He steps to the podium with strength and poise. He looks over the gathered thousands without the honeyed smile of a salesman or the weepy countenance of one trying to gain sympathy. His measured words fill the stadium and, on the brink of a possible presidential run, he calmly declares his affinity with those who love America, but who love the living Christ even more. He closes with a prayer requesting health for the country, wisdom for the president, and for God to hear the cries of repentance from the gathered throng. Nowhere is there a hint of partisanship, and yet his actions polarize people across the political spectrum. This is Rick Perry, and he represents something rare.
Rick Perry seems the ideal Republican candidate. He is an Eagle Scout. He flew C-130’s in the military. His father fought in World War II. He is a committed Christian. He was a powerful and effective legislator. He is the classic southern Democrat-turned-Republican. He believes in a limited federal government, greater strength for state governments, and lower taxes. He is a proponent of the death penalty. He is pro-life. He is against gay marriage. He is popular in the business community. He can organize and lead a massive prayer rally without it coming off as insincere. He has an excellent record of executive leadership over a large state. And he is amazingly comfortable in a room full of church-goers. In a year when the Republican primaries are full of silly candidates and devoid of those with much potential to win, it is difficult to imagine a better fit for the republican nomination than Rick Perry.
What makes Governor Perry so striking, though, is not merely that he is all the things just mentioned. It’s that he is fully those things. Let me explain.
We have grown accustomed to the ways political candidates build their resumes and explain their beliefs. While we don’t usually doubt the truth of their words, we can be forgiven for doubting the degree to which they believe. Politician’s beliefs tend to be strongly stated but lightly held, depending on which way the wind is blowing.
When politicians tell us how strongly they believe something, we trust them to an extent, but we also know that their beliefs are usually subordinate to their ambition. That’s why accusations of flip-flopping are so damaging to the John Kerrys and Mitt Romneys of the world. When we see changes in position, we are quick to assume that it highlights willingness to change for the sake of votes rather than legitimate conviction.
Rick Perry seems different. He does not hesitate to articulate positions he knows are unpopular with independents or academics. He does not dance with language to avoid stating his views on Christ’s exclusivity. In a world of leaders who seem desperate to fill some hole in their lives with the accumulation of power, he is a man wholly complete in himself and happy to be so.
The confidence and completeness of Rick Perry will make for a fascinating election storyline if he decides to run. As we look back across the presidents of the 20th and 21st centuries, even those with the most loudly declared faith were quickly revealed as men with hardened political instincts and pragmatically ambitious agendas. Perry does not seem nearly so invested in his own accomplishments.
But perhaps more important and interesting for the Christian and the country is the challenge such a man presents to our idea of leadership. When we vote for our leaders, their ambition and desire for an exalted place in history is actually comforting to us. A man who wants your approval is a man who can be controlled. But how comfortable can one be with a leader who is actually more responsive to the will of God than the will of the electorate?
Our country really is changing. We do not look for men on the basis of their morals, their leadership, their consistency, their experience, or their executive chops (though we do use these things to disparage candidates we don’t like). If we did, Rick Perry would be far and away the best candidate in the field. Instead we look for candidates who seem most likely to do the things we want them to do. We look for representatives who are in line with our vision, invested in our issues, connected to our circles, in step with our philosophies, and responsive to the changes in our lives. Vicariously, we want to sit on the throne.
As a result, we fear any candidate who seems committed to anything other than us. In fact, it is a common tactic for political opponents to find labels for each other to exploit this very fear. When Kennedy ran, opponents tried to suggest that as a Catholic he would be subject to the pope (a fear which is now laughable). When Romney became a viable candidate in the last election, some questioned how Mormonism would influence his politics. And with George Bush, many felt his strong faith would prevent him from being sensitive to the needs of minority groups like atheists or Muslims.
But none of the above had the level of complete, comfortable, seemingly ambition-less confidence of Rick Perry. If he runs for president, I expect him to have a very difficult time among independents, not just be because of differences on the issues, but because a man so certain of his faith and so comfortable with subordinating his politics to that faith doesn’t sit well with our national religion – the “be good, feel good, God is out there somewhere,” creed of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.
For Christians, the obstacles to a Rick Perry presidency should remind us how carefully we must separate our political goals from our religious goals. Are we certain that we want a president who doesn’t scramble to keep us happy? Can we say with certainty that it will be easier to advance the cause of Christ in an America led by such an unflappable character?
To be honest, I don’t know. I’m not sure whether I would be comfortable with this man as my leader. That’s one of the values of a long election period: there’s still time to get to know him. But I am fascinated that a person like this has gained such a national following, and he would be a striking contrast when set against President Obama on a variety of issues.
For that reason, I find myself hoping Perry runs. If nothing else, it will hold a fascinating mirror up to American politics and American Evangelicalism, forcing both to face some things we’ve been able to avoid for a long, long time. Is it possible for authentic Christianity to be communicated in a way that makes non-Christians comfortable with a deeply religious President? How will independent voters sort through their displeasure toward President Obama in the face of their discomfort with Governor Perry? Are Christians obligated to vote for one of their own? Perhaps most importantly, what are the church’s goals within a secular governmental system?
When Rick Perry prayed at The Response, he looked and sounded presidential. He is clearly a strong and confident leader. But he was leading a rally to confess the sins of the nation against the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It remains to be seen how those who claim other gods will view the prospect of a Perry presidency.
Illustration courtesy of Seth T. Hahne.
Ben Bartlett lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife and two terrific kids. His degree is in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy from Michigan State University, and he also had a bunch of education in a bunch of other places with nothing official to show for it. He is interested in the way large themes such as pop culture, history, politics, and theology interact with the inner and community lives of individuals. Few things make him happier than reading, discussing, and recommending books. Email: blbartlett [at] gmail [dot] com 
While I admire your passion, this is certainly a piece that is effusive in praise to the point of completely ignoring the larger issues that make Perry a poor candidate. Speaking as a Texan, there is no doubt that Perry has done everything in his power to promote an environment conducive to business. But he has also presided over one of the poorest (in terms of both performance and resources) education systems in the US, has fought the enforcement of EPA-mandated environmental standards at every turn, and has consistently pandered both in rhetoric and tone to the most fringe elements of the right wing in both Texas and the US. Perry’s general disdain for all things “federal” and the suggestion at one point that Texas could and may have to consider secession don’t inspire confidence in me that I want an individual with such an attitude about America to be my president. Perry may in fact be a Christian and I have no doubt that his words–especially when given a public forum to do so–will back that claim up. But at what point do we expect a man of power’s Christian principles to actually be reflected in the policies of and performance of his administration? Creating a healthy corporate environment in Texas is certainly good, but the poor state of public education, the fact that Texas has a higher poverty rate than the national average, and the increasingly poor environmental standards of the state begs the question: When will his Christian principles actually lead him to take a more effectual approach to dealing with these issues. Talk is cheap and it polls well. Perry may be good at organizing a prayer rally when all the cameras are on. But frankly, I’d rather have a Christian leader whose policies actually match up with the rhetoric. I realize that you admit you’re not sure if you want this man to be president and I am of the same belief, but for different reasons that have everything to do with policy. Having said that, there is nothing “ambition-less” about Rick Perry. A man doesn’t run for governor as many times as he does who lacks ambition. If he does run, the vetting process will ultimately validate the things I’ve said (as will a Google search), but we are in agreement that it would be fascinating. But as Christians, we should demand that politicians who wish to use a pulpit to help get them elected should have to actually match their words with substantive action.
Well Ben Bartlett, good job. I am pleasantly surprised by your article. I thought I would hate it.
Hi Rob,
I think your criticisms are excellent ones. One mistake, though… I don’t mean to be effusive in praise. To be honest with you, I don’t personally have a lot of interest in Perry for President. There are a variety of reasons for that, some of which you helpfully point out. The “qualities” I listed aren’t things I necessarily support… but they’re things that a LOT of evangelicals support.
My point isn’t to praise Perry. Instead, I think he’s a somewhat unique character in American politics- a true evangelical for whom faith seems more important than political ambition. That’s not to say he does not have any ambition whatsoever; I more meant to say his ambitions are within the context of his faith, rather than the other way around.
But what I want evangelicals to face is the fact that he presents a question to us about what is important in our political leaders. You have a variety of issues you disagree with him on, and that’s fine. But that’s the point… we tend to want leaders who are natural extensions of our own beliefs about what is important in politics. For some who have more agreement with Perry on the issues than you, I want them to be challenged by the fact that he’s everything they want and yet there is something scary about that type of a leader.
Check my history… you’ll see that I was happy to vote for Obama over McCain, and if it were an Obama-Perry election today I’d vote for Obama again. I just don’t want people to ignore the fact that there are a lot of questions we should be asking ourselves about the type of candidate Perry would be.
I wish I would have stopped at the article and not read the comments.
Wow, Riles. Why is that? I feel like you have to declare yourself here and give me a chance to respond. :-)
Great article Ben. I heard about “The Response” or whatever his prayer meeting was called and was intrigued but had no idea what to think about it.
I love the question about what we are looking for in a politician, because I think it is so important for a Christian to ask when it comes time to vote.
Personally, I am a strong believer that you vote for the person, not for the policies. While I do hope my candidate will endorse certain policies (like stop spending so much, srsly), to me it is far more important that our leaders care about the good of the people above all else (I am so good with cliches, I should be a speech writer).
My biggest problem, though, is that today’s media environment and the intense image management of politicians make it so difficult to “get to know” the candidates. I feel somewhat lost trying to wade through rhetoric and true conviction.
It will be very interesting to see how the eventual presidential race develops.
Good article here. It will be interesting indeed to see what comes of our growing diversity and diminishing confidence as new presidential candidates surface.
Be weary…
He shall arise up out of the sea of politics as a relative unknown, secondary political leader, into a rapid ascension onto the world stage.
He shall be very bold, very stern, very arrogant, and very boastful in his statements that are lies, deceptions, tricks, falsehoods, and in his blaspheme against God, through his false religious statements that are interwoven into his one world government, which he shall reside over.
Google has made detectives of us all.
A quick search reveals that Tam’s quote comes from abovetopsecret.com, a forum site for conspiracy theories.
A user named “Red Cloak” claims to have studied the Bible’s antichrist prophecies for 19 years and developed a mathematical model to assign a value based on the probability of a person being the antichrist.
Perry has reportedly scored “very high” along with other notable contenders such as:
Barack Obama, Charlemagne, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Ghengis Khan.
As far as I can tell, Red Cloak is not quoting the Bible, but his own personal interpretation of Biblical prophecies. Please correct me if I got anything wrong, Tam.
That should do it for now, all this google searching has made me wary.
Sorry, I thought I had put the link on there so you wouldn’t have to search.
Having him as Governor of my State, and knowing how he as performed in that capacity, and since I never vote for the party but for the person, there’s no way I would vote for him especially when he wanted to force each young girl to be innoculated with a drug from a drug company who heavily contributed to his campaign. He’ll be doing some back pedaling now.
I agree with Rob above, who must also live in Texas because he knows Perry’s history.
We must not back just anyone who loudly claims to be a Christian Leader, just because we need one.