Rick Perry Stands By Harsh Ben Bernanke Remarks (VIDEO)

Texas Governor Rick Perry stood by eyebrow-raising remarks he made last month about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke during Monday night's Republican presidential debate.

HuffPost's Ryan Grim reports:

Perry stood by his controversial Fed comments from earlier in the campaign, when he said that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke would be treated "ugly" in Texas and that his monetary policy was "almost treasonous." Perry slightly softened the charge, saying that Bernanke himself wasn't a traitor, but that using the Fed for political purposes was "almost treasonous." Bernanke is a Republican.

After initially igniting controversy with the comments, the Texas governor stood by his choice of words. During a stop in New Hampshire, he did say, however, "I got in trouble talking about the Federal Reserve" and added, "I got lectured about that."

Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman used Perry's own words against him in a joke he made during Monday night's debate. HuffPost's Amanda Terkel reports:

"For Rick to say you can't secure the border, I think, is pretty much a treasonous comment," said Huntsman, apparently joking, eliciting "Ooos" from the audience and a chuckle from Perry. His comment came after Perry discussed signing legislation giving some undocumented immigrants in-state tuition at Texas colleges and universities.

Comments

[Alex Kalman]

10:26 PM on 09/13/2011

Nickname "Helicopter Bernanke" flies overhead in a Helicopter and drops money down on Banks.

[Dragontech]

04:49 PM on 09/13/2011

http://shapleigh.org/owners_box/7-seceding-from-reality

THIS is what Perry wants the USA to be like. Rising infant mortality, rising health care cost, falling income, rising pollution. What's good for Texas, good for America?? I think not.

[Dhammi]

12:13 PM on 09/13/2011

Wow! There are no less than 13 Rick Perry headlines under the FRONT PAGE and POLITICS sections today. Surely this out-palins palin. It is my hope his flash-in-the-pan entrance into this race is cut short soon.

[eva belle]

09:47 AM on 09/13/2011

These people make me ill. Why can't they criticize others without using inflammatory language? I guess it takes tact and skill, both of which they lack.

[JAVADA]

09:06 AM on 09/13/2011

This is a stubborn man and a freightening one also. Can you imagine him trying to deal with other heads of state. It's his way or the highway. Lord have mercy, I hope the American people wake up and do not put this man in the White House. Sometimes you have to give a little to get a little. It's called DIPLOMACY.

[mike23oo]

08:23 AM on 09/13/2011

Can't fault Perry for speaking his mind.. Most politicians say whatever they can to get elected.
I know one thing thins country can do without is another politically correct nit-wit.

I like how he called Social Security a ponzi scheme.. In a way it is as it looks like the govt is bringing in as much labor as possible to try to get social security payments from employers in.. too bad most are off the books and fraud claims leeching off the system..

I want an Opt out for Social Security as by the time I will be eligible to collect they would have bumped the min entry age up to 85 or 90, then again being required to participate in a "retirement/disability" plan against one's own free will is not what the founding fathers had in mind. I don't think I am alone in saying the plan would be better handled by a private non-profit corporation overseen by govt auditors.

Overall I am somewhat disappointed with the GOP candidate lineup, and I am sure the Republican party ( and the media) will gather support for the worst candidate that most closely resembles Obama so when we go to the polls like in 2008 it will be a choice between fire and frying pan yet again.

[Sandee McHale Delano]

09:35 AM on 09/13/2011

You are nuts.

[exclintonsupporter]

08:15 AM on 09/13/2011

...and what's more...he ALWAYS err's on the side of LIFE....

...REALLY?

[captainrick]

10:34 AM on 09/13/2011

unless it's someone on death row.

[coco123]

11:22 AM on 09/13/2011

That, from the Texacutioner, who signed off on killing 234 people...

[Dragontech]

04:51 PM on 09/13/2011

And yet I still wonder how many of the 234 were innocent. I know Perry doesn't care.

[Laurenigmaitc]

08:09 AM on 09/13/2011

wait...now im not a big fan of the guy at all in general...but why all the uproar over this comment? seems pretty benign to me...and i think hes onto something there.

[XtfrM2]

07:46 AM on 09/13/2011

I'm already tired of seeing pictures of this du.mb hi.ck.

[dwright]

07:25 AM on 09/13/2011

Did they talk about jobs?  How they would put people back to work?  of course not

[rgilley]

08:34 AM on 09/13/2011

They did as right wing Republican Fascist always do ....they talked Around jobs and the economy. They will continue to obstruct job growth until they have achieved their STATED main goal "To make sure Obama is a one term President." If there is one thing these right wingbats cannot not stand it's a black man in the WH. And yet Obama's being there plays perfectly into thier main strategy since the 1960's

Southern Strategy:
"In American politics, the Southern strategy refers to the late-20th century Republican Party strategy of winning elections in Southern states by exploiting anti-African American racism among Southern white voters and appealing to states' rights. The strategy was first adopted under future Republican President Richard Nixon in the late 1960s and continued through the latter decades of the 20th century under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.[1] The strategy was successful in achieving its goals; it led to the electoral realignment of Southern states to the Republican Party..."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_strategy

We really need to rid this country of this right wing Republican scourge of 30 odd years.

[Sandee McHale Delano]

09:36 AM on 09/13/2011

Cut taxes, repeal reform and regulations and allow a free for all. That is their jobs bill.

[dwright]

10:38 AM on 09/13/2011

same ole same ole!! fanned for watching- something I could not bring myself to do

[essbird]

10:52 AM on 09/13/2011

... and if anyone falls off the gravy train, run 'em over. Tough luck, Bucky. You lose.

[johnjohn4321]

07:23 AM on 09/13/2011

Do Texans just naturally consider themselves infallible? This guy seems to be a W clone.

[jtandsonja]

06:17 AM on 09/13/2011

Last night was nothing short of a ''shark feeding frenzy''. There were so many of them on stage going in a hundred different directions, it would make a compass dizzy.

[jtandsonja]

06:12 AM on 09/13/2011

Tea Party? What exactly is the Tea Party? What do they stand for? Everyone I listen to who say's he or she is with the Tea Party has a different veiw of what the so called"Tea Party" stands for. I'm confused but not confused enough to vote for them.

[johnjohn4321]

07:24 AM on 09/13/2011

They stand for selfishness and lack of team spirit mostly.

[jtandsonja]

06:08 AM on 09/13/2011

All I heard the whole night was, Obama did this, and Obama didn't do that, by the way, It's President Obama. Never in my life have a seen such a bunch of people doing nothing but attacking each other but then again, that's what the Republicans are good at. They never seem to be positive about anything. No matter what President Obama proposes, they do nothing but just say "No". I'm sick of this party always going after someone. It's getting real old.

[DUSAA-1775]

06:37 AM on 09/13/2011

...' All I heard the whole night was, Obama did this, and Obama didn't do that, by the way, It's President Obama. Never in my life have a seen such a bunch of people doing nothing but attacking each other ...'

So all you heard was republicans criticizing obama... and you think that means they were attacking each other...??

Thanks for your well reasoned comments

Good for you !!

[alexanr2]

07:31 AM on 09/13/2011

It's republicans criticising President Obama! LOL

[Imzadi]

11:08 AM on 09/13/2011

At least Obama DID something.

[Sundae Driver]

05:45 AM on 09/13/2011

Of course, there's nothing the Tea Party likes more than someone who will refuse to admit error or that they learned something.