11
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
I don't know enough about Perry to know whether that's genuine or a put-on. Given how W. was treated, I would have cautioned against playing up a cowboy image. So maybe that's just the way he is.
Or maybe it's a conscious decision to fill a perceived need.
Jun '10
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
I think Americans like a calm friendly guy/gal who can be ruthless when he/she has to be. Sometimes a President's job is to be an S.O.B. Early in Ronald Reagan's first term, one of the things that impressed the Soviets about him was that he fired the striking Air Traffic Controllers, didn't look back, and didn't lose any sleep over it. Reagan was as polite a man as there was, but you didn't want to screw with him either. I'm hoping, "don't mess with Texas" isn't just a slogan for Perry.
Feb '11
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
With Perry, at least they can still express their envy in complete sentences.
Imagine a Texas woman was running. Seen ours? Seen theirs?
They'd only be able to spit and cuss.
Feb '11
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
Perry v Obama -- fistfight behind the high school. Odds?
Perry v Putin -- fistfight behind the Kremlin. Odds?
Aug '10
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
DrewInWisconsin
I don't know enough about Perry to know whether that's genuine or a put-on. Given how W. was treated, I would have cautioned against playing up a cowboy image. So maybe that's just the way he is.
Or maybe it's a conscious decision to fill a perceived need. · Aug 16 at 12:30pm
Perry is clearly playing to the GOP base with his recent statements about Bernanke, etc. That base is clearly hungry for red meat right now but they only make up about 30-35% of the electorate - not nearly enough to get elected.
My concern is that many of these statements could come back to bite him in the general election.
Jun '10
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
Well, speaking of memes. The Ron Paul is crazy meme is very persistent. So much so, in fact, that one suspects less opinion and more agenda in those who perpetuate it. How crazy is it to use a campaign as a platform to draw attention to your ideas? The numbers suggest success if that is his plan. Perhaps he is cutting the trail for his son rather than displacing him.
But on to manliness. Years ago I saw David Gregory rant some accusative query at a Bush press conference in the exact posture and tone a petulant teen uses when dad won't let him use the car (with Bush as Dad of course). It was decidedly unmanly. Ever since the initial observation I frequently detect the parent/smart-aleck kid dynamic between the right and left.
Perry would take Obama or Putin but Putin is bringing a few thug friends to help and Obama won't show.
Feb '11
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
Perry just needs to grow a beard.
Sep '10
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
Devin Cole
Wranglers vs. Obama-mom jeans......Nuff said. · Aug 16 at 11:00am
Meanwhile some where in Massachusetts . . .
"Honey, can you take my jeans back to the cleaners? Tell them to use extra starch this time because I can barely see the crease."
Oct '10
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
John Lamoreaux
With Perry, at least they can still express their envy in complete sentences.
Imagine a Texas woman was running. Seen ours? Seen theirs?
They'd only be able to spit and cuss. · Aug 16 at 12:57pm
Yep, and we've already seen evidence of such behavior from the Democrats (and many establishmentarian Republicans) regarding Sarah Palin.
Apr '11
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
Western Chauvinist: Want a woman's perspective?
Rick Perry's manliness. . . . a wild animal. Maybe the positive take on this is, it's exciting!
Hulloh, Western Chauvinist . . . hull-oh ?
"May be exciting?"
Come on sister. Join me in celebrating a manly man who loves this country - passionately :)
I was with a couple this weekend - the male of which - carried his wife's Vera Wang over his shoulder.
The only objects to ever drape over Perry's shoulder were a shotgun or a woman's arm.
Edited on August 17, 2011 at 1:26amAug '11
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
Trink
. . . carried his wife's Vera Wang over his shoulder.
That sounds so dirty I blushed.
May '11
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
I like the looks of Perry, he may be my personal frontrunner. However it took me a moment to realize what it was that was nagging at me. It is this, Hollywood has been running again Rick Perry types for decades. Texan, religious, straight talking, brash, non- PC when a guy who looks, acts, and talks like him appears in the first act you know he will be in handcuffs in the final scene. This has been depicted so many times that even a conservative like me had an automatic uneasiness. The huge number of unthinking people who rely on their ‘feelings’ will be put off without realizing why. The womanish Hollywood nebbishes have laid the groundwork. It could be a problem.
Aug '10
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
One of Ron Paul's Ideas is to return to the Gold Standard - never minding that with free gold markets we are on a defacto Gold Standard already. Nonetheless, I have done the math and here are the results.
Base Monetary supply in Dollars = 2.70449 Trillion
US Gold Supply, in Troy Ounces = 8133.5 Tonnes * 32,150.722 troy Oz/ Tonne = 261.498 Million Troy Oz.
Value of Gold, current Market Price = $1785.42
Value of Gold, Returning to Gold Standard = $10,342.30
Multiple, Value of everything you own when Ron Paul returns us to the Gold Standard = .172633
Yep, that's right folks Take the value of everything you own (your house, 401K, IRA's, Stuff) DIVIDE it by 5.792645 (or MULTIPLY it by 0.172633) and that is what your stuff is worth when Ron Paul returns us to the Gold Standard.
Now that is just crazy.
Dec '10
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
DrewInWisconsin
Trink
. . . carried his wife's Vera Wang over his shoulder.
That sounds so dirty I blushed. · Aug 16 at 4:26pm
Bwahahaha... thanks Drew. I laughed harder at this than the "Rick Perry's tears cure cancer" tweet.
Feb '11
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
Trink
Western Chauvinist: Want a woman's perspective?
Rick Perry's manliness. . . . a wild animal. Maybe the positive take on this is, it's exciting!
Hulloh, Western Chauvinist . . . hull-oh ?
"May be exciting?"
Come on sister. Join me in celebrating a manly man who loves this country - passionately :)
I was with a couple this weekend - the male of which - carried his wife's Vera Wang over his shoulder.
The only objects to ever drape over Perry's shoulder were a shotgun or a woman's arm. · Aug 16 at 4:21pm
Edited on Aug 16 at 04:26 pm
I've not seen Perry shirtless, but I fear the beard may not serve his purposes, as it'll scare away coastal voters. It's a balance that's needed. He's gonna need to be the idealized object of both demographics: the girly man and the manly man. While Perry surely learns Putin in the fighting, Putin knows something about getting out the vote. Perhaps he's got the winning strategy for Perry's campaign:
http://pik.tv/en/cj/item/putin-and-his-army-eyeing-presidency
Edited on August 17, 2011 at 4:47amApr '11
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
DrewInWisconsin
Trink
. . . carried his wife's Vera Wang over his shoulder.
That sounds so dirty I blushed. · Aug 16 at 4:26pm
My pleasure, Drew.
(Hmmm, somehow that isn't quite what I'd intended . . . oh well . . ;)
Aug '11
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
Rick Perry uses colorful metaphor. White House clutches pearls, faints. Reuters has the story.
So this is how it's gonna be, eh?
Jun '10
Re: Is Rick Perry Stepping Into the "Manliness Gap"?
Instugator,
That is some really good math. A few more steps and you might have proven the Higgs boson. What would be the effect on currency (globally) and on the price of gold should it become expected that a return to the gold standard was likely? What of oil and other dollar denominated commodities? What do you think Ron Paul's response to your analysis would be? Would his head spin 360 degrees on his neck while he said it?
Edited on August 17, 2011 at 4:52am