Fox’s Your World opened yesterday with a 10-minute interview with Texas Governor Rick Perry. The entire segment was clearly designed to show off his Republican awesomeness and potential presidential candidacy. So there was not a peep of challenge when Perry sang the praises of fracking.
As we’ve previously posted, much of the beginning of the interview was devoted to promoting a new range war in Texas. But when that was done, host Stuart Varney moved on to showcase Perry’s business fabulousness: With a big smile, Varney said:
Welcome to New York, Governor. I hear that you are here to challenge Governor Cuomo, Democrat, Governor of New York, and you are challenging him on the basis of “your taxes are too high, you’re killing the economy of New York, bring those jobs down to Texas.” That’s what you’re here for isn’t it? Direct challenge?
Perry said, “I’m here to give people the opportunity to relocate or expand their business.” He said he has not gotten “much” of a response from Cuomo’s office. But, Perry said, he had a “good response” from businesspeople “we had the opportunity to meet with.” No word on how many that was.
Perry continued, “There’s two issues going on here. I don’t make any apologies that I am a competitive governor, and I come into California or Illinois or from any other state just as Bobby Jindal and Rick Scott come into Texas and say, ‘Hey, we’d like for you to take look at Louisiana or take a look at Florida.’ Those are two really competitive Governors out there, and there’s a host of others that are very competitive. What Mary Fallon does, Susana Martinez, Nikki Haley, I mean those are Governors that get it about tax, regulatory, legal policies and having a skilled workforce in place and making your state be competitive. …More people have migrated out of New York and California over the last decade than any two states to go to places where they can find some relief.””
What a surprise all the governors he praised were Republicans and the two states he knocked are heavily Democratic.
Varney kept it going. He said approvingly, “You’re a missionary on jobs and taxes to the state of New York. What about the issue of fracking? Fracking is alive and well in Texas and you’re doing very well with it, but it’s on hold in New York.”
“All of the signs shows that it is a safe practice,” Perry said. “We’ve created an extraordinary amount of wealth not just for the oil companies and not just for the state.”
In fact, there is plenty of evidence that fracking is not safe. But instead of challenging Perry about that, Varney kissed up again: “You’re a missionary on taxes and jobs and on fracking.”
“Amen,” Perry said.
“Amen,” Varney agreed.
After moving on to immigration, Varney asked, “Have you thought seriously about running again for the Presidency?” As if he didn’t already know the answer.
“Oh, absolutely.,” Perry said. “Giving it serious consideration. …It’s an option that in 2015 we’ll make.”
Varney’s closing sounded like he was ready to hop on board the campaign bus. “Governor Rick Perry, what a pleasure!”
According to Think Progress, Perry wants to dismantle Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, has allowed Texas to become America’s worst polluter, has acted to restrict women’s reproductive rights, has vetoed equal pay legislation, and has refused to expand Medicaid despite the highest rate of uninsured residents in the country. But Varney was too busy gushing over Perry to mention any of those inconvenient truths.