Abby Rapoport's concise and illuminating article on Rick Perry's contributions to the embattled Texas State Board of Education provides the reader with even more information on what American voters might expect from a Perry presidency. Rapoport begins by quoting a cavalier remark Perry made recently in New Hampshire to the effect that Texas schools teach both creationism and evolution. Heedless of the fact that such teachings have been ruled unconstitutional in public schools by federal courts, Perry continues to flout science and what one hopes are widely held views on the age of the universe. The article goes on to chart Perry's attempts as governor to stack the board with radical social conservatives, this despite even his own party's apparent discomfort with the beliefs of his appointees. As Rapoport points out, the negative press generated by such statements seems to do little to damage Perry's public persona.
For myself, it's frankly difficult to believe that such lunacy will fly with the general public as Perry's campaign subjects him to more scrutiny. Despite what radical conservatives would have us believe, I prefer to maintain that both sides of the admittedly ever-deepening ideological divide will ultimately opt for a more reasoned debate.
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