Rick Perry's Prayer-a-Poolaza in Houston.

[bvar22]

I've been looking around the net for reports of the event held in Houston's new stadium.
Mostly, I wanted firm number for attendance, and PHOTOS of the crowd.
The MSM is reporting over 30,000 participants, but the few (very few) photos of the crowd show a near empty stadium,
like this one.


.....................................photo from NY Times

While I was reassured (and delighted) by the near empty stadium, some of the accompanying text worries me.
Perry is doing a good job Running Away from BOTH Parties, and appears to be positioning himself as a reasonable alternative to lead this country with Guidance from Above.

"Throughout the day, Perry and other speakers were careful to avoid overt partisan appeals. To applause, the 61-year-old governor expressed his view of a "personal God" whose "agenda is not a political agenda. His agenda is a salvation agenda." Chuckling, he added, "He is a wise, wise God, and he's wise enough to not be affiliated with any political party."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-perry-prayer-20110807,0,4303678.story

According to the reports, this theme was hammered throughout the event.
After the latest debacle in Washington, and polls showing increasing contempt for BOTH Political parties,
this is a GOOD strategy.

With the help of the MSM & The Democratic Party focusing on the Palin/Bachmann Clown Car,
Perry can Fly Under the Radar, and then dance onto the national stage near the end of the Shit Flinging Fest appearing to be a reasonable, moderate alternative to BOTH Parties,
and also keep the support of the rabid evangelicals.

This guy, and THIS strategy, is dangerous.
Many say that Perry is "charismatic" (I can't see it),
and governors of Southern States do well in Presidential races.
It would be a mistake to overlook this threat.

[Kalidurga]

1. He is a threat

but mostly to the GOP.

[bvar22]

2. I disagree.

He is one of the few who can unite the GOP,
and at the same time gather support from Independents without losing the Evangelicals.
As long as he can avoid the Media Focus long enough to sell the illusion of an alternative to BOTH parties,
he is dangerous to the Democratic Party and the nation.

[backscatter712]

5. I agree, we shouldn't underestimate Perry.

This country was crazy and stupid enough to elect Bush, TWICE! It won't take much to get the country going full teatard in these economic conditions.

[Cleita]

12. Except that Bush was not elected twice.

Investigation into both elections showed election fraud (not voter fraud to be clear) and in 2000 the Supreme Court stopped the recount in Florida, along with Katherine Harris's suppression of voters that gave the White House to Bush.

[backscatter712]

22. Point taken. But still, they were close enough to steal.

Bush got the 40%-45% of the population consisting of right-wing authoritarians, fundies, racists and general dumbasses out there for him, so even though the true total might have been 46% Bush to 48% Gore, his flying monkeys were able to flip the result.

There's an awful amount of redneck stupid in this country, and without that, the races wouldn't be close enough to steal.

[Avalux]

3. Perry is downright evil. He orchestrates an event like this and pretends to be a Christian,

yet the state govt has withheld millions of dollars in aid intended for the elderly and poor to assist with high electric bills this summer.

They held on to it to make the budget look better; Perry and his Puke congress are trying to hide the fact that they've run Texas into a giant hole.

Meanwhile, people are dying from the heat because they can't pay for electricity.

I live here in Texas and I'm terrified of what Perry may be able to accomplish. I am terrified that his false evangelical message might hit a chord with a nation that is despondent and 'ripe' for a savior in sheep's clothing.

[bvar22]

4. I am too.

He is crafting a message that he is an alternative to BOTH Parties,
and with the popularity of BOTH Parties crashing to historic LOWS,
he could parlay this into a popular powerhouse,
IF Romney/Bachmann keep soaking up all the attention.

[blogslut]

6. Here's what I think

About the "event":

The fact that a large crowd showed up to a free religious event in the biggest city in Texas is just not surprising. Make no mistake - this was a religious event. The "evangelical experience" is all about sharing the vibe with the crowd. People get addicted to the sensation. They'll travel to a mass revival as readily as any DeadHead.

About Rick Perry:

He is not a smart man. He is devious. He is mean. However, he has some very powerful, very rich people backing him and grooming him and they are presenting him in exactly the right fashion that will appeal to the people that vote in primaries. Like those who vote in midterm elections, primary voters are more committed, more hardcore, politically. I would not be shocked if Perry won the GOP nomination - that is, if he ever actually officially enters the race.

If he becomes the nominee, that is where all his flaws will be revealed. He is not smart. He is devious. He is mean. He will play dirty and this will not sit well with the general-election voters.

[GoneOffShore]

7. Bush was devious, mean and dirty.

Didn't seem to matter - Twice.

[blogslut]

8. I hate to say this but

Dubya was a freaking genius compared to Goodhair. As well, he was better at presenting himself as a friendly, congenial guy. When he was governor, despite the fact that the position isn't very powerful, he actually did work with Democrats. Not Goodhair. He is an unpleasant man, especially when you position him to someone as intelligent, even-tempered and sincere as Barack Obama.

In the end, Perry will shoot his mouth off too often. He's very good at that.

[seabeyond]

31. he also had daddy. nt

[calimary]

33. We came up with a good title for him, a riff on the put-down so many of us had to suffer

during the run-up to the Iraq war and the hatred of "Old Europe," the French in particular. Remember "cheese-eating surrender-monkeys"? I came up with a new one for rick perry" "cholesteral-eating secession-monkeys." I plan to lay that one on my rick perry-loving friend from Texas the next time we see each other. It'll come up somehow because with her, it just does. She thinks he's terrific. Facts need not apply. And there's this look of pain that washes over her face whenever she starts talking him up, and my husband blurts out something like - "what's he gonna run on, the SECESSION PARTY?"

[GoneOffShore]

38. We can only hope - Perhaps he'll shoot himself in the foot.

[FreeJoe]

49. I agree completely

Honestly, Bush didn't seem all that bad (for a Republican) as govenor. Perry has been absolutely awful. My hope is that the country won't stand for another Texan in the White House so soon and Perry will tank the GOPs chances. I think he's a lot less electable than someone like Romney (unless we can count on the anti-Mormon bigots staying home).

I do agree that with an earlier posted that the MSM waste way too much time with Palin/Bachmann. These people aren't serious candidates and shouldn't be treated as such.

[Horse with no Name]

10. He terrifies me.

He is evil. No doubt.

But he has that charismatic quality that some of these folks fall all over for.

That being said...I don't know ANYONE--Democrat OR republican who admitted to voting for him in the last election. I just knew Bill White would win...yet he didn't....

And that scares me too.

[TBF]

32. I agree - I really thought Bill had a chance as a very popular mayor

here in Houston - but Perry is very good at winning elections. He's got that country flavor that a lot of folks like. The majority of the country doesn't go to college and could care less about his grades. He's charismatic and tells folks what they want to hear. It would be a big mistake to underestimate him.

[bvar22]

14. "Make no mistake - this was a religious event"

I disagree.
This was a Political Event to firm up his credentials with the Fundies,
and a soft kick-off for his run for the Presidency.

The Media is touting the "thousands" that attended as a "Large crowd",
but the photo I posted shows a near empty stadium.
It is a mistake to underestimate this guy
or the Republican Party's and the Corporate Media's ability to market him to a gullible America.


Any reasonable person looking at the empty stadium would brand this event as a failure,
but that isn't the story being told today.

PLUS, extra points for being a Southern governor,
and a Washington "outsider".




-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[blogslut]

17. Reliant Stadium has a 71,000 seating capacity

Half-full would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000. One quarter full would be 17,000. I believe the attendance count of between 20,000-30,000. I may not know much but I know these religious things get huge crowds, especially when they're free. Here's some other pics from the Perry event:





I don't doubt that the media and Perry backers are promoting some stupid mythology. That's what they do. The media needs conflict and when there isn't any, they manufacture it. Perry's backers need a puppet and Goodhair fits the Johnny Bravo suit perfectly - that is, until he's without a script.

[Initech]

21. That's scary... Last thing we need is a Perry presidency and the Talibangelicals back in power.

[theHandpuppet]

35. Those pics are scary

Wasn't this advertized as a "pray away the drought" event?

[GReedDiamond]

40. These people look like zombies...

...Perry is literally a threat to our National Security.

Fundamentalist/Evangelical/Dominionists are truly frightening, because their followers/adherents are essentially Cult Members.

Thank you blogslut for posting the additional pics.

[Initech]

53. Ha! You could swap these photos with footage from the Walking Dead...

And no one would know the difference!

[bvar22]

46. Every one of the photos you posted...

...was cropped, shot head high on a diagonal across the crowd, and uses Depth of Field to make the crowd appear larger than it is. These are common "techniques" used by photographers who know their business.


Compare the photos you posted with open field photo I posted above.
Can you see a difference?

[blogslut]

58. Fine

You go ahead and believe what you want to believe.

As I stated before in response to your premise: Yes, I do believe the media likes to create conflict and is most definitely manufacturing a mythology around Perry. However, that doesn't discount that a whole lotta people showed up for Governor Goodhair's fancy tent revival. The shared experience is part of the appeal for the evangelicals - they'll swarm on a free event like locusts on wheat.

[seabeyond]

29. +!. truly, i dont even see him running. nt

[bvar22]

43. "i dont even see him running."...

Like I said, "beneath the radar" so far,while the clowns (Bachmann, Palin, etc.) soak up all the attention,
and set the bar so low that even somebody like Perry appears Moderate.
And Democrats?....overconfident & off guard laughing at the clowns.
"Gee. Nobody could have seen this coming."

Texas Governor Rick Perry is expected to officially launch a 2012 presidential bid any day now. There’s been no shortage of hints to suggest he’ll throw his hat in the ring. In June, he gave a speech at a secretive Colorado summit held by the right-wing billionaire Koch brothers. This week, a group of Perry supporters signed a lease on an Iowa campaign headquarters. And last night, potential donors to his campaign met in Austin to weigh his fundraising chances.

So will he be able to muster the cash for a 2012 run? Well, judging by his past efforts, he could be a fundraising powerhouse, like a certain other famous Texan politician. A staggering 24 members of the Forbes 400 list – that’s 6% of America’s richest people – donated to Perry’s last gubernatorial campaign in 2010. They include some of the richest oilmen in Texas, Walmart heiress Alice Walton and a handful of big-name billionaires from out of state, like David Koch."

http://blogs.forbes.com/clareoconnor/2011/07/20/rick-perry-for-president-meet-24-billionaires-whove-backed-him/

[seabeyond]

47. most people in the nation does not support this extreme religion and theologic rule

perry will loose it on this alone. the religious nuts may be the loudest, but they are small and dont have the votes.

[Horse with no Name]

9. A friend of mine that attends a church here in East Texas

told me that their congregation was "encouraged" to attend and support "their faith and their country".

No doubt this church wasn't the ONLY one that did that.

Therefore, that is probably the majority of the attendance...besides the teabaggers.

[Cleita]

13. And this should be regarded as a violation of the

separation of church and state as outlined in the Constitution. At the very least, they should lose their tax free status.

[LiberalAndProud]

11. If this overt religiosity is what Americans want, I surrender.

If the majority will elect leaders who believe with faith that we are living mankind's last days before the final judgment, leaders who govern according to that faith, so be it. I don't look forward to living with the result of their false faith, but we will end up with the government they deserve. There is some schadenfreude in that, at least.

[bvar22]

16. This will never be what the majority of Americans will want,

but it may be what the majority of the voters who are motivated to turn out and vote for,

with a little help from the Corporate Owned Unverifiable, hackable Black Box voting machines,

plus overwhelming disgust with the Status Quo incumbents in Washington,

plus a very friendly Media that SELLS his "charisma",

plus a 3rd party run from The Left (with lots of funding from the Right),

will bring to us.

[sfpcjock]

15. I saw these ;)

[XanaDUer]

18. What's that raising hands thing?

I notice even some Catholics do it, but not a lot.

[gkhouston]

19. It's been real hot here. They're drying their armpits.

Seriously, it's popular with evangelicals (and some younger Christians who aren't fundies because they've seen it done in Christian rock videos). I think they think they're somehow making themselves more receptive to the Holy Spirit.

[XanaDUer]

23. LOL!!

:rofl:

Thanks :hi:

[gkhouston]

24. My pleasure. And...

time to flip that smiley so you can dry the other side. :7

[Raine]

26. THANKS! I've always wondered about that too, it's

just so bizarre. :crazy:

[LanternWaste]

52. Almost as bizarre as handshakes...

Almost as bizarre as handshakes... :shrug:

[Raine]

62. Handshakes started though for a reason. It was to show

that you didn't have a weapon in that hand like a gun or sword, you were offering your hand in peace and friendship. Kinda like :fistbump:

[SpiralHawk]

37. It's just a simple mudra

mudras and ecstatic postures in general have a long spiritual history

The one arm one is for me,too reminiscent of an ugly salute (mudra) that plagued the middle of the last century

I'm just saying

[Scout]

50. they get better reception that way n/t

[KamaAina]

51. Maybe they're all wide open?

It is the Texans' stadium, after all. :P

[Raksha]

20. K & R - I'm surprised I'm the first to recommend this article.

Have there been a lot of unrecs? I don't know how to check for them.

Today I've been reading about the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), which Rick Perry represents. I totally agree with you that it would be a huge mistake to overlook this threat.

http://www.alternet.org/belief/151911/the_biggest_religious_movement_you_never_heard_of%3A_nine_things_you_need_to_know_about_rick_perry%27s_prayer_event/">The Biggest Religious Movement You Never Heard Of

This Alternet article is quite long (7 pages) but well worth taking the time to read. The New Apostolic Reformation likes to bill itself as the biggest revolution in Christianity since the Protestant Reformation. They could very well be right, but this is NOT a good thing! It's amazing how a religious movement this big, well organized and well financed has pretty much flown under the radar until recently.

[BeHereNow]

25. I SMELL KARL ROVE LURKING IN WOODWORK WITH THE OTHER ROACHES HERE...

I agree bvar22. 100%.
There is something extremely ROVIAN in this scene.
WE must not underestimate the manipulation masters
of a gullible and exhausted public.
Brilliant stategy when you think of it- foist complete
lunatics upon the Republicans, (Bachmann, Mitt the Twit, Tea Party extemists etc..)
and then gently introduce this "nice" non-partisan X-Tian as the alternative.
My prediction is that while the Democrats are scrambling to find
some one to run against President Obama, Nadar has voluteered, AGAIN,
TPTB will gently slide this seemingly benign and CHRISTIAN candidate into the race.
Scary thought indeed, but so very plausible to anyone familiar with Rove and his ilk.

BHN

[bvar22]

45. a smooth talking Governor that many find "charismatic"...

...stepping in at the last minute and running on a vague platform?
Man, that NEVER happens.

[blogslut]

56. Well, except for the fact that Rove and Perry don't like each other

http://articles.latimes.com/print/2011/jun/30/nation/la-na-0630-perry-bush-20110630

[amborin]

27. disgusting; and scary, as he is apparently charismatic to some...

[seabeyond]

28. if he was prayin for rain... we didnt get it, again. perry almost got taken out

i am really not worried about perry. i think there is some background stuff, too

[patrice]

30. They are preventing lay-offs, or networking for new jobs, with Je$u$ who love$ At-Will employment

[blkmusclmachine]

34. Holy rollers:

The movie "Jesus Camp" covered these people pretty well: thrashing on the floor in front of a cardboard stand-up of George W. Bush; children "warriros" for "Christ;" smashing cups that represent a secular U.S. Gov't; taking over the U.S. Gov't from the inside-out; and Lou Engle from "The Call" (prayed at a "Kill the Gays" rally in Kampala, Uganda, So. Africa); etc.

[Octafish]

36. No sellout, but still a lotta 'Gott mit Uns' nutjobs in that thar Astrodome.

Thanks for the heads-up, bvar22. There's something not right about people using prayer for political purposes.

When the guy's hair does fall out, it's going to be ugly.



Mixing politics and religion reminds me of "Escape from L.A." the classic sequel starring Snake Plissken. In it, the pretzeldent is a TV preacher out of Lynchburg, VA, who predicted a big earthquake and the ultimate inundation of the San Fernando Valley. I never thought yet another turd'd come out of Texas.

[randr]

39. Did he forget to pray for peace and prosperity?

I waiting, still waiting.

[AnneD]

41. I have hope....

Brother laughed and said it is so obvious, Perry checked the polls before he arranged the event. He is no more religious than I am.

Religious fundamental SIL asked me what I thought of the event. I said prayer does not excuse bad government.....and she actually laughed. I went on to say that if he had done his job, he wouldn't have to put on a show. The religious will pray for rain and for things to get better, but Perry is not fooling them for a minute, at least in our house.

People here in Texas do not like Perry, and yet he gets elected with as little as 35%. He has powerful rich friends and like Bush, he is a useful idiot. If this rally was for him, he would not have gotten the numbers he did. A religious rally was the only thing that would get him numbers (remember we have several mega churches here- we have a gay mayor too so it balances out). It was an orchestrated photo op to launch a bid. Once people start poking around, they will find things that will eleminate him from contention.

Most see Perry as pompous, lying, hypocritical, bigot. The governor of Texas has very little actual power so he can't do too much damage. The Speaker of the House has more power.

[ScottLand]

42. If this is a Christian nation, then God has had it for the last

200+ years, and look what he did with it. Maybe it's time for someone else.

[Initech]

54. To quote Stephen Colbert: "This just in - Jesus has quit!"

[ScottLand]

61. That's perfect! Thanks!

[Chimichurri]

44. Didn't they watch Steven Hawking last night? I'm betting they didn't.

[Hubert Flottz]

48. Kool-Aid 101

For Heaven's Snakes!

[dembotoz]

55. from photo--sieg heil??

today all texas is mine

tomorrow the world?????

[Bryn]

57. Never trust any politician with names like Rick & Scott

Rick Perry is as dangerous as Rick Scott (Gov. of Florida) and Scott Walker (Gov. of Wisc)

[and-justice-for-all]

59. Whats with the nazi salutes??

I think perry is full of shit and is just using religion as a ploy/tool. That shit worked in the dark ages, and look where that got people.

[sadbear]

60. Perry's not smart enough to appear to be something he's not

Don't worry. He'll slip up. This is just the beginning.