Extreme Common Sense Loss: Gov Rick Perry and Secession Talk

The Common Sense Loss of the Week Award goes to conservative Texas Governor Rick Perry.  I wont get into the implications of his ridiculous comments about secession, people on both sides of the table have had some good things to say (Kos, Hullabaloo, Hot Air) while others were strangely silent.  Mike Huckabee had some especially strong insights on his show, condemning the idea as unpatriotic and a non-solution… and Geraldo even called for impeachment. (Kudos to those at Fox who called out the conservative Gov, even if Glen Beck supported the lunacy)  The really interesting thing to consider here is what would have happened if a governor of a very liberal state had said something similar a few years ago during the Bush era.  Even most conservatives will probably agree there would have been a lightning-quick “righteous” poop storm that would have rained down upon the unpatriotic heads of the left.  I’m also sure plenty of big names and even bigger mouths would be leading the charge.  I can hear it now…

Have you noticed that the reaction from the left in this case wasn’t nearly as intense or condemning as the reaction from the right would have been should the situation be reversed?  It was treated in a relatively calm, reasonable way at HuffPo; dismissing the words as extremely stupid and equally embarrassing.  If I had the time to develop a good conspiracy theory, I would think that the reason for this sudden withholding of liberal wrath was because the left was secretly torn… Here they have a great chance to justly expose an outrageous display of poor conservative leadership, or the option to just quietly let this one slip on by…  perhaps even as you read this there is a super secret candlelight strategy session happening in the basement of the Daily Kos, with all the writers triumphantly grinning and shaking hands as they sip some freshly popped bubbly…

That’s obviously ridiculous, but it brings me to the big question; if given the choice to excise the opposite political party from the United States, and realistically have the ability to form a new, more unified union built on 100% (liberal or conservative) ideology, would we do it? I think those staunchly with the left would certainly think twice…  A dream chance to give all women the unquestioned right to choose what they do with their bodies, a chance to eliminate the stingy rich who look out for the bottom line before those less fortunate, a chance for a perfect state where government provides many free services to the betterment of its citizens.   (This question assumes ceteris paribus – that is, all things being equal and it really was as simple as a “choice”)

Now the same implications for the conservative right – a chance to form a state where global warming is a myth, where no baby is ever allowed to die without a fight, and where the separation of church and state will once again mean that the state would never control the church, but still operate by its Biblical principles.

It would be a tempting proposition either way, since in reality, the end result is what each side is ultimately fighting for… but it wouldn’t be a solution. If that scenario were to magically occur, each side would just quickly fragment into smaller halves.  There would still be liberal liberals and conservative conservatives, and guess what, everyone’s right back in the same sinking boat.  It might work for a minute, but in the end, diversity of opinion cannot be avoided.  It must be dealt with.

So what if everyone simply worked harder at toning down the “righteous anger”? (as exampled by the gracious left) I think everyone can agree that each party has its fair share of people who exhibit occasional and extreme cases of “common sense loss” that embarrass the whole group, and let’s be honest, no one likes a hypocrite.  So take a deep breath and hope Rick Perry’s was just a temporary case of CSL, and get back to life, together.