Perry blasts felony indictment as ‘outrageous’; Press stresses the indightment without reporting on the merits

Jonathan Chait at NY Magazine;   This Indictment Of Rick Perry Is Unbelievably Ridiculous
"The conventions of reporting —  which treat the fact of an indictment as the primary news, and its merit as a secondary analytic question —  make it difficult for people reading the news to grasp just how farfetched this indictment is."

Via Drudge   "A defiant Rick Perry on Saturday went on the offensive one day after being indicted for allegedly abusing his power with a controversial veto, denouncing the charges as “outrageous” political theatrics and predicting he will prevail over “those who would erode our state’s constitution and laws purely for political purposes.”

 

The Volokh Conspiracy:   Is the indictment of Texas Gov. Rick Perry inconsistent with a Texas Court of Appeals precedent (as to the ‘coercion’ count)?

... "Even without Hanson, it seems to me, the statute — as understood in the indictment — is unconstitutionally overbroad. It would, for instance, punish clearly protected speech such as, “If you Legislators enacts a bill with this language rather than the version I like, I will veto it,” since that too would be “threat[ening]” “to take … action as a public servant” by vetoing the bill in “attempt[ing] to influence” legislators in “specific performance of [their] official duty,” namely drafting and enacting legislation. But Hanson strikes me as even more clearly authoritative on the matter." 

 

Legal Insurrection; Rick Perry indictment looks, walks and quacks like political power play    "The criminalization of routine politics only seems to apply to Republicans."
...
"Rick Perry and Texas Republicans, on the other hand, have a video of the “embattled” DA and head of the Public Integrity Unit belligerently wasted and strapped to a chair, demanding special treatment from a sheriff named Greg:"
 

"At least for now, I think it’s obvious who’s winning the narrative in red Texas.

"Travis County itself is notoriously liberal, but you have to wonder just how bad it must be for Battleground Texas and their democrat friends statewide, if they’re forced to bank all expectations on a political play that’s almost certain to fail."

But liberals will do anything to defend their drunks – remember Ted Kennedy?

 

... "She got a 45-day jail term, – served about half of it, – and refused to resign her office.

 

"The alleged ‘criminal activity’ Governor Perry engaged in was threatening to line-item veto her office funding if she didn’t resign.

G

"overnors across the land routinely threaten to veto bills and budgets."