CBS News

The Collapse of Rick Perry: The Disastrous Performance Which Improves The Image Of George W. Bush!

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Texas Governor Rick Perry started off his Presidential campaign with a roar, surging ahead of Mitt Romney in September with 23 percent, and in some polls even more that that.

By mid October, after disastrous debate performances, he fell to 12 percent, and now, after the rude, nasty, aggressive attacks on Mitt Romney at the Nevada debate last week, he has totally tanked to fifth place, with only 6 percent support, in the New York Times-CBS News Poll.

Herman Cain, the “flavor of the month”, is ahead with 25 percent, with Romney second at 21 percent, followed by Newt Gingrich with 10 percent, Ron Paul with 8 percent, and Rick Perry at 6 percent.

And now he has proposed a new tax plan which would make the rich even richer, and hurt the middle class and the poor. And he has embraced the “Birther” myth about Barack Obama, which has been revived by Donald Trump yet again. Perry has also come across as insensitive, divisive, controversial, and personally obnoxious competitor in so many ways, with his personality and viewpoints undermining his candidacy the more one examines him!

Perry is seen by many as a total disaster, and this has led to condemnations by many Republicans, who realize Perry is worse than George W. Bush ever was, and it is clear that the Bush family and its supporters, including brother Jeb Bush, the former Governor of Florida, and Karl Rove, the “Bush Brain” advisor, are working very hard behind the scenes to derail Rick Perry.

Perry, due to his large campaign chest, is going to be part of the race for a long time, but he is an embarrassment to many in the party who see a total calamity ahead!

Support In Poll For Public Sector Workers As Republican Governors Work To Destroy Unions

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As Scott Walker, John Kasich, Chris Christie and Rick Scott, among other Republican Governors, make clear their campaign to undermine labor unions and strip public service workers of their benefits, a New York Times-CBS News Poll shows the American people oppose efforts to weaken the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions, and are against the cutting of pay and benefits of public workers to reduce state budget deficits.

By 60-33, Americans oppose taking away the bargaining rights of workers, and by 56-37 they are against cutting of pay or benefits to reduce deficits, with larger majorities of Democrats and Independents, and slight plurality favoritism among Republicans of what these governors are attempting to do.
By a slight margin, the poll also supports ability to retire early for police officers and firefighters, and even teachers.

A plurality of 40 percent supported raising taxes to deal with the deficit, and 71 percent of Democrats and 62 percent of Independents opposed weakening collective bargaining rights of public employees.

The only group that had a substantial support for cutting pay and benefits, but even then not a majority (45 percent), were those earning more than $100,000 per year.

A Wisconsin poll also shows nearly 60 percent oppose what Governor Scott Walker is trying to do to destroy collective bargaining, and a recall movement is developing against him and many leaders of the GOP in the legislature. And a poll shows if Walker was running now for Governor, four months after he was elected, he would easily lose!

So with strong Independent support for labor rights, and polls showing great anger against GOP Governors, the Democrats may be able to utilize the anti labor fight in a productive way in 2012!

A Journalistic Legend Is Gone: Daniel Schorr, 1916-2010

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Just as I was leaving for my NYC vacation, the news came that journalistic legend Daniel Schorr had passed away at age 93!

Daniel Schorr was one of a rare breed of journalists that we are unlikely to see again in a field that has changed so much!

Schorr worked for the Christian Science Monitor for decades! He also reported for the NY Times until he went to CBS News as part of the great group of journalists who worked for Edward R. Murrow!

He became controversial during the administration of President Richard Nixon, deeply hated by the President, who put him on the “enemy list” for his open opposition to the Nixon policies and his investigation of Watergate!

He then worked for CNN, and after a few years, went to National Public Radio, where he worked until his death! The author had heard his commentary very recently, and wondered how long he had been serving as a journalist, checking it out as being over 60 amazing years!

Schorr spoke his mind, but it was based upon careful scholarly research, not just personal opinion! He was a walking history book, having been intimately involved in our politics through his coverage of presidents from Eisenhower to Obama!

He was the winner of three Emmys during the Watergate years, as well as a Peabody for a lifetime of reporting, and numerous other awards, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Society of Professional Journalists!

Daniel Schorr was a thought provoking and insightful journalist who gave pleasure to his listeners on many channels over the years, and he cannot be replaced, any more than Walter Cronkite, one of his colleagues at CBS, can be replaced!

Journalism will never be the same, but he left a legacy that will endure!