Some Whores of Babylon are so deserving of the title we don’t even know where to begin in listing their accomplishments.

Take Texas Gov. Rick Perry. (Please.)

Elected the state’s first Republican lieutenant governor in 1998 — on the same arch-conservative wave that swept former President and failed serial entrepreneur George W. Bush into the statehouse — Texas’ “Gov. Goodhair” ascended to the state’s highest office in December 2000 when, despite repeated promises to the contrary, Bush left midway through his first gubernatorial term to assume the

presidency. As Bush’s handpicked successor, Perry won re-election twice: in 2002 and 2006. He has said he plans to run again in 2010.

Oddly, the man who now enjoys a reputation as one of the country’s most conservative Republicans was elected to his first term in the Texas legislature as a Democrat. Five years later, in 1989, he switched parties. Immediately thereafter, he ran for and was elected to the office of Texas Agriculture Commissioner, where he remained until stepping into the governor’s mansion.

Since then, Perry has led the state on a wild ride.

• Although early in his first term he pushed through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, he neglected to insure the program was funded.
• In 2002, he vetoed a ban on executing mentally retarded prison inmates.
• In 2003, he spearheaded the movement to cap medical malpractice awards with a state constitutional amendment (a move wholly coincidental to the amount of campaign contributions he received from insurance and medical sources, we’re sure).
• Also in 2003, Perry was one of the foremost proponents of now-disgraced U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s congressional redistricting plan. Perry called three consecutive special sessions until the legislature approved DeLay’s scheme, which carved up the state’s voting districts into unrecognizable chunks favorable to Republican candidates.
• In 2004, Perry authorized the Texas Enterprise Fund to issue a grant of $20 million in taxpayer monies to Countrywide Financial in return for a promise to create 7,500 new jobs in the state by 2010. Fewer than three years later, the troubled mortgage company, way behind on its promise already, went down in flames and was acquired by Bank of America.
• A notorious “tax waffler,” Perry has both supported increases in spending on education and actively worked to prevent equitable distribution of funds to poor districts.
• An evangelical Christian, Perry repeatedly has come under fire for insensitive remarks elevating Christianity above all other religions.
• He opposes abortion and signed a bill requiring girls younger than 18 to notify their parents if they are considering the procedure.
• He is outspoken in his belief that homosexuality is a choice and homosexuals are due no “special protection” under the law.
• In 2007, he signed an executive order requiring Texas girls be vaccinated with the anti-human papilloma virus drug Gardasil. HPV is one known cause of cervical cancer. Gardasil, manufactured exclusively by Merck, is expensive at $360 a dose. News reports have linked Merck and Perry financially. Thirty-six Texas women died after receiving the vaccine.
• Perry is the lead proponent of the Trans-Texas Corridor, a $145+-billion project that is part of a multi-national effort to link Canada, the U.S. and Mexico via a superhighway system. The Texas portion will be financed partially by tax monies and wholly operated under a 50-year contract by the Spanish company Cintra, which will collect tolls on the corridor. The project is at the center of a heated battle over imminent domain in Texas.
• Perry fast-tracked permitting and limited public comment on environmentally sensitive utility construction contracts. He has said greenhouse gas regulation in the state would have “devastating implications” for the economy due to impact on the energy industry.
• Perry is an outspoken critic of President Barack Obama’s administration, particularly the administration’s handling of economic issues. He turned down approximately $555 million in stimulus money because he said acceptance of the funds would have placed Texas too far under the thumb of the federal government.
• Perry has been criticized for allegedly secessionist remarks he made on two occasions in April. In both cases, Perry’s words were interpreted to indicate strong support for Texas to leave the Union.
• According to an investigative report in the Dallas Morning News, “Perry has accepted nearly $5 million in political campaign donations from people he has appointed to state boards and commissions since taking office in 2000.” Because he has served in the office longer than any previous governor, Perry has appointed someone to virtually every appointment-subject office in the state.

May 2009 Winner: Rick Perry

Perry will have the honor of remaining on our homepage in the Spotlight section for the remainder of May. We do not recommend throwing tomatoes at the screen. However, we’ve found a small shoe works quite nicely.