Rick Perry

Rick Perry (2017)

James Richard "Rick" Perry (* 4. March 1950 in Haskell County , Texas ) is an American politician of the Republican Party . From December 2000 to January 2015, he was governor of the state of Texas.

From August 13, 2011 to January 19, 2012, he applied to be his party's candidate for the November 2012 presidential election .

From June 4, 2015, he tried this for the presidential election in November 2016 . On September 11, 2015, he was the first of the then 17 Republican presidential candidates to step down.

Since the beginning of March 2017 he has been director of the Department of Energy as energy minister in the cabinet of Donald Trump . He resigned on December 1, 2019.

Youth and education

Rick Perry was born the younger of the two children of (Joseph) Ray Perry and his wife Amelia (née Holt) on a ranch in Haskell County about 100 kilometers north of Abilene , Texas. The farm was founded by his great-great-grandfather, D. H. Hamilton, after the end of the American Civil War . He was one of the first family members to get college education. In 1968 he enrolled at Texas A & M University and graduated there in 1972 with a bachelor's degree animal sciences from (Animal Science). After completing his bachelor's degree, Perry was a pilot in the United States Air Force until 1977 . He toyed with the idea of ​​working as a pilot for Southwest Airlines , but eventually returned to his parents' farm in Paint Creek.

Political career

Texas House of Representatives

In 1984 Perry was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives. He stood - at that time still for the Democratic Party - in the 64th electoral district, which included Haskell County. He was re-elected twice (always to the Democratic Party) and served in the Texas House of Representatives for a total of six years. During his time in the Texas House of Representatives, he was a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Calendars Committee .

Change to the Republican Party

In September 1989, towards the end of his third term in the Texas House of Representatives, he joined the Republican Party .

Agriculture Commissioner

Perry decided not to run a fourth time for a seat in the House of Representatives, but ran in 1990 for the office of agriculture commissioner (for example: Commissioner for agriculture). He competed against the Democrat Jim Hightower , who had held this office since 1983, and won - not least because three of Hightower's subordinates were involved in a corruption affair during the election campaign. In the next election in 1994 he was confirmed in office with 61.9% of the vote and held it until 1998.

Texas Governor

Perry speaking in June 2009

Rick Perry in March 2014

In 1998, Perry decided not to run a third time for the office of agriculture commissioner , but to run for the office of lieutenant governor . He narrowly triumphed over the Democratic candidate - his former college friend John Sharp - and in January 1999 became the second most senior official in Texas after Governor George W. Bush . He held this office until December 2000. After Bush was elected 43rd President of the United States in November 2000 and had given up his governorship, Perry was promoted to governor by legal successor in December 2000. The elections in 2002, 2006 and 2010 confirmed him in office. As the first ever Texas governor, Perry was re-elected twice and has the longest term in office of any Texas governor.

On July 8, 2013, Perry announced that he would not run for re-election as governor in November 2014 . His mandate ended in January 2015. The previous Attorney General Greg Abbott was elected as the new governor .

2012 presidential candidacy

On August 13, 2011, Perry announced his candidacy for Republican candidacy for the November 2012 presidential election .

While Perry was once considered the Republicans' most promising candidate, he quickly lost approval when, during a live televised debate, he could not remember one of the three ministries that he would have wanted to abolish alongside the Ministry of Commerce and Education . It would have been the Department of Energy . In December 2011, he appeared in a short election commercial called "strong" accusing President Barack Obama of waging a "war on religion." He criticized homosexuals in the military being allowed to openly profess their sexual orientation, while American children were forbidden to celebrate Christmas in school. The commercial was rated by parts of the press as a failure because it led to a number of parodies and sometimes biting ridicule.

On January 19, 2012, after primary elections in only two states, Perry announced his withdrawal from the running for the presidential candidacy because there were "no more options for him in this year's election campaign". Previously, Perry had participated in what observers referred to as a "mud battle" among Republican candidates. After retiring as a presidential candidate, he supported Newt Gingrich's candidacy . After he gave up, Perry announced his support for Mitt Romney in April 2012 .

Legal dispute 2014

On August 16, 2014, a Texas grand jury charged Perry with alleged abuse of office. The case was dismissed by the Texas highest criminal court in February 2016 after a lower court denied trial.

Perry has been accused of abusing his authority by vetoing public funding of an anti-corruption unit ( Public Integrity Unit ) under District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg in Travis County . The amount denied by the veto was $ 7.5 million. This was preceded by a dispute between Perry, in his capacity as governor, and District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, who belonged to the Democratic Party. After Lehmberg admitted that she had received a penalty for driving under the influence of alcohol, the governor asked her to resign. Lehmberg had not complied with this. Perry then announced his veto against the release of funds for Lehmberg, stating that he could not release state funds to someone who had lost the public's trust.

Perry pleaded not guilty. His supporters saw the allegations as politically motivated, and some Democrats described them as weak. Perry was acquitted on all charges in February 2016.

2016 presidential candidacy

On June 4, 2015, in Addison, Texas, Rick Perry announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential run. On September 11, 2015, he withdrew his candidacy. In January 2016, Perry announced his support for Texas Senator Ted Cruz .

Political positions

death penalty

Since the death penalty was reinstated in the United States in 1976, 500 death sentences have been carried out in Texas (as of June 27, 2013) - far more than any other state in the United States. In the first eleven years of Perry's inauguration, from December 2000 to November 2011, a total of 236 executions were carried out.

In August 2007 , on the eve of the 400th execution in Texas since the reintroduction , the EU Council Presidency, headed by the European Council , José Sócrates , appealed to Perry “to do everything to ensure that executions are postponed and to consider a moratorium on death sentences”. A spokesman for Perry, Robert Black, immediately and vehemently rejected the EU's criticism of the death penalty, among other things by pointing out that “230 years ago [...] our ancestors waged a war in order to abandon the yoke of a European ruler liberate to achieve freedom and self-determination ”and forbade the EU to interfere in state affairs.

Executions per year during his tenure:

year	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
number	17th	33	24	23	19th	24	26th	18th	24	17th	13	15th	16	10

Gun possession

Perry is valued by the American gun lobby, especially the National Rifle Association (NRA). He holds a concealed handgun license (CHL) and has signed various laws promoting such licenses.

abortion

In 2005, Perry signed an abortion law that restricts late abortions and requires girls under eighteen who want to have an abortion to inform their parents.

homosexuality

Perry is also known for his conservative views on homosexuality . He condemned the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Lawrence v. Texas , sodomy ban as a violation of the Fourteenth Annex to the United States Constitution, and defended homophobic laws as appropriate.

He supported Texas Proposition 2 of 2005, which amended the Texan Constitution to define marriage only as the union of men and women and prohibit laws that recognize "any legal status similar to marriage" for other associations included. However, after New York State legalized same-sex marriage in 2011, Perry justified it by referring to state law, set out in the Tenth Appendix of the Constitution. However, a Perry spokesman later corrected this note, citing Perry's support for the constitutional prohibition (amendment) on same-sex marriages, which would remain in effect. A change to the amendment would require approval from three-quarters of the states.

In Perry's first book, On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts are Worth Fighting For ( My Honor: Why are the American values of Scouting worth defending ), which was published in 2008, he drew a parallel between homosexuality and alcoholism; While he is not an expert in plant-or-environmental root cause research , homosexuals should simply choose a life of abstinence.

In his campaign for the presidency in 2012 Perry criticized the abolition of the principle in question nothing, nothing tell ( English Do not ask, do not tell ). In a nationally broadcast commercial, he criticized the fact that homosexuals in the army were allowed to openly profess their sexual orientation.

Development aid as a tool against countries that do not grant homosexuals full rights would - according to Perry - not be in America's interest.

As a scout of the Eagle rank , Perry demanded from the American boy scout organization Boy Scouts of America the continuation of the exclusion of homosexuals and accused the USA of not doing all the honors of the boy scout ideals.

Perry called homosexuality a "fashion trend" and "popular culture".

Climate change

Perry is considered a climate change denier . He has rejected many scientific findings on global warming and rejects the scientific consensus on man-made warming. In 2011, he compared the small minority of researchers who deny man-made climate change to Galileo Galilei , who was persecuted by the Catholic Church for his correct scientific knowledge. He accuses climate researchers of manipulating data in order to get research funds. In 2010, he accused climate researchers, who explained the existence of climate change, of lying, because they actually knew that the trend of the past few years was showing a slowdown. He described climate protection measures that he believed could jeopardize economic prosperity as "nonsense". Rather, it is a "secular carbon cult".

Religious Beliefs

Rick Perry represents beliefs of the religious right .

State and religion

He grew up in the United Methodist Church environment , to which his family belonged. Since 2010 he has regularly attended the evangelical Megachurch Lake Hills Church . According to Perry, he believes in the consistency of the Bible . On August 7, 2011, he called for a service in Houston , at which 30,000 of his followers prayed for the salvation of the United States. On the occasion of a century of drought and extensive forest fires, he organized days of prayer. He described the economic crisis as "God's way" to bring his compatriots "back to the principles written in the Bible."

Perry has ties to the "Seven Mountains" Dominionism . This theological position teaches that the church is called to take control of seven sectors of society: family, religion, arts and entertainment, media, government, education, and business. With that in mind, Perry assumes that President Trump was God sent to lead the United States. In 2019, he told the news magazine Fox & Friends that neither Barack Obama nor Donald Trump could have become President of the United States without God calling them to do so.

Intelligent design

Perry describes himself as a staunch supporter of intelligent design . He is of the opinion that this should be taught in schools alongside the theory of evolution . In addition, local school authorities and teachers should be able to determine the content of the curriculum.

Foreign policy

Turkey

The Turkish government complained in January 2012 about Perry's statement that Turkey was being ruled by "Islamist terrorists". Perry had said that Turkey was ruled by people who many would perceive as Islamic terrorists ("what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists").

Iran

In 2011, Perry told CNN that he would assist Israel in a military strike against Iran in the event of a presidency if there was clear evidence of nuclear weapons possession in Iran.

Private

Perry has been married to the nurse Anita Thigpen (born May 5, 1952 in Haskell, Texas) since 1982. The marriage resulted in a son (* 1983) and a daughter (* 1986).

Fonts

• Rick Perry: On My Honor: Why the American Values ​​of the Boy Scouts are Worth Fighting For . Stroud & Hall, February 2008, ISBN 978-0-9796462-2-5 . (on the positive influence of the Boy Scouts of America and criticism of the ACLU )
• Rick Perry: Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America from Washington . Little, Brown and Co., 2010.

Web links

Commons : Rick Perry  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Rick Perry in the nndb (English)
• Rick Perry in the National Governors Association (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Texan governor enters the election race, on ARD Tagesschau ( Memento from September 5, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Spiegel-Online August 13, 2011: US presidential election 2012. Rick Perry wants to challenge Obama
3. ↑ ^{a b} US presidential candidate Perry: The first Republican throws down. In: Spiegel Online . September 12, 2015, accessed September 12, 2015 . 
4. ↑ fsi./dpa/AFP: Rick Perry no longer wants to be president. In: FAZ.net . September 12, 2015, accessed September 12, 2015 . 
5. ↑ Rick Perry confirmed as US Secretary of Energy . In: Die Zeit , March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
6. ↑ n-tv NEWS: US Secretary of Energy Perry resigns . Retrieved October 18, 2019 . 
7. ^ Statesman February 9, 2011: From farm to politics, Perry follows in family footsteps
8. ↑ NNDB: Rick Perry
9. ↑ With the Bible and Job Wonder - Perry wants to go to the White House on tagesschau.sf.tv, August 13, 2011, accessed on August 14, 2011.
10. ↑ ^{a b} Biography ( Memento of the original from February 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at rickperry.org (accessed August 14, 2011). 
11. ^ Statesman February 9, 2011: From farm to politics, Perry follows in family footsteps
12. ^ House of Representatives (of Texas): (Current) Appropriations Committee
13. ^ House of Representatives (of Texas): (Current) Calendars (Procedural) Committee
14. ^ Statesman February 9, 2010: From farm to politics, Perry follows in family's footsteps
15. ↑ The Texas Tribune July 14, 2011: Rick Perry: The Democrat Years
16. ^ Statesman February 9, 2011: From farm to politics, Perry follows in family footsteps
17. ↑ Texas Department of Agriculture home page
18. ↑ Jim Hightower - Homepage - Bio
19. ↑ Houston Chronicle November 20, 1993: Three ex-aides to Hightower are sentenced
20. ^ Statesman February 9, 2011: From farm to politics, Perry follows in family footsteps
21. ↑ NPR.org (English).
22. ↑ Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he won't run again. In: USA Today , July 9, 2013.
23. ↑ FAZ.net [1]
24. ↑ Rick Perry dominates the Republican candidate field. nzz.ch, September 9, 2011, accessed on January 19, 2012 . 
25. ↑ Personal details : Rick Perry. spiegel.de, October 31, 2011, accessed on January 19, 2012 . 
26. ↑ Crude sayings and a fatal "Oops". nzz.ch, November 11, 2011, accessed on January 19, 2012 . 
27. ↑ Der Spiegel: Web mockery for election spots
28. ^ Perry to drop out of the GOP presidential race. foxnews.com, January 19, 2012, accessed January 19, 2012 . 
29. ↑ A cowboy rides home. sueddeutsche.de, January 19, 2012, accessed on January 19, 2012 . 
30. ↑ spiegel.de January 21, 2012: Paradise of dirty tricks
31. ^ Jeff Zeleny, Michael D. Shear: Perry to End Bid for Presidency. The New York Times , January 19, 2012, accessed July 21, 2012 . 
32. ↑ Laura E. Davis: Rick Perry Endorses Mitt Romney. (No longer available online.) Abcnews.go.com, April 26, 2012, archived from the original on July 20, 2012 ; accessed on July 21, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
33. ^ ^{A b} "Texas Court Dismisses Criminal Case Against Rick Perry" Retrieved February 20, 2017
34. ↑ Texas Governor Rick Perry indicted for abuse of power. BBC News, August 16, 2014, accessed August 16, 2014 . 
35. ↑ "Tom DeLay calls Texas Gov. Rick Perry's indictment a 'conspiracy'" , accessed February 20, 2017.
36. ↑ "Even Liberals Think The Indictment Of Rick Perry Looks Weak," accessed February 20, 2017.
37. ↑ Candidate announced: Rick Perry (R). In: 1600 Pennsylvania - The 2016 US Presidential Election Blog , June 9, 2015, accessed June 16, 2015
38. ↑ Rick Perry endorses Ted Cruz , CNN, January 25, 2016 (English)
39. ↑ Weekly magazine Der Spiegel : After the reinstatement of the death penalty 500th execution in Texas
40. ↑ Simon Book, Gregor Peter Schmitz: Der Preis des Kötens , Spiegel Online, July 18, 2011
41. ^ Taz November 4, 2011: Execution in the USA. District judge denies evidence
42. ↑ Huffington Post, October 28, 2011: Henry Skinner Execution Approaches, Rick Perry Called On To Allow DNA Testing
43. ^ The Texas Tribune, September 2, 2011: Visualization: Executions on Rick Perry's Watch
44. ^ EU calls for a freeze on executions in Texas , Spiegel Online, August 21, 2007
45. ↑ "Governor of Texas forbids EU criticism of the death penalty" ( Memento from August 25, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (yahoo! News)
46. ↑ Rick Perry's unwavering support for gun rights Could boost his presidential prospects . Nra-Ila. Archived from the original on September 15, 2011. Retrieved on August 14, 2011.
47. ^ 'Wily' coyote no match for governor's gun . In: Austin American-Statesman . Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
48. ↑ Gov. Perry Signs Bills to Protect Gun Owners' Rights . Office of the Governor Rick Perry - Governor.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on April 4, 2013. Retrieved on August 14, 2011.
49. ↑ Rick Perry Gets A Grade on Abortion From Texas Pro-Life Groups . LifeNews.com. June 10, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
50. ^ Perry calls sodomy law 'appropriate' . In: Houston Chronicle , December 4, 2002. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
51. ↑ Janet Elliott: Same-sex marriage ban wins OK . In: Houston Chronicle , November 8, 2005. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
52. ↑ Jennifer Jacobs: Perry defends gay marriage as states' choice; Santorum takes a swipe . In: The Des Moines Register , July 23, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
53. ↑ Mark Z. Barabak: Rick Perry contorts over same-sex marriage . In: Los Angeles Times , July 28, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
54. ^ Mark Benjamin: Perry Compared Homosexuality to Alcoholism in 2008 Book . In: Time , August 24, 2011. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2011. 
55. ↑ Sam Stein: Rick Perry's Anti-Gay Iowa Ad Divides His Top Staff . In: The Huffington Post , December 8, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2012. 
56. ↑ Comment on the commercial "strong"
57. ↑ Rick Perry Says Human Rights for Gays 'Not in America's Interests'.
58. ↑ Perry Fights Letting Gays in Boy Scouts.
59. ↑ http://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=19160
60. ↑ Trump taps former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to head Energy Department he once vowed to abolish . In: Washington Post , December 14, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
61. ↑ Climate change denier Rick Perry picked by Donald Trump for Energy Secretary . In: The Independent , December 13, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
62. ^ Grace Wyler, The Christian Right Is Back And Ready To Dominate The 2012 Campaign. Retrieved July 10, 2020 . 
63. ↑ Mass service: 30,000 people pray for US salvation
64. ↑ Praying Out Forest Fires and Economic Crises as a Lesson from God , accessed December 16, 2016.
65. ↑ Forrest Wilder: Rick Perry's Army of God. The Texas Observer, August 3, 2011, accessed December 16, 2016.
66. ^ John Haltiwanger: Energy Secretary Rick Perry in a Fox News interview called Trump 'the chosen one' who was 'sent by God to do great things'. November 25, 2019, accessed on July 10, 2020 (German). 
67. ^ Interview, San Angelo Standard Times September 2010.
68. ↑ Felicia Sonmez: Rick Perry debate remarks condemned by Turkish Foreign Ministry . In: Washington Post , Jan. 17, 2012. 
69. ↑ US candidate Perry wants to support Israel in attack on Iran. In: DiePresse.com. November 4, 2011, accessed January 7, 2018 . 
70. ↑ Texasmonthlytalks April 21, 2005: Texas First Lady Anita Perry ( Memento of the original from July 18, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
71. ↑ W. Gardner Selby: In first book, Perry criticizes ACLU and defends Boy Scouts , Austin American-Statesman . February 9, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2008.