That’s the most charitable explanation I can think of for this.
Corndogs and second bananas
Former Gov. Rick Perry, who had called Donald Trump a “cancer on conservatism,” is now endorsing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Perry, a former candidate who had backed U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas until he dropped out Tuesday, gave Trump his endorsement in an interview Thursday with CNN.
“He is not a perfect man,” Perry told the network. “But what I do believe is that he loves this country and he will surround himself with capable, experienced people and he will listen to them.”
Perry also said he would consider serving as Trump’s running mate. “I am not going to say no,” he told CNN.
[…]
Endorsing Trump is a remarkable turnaround for Perry. The former governor was the first member of the GOP field to attack Trump, delivering a speech in July that labeled Trump anathema to the GOP.
“He offers a barking carnival act that can be best described as Trumpism: a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense that will lead the Republican Party to perdition if pursued,” Perry said at the time.
He said more than that, but hey, it’s not like anyone was paying attention, am I right? I don’t care much for Erica Greider, but I agree with her on one thing, and all of these Texas Republicans who are endorsing Donald Trump, including Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick, have forfeited any right to talk about “principles”. I don’t know how much of a problem that will be in real life for them – reading Greider, one gets the impression it will be a bigger deal down the line – but I’m happy for it to be their problem and not ours. More from the Trib here.