Not only are Rick Perry’s political views highly questionable, but the man has a habit of saying the absolute wrong things at the wrong times. The latest example of his word garbage comes in the form of some comments regarding the shooting in Charleston.
During a recently televised interview, the presidential hopeful referred to the tragic event as an “accident.” Here’s a transcription of what Perry said, per Right Wing Watch:
“This is the MO of this administration, any time there is an accident like this — the president is clear, he doesn’t like for Americans to have guns and so he uses every opportunity, this being another one, to basically go parrot that message,” Perry said.
Instead of talking about guns, Perry said, we should be talking about prescription drugs: “Also, I think there is a real issue to be talked about. It seems to me, again without having all the details about this, that these individuals have been medicated and there may be a real issue in this country from the standpoint of these drugs and how they’re used.”
To reiterate: Perry labeled the hateful and violent killing of nine black people in a historic church something of a mishap, an “unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally,” per the dictionary’s definition. And, instead of talking further about guns, or even just more critically examining the shooting and the larger issue of racism, he changed the subject to — of all things — prescription drugs.
After receiving much backlash on social media for his comments, a representative for Perry later issued a statement saying that Perry had actually misspoke. Said adviser Lexi Stemple, “When watching the entire interview, it’s clear from the context of his comments that Governor Perry meant incident.” Is it really that clear? Sure, sure…
(Via Esquire and Right Wing Watch)