The Daily Show is back from vacation, and they opened with Rick Perry's fall from grace in Republican primary polls and the attacks on Mitt Romney's Mormon faith.
But according to the Governor's wife, Anita Perry, the real reason for Governor Rick Perry's decline is something much more insidious.
ANITA PERRY (10/16/2011): We are being brutalized by our opponents in our own party. So much of that is, I think they look at him because of his faith.
OK, two things. #1, where are you? You know what's crazy about that painting behind her? I bet if you remove Anita Perry, there is a picture of a woman who looks exactly like her already standing there!
And #2, Republicans are brutalizing Rick Perry because of his faith?! Yes, no one gets it worse from the base of the Republican Party than evangelical Christians. Or as they're also known, the base of the Republican Party.
But at least some evangelicals are fighting back, like First Baptist Church of Dallas
pastor and Rick Perry supporter Robert Jeffress, who goes in hard on Mitt Romney's supporters.
ROBERT JEFFRESS (10/10/2011): Mitt Romney's a good moral person, but he's not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity.
"I mean, if y'all wanna vote for a cult leader, I'm not gonna...."
That is the sweetest, most good-natured, pleasant shitting on an entire religion I have ever seen in my heart.
"Bless his heart, yeah, he deserves to be in Hell, but certainly on a different floor than Hitler."
Video and transcript below the fold.
Last we left off, I believe Rick Perry's entrance into the Please Don't Make Us Vote for Romney Republican Presidential primary race had shaken things up, as Perry, before he ever uttered a word, shot to the top of the field. Unfortunately, running for President does require a good deal of word uttering, which Perry's done on four separate debate occasions.
RICK PERRY (9/22/2011): Is it the Mitt Romney that was on the side of, against the Second Amendment, before he was for the Second Amendment? Was it, was before, he was before the social programs....
So close! Thus, almost completely not helping the win for losing the... before he was winning, now he.... "Hey, who wants to see me electrocute a guy?"
By the way, I don't know if you noticed in the poll there, but almost all of Perry's support appears now to have gone to Herman Cain, because again, and I cannot stress this enough, nobody likes Mitt Romney. Nobody. He is like the Republican Party's ultimate safety school.
"Well, we're not gonna get into Harvard, and University of Texas looks like a stretch, so... hello Glassboro State! Go Fightin' Fallbacks!"
So why is it that Rick Perry, who's basically a 200 lb. bag of choice cut Grade A Republican id, droppin' like a cow pie? Is it his mangled debate performances? Possible. Questions about his less-than-pristine record as Governor of Texas? Perhaps. The fact that his family's long-time hunting facility was formerly called N.... It had the name nnnn... It had the nnnnnnnnn.... nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.... It had....
HERMAN CAIN (10/2/2011): I know that you're refraining from saying that word ... the name of the place is called "Niggerhead".
Thank you, Black Walnut.
But according to the Governor's wife, Anita Perry, the real reason for Governor Rick Perry's decline is something much more insidious.
ANITA PERRY (10/16/2011): We are being brutalized by our opponents in our own party. So much of that is, I think they look at him because of his faith.
OK, two things. #1, where are you? You know what's crazy about that painting behind her? I bet if you remove Anita Perry, there is a picture of a woman who looks exactly like her already standing there!
And #2, Republicans are brutalizing Rick Perry because of his faith?! Yes, no one gets it worse from the base of the Republican Party than evangelical Christians. Or as they're also known, the base of the Republican Party.
But at least some evangelicals are fighting back, like First Baptist Church of Dallas
pastor and Rick Perry supporter Robert Jeffress, who goes in hard on Mitt Romney's supporters.
ROBERT JEFFRESS (10/10/2011): Mitt Romney's a good moral person, but he's not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity.
"I mean, if y'all wanna vote for a cult leader, I'm not gonna...."
That is the sweetest, most good-natured, pleasant shitting on an entire religion I have ever seen in my heart.
"Bless his heart, yeah, he deserves to be in Hell, but certainly on a different floor than Hitler."
JON STEWART: So is the country ready for a Mormon President? Or should mainstream Republican Christians still view Romney with suspicion? For more, we go to Samantha Bee and Wyatt Cenac. Nice to see you guys. Let me just start here. Wyatt. I'm gonna start with Wyatt.
SAM BEE: Wait, I'm sorry, just a second here. Why is Wyatt "Team Normal"? OK, that implies that Mormons aren't normal.
WYATT CENAC: Please, it's just semantics. I'm not sitting here complaining that your shirt doesn't say "Team Cult" on it.
SAM BEE: OK, we are not a cult. Mormonism is a proud religion founded by a great man who was guided by the Angel Moroni to golden plates buried in upstate New York that he placed in the bottom of a hat where he read them using a seer stone.
WYATT CENAC: Cuuuuullllllttttttt!!!!
SAM BEE: Oh, right, from the guy who believes that Jesus could walk on water and heal the sick with his magic fingers.
Yeah, but Mormons believe that too.
SAM BEE: Oh sheepwhiskers! You're right.
WYATT CENAC: Of course I'm right. We all know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem after being conceived by the Virgin Mary and the Holy Ghost.
SAM BEE: Well, that is just common sense.
JON STEWART: Actually, not everybody....
WYATT CENAC: And we all agree that he rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven.
SAM BEE: Yes, and then he returned to Missouri.
WYATT CENAC: Cult! That's culty!
SAM BEE: No!
JON STEWART: All right, I think I found the problem here. I have found the problem.
Neither of you has an issue suspending your disbelief about any of the stories in the New Testament, but Wyatt, you seem thrown off by some of the more eccentric tweaks that Mormons have made to the story.
SAM BEE: Oh, look who's talking! The guy whose people think it's normal to hang out in someone's living room and watch a guy with a beard cut off a baby's penis while everyone eats pound cake!
SAM BEE & WYATT CENAC: Cuuuuullllllttttttt!!!!
WYATT CENAC: I have a beard, and I wouldn't let me anywhere near the baby.
JON STEWART: Let me just say this. In my defense, it's just the tip. And the cake is incredibly moist. There's, uh... this is beside the point. What we want to get to is simply this. What are we dealing with the Mormon thing here? It really seems like you guys agree on the basics.
WYATT CENAC: Magic underwear!
SAM BEE: OK, go fudge yourself, Wyatt!
JON STEWART: Sam, I realize Mormons aren't supposed to swear, but is that the best you can come up with, "fudge yourself"?
SAM BEE: Yes it is, Jon, because I'm too exhausted since I can't drink fucking coffee, OK?
WYATT CENAC: Haha, you swore! You swore!
SAM BEE: Oh, why don't you blow it out your ass, you cornhole sucking motherf.....
JON STEWART: OK, guys, calm down! What I'm trying to say is, should being Mormon disqualify you from the Presidency? I mean, you both believe in Jesus, right?
SAM BEE & WYATT CENAC: Yes.
JON STEWART: So as long as a Republican candidate believes in the basic tenets, you know, I am the way, the truth, and the light. No one comes through the Father except through me.
(Sam and Wyatt murmur approval)
JON STEWART: Let the one amongst you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone.
WYATT CENAC: You're right. You're so right.
SAM BEE: We are fighting about such silly stuff.
JON STEWART: Exactly. If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven.
SAM BEE: OK, slow down there, chambermount.
JON STEWART: The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.
SAM BEE & WYATT CENAC: No.... no, no, no, no, no.
WYATT CENAC: What kind of Occupy Wall Street shit is that?
SAM BEE: Um, yeah, no. I'm pretty sure that Jesus was a free market guy.
JON STEWART: Well guys, I am just quoting scripture.
SAM BEE & WYATT CENAC: Cuuuuuuuuullllllltttttttt!!!!!
JON STEWART: Samantha Bee and Wyatt Cenac, everybody. We'll be right back.
Jon then looked at the latest in the Occupy Wall Street protests before talking with Ellen Schultz about corporations ripped off their employees' pensions.
Meanwhile, Stephen looked at the
spread of the Occupy Wall Street protests and
mocked Florida Republican Ritch Workman's plan to create jobs by legalizing dwarf tossing.
Then, Stephen noted his Super PAC has a new
commercial about the NBA lockout, which may or may not have been influenced by Mark Cuban, who may or may not be an anonymous donor to Stephen's new 501(c)4, which may or may not have then transferred a huge pot of that money to his Super PAC.
Stephen then talked with
Harry Belafonte.