Texas Gov. Perry draws criticism on prayer event

Video: Gingrich defections bring speculation about Texas governor 2012 bid

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   MADDOW: Friday. It's nice to have you here. Presidential campaigns begin mostly with rumors, right? Rumors that the potential candidate might be, possibly, maybe kind of halfway interested in somehow being dragged into the very personal sacrifice of running for the nation 's highest office for the good of the country . So, we start with the rumors, and then we get the announcement that the potential candidate will announce a very important announcement. And then we get an announcement that the potential candidate will be exploring something. And then, finally, we get the actual announcement which is a video. That's what they do now, an announcement video like the one here from Republican Newt Gingrich , announcing the official start of his campaign almost exactly a month ago. How do presidential campaigns start these days? They start with well- lit videos like this. But this week, Mr. Gingrich brought us a second question about presidential campaigning today. We all know how it starts. But how does it look when it ends? How do we know these days when a presidential campaign is done skedaddle? Only two campaigns make it to election day , right? Most of them drop out along the way. Some because the candidate sees support tapering off or maybe never really getting off the ground. The candidate quietly calls it quits -- some of them in that way. But some because they end because their presidential campaign implodes, right, in a rather more spectacular fashion.

   Headline: " Gingrich presidential campaign implodes." " The Washington Post " is reporting that Newt Gingrich 's entire senior campaign staff up and quit him yesterday, from South Carolina to Iowa to New Hampshire to his Georgia headquarters, senior staffers citing a dispute over whether spending two weeks on a luxury cruise in the Greek isles was part of a path to victory. So, that happened yesterday. You want to see what else happened with the Gingrich campaign yesterday? This happened. This is how Newt Gingrich has been doing on the Web site Intrade . Intrade is like a stock exchange for ideas. It's kind of like a stock exchange for predictions, really. This is what happened to Newt Gingrich 's political stock on Intrade after his staff all quit in a coordinated exodus. Look at this. It looks like a ski jump, except without the inspiring lift part at the end. This is a ramp straight down into concrete. This is what real people betting with real money on Intrade are predicting for the future of Newt 2012 . Now, Mr. Gingrich insisted again today that he will reboot his campaign. He says 178 people showed up in Iowa just the other day when he was expecting only 40. And, hey, that's something. He says he's willing to work hard despite what you might have heard from his staffers who all just quit. He is still saying he's in this and he's in it to win it . And, you know, that may be another way you can tell your campaign is in trouble, if you have to insist that you are running one, because people can't tell that on their own. Nobody knows really whether Newt Gingrich 's campaign is over. But if it does end, here's another potential beginning. Among the staffers who figured out how to quit Newt Gingrich are two, quote, "long time" aides to Texas Governor Rick Perry . Rick Perry who has said in recent days that he is contemplating a run for president himself in 2012 . Rick Perry 's top two political aides were working until yesterday for Newt Gingrich . Dave Carney , described by the " Houston Chronicle " today as Rick Perry 's lead political consultant and Rob Johnson who managed Rick Perry 's re- election campaign for governor in Texas last time. Both of those guys were with Newt Gingrich until yesterday, and now, they're both cut loose. Ex- Rick Perry staffers galloping away from Newt New Hampshire , and Newt Iowa and Newt everywhere, those staffers are real political animals and they, right now, are heading for a barn somewhere -- probably even money right now, but that barn that they're heading to belongs to Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry . If you are betting on Intrade , if the wisdom of the crowd petting real money really does amount to something here, then it is better than even odds. This again is what happened to Mr. Gingrich on Intrade when his staff quit him over the edge and off the waterfall. This is what happened to Texas Governor Rick Perry . That boink in the middle there where Mr. Perry 's fortunes took off, that is where Mr. Gingrich found himself yesterday answering the office phone himself. If you're look for who in the Republican field might gain from Newt Gingrich 's exit, here's your answer. Somebody who is not yet in the race. Texas Governor Rick Perry has already begun making noises about how he would consider running. He only polled around 4 percent last month in a survey of Texas Republicans. But some people, some influential people really do like his chance. Mark McKinnon , a former George W. Bush advisor, telling CNN , quote, "Why wouldn't he run? One of the only things holding him back is two key members of his team were with Gingrich . And now, that's no longer a problem." Mark McKinnon continuing, quote, "There's a huge gap in the Republican field right now. And as a former six-man football player, Rick Perry knows how to run to the hole." Rick Perry knows how to run to the hole. There he goes -- straight for the hole. And how is Rick Perry making that -- Rick Perry making that run for the hole? How is he setting up to run? Governor Perry , you may know, has governed in Texas as a far right, big government Republican with an occasional flight of fancy about Texas seceding from the Union . He recently signed legislation that forces Texas women to have medically unnecessary ultrasounds before he would allow them to get abortions. He has signed legislation to make it significantly harder to vote in Texas , exempting people with concealed gun permits, though, of course. This week, he released this press release, quote, "Governor Rick Perry has declared Saturday, August 6th , as a day of prayer and fasting for our nation , to seek God's guidance and wisdom in addressing the challenges that face our communities, states and nation ." Governor Perry , not technically in charge of the nation , but calling everyone to prayer in the nation right there on the government Web site anyway. The model Rick Perry , I think, is working off here is the National Prayer Breakfast maybe held every year in Washington , D.C. , on the first Thursday of February, when members of Congress and the administration turn out in their nicest suits for the National Prayer Breakfast and whoever is president that year gives a speech. President Obama has done it. Also, President Bush , President Clinton , the other President Bush , also President Reagan . Having the president and other bigwigs there lends a veneer for respectability to the proceedings which can be discomforting when you remember that the group behind the National Prayer Breakfast , the host of the National Prayer Breakfast is The Family , the secretive quasi- church whose house on C Street offers subsidized rent to conservatives in Congress . The Family and its C Street living quarters have been homes away from home for several Republicans who have ended up in trouble for cheating on their wives like Mark Sanford , and Senator John Ensign and allegedly, Congressman Chip Pickering , too. The C Street house turning up in the resolution of all of those affairs. The Family also has ties to the backers of Uganda 's "kill the gays" bill. But never mind all that, next year, they'll roll out the coffee urns and they'll do it again, this very respectable National Prayer Breakfast . Governor Rick Perry , who maybe would like to be President Perry , the man who is talked about now as maybe riding in to save this lackluster Republican field, the guy who knows how to run for the hole -- as Mark McKinnon said -- Governor Perry has decided he would look good running one of those national prayer deals himself. Maybe even a 50-stater -- you know, get out of the beltway and into the states with Rick Perry in the lead. If you click over to his events official Web site , you'll find this. Quote, "There is hope for America . It lies in heaven and we will find it on our knees." On the leadership page for his event, there's Governor Rick Perry , along with Don Wildman , president of -- what's described as the event's host entity. What's the host entity for this event? The American Family Association . So, this is a Rick Perry / American Family Association / Donald Wildman joint. If Donald Wildman 's name sounds familiar is because he and the American Family Association quite famously went after Barney the dinosaur for seeming kind of gay. These are also the same guys who went off Buster the PBS rabbit who so wanted a visit a nice Vermont family that had two moms. They also went after SpongeBob SquarePants who, after all, lives with his starfish friend Patrick in a pineapple under the sea and occasionally holds Patrick 's hand. The American Family Association is against Old Navy , and Home Depot and Ford for marketing shirts and trucks and stuff to gay people . The American Family Association says they caused Ford sales to drop with their boycott. This is the American Family Association with whom Governor Rick Perry is hosting the Day of Prayer and Fasting for Our Nation 's Challenges . The Web site Right Wing Watch has devoted themselves to keeping the American Family Association on the record.

   BRYAN FISCHER, ISSUES DIRECTOR, AFA: Hitler discovered that he could not get straight soldiers to be savage and brutal and vicious enough to carry out his orders, but that homosexual soldiers basically had no limits on the savagery and brutality they were willing to inflict on whoever Hitler sent him after. So, he surrounded himself, virtually, all of the storm troopers, the brown shirts, were male homosexuals.

   TIM WILDMON, PRESIDENT, AFA: We elected a commander in chief who doesn't care about the Marines and Army . He just wants to force homosexuality into every place that he can.

   FISCHER: We should not allow Muslims to serve in the U.S. military . We've got to raise questions to whether we can afford to allow Muslims to immigrate into the United States as all. These boards are not random. They're set by God. In fact, we discovered that in American history . We tried a number of times to invade Canada and we couldn't do it. Barack Obama nurtures this hatred for the United States of America and I believe nurtures a hatred for the white man.

   MADDOW: That's who Rick Perry is hosting his national day of prayer with. That's the American Family Association . Rick Perry has invited every other governor in the country , all 49 other governors to come to Texas to join with him and with those guys for what he has proclaimed as his national prayer event. If Rick Perry runs, that's how he's going to run for president of the United States . The phrase yeehaw does not come to mind. Joining us is Wayne Slater , senior political writer for " The Dallas Morning News ." Wayne , it's great to see you. Thanks for being here.

   WAYNE SLATER, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Great to be with you , Rachel .

   MADDOW: So, Wayne , does Governor Perry know what he's doing here? He's hosting this prayer day paid for by the American Family Association . Does he realize who these guys are?

   SLATER: I would like to say he's not sure of all those stuff, but he is. He knows exactly what he's doing. He knows this group. He knows the -- some of the controversial things that have been said about them, that this group has said. The office has said this week that that isn't important what comments they'd made. The important thing is prayer. But Rick Perry has been comfortable certainly for a number of years with some exotic associations on the Christian right . I mean, one of the people who the governor asked this week to come and be a part of this prayer meeting was John Hagee , the televangelist from San Antonio who said the Catholic Church was the whore of Babylon , who said we ought to bomb Tehran , who basically is to the right of Netanyahu on the issue of Israel . He's a controversial guy who may remember John McCain briefly took and then rejected the endorsement in the last presidential race . Rick Perry also more recently was speaking to a Christian group in Washington in which he touted an author named Cleon Skousen . This is a John Birch Society associate and advocate who Glenn Beck has really talked about and touted. Now, Perry talks about this guy and says other Christians ought to buy this book. Perry understands who the audience is he cares about. And that audience, Rachel , will see nothing wrong with the comments made by the American Family Association .

   MADDOW: The reason that this is bigger than just Rick Perry 's story - I mean, he has done some wacky stuff as governor. I think the reason this rises to -- of national interest right now is all this excited speculation that he may be getting into the presidential race . That he may have a shot at the Republican nomination. And also the fact that he's invited all of the nation 's other governors to Texas for this event. For the other governors out there who may be thinking about hopping into bed with Rick Perry on this, what would you tell governors looking at Texas , looking at Rick Perry for an event like this to understand about how the politicians of something like this are going to work?

   SLATER: Well, they're going to work exactly as Perry 's people think they will work. That that small -- relatively small sliver overall -- the large accumulation, the large constituency of social conservatives , religious conservatives , will be important in early states like Iowa , South Carolina and Florida will find this a very appealing argument, will find their attitudes and their associations with Christian conservative groups like the American Family Association just fine. And so, the only governor I know who actually said he's going to come is Sam Brownback from Kansas . I suspect Bob Jindal might and maybe some others. But for the most part, what I'm hearing from other governors is, both Democrat and Republican, they're not coming.

   MADDOW: It is amazing to think about Sam Brownback , who's been such an activist on the issue of faith and public life and Catholicism and all of those things, to imagine him appearing along the same line with John Hagee and the Catholic Church is the whore of Babylon skit that he used to do over and over again. Wayne , do you know anything about whether or not Rick Perry really is going to run? Whether he's leaning toward it, whether people close to him are advising him one way or the other?

   SLATER: What I know is the departure of Dave Carney , who is Rick Perry 's Karl Rove , that is his political chief -- a guy he relies on and has since 1990 when Rick Perry ran for the first statewide office that was the agriculture commissioner here -- that his departure and the departure of Rob Johnson , Rick Perry 's former campaign manager , was not -- is not a signal that Rick Perry is about to announce this week or in the next week or so that he's going to run for president. What it is, is evidence that it will make it very -- much easier at least for Rick Perry to run. He is leaning in that direction, I am told by the people who are on the inside, his wife wants him to run, unlike Mitch Daniels . His two kids want him to run. And Perry is surrounded by a small group of advisors, a few money men, who are encouraging him to run because they say the current GOP field is so weak.

   MADDOW: Wayne Slater , senior political writer for " The Dallas Morning News ." If Rick Perry keeps floating with this and not making a decision, if he decides to get in, you are going to be a very busy man explaining Rick Perry to the rest of the country for as long as this goes on, Wayne . Thanks so much for being with us tonight.

   SLATER: Great to be with you .

   MADDOW: Speaking of Republican governors and even half governors , the state of Alaska just released more than 24,000 of Governor Sarah Palin 's emails from her term in office in Alaska . And we're going to read every one of them out loud on this show -- I'm being told we won't do that. We won't do that. Next.

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