Rick Perry is standing by his remarks about Fed Chair Ben Bernanke’s “ugly” reception in Texas should he enact “treasonous” expansionary monetary policies before the election.
“He is passionate about getting federal finances under control,” Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan told the New York Times in an interview. “They shouldn’t print more money, they should cut spending and move much more rapidly to a balanced budget.”
Perry has come under fire, even from some fellow Republicans, for his intimidating talk against Bernanke.
“I know there’s a lot of talk and what have you about if this guy prints more money between now and the election,” Perry said in Iowa on Monday. “I don’t know what y’all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas.” He added that it would be “almost treasonous” to print money ahead of the 2012 election to help boost the recovery.
But as his spokesman’s affirmation suggests, there is political upside as well: a fight over the Fed could be difficult territory for the more Wall Street friendly Mitt Romney.
Benjy Sarlin
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun.
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