Rick Perry 'Oops' Stumble Serves As Base For His Campaign's Next Fundraising Push

Early Thursday morning, Texas Gov. Rick Perry's (R) campaign sent out an email to supporters, asking them to donate to the Texas governor's campaign after his forgetful moment in Wednesday's CNBC debate.

The campaign has even set up a special e-mail address -- [e-mail] -- and asked supporters to send their suggestions for which federal agency they would like to see eliminated:

Friend & Supporter,

We've all had human moments.

President Obama is still trying to find all 57 states. Ronald Reagan got lost somewhere on the Pacific Highway in an answer to a debate question. Gerald Ford ate a tamale without removing the husk. And tonight Rick Perry forgot the third agency he wants to eliminate. Just goes to show there are too damn many federal agencies.

The governor said it best afterwards: "I'm glad I had my boots on, because I sure stepped in it tonight." While the media froths over this all too human moment, we thought we would take this opportunity to ask your help in doing something much more constructive: write us to let us know what federal agency you would most like to forget.

Is it the EPA and its job-killing zealots? The NLRB and its czar-like dictates? The edu-crats at the Department of Education who aim to control your local curriculum?

Send your answer to [e-mail], and if you are on twitter join us in using a new twitter hashtag: #forgetmenot. And, if you could, throw in a $5 contribution for every agency you would like to forget. We hope you have a long list. And we promise we will write down every last idea. So we don't forget.

Still standing in our Boots,

Team Perry

At the bottom of the email is also a big red "Donate Today" button.

HuffPost's Jon Ward reported Wednesday on the potential repercussions of Perry's debate disaster:

Perry has already been beset by unforced errors in his less than three months as a presidential candidate, but this topped all of his previous gaffes. It was a moment that very well might have extinguished his chances of coming back and competing with Romney.

The Texan -- who has admitted he is not a good debater -- nonetheless entered the night needing to dramatically elevate his performance in these settings and to at least demonstrate a certain level of competence and command of the issues.

Instead, Perry's jaw-dropping memory lapse created a solid minute of full-color video memorializing the governor as a bumbling joke.

Perry hit five different morning shows Thursday in an attempt to do some damage control and address what many have judged to be a potential campaign-ending moment.

"I stepped in it last night. But I think I'm kind of like most Americans and there are so many agencies of government that they'd like to forget, that the Department of Energy was one of those," he said on NBC's "Today." He added, "I'm human like everyone else."

 

 

Comments

[CambridgeLamb]

05:43 PM on 11/11/2011

Can we just give it up for Buddy Roemer, already? The only one I'd actually vote for.

[guilatty]

01:28 PM on 11/11/2011

The agency Mr. Perry "forgot" was the Department of Energy. Its 16,000 federal employees and 96,000 contractors are probably not as amused as he is. Especially when you consider the Department of Energy is the agency that regulates and administers every aspect of the United States' nuclear energy sector. This was not "brain freeze". This was a woefully uninformed ideologue who has made a career of bashing things he does not understand in order to have something at all to say.

[rshrink]

11:00 PM on 11/10/2011

I wonder how much it cost the Koch brothers to train and bus in that audience?

[Cleverboots]

09:00 PM on 11/10/2011

He didn't just step in it. He's full of it.

[rshrink]

08:14 PM on 11/10/2011

Seems like Perry is saying, "Geez, I just can't keep doing this."

[Ayesha Khan]

01:48 PM on 11/10/2011

No honestly i would like to forget all those agencies that Mr Perry Forgot, Hahahaha!!!! And i can say from the depths of my heart that he is really a nice person, It was really commendable on his part, that he forgot something but he kept his confidence. We all are human, and there was nothing to be ashamed about. But the point is to see his high spirits, and his keen interest to serve his country. I personally would do anything to support him. The way he delivered his speech shows his competence, and this is a quality and not a mishap. He made my day -Hahahahaha!!!!!!!!!... Mr Perry All my Efforts to Promote you-- I wish you luck!!!!!!--But only if you promise to keep making such Speeches---LOL

[Bushido08]

01:07 PM on 11/10/2011

Gee Perry the problem with your "I stepped in it" statement is as Commander and Chief I would sure hate to see you use that excuse to invade a country and put our soliders at risk. No Thanks! We already had a President like that in office...once was embarrassing enough even though I do miss the comic relief.

[lithium12]

12:58 PM on 11/10/2011

No one realizes Perry's true cause which is to make W look like the itelligent one from Texas..........He is succeeding

[yardarm]

12:56 PM on 11/10/2011

DeltaUniformMikeBravo AlphaSierraSierra is a good description of this "good 'ole boy".

The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge. - Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)

[Brannon Smith]

12:46 PM on 11/10/2011

I'm sorry. Mistakes can be forgiven, but when you begin to say something as STRONG and as PERMANENT as "I'd like to eliminate X,Y, and Z government agencies," you need to be able to remember what they are. Eliminating a portion of government is no LAUGHING MATTER, and it's not something you do at random. It's very serious. This George Bush clone obviously doesn't get that. Him and his boots can walk right on back to Texas! IDIOT!

[Gestas]

12:34 PM on 11/10/2011

The difference between G.W. and Perry, is that Perry isn't afraid of horses.

[mcteeth]

11:35 AM on 11/10/2011

so now human = stupid? i didn't know he WAS human. and yet he keeps trying to come back...like the mcrib.

[sglahn817]

11:28 AM on 11/10/2011

Cheers to all the suckers that sent Perry money

[studioh!]

11:18 AM on 11/10/2011

if debates give you lemons, turn them into koolade. these sheeple will drink it from your boots.

[mybluesmoke]

11:12 AM on 11/10/2011

Those who reward mediocracy will receive less than that in return.