We've known for a while that Rick Perry was a terrible debater, and an even worse governor. Now we learn he is far too thin-skinned to be a politician. The cartoon above, by Jack Ohman, appeared recently in the Sacramento Bee, and it seems to have hurt the governor's feelings. He is demanding an apology.Perry wrote a letter to the paper's editor saying "it was with extreme disgust and disappointment I viewed your recent cartoon. . .I won't stand for someone mocking the tragic deaths of my fellow Texans and our fellow Americans."
Of course, the cartoon doesn't mock anyone except Rick Perry. He recently bought ads in California, --telling businesses there they should relocate to Texas, because Texas has far fewer regulations on businesses. It is well within political (and humor) boundaries for anyone, especially a California newspaper, to point out the results of Perry's "no regulation" attitude. With proper regulation and inspection, the tragedy in West could have been prevented and the "tragic deaths" averted.
And it doesn't look like the Perry should hold his breath waiting for that apology -- because neither the paper nor the cartoonist have any intention of apologizing. The paper's editorial page editor said:
Jack Ohman, "made a strong statement about Gov. Rick Perry's disregard for worker safety, and his attempts to market Texas a place where industries can thrive with few regulations."
"It is unfortunate that Gov. Perry, and some on the blogosphere, have attempted to interpret the cartoon as being disrespectful for the victims of this tragedy," Leavenworth said. "As Ohman has made clear on his blog, he has complete empathy for the victims and people living by the plant.
"What he finds offensive is a governor who would gamble with the lives of families by not pushing for the strongest safety regulations. Perry's letter is an attempt to distract people from that message."
And the cartoonist added:
"My job, as I understand it, is to be provocative," Ohman wrote. "I provoke, you decide. I don't dictate, I put out my opinion along with everyone else. I sign my name. I own it. In my opinion, I could have gone further. Much further."
Maybe Perry should drop out of politics and get a real job (something he's never had in his life). Politicians are always (and properly) subject to criticism for the silly things they do -- and Perry's actions make him even more vulnerable to criticism than most.
