Rick Perry's Problems With America: Progressivism, The 16th Amendment, Woodrow Wilson And The New Deal (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), fresh off a re-election victory for an unprecedented third term, went on "The Daily Show" on Monday and railed against big government and progressivism to promote his new book, "Fed Up!".

Stewart asked Perry when, exactly, the country began going off the rails. "About a century ago, actually," replied Perry. Surprised, Stewart asked, "Seriously?" Perry pointed to President Woodrow Wilson, the progressive movement, and the 16th Amendment (which establishes a national income tax) and the New Deal:

PERRY: If you want to know when Washington really got off the track -- the 16th amendment, giving them the opportunity to take your money with a personal income tax. [...]

STEWART: But let me just back that up a second, because there are... very few people, I think, who would go back to a pre-1920s United States, because that movement didn't arise out of nothing. Children worked in factories. Women weren't allowed to vote.

PERRY: I get that --

STEWART: You may get it, but that ain't nothing.

PERRY: But the fact is, then you had the Great Depression, and again -- government program after government program -- that, looking back on it now, didn't work. Big government really has really not helped this country from the standpoint of economically.

WATCH:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rick Perry Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
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Wilson, Progressivism, the 16th Amendment and the New Deal are popular demons amongst conservatives. Fox News host Glenn Beck, for example, has called progressivism "the cancer in America".

During the recent campaign season, several conservative candidates advocated a repeal of the 16th Amendment. Last year, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal policies actually "exacerbated" the Great Depression.

But indeed, as Stewart noted, the progressive movement worked to ban child labor -- and that's not all. John Halpin, senior fellow and co-director of the Progressive Studies Program at the Center for American Progress, points out that progressives also established unemployment insurance, regulatory protections for consumers, the right for Americans to elect their U.S. senators, workers' compensation laws, the legal framework for the modern workweek and an expansion of civil rights, among other mainstays of U.S. society.

As soon as Perry won his re-election, he was out of Texas and over to the East Coast for a national media tour to promote his book, appearing on "The Daily Show," Glenn Beck's radio show, Laura Ingraham's radio show, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC's "Today Show" and a speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. His strategy -- including during the election -- of putting the national press over state papers -- has caused some grumbling from Texas papers as well.

Comments

[MikeNAustin]

11:58 AM on 11/11/2010

Folks, say what you will but the facts are: TEXAS HAS THE STRONGEST ECONOMY IN THE USA. We have not even really participated in the current mess to a huge extent. We have companies relocating here by the hundreds from more socialist states constantly (like CA). The facts are the facts, no matter how much name calling you do!

[listentome]

12:05 PM on 11/11/2010

And you are a typical whiny conservative/republican/t-bagger. You start off by replying to a comment I made and then call me a expletive and when I retaliate you whine to the moderator. Grow a pair!

[MikeNAustin]

12:18 PM on 11/11/2010

I just found it strange. You could be as nasty as you wanted, and the moderator didn't allow me to respond in a like manner. I think the bias is obvious. Have you ever made a positive contribution to our country?

[MikeNAustin]

12:21 PM on 11/11/2010

and you're a typical %$^&@#$

[splashy]

02:30 AM on 11/12/2010

Yeah, and those 26% uninsured that can't get decent health care are doing just fine, right? All those suffering poor people, those that are getting a horrible education are just fine.

Where would you be without the military and NASA being there? You know, all those federal dollars being put into the economy.

[MikeNAustin]

09:33 AM on 11/12/2010

Most of our economy is private sector because we are pro-business, pro-growth, pro-jobs, pro-working people who want to get ahead. Not so much into left winger give-aways that reward laziness.

And yes, we get zillions of former Californians (individuals & companies) moving in constantly. They want a more free and less taxed life.

[tinka]

10:21 AM on 11/11/2010

‘There is a real irony in having a governor that rails against federal spending and doesn't want to take money from Washington, and yet some parts of our state are heavily dependent on federal spending for their economic health,’ said Bud Weinstein, an economist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In 2009, the Pentagon spent $21.5 billion on prime contractors based in North Texas. That's more than triple the $6 billion total in 2000. –dallasnews.com

[BookmanIIII]

04:14 PM on 11/22/2010

He missed the Civil War. He would have been a general right beside Robert E Lee. Of course he would have had his fair share slaves, female and male. Rick Perry is a dirty little puppy.

[Puller58]

04:42 PM on 11/10/2010

Perry wants to run for President.  Ugh.

[jt1980]

04:30 PM on 11/10/2010

Some people in this thread harped about the California being the big receiver of federal government outlays. The amount of federal spending in the state is close to $300 billion. While that sounds huge, the truth is that Californians sent to Washington a lot more money. According to the Tax Foundation, in 2005, California received $0.78 for every $1 that it paid to the government. In comparison, Texas received $0.94, which really is a net gain because a big chunk of government spending (now 54% of the budget) was and is in defense, which is often spent elsewhere.

[SalesmanForLife]

01:15 PM on 11/10/2010

As I grow older and in many ways more wise, I feel more and more terrified at the caliber of the elected officals we Americans elect. The division in this country is due to a highly uneducated perspective...yes, they may have a "degreed education" but the rest of what makes up these people is stupidity, greed, attention seeking and exaggerated sense of self. When American voters finally start to expect more and demand respect for elected positions we may see a light at the end of this chockingly narrow tunnel. When a Governor says "actually" and "literally" and "really" so many times it muddles his intellect. The guy has no idea how to form a point and clearly use his language to express it. Pathetic.....and now on to the community college Palin perspective......

[garymc8]

09:54 AM on 11/10/2010

RED STATES ARE ON WELFARE AND THE BLUE STATES PAY IT. SO WHY THE FU.CK DO THEY ELECT GOP? THEY ARE LAZY AND PREFER WELFARE. TOO LAZY TO WORK FOR A LIVING LIKE CALIFORNIANS.

[Cutiepieblue]

02:29 PM on 11/10/2010

Actually you are incorrect Texas is on of the states that is not. Currently, California has the highest state budget deficit at $13.8 billion. Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and West Virginia have the lowest deficits—none at all.
Michigan has the highest unemployment rates at 10.6 percent, while Wyoming has the lowest at 3.4 percent.
Florida foreclosures are the highest at 7.32 percent; Wyoming’s are the lowest at 0.63 percent.
Source:

CNNMoney: Where Does Your State Rank?

[garymc8]

04:17 PM on 11/10/2010

TEXAS RECEIVED MORE FEDERAL AID THIS YEAR THAN ANY OTHER STATE. WELFARE STATE, LIKE I SAID CUTIE.

[jt1980]

04:22 PM on 11/10/2010

You're confused about the difference between budget deficits and federal government outlays. California has a huge budget gap, but its citizens are getting less federal spending than the taxes they pay to the federal government. If California got close to $1 in government spending for $1 of taxes paid, its budgets wouldn't be in that bad a shape.

[miketothad]

08:18 AM on 11/10/2010

A book.
Are you kidding me?
Rick Perry sounds as historically illiterate as his supporters!

[garymc8]

09:55 AM on 11/10/2010

TEXAS-THE WELFARE STATE.

[Cutiepieblue]

02:31 PM on 11/10/2010

You mean CALIFORNIA.

[Gaylord P Farqua]

08:09 AM on 11/10/2010

Perry is just repeating what his constituency believes to be true even though an awful lot of them have no idea what what any of it means. If most of the people of a state can sit quietly by and let their school boards re-write history to compliment the Bible and evangelical teachings then a federal government is a clear enemy. The fundamentalists in Texas are desperately working to maintain a hold on power in the face of a growing Hispanic population who will challenge all this at some point.

[garymc8]

09:56 AM on 11/10/2010

Do they know your state is on WELFARE? More money comes into texas from the fed than texas pays to the fed. THAT IS CALLED WELFARE, SOCIALISM. SO TEXANS ARE SECRET RACIST SOCIALISTS WHO LOVE WELFARE. WHO KNEW.

[Gaylord P Farqua]

10:56 AM on 11/10/2010

What is written is not intended to support Perry. Maybe what you say is true and if so it comes as no surprise. Perry gets reelected mainly because he epitomizes what Texans envision as a cowboy rugged individualist. Actually he is a slick politician who completely understands his constituency and knows their hot buttons. If he was to marry the Grizzly Mama they could open a mega church that would instantly be the biggest fundamentalist political bulls**t palace in the nation. These two are meant for each other.

[Cutiepieblue]

02:30 PM on 11/10/2010

Nope.. You are wrong my friend. CAli recieves the most Federal money.

[AmericanDreamWarrior]

07:37 AM on 11/10/2010

Seems that we may be collectively losing our minds. The fact that after a short 2 years after republican policies brought us the misery we face today, we turn around and give the very same people (and I mean the exact same people) power to continue where they left off, which is to take us back to a time where only wealthy white men made the rules and benefited from them. Maybe its some kind of variation of Stockholm Syndrome? I don't know but seems to me that republicans have poisioned the koolaide and we're lining up to drink our fill.

How bad does it have to get before we learn? Because I thought 2006 and 2008 were signs that the country was getting saavy to the politics of fear and hate and on to a more self preservation mentality. Guess I was wrong.

We're going to see the next 2 years of republicans turning back everything that Obama and the dems accomplished (watered down or not). We're going to see serious gridlock right when the country desperately needs action. If this trend continues, we're going to see bigger losses in 2012for dems and then what... we can fight back but to what end when so many Americans shrug their shoulders, with no curiosity as to why, bear the brunt of the consequences of greed and continue to live lives of credit induced indentured servitude...

It feels very hopeless with no change in sight!

[Billar]

07:00 AM on 11/10/2010

Hey Rick you smell like Gene Autry. By that I mean a barn full of dung that many cowboys had in times past.
Rick take your conservo wishlist and shove it.

[conservicide]

03:18 AM on 11/10/2010

Perry is the old racist grandfather.

[stuckintx]

02:43 AM on 11/10/2010

If Rick Perry unzipped his costume, George Bush would walk out.

[MarcoEsquandolas]

10:03 PM on 11/09/2010

Hedley Lamarr: Men, you are about to embark on a great crusade to stamp out runaway decency in the west. Now you men will only be risking your lives, whilst I will be risking an almost certain Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

[Frank Padia]

09:51 PM on 11/09/2010

Obviously all of you who are enjoying trashing the governor have little or no clue about the structure of the Texas Government. It does not surprise me the Democrats in this state are whining about Perry. That is all the Dems in this state know how to do. Texans rejected the lies and social re-engineering of the left a long time ago. For all her folksy charm, Ann Richards did not win, but rather Clayton Williams by saying tremendously stupid things that even Republicans could not let pass. The Belle of the Left only survived one term before Texans sent her on her way.
The truth is our Governor has very little power to control the operations of the state. The true power rests with the Lt. Governor and the Legislature. To elect a Democratic Governor when both houses of the Legislature have Republican super majorities would be pointless. Since our Legislature only meets every two years, Texans would rather have a state government that gets things done than one that just talks and does nothing. We have that in Washington D.C.....

[dbsimonds]

03:07 AM on 11/10/2010

That must have been back in the day when some things could be said that were in fact so stupid that discerning Republicans could not let them pass. I miss those days

[eastfernstreet]

12:45 PM on 11/11/2010

But, wait . . . if the Governor of Texas has essentially no power, why did conservatives claim that he had enough experience to be President? Why did conservatives claim that he had 'reformed' the educational system? As I understand it, the only power that the Governor of Texas has is to sign off on executions . . . Bush was, it seems, gifted in this limited position.

Could it be that a grain of truth is finally coming through the carefully constructed conservative lie machine. You can't simultaneously diminish and aggrandize the same thing. Reality simply doesn't work that way.

[MarsAmbassador]

09:02 PM on 11/09/2010

If people like Perry had their way, this country would be taken back to the days of phosjaw and far, far worse. With no legal ramifications for the plutocracy and no legal protections for We The People.

THIS is what they would bring back:
http://www.cracked.com/article/89_the-6-most-horrific-bosses-all-time/