In Search Of A Legacy: Governor 39 Percent’s Agenda “On The Ropes”

Oh, you just have to love Dallas Morning News stories like this one:

In two short months, Gov. Rick Perry has gone from proposing that the state sell the lottery to cure cancer and expand health insurance to defending his right to even issue an executive order.

He is the incredible shrinking governor.

Oh, lord. I nearly spewed Sprite all over the computer monitor reading that one.

Of course, Governor Goodhair’s influence is shrinking. A large number of legislators that were bought and paid for by the same people who bought and paid for the Perry administration have either been booted out of office or have moderated themselves and “distanced” themselves from Perry.

If you want to know what Rick Perry’s real problem is, however, he’s probably stuck on his legacy.

See, Ann Richards had a legacy she left behind when she left office. George W. Bush, who really didn’t have a legacy, is viewed as having one since he used the office to catapult himself to the Presidency.

But poor, poor Rick Perry doesn’t have a legacy. That is, unless you count his “negative legacy” which includes Redistricting, knocking hundreds of thousands of kids off health insurance and things like that. He’s arguably one of the worst governors in Texas history.

So, what does he try to do? Build himself a positive legacy. Curing cancer will damned sure get you a positive legacy. But, as unpopular as Rick Perry is, if he discovered a cure for cancer using hairspray, toothpaste and carrot juice in the bathroom of the Governor’s Mansion, people would look upon it with skepticism and wonder how much it will benefit the business lobby.

Building a legacy is hard work when you have nearly a decade of meidocre leadership, conflict, and scandal under your belt.

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