Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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I’d say Perry got lucky with the Cain scandal breaking around the same time as his bizarre and erratic behavior was caught on film. You have to wonder if he mixed some heavy painkillers with booze before that speech. Just bizarre.
I really do wonder what the cause of this was, it could be perfectly reasonable but unfortunate, or really dramatically terrible — loopy on a bad reaction between cold medicine and pain killers? A whole lot of alcohol?
Also, his handlers did him a disservice by letting him onstage like this.
If it’s just a bad reaction to some medicine… well, crap happens. I wouldn’t expect anyone to be 100% all the time, but for someone who wants to be president, he should surround himself with capable people who will prevent him from embarrassing himself this badly (or bombing some country if he were to be elected president).
I dunno. He does seem very loose but I tend to let things like this and the ‘Howard Dean scream’ slide. It’s actually kind of nice when they’re not so stiff.
To paraphrase Jon Stewart, he’s either drunk during this speech, or he’s been drunk in every other speech he’s ever given.
I’d say Perry got lucky with the Cain scandal breaking around the same time as his bizarre and erratic behavior was caught on film. You have to wonder if he mixed some heavy painkillers with booze before that speech. Just bizarre.
Almost as good as a Bad Lip Reading clip.
I really do wonder what the cause of this was, it could be perfectly reasonable but unfortunate, or really dramatically terrible — loopy on a bad reaction between cold medicine and pain killers? A whole lot of alcohol?
Also, his handlers did him a disservice by letting him onstage like this.
If it’s just a bad reaction to some medicine… well, crap happens. I wouldn’t expect anyone to be 100% all the time, but for someone who wants to be president, he should surround himself with capable people who will prevent him from embarrassing himself this badly (or bombing some country if he were to be elected president).
@Gustopher: Maybe he’s just stupid.
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…
But but but Dean Screamed!
@WR:
Oh, he’s stupid. Now he’s evidently stupid and drunk.
I dunno. He does seem very loose but I tend to let things like this and the ‘Howard Dean scream’ slide. It’s actually kind of nice when they’re not so stiff.