First Impressions in Politics
Jules Witcover

New presidential candidates usually recognize the importance of the impression they give to voters when they introduce themselves for the first time. That's why their strategists take a lot of time determining how and where it happens and what is to be said. But things don't always work out the way they want or hope.

Take, for example, the kickoff of the latest entrant in the Republican sweepstakes, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. He delayed joining the pack of GOP hopefuls until the dust had cleared on all of them, avoiding the early debates, in which each candidate only had a sliver of the television time, and especially the inflated Iowa straw poll.

When Perry finally stepped into the limelight, however, for all the careful preparation to put his best foot forward, he managed to put it in his mouth. A couple of off-the-cuff remarks drew immediate news-media criticism and likely public skepticism.

First there was his stumbling observation that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's printing more money to cope with the debt-limit crisis was almost "treasonous." The remark flirted with McCarthy-like attacks on the patriotism of others, a favorite refuge of many past political scoundrels. Perry's post-mortem quasi-apology only reinforced the gaffe.

Then came his cookie-cutter tough Texas cowboy warning to Bernanke (implied, not said) that if he came to the Lone Star State he would get a pretty "ugly" reception. It was a mild recollection of George W. Bush's swaggering call for Osama bin Laden's hide "dead or alive."

Perry's introduction to the national public brought to mind the gag about the big, bragging Texan who died, was given an enema, and was buried in a cigar box. Like many other politicians from his home state, he seems unaware that coming from the formerly largest state in the Union is not always seen as a merit badge by Americans from elsewhere.

This is revealed especially in the early reaction to Perry's candidacy in some other quarters, that three Texans in the White House in the last 20-plus years may be at least one or two too many. Although the tall, strapping and movie star handsome Perry would not be mistaken for George W. ambling out of the old corral, the same vibes can be felt by those voters receptive to the comparison.

A prime challenge for Perry is to divert all this anti-Texas chatter and to focus on his job-creation record as the longest-serving current governor in the nation, which statistically has been impressive. Critics who credit the state's thriving oil and other energy industries for Texas' unemployment rate, now one point below the national rate, only remind voters that Perry still has a better record than President Obama in putting Americans back to work.

In any event, presidential candidates often have troublesome experiences of their own in staggering out of the starting gate. Political aficionados will remember how another western cowboy -- Gary Hart, boots and all -- launched his campaign for 1988 by accusing his competitors of resurrecting talk of his alleged womanizing. In so doing, he stepped on his own well-prepared opening message, and the ball continued rolling downhill, pushed indelicately by disclosures of his behavior.

Many other presidential hopefuls have hindered their campaigns with early self-inflicted verbal gaffes. Mitt Romney only the other day responded to a voter's challenge about corporate campaign contributions by observing that "corporations are people, too," in an echo of the Supreme Court's ruling opening the campaign money floodgates to big-business giving.

In recent memory also were the national introductions of Sarah Palin in 2008 and of Michele Bachmann this year, both marked by factual misstatements that only fed skepticism about their knowledge and experience to tackle the immense challenges of the presidency.

The old caution not to judge a book by its cover is a sage one but not always observed in American politics, where a steak's sizzle can be more immediately impressive than its later flavor. Candidates often have to learn the hard way to measure their words, as well as what they see when they look in a mirror, as they start selling themselves to the voters.

Twitter: @ihavenet

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