News8Austin is also reporting this, but it's just repeating what is said below. It does confirm that the organization has been looking into the rumors and found no evidence, just like the other news outlets.
Governor speaks out on marital rumors
Gov. Rick Perry, speaking out for the first time about a widely circulated rumor about his personal life and professional future, said Thursday that he has been targeted by "an obvious, orchestrated effort" launched by political foes.For almost two months, variations of the rumors have swirled around the Capitol, been repeated among friends across the state, been investigated by reporters from around the nation, been gossiped about in Washington and been posted on Web sites that harbor political ill will toward Republicans in general and Perry in particular.
In almost all versions, the main theme has been the same: Perry, caught in an act of infidelity, is headed for divorce from wife Anita, who has moved out of the Governor's Mansion. The rumors also say Perry will resign.
Perry said it's all false.
"This thing got up to a critical mass," he said, acknowledging that the rumors have spread far wider than he has ever seen political gossip travel."I don't think a rumor can just get to critical mass by itself," he said. "I think you have to have a well-thought-out, organized effort to disseminate that kind of information and keep it going day after day after day after day."
After weeks of declining to have Perry personally address the rumors, the governor's staff approached the American-Statesman this week and said Perry wanted to respond. In mid-February, Perry referred questions about an interview on the topic to press secretary Kathy Walt. At the time, she said Perry would not respond to unsubstantiated rumor.
Throughout, the governor's staff has branded the rumors as false. Perry himself denied them on camera when asked about them Feb. 17 by a San Antonio television station, which didn't air the question or Perry's response.
Perry declined to point fingers at a particular political foe - and he has some in both parties - but had harsh criticism for Texas Democratic Party Chairman Charles Soechting, who referred to the rumors at a recent political rally.On Feb. 24 in Houston, at an event featuring then-presidential candidate John Edwards, Soechting was one of several speakers called on to kill time as Edwards ran late.
Several hundred people were in the cafeteria at Houston's Stephen F. Austin High School as Soechting, after making generic political rally comments, referred to an event earlier that day in which a dozen people, carrying signs such as "It's OK to be gay, guv," stood outside the Governor's Mansion and encouraged Perry to address rumors about his sexuality.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Soechting told the Democratic audience in Houston, "I ask you to stay tuned. There's a lot of things happening in Texas. For those of you that know, there's a lot of stuff happening at the state Capitol. And you're going to be excited when you learn more and more about it. So I wish I could tell you more, but I think if you've got someone sitting next to you (who) knows what's going on, just get them to whisper it to you.
"How many of you all know? Raise your hands up. That's right. They had a rally up there in support of the governor today. Some of his friends said, 'Come out, Rick, and we'll support you.' Anyway, it's a good time for us," Soechting said.
Perry said he expects political debate from Soechting. But he excoriated the Democratic chairman for talking publicly about "uncorroborated filth."
Told of Perry's comments, Soechting said: "What crosses the line of everything decent is the utter hypocrisy of Rick Perry injecting his mean-spirited politics into everyone else's personal life while insisting his own personal life is off-limits."What is truly indecent is the state of children's health care, public schools and insurance rates under Perry's regime," Soechting said in a statement issued by the Texas Democratic Party.
The article goes on to mention what I posted about previously: the Austin Chronicle and the Quorum Report both found no substance to the rumors. It also mentions Burnt Orange Report (possibly the main driver of the story, and who has responded to the article here), Buzzflash, a man named Jackson Thoreau, MadLife, and Atrios.
Perry had no sympathy for anyone using a we-said-it-was-just-a-rumor defense."What's wrong is they have been a Web site that has denigrated the political process, in my opinion, to a great degree," he said. "If the future of politics is this, the future is dismal and dim for Texas, for America, for the political process."
Copyright 2001-2004 Cox Texas Newspapers, L.P. All rights reserved.
In the end, I don't regret posting on this one bit. If we are to have people with the power to alter our lives by governmental dictate, then those people had better be ready for scrutiny, malicious or not.
UPDATE(8/12/2004 5:00pm)
Turns out the New Jersey Governor, James E. McGreevey, has declared his homosexuality and has resigned.
Getting a spike in search hits for Rick Perry. I wonder if that story will hit the national news?
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Charles Soechting is a good man, I know him personally. No one is perfect and as a newly elected Chair, he would have been wise to wait until Perry came clean himself. But we all should have known Perry would not come clean and that there is a strong power hungary move by the Republicans in Texas to prevent any shameful image since they have strived for power so long. Politics is a mess and I think it is a shame what has been done to Texas. We need good leaders again like Mark White, Ann Richards, and Preston Smith...where it was the issues that were dealt with not fighting between parties. Oh I forgot that's the way it used to be when only the Democrats were in power. Charles Soechting was right in pointing out that the economic failures of this administration should be the real focus- that was our attitude when Clinton faced similar problems and Soechting was right for remembering the real issues as well.
Posted by: Randy Ortega on March 8, 2004 09:31 PM