I went into last night's Republican debate thinking Perry was the one and I came out feeling stronger than ever that he truly is their man.

Since President Barack Obama was elected and inaugurated, the Far Right Republicans, now known as the Tea Party, have been spoiling for a fight. This country went through hell under President Bush but not a peep was heard from them. They agreed with everything he did and said and they loved his tough guy stance. Now they have in Perry who is way worse than Bush and they love it.

They want someone who will manifest all their crazy, pent-up fury against this President and they have found it in Perry. He will not back down. He will not apologize. He shows no empathy. He shows certainty and self-confidence. He is white, Southern and unabashedly proud. He is the complete polar opposite of the man they live to hate: Obama.

Democrats do themselves an injustice if they laugh at or dismiss this man. He is playing to win and in this crazy political climate he can. Oh, yes he can!!!

The RepubTeaParty know that this election will cement everything they have ever dreamed of. The Supreme Court is at stake, Affirmative Action is at stake, Brown v Board is at stake, Abortion Rights are at stake. Collective Bargaining, Social Security and Medicaid are at stake. Right down the line this election brings us to a fork in the road with regard to policy, politics in this country. If Democrats came away from that debate and still think they can stay home and not turn out just to hurt President Obama, they got it wrong. They will only hurt themselves for years to come and President Obama will go home and still be a millionaire with a great wife, children and family and tremendous financial opportunities ahead of him. He will still get healthcare for the rest of his life, live in the best places here and anywhere in the world he chooses. President Obama will be fine. We will not.

Last night's debate cemented, for me, the urgency of the time we are in. It made much clearer that the moment we are in should not be wasted on petty slights and contrived hurts. This is not a board game. This is a reality show that is all too real for those who will be collateral damage once it is over.

President Obama has made some mistakes in the way he addressed some issues with regard to the RepubTeaParty. But this does not mean he is not a Democrat. He just believes that people should be civil, kind and caring to others. He believes he should be President for all Americans. He believes in empathy, in hope and in the goodness of his fellow man/woman. Yes, he clearly underestimated their hate. Yes, he thought they would be reasonable. This is what a person with a compassionate and caring heart would think. But on the other side of all that is group of people who truly do not see him as a legitimate human being. If they did, they would not treat him like an animal with rabies. Their hate is irrational and out of bounds and it appears to have consumed them.

Perry won that debate last night as far as I am concerned. He won because he qualified for what they want him to do. The RepubTeaParty want a straight shooting (literally), straight talking, give-em-hell-without-sissying-out kinda guy and Perry is it.

Perry is their nominee and Democrats better wake up and prepare for the fight to come. It will not be pretty. President Obama up against him on tv screens all over the country will give them what they want and he will take it to the President big time. I and many like me have full confidence that our President can meet the challenge but there are those who do not feel he can.

One thing I have learned about this country since moving here is that Americans like good looking, strong, politicians who say what they mean and mean what they say and look good on tv. Perry has a lot of dumb and wrong ideas but he puts them fourth with swagger and he will be the man to beat.

Don't think he cannot become President. He can. If you doubt that you are not living in reality show America where we got President Bush for 8 years. Anything can happen in this election and we should expect the unexpected.

Republicans deserve Perry as Nominee but the country as a whole do not deserve him as President. Will the country wake up in time to see what is really in front of them? We can only hope.