Rick Perry: Not “Man Enough” to Be Governor?

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Via The Dallas Morning News

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There’s nothing like questioning a candidate’s manhood to score political points. A new ad from a Democratic anti-Perry group calls the Republican Texas Governor out for not being man enough to face his opponent in an open debate—despite repeated invitations from the Democratic contender Bill White—or meet with newspaper editorial boards. Paid for by Back to Basics PAC, which has run several anti-Perry ads, the ad features a photo of Perry with the word “coward” in giant letters emblazoned across it. “Tell Rick Perry to stop cowering and face Texans like a man,” the ad says at the bottom.

The full-page ad, which ran in Texas newspapers today, is a blatant effort to drain some of the cowboy swagger from a governor who’s bragged about carrying a gun on the job. But with Perry currently leading White by 8 points in the latest polls, I’m not sure a machismo contest will really do the trick.