Another example of the Republican leadership bragging about their willful ignorance of their constituents' plight, this time from Texas governor Rick Haircut...sorry, Perry.  He is right, of course, that Texas has faired better than many states -- relatively high oil prices have buoyed its energy economy, and it managed to avoid the worst of the housing bubble (for which I am envious).  Nevertheless, it also has unemployment that, at 8%, is very high relative to its past performance.  And I know from direct personal knowledge, as well as cold hard facts, that Texas has one of the worst social safety nets in the country.  A social safety net that Gov. Haircut Perry has been eager to make unreliable at every turn in his zeal to cut taxes in one of the least taxed states in the country.

Unlike Steve Benen, I'm not convinced Perry's recession gaffe will cost him the election.  His rival in the GOP primary, Sen. Hutchison, will inevitably be pulled to the right by the primary Base voters.  It's more likely they'll end up in a "recession, what recession" contest.  And the chances of Texas Democrats fielding a promising candidate are never worth betting the farm on.  Finally, Haircut Perry is a pretty talented politician, as well as a talented pretty politcian.

But the "recession" crack provides another data point of Republican leadership pleased as punch with their status and condition and insensitive to others.  Perry is all up in arms about the threat to Texas sovereignty posed by federal stimulus funds, but he's positively jocular about whether this here phantom recession has adversely impacted any of the people who might actually vote for him in the coming year.