If Texas Gov. Rick Perry wins the Republican presidential nomination, 2012 could turn into a culture war showdown between Perry and President Barack Obama,
reports The Daily Beast.
Though Perry entered the race only Saturday, he has the potential to jump to the front of the pack. He excites the conservative base in a way former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has yet to prove, The Daily Beast reported. And he avoids looking like a default candidate, as Romney has been portrayed in the media.
If Perry wins the nomination, he and Obama would be campaigning as the quintessential political leader from his side of the aisle.
Perry is the strong-willed Texas governor, often depicted saluting soldiers or standing in reverence to the American flag. He is confident and infuses his speeches with Christian conviction. In many ways, he is very similar to George W. Bush, according to The Daily Beast, which noted that conservatives will love him and liberals will hate him.
President Obama, on the other hand, represents Red America’s “other.” He is urban, sophisticated, and the first black president. And though past Democratic leaders like Bill Clinton and Al Gore were not welcomed by much of the Republican base, they had Southern roots that dispelled some animosity from the right. Obama, however, is rooted in Chicago, hardly a Republican stronghold.
Acting as he two warriors for their respective parties, Obama and Perry would make for a passionately divided 2012 election season.
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