Rick Perry

'Some Say' TX Gov. Rick Perry Had It Coming, as NY Times Desperately Tries to Keep Indictment in Play
By Clay Waters | August 28, 2014 | 8:27 AM EDT

The New York Times tried to keep the politicized hit job against Texas Gov. Rick Perry alive in Wednesday's edition, insisting the dubious partisan indictment (from a Democratic district attorney's office that has filed failed  charges against prominent national GOP figures) actually has merit, with a "complicated back story" and "deep roots," while pouting that Perry's team has had "substantial success in the court of public opinion" so far. No thanks to the overexcited Times coverage.

Reporter David Montgomery filed "Texas v. Perry Emerges From Years of Struggle Over Anticorruption Unit," a follow-up to his Tuesday print edition hit. (By contrast, the Washington Post has limited its recent Perry coverage to blogs and Associated Press briefs.)

MRC’s Notable Quotables: Media Race to Bury Perry After ‘Ridiculous’ Indictment
By Rich Noyes | August 25, 2014 | 9:41 AM EDT

Now online: the August 25 edition of Notable Quotables, MRC’s bi-weekly compilation of the latest outrageous quotes in the liberal media. This week, journalists pronounce the blatantly partisan indictment of Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry a “blemish” that could “mar his legacy,” even as an MSNBC regular blasts it “the stupidest thing I’ve seen in my entire career.”

Also: an MSNBC contributor declares the shooting of Michael Brown evidence of America’s “war on black boys” that could metastasize into “genocide;” NBC’s Andrea Mitchell declares Al Sharpton’s foray into Ferguson is really a “peace mission;” and Rolling Stone prints this hilarity: “Barack Obama never had reporters eating out of his hand the way that right-wingers love to allege.” Highlights are posted after the jump; the entire issue is posted online, with 21 quotes (six with video) at www.MRC.org.
 

Wendy Davis Becomes Texas Tribune Nonperson as Campaign Goes Into Perry Indictment Backfire Freefall
By P.J. Gladnick | August 22, 2014 | 11:55 AM EDT

How does a Democrat candidate for the highest office in the state become a nonperson at the "non-partisan" Texas Tribune? When that person's campaign goes into such a freefall that it becomes an embarrassment to even report on it.

Such seems to be the case with the Wendy Davis campaign for  governor in Texas. The last time the Texas Tribune directly reported about her was a full week ago on August 15 which not so coincidentally is when the Rick Perry indictment happened. The backlash from that obviously political indictment  which is already falling apart as reported by Bryan Preston of PJ Media has become so great that Wendy Davis now acts like a deer caught in the campaign headlights as she appears unable to respond according to this Dallas Morning News Trail Blazers blog:

Bob Beckel: Fellow Dems Defending Perry Are 'Wusses'
By Tom Blumer | August 19, 2014 | 9:02 PM EDT

Liberals and even far-leftists who would normally be inclined to cheer political attacks on Republicans and conservatives have been distancing themselves from last Friday's indictment of Texas Governor Rick Perry. Former Clinton special counsel Lanny Davis, lawyer Alan Dershowitz (this "what happens in totalitarian societies"), and former Obama White House advisor David Axelrod are just a few of them.

"The Five" co-host Bob Beckel is definitely not in that crowd. In Monday's segment on the topic, Walter Mondale's 1984 presidential campaign manager called his fellow liberals "wusses" and Rick Perry "a jerk." Wait until you see his reason why Rosemary Lehmberg, who was sentenced to 45 days in jail for driving drunk with a blood alcohol reading three times the legal limit, should remain in her job. Excerpts from the relevant Monday segment follow the jump (bolds are mine):

NBC, CBS Promote Governor Perry’s Courthouse Booking: ‘A Humiliating Experience’
By Jeffrey Meyer | August 19, 2014 | 8:19 PM EDT

On Tuesday night, both the CBS and NBC evening newscasts did their best to play up Texas Governor Rick Perry’s appearance at an Austin courthouse following his indictment on corruption charges. The Texas Republican was indicted after vetoing funding for the state’s Public Integrity Unit after its leader, Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, refused to resign following her DWI arrest. 

The CBS and NBC’s evening news anchors highlighted Perry being photographed for his mugshot with NBC’s Brian Williams proclaiming that Perry was “fingerprinted, had his mugshot taken. A humiliating experience for a once and potentially future presidential candidate.” [See video below.] 

CBS Highlights Liberal Discomfort Over 'Sketchy' Indictment of Perry
By Scott Whitlock | August 19, 2014 | 1:14 PM EDT

After deluging Americans with two days of heavy coverage of Rick Perry's indictment, the network morning shows on Tuesday eased up. Only CBS This Morning offered a story on the Republican's vigorous defense. Reporter Jan Crawford noted that growing outrage against the indictment includes liberals: "Among those Democrats is President Obama's former adviser David Axelrod, who suggested the indictment was 'pretty sketchy' in a tweet over the weekend." [See video below. MP3 audio here.]

Crawford also made time for two clips of conservative Ben Ginsberg, a lawyer representing Perry. He railed, "This is an outlandish prosecution. I mean, it will never, ever, ever, stand." Ginsberg added, "It is unprecedented, it is outside the bounds. I think that's why you see so many people who are not Rick Perry supporters, who are Democrats, saying how wrong this indictment is." Of course, Crawford still found time to throw cold water on the governor's 2016 plans.

Despite Vicious Swipes Against Perry, Even NYT Sides With Him Against 'the Product of an Overzealous Prosecution'
By Curtis Houck | August 19, 2014 | 11:45 AM EDT

One of the editorials in Tuesday’s New York Times took on the subject of Texas Governor Rick Perry’s indictment by a Travis County, Texas grand jury on charges for threatening to veto funding for a public integrity unit led by the Travis County district attorney who had been convicted of drunk driving. While the ultra-liberal newspaper used the opportunity to excoriate Perry (R) for being “one of the least thoughtful and most damaging state leaders in America,” it sided with Perry on this particular matter against what “appears to be the product of an overzealous prosecution.”

The editorial began on a completely unrelated note by blasting Perry for “having done great harm to immigrants, abortion clinics and people without health insurance during his 14 years in office.” However, it said that “given the facts so far,” the paper ruled that an indictment was not exactly the best move. 

MRC's Bozell: Rick Perry Should Go 'Hard-Charging' at Liberal Media Over Bogus Abuse-of-Power Indictment
By NB Staff | August 19, 2014 | 8:15 AM EDT

Appearing on Fox Business Network's Cavuto program last night to discuss the liberal media's penchant for hyping Republican scandals while downplaying or outright ignoring Democratic ones, Media Research Center president and founder Brent Bozell offered free advice for Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), against whom the Big Three networks devoted 37 minutes of hype regarding an indictment which dropped on Friday. [By contrast, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's ethics scandal has been mostly unreported with a scant 3 minutes, 36 seconds of coverage in 8 months time]

"If I were advising Gov. Perry, I would tell him simply run the video of the woman who you're trying to get fired, the DA who was drunk off her rear end with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit," Bozell noted, telling guest host Cheryl Casone, "I do believe if Rick Perry goes hard-charging, goes against the media that have been doing this and just simply tells the truth and tells the story, he's going to have a big wave of public sympathy." To watch the full segment, click the play button on the embed below the page break.

ABC Continues Network Cheerleading of Perry Indictment: ‘A Kind of High Noon’
By Jeffrey Meyer | August 18, 2014 | 8:13 PM EDT

In the wake of the “big three” networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) devoting 25 minutes to the indictment of Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) in the story’s first two days, ABC’s World News with Diane Sawyer continued the network obsession with the potential 2016 presidential candidate. 

On Monday, August 18, anchor Diane Sawyer introduced a report on Perry by proclaiming “back here at home to Texas and a kind of high noon for Texas Governor Rick Perry facing indictment, but defiant again today.” [See video below.]

In Two Days, Networks Devote 25 Minutes to Rick Perry's Indictment
By Scott Whitlock | August 18, 2014 | 2:29 PM EDT

In just two days, the three network morning and evening shows deluged viewers with over 25 minutes of coverage (17 stories) on the indictment of Texas Governor Rick Perry. These programs made sure to speculate as to whether the controversy could "end any chance" for the Republican in 2016. [See video below. MP3 audio here.] The indictment came after Perry lobbied for Texas District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg to resign after her drunk driving conviction.  

From Saturday morning through Monday morning, CBS offered the most amount of coverage, five stories over nine minutes and 14 seconds. Over the same period, ABC produced six segments (or eight minutes and 48 seconds). NBC delivered six segments for of seven minutes and 37 seconds.  

Networks Ignore that Group Behind Perry’s Indictment Got $500K from Soros
By Mike Ciandella | August 18, 2014 | 12:59 PM EDT

Update, August 19: On ABC “World News with Diane Sawyer” on Aug. 18, Senior National Correspondent Jim Avila included a soundbite from Texans for Public Justice Director Craig McDonald in his story. McDonald was merely introduced as a “critic,” with no ideological label, and Avila never verbally said the name of his group. The Soros connection and the group’s involvement in Perry’s indictment charges were not addressed. NBC and CBS still have not mentioned the group.

Sometimes it seems like there isn’t a single political issue that a Soros-funded group isn’t involved in. Texans for Public Justice, one of the groups behind Rick Perry’s indictment charges, is part of a “progressive” coalition that has received $500,000 from liberal billionaire George Soros. 

MSNBC’s Halperin on Perry Indictment: ‘This Is the Stupidest Thing I've Seen...In My Entire Career’
By Curtis Houck | August 18, 2014 | 12:50 PM EDT

On Monday’s Morning Joe on MSNBC, MSNBC contributor and managing editor of Bloomberg Politics Mark Halperin slammed the indictment of Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) by an Austin, Texas-area grand jury for threatening to veto funding for a Democratic District Attorney’s public integrity unit after she was convicted of a DUI as “the stupidest thing I’ve seen, I think, in my entire career.”

Expanding further on his opinion, Halperin added that: “I hope some judge throws it out right away. It's not just kind of funny and ridiculous, but it’s an infringement on individual liberty. He’s got a First Amendment right just cause he’s governor of Texas and I think it’s – like you said, it's easy to joke about this, but this is a serious thing. It is ridiculous that he was indicted for this. Ridiculous.” [MP3 audio here; Video below]