Can Perry unify the GOP?

Opinion: August 22, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Within days, Rick Perry has reshaped the GOP presidential contest, which should tell his opponents how good a campaigner our governor can be.

But here’s the larger question: Can he become what he has not been in Texas?

Some see Perry as the candidate who can unite the GOP’s business wing with its social conservative wing. As the thinking goes, Michele Bachmann could attract social conservatives; Mitt Romney could capture business-oriented Republicans. But who could appeal to both factions, as well as the tea party types whose main thrust is limited government?

Social conservatism won’t be difficult for Perry. Through events like the recent prayer rally in Houston, he has linked himself enough to their agenda to satisfy many social conservatives. Some dislike his 2008 backing of Rudy Giuliani, but Perry’s no social liberal in disguise. The West Texan’s cultural tradition doesn’t lead that way.

And he should do well with the tea party. Perry’s anti-Washington rhetoric is code for stripping government to the bone.

But if his Texas record is any indication, he might not be the guy to inspire the GOP’s business constituency.

Business’ backing

As governor since 2001, Perry has had business’ backing for his mantra about low taxes and lean regulations, but he has lost some business allies in other ways.

The most recent example of his alienating some Texas business leaders is his embrace of the “Seven Breakthrough Solutions” for higher education. The “solutions” are the brainchild of former University of Texas business professor Jeff Sandefer. Essentially, Sandefer believes research-driven professors should put a greater premium on teaching.

He has a point. Universities should pay ample attention to teaching. I could have benefited from that as a UT student myself.

But Sandefer has launched a holy war against research, and some from Texas’ business community are fighting back. They have formed a coalition to counter Sandefer, governor’s support or no governor’s support. The Washington Post recently ran a front-page story about Perry’s push for Sandefer’s ideas.

Perry also lost backing from some Texas business leaders over his appointments to state boards and commissions. This is a key power of any Texas governor, whose hands essentially are tied by the Texas Constitution. Yet some business leaders complain that Perry has concentrated on cronies and yes-people as university regents.

Finally, Perry’s failure to help create a better school funding system until the courts forced him and the Legislature into action frustrated several business leaders. George W. Bush stepped up to the issue as governor, but Perry dodged it until the end, frustrating business executives who knew Texas needed a better way to fund its public schools.

Larger problem

That lack of enthusiasm for Perry led many in the business community to back Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in her failed primary effort to unseat him in 2010. And the lack of unity behind him symbolizes a larger problem.

Perry has shown little knack for rallying legislators behind a common goal. During one school finance debate, the GOP-led Texas House unanimously rejected his late-to-the-game proposal. There are few examples of Perry getting legislators to work out tough deals.

As governor, Bush didn’t always succeed at deal-making, but he constantly worked with both parties to hammer them out. Not Perry, which brings us back to the intent of our opening question: Could he create common ground if elected president?

I certainly hope so. The country needs the kind of deal-making that another Texan, Lyndon Johnson, excelled at in Washington. We need someone with an ability to get people with different points of view to reach for a greater goal.

President Barack Obama has not succeeded at that part of the job, either, and perhaps Perry could develop the skill as president.

But as governor, he’s been no LBJ.

William McKenzie is an editorial columnist for The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.