The Midday Brief: Sept. 8, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "There appears to be little love lost between the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, and the longtime Texas representative Ron Paul. As these photos show, during an ad break in the middle of the Republican presidential debate, Perry appears to have given Paul a piece of his mind, with the Texas governor above making a forcible gesture to Paul while gripping his wrist." — Rick Perry and Ron Paul get intense during Republican presidential debate, The Guardian
  

• "Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s contention in Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate that the entitlement program amounts to a giant 'Ponzi scheme' has reignited long-simmering questions about the sustainability of the program. That’s because Perry spoke about the program in terms that many Republicans — even those who consider themselves members of the tea party — have been hesitant to repeat." — Rick Perry and his Social Security problem, The Fix

• "If there was any doubt about what Mitt Romney thought was the most significant moment of Wednesday night’s debate, an e-mail from his campaign should clear that right up.  The subject line of the e-mail — 'RICK PERRY: RECKLESS, WRONG ON SOCIAL SECURITY' — says it all." — Romney Hits Perry Again on Social Security, The New York Times

• "While Social Security was all the talk, it's the fuller Texas picture under the leadership of Perry — the longest-serving governor in that state's history — that ultimately may have as much resonance with a national audience seeing him for the first time Wednesday. And who will see him again Monday when the eight GOP presidential candidates debate in Florida." — Perry's Debate Debut Suggests Texas-Sized Hurdles Ahead, NPR

• "On the surface, though, his example seemed to illustrate the opposite of the point that Mr. Perry might have been trying to make. Galileo, whose astronomical observations confirmed the Copernican theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun, was basing his assertions on empirical knowledge and faced opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, which supported the Ptolemaic view of an Earth-centered universe." — Divining Perry's Meaning in 'Galileo' Remark, The New York Times

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "While Gov. Rick Perry may be well known in Texas, far-flung media outlets must find ways to introduce him to their audience now that he is playing on the national stage. Most follow the same script — but not the latest effort out of Taiwan." — Rick Perry Gets the Taiwanese Animation Treatment

• "Gov. Rick Perry repeated a familiar claim at the GOP debate: Texas' border cities, he said, are unsafe because the federal government has failed to secure the U.S.-Mexican border. But are they?" — Fact-Checking Perry's Claims About Border Violence

• "The Innocence Project is urging the Forensic Science Commission, meeting today, to forge ahead with its investigation of the Cameron Todd Willingham case despite a ruling from the state’s top lawyer that seemed to limit the panel’s authority." — Forensic Panel Urged to Continue Willingham Arson Probe

• "El Paso's Democratic state representative on the media's portrayal of her hometown, why the grassroots is key to making gains for her party, and why she thinks immigration legislation will hurt Gov. Rick Perry on the campaign trail." — Naomi Gonzalez: The TT Interview