Has Rick Perry got a cowboy problem?
Could the favourite start to put off donors?
Over the past 48 hours all the money on the Republican party nominee has gone on Rick Perry – the flamboyant governor of Texas who joined the race at the weekend. Some bookies have priced him at 5/4 – which is an amazingly tight price on an event that won’t be settled for at least a year.
As the clip above shows that Perry has attracted the wrath of veteran GOP campaigner and strategist, Karl Rove, for suggesting that “that Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke could be “guilty of treason”.
Jonathan Martin of the influential Politicos site sums it up like this:-
“..Perry’s comment is exactly the sort of misstep that will worry the many GOP donors on the sideline right now who chiefly want to beat President Obama. The quote reinforces their central fear about Perry — that he has a cowboy problem — and could prompt them to remain uncommitted…
As some conservatives have noted today, the Bernanke line probably won’t hurt Perry with a conservative base that is radicalized at the moment. But, at this stage in the race, the Texan’s audience isn’t just activists. It’s donors, also, and they are far more finicky when it comes to picking candidates..”
The 2012 primary season is starting a full five weeks later than in 2008. Iowa is not due to take place until February 6th and that leaves a fair bit more time for other candidates to come in. The more Perry is seen to make mistakes the more likely that others might throw their hats into the ring.