Governor Rick Perry has been coy about his plans for 2016 leaving the door open for a second presidential bid but remaining noncommittal.
His epic flameout in 2012, one supposes, might be written off as a fluke. The man who had never lost an election was overly confident and thus under prepared. He'll study up this time, practice his lines a little more, figure out where to buy one of them pneumonic devices.
The American voter thinks otherwise. Public Policy Polling, a nonpartisan, highly respected outfit, just released its survey of the possible 2016 presidential field, and Perry does not do well.
Out of 18 potential candidates, both Democrat and Republican, Perry has the highest unfavorability rating by far. PPP is kind enough to note that some of his competitors -- say, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer or New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez -- are relative unknowns on the national stage and thus elicit a high percentage of "not sure" responses. But Perry is in a class by himself, with an "abysmal" -28 approval rating.
The numbers would seem to send a clear signal that the governor would be wise not to venture back onto the national stage. Then again, there's plenty of time between now and 2016. We can't wait to see what Perry decides.
