Toward the middle of former Texas Governor Rick Perry's presidential announcement speech, a listener could be forgiven for thinking the TelePrompTer had been switched out. All of a sudden, Perry was speaking the language of populist critics of Wall Street, people like Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
"The American people see a rigged game, where insiders get rich, and the middle class pays the tab," said Perry. "There is something wrong when the Dow is near record highs, and businesses on Main Street can’t even get a loan. Since when did capitalism involve the elimination of risk for the biggest banks while regulations strangle our community banks? Capitalism is not corporatism. It is not a guarantee of reward without risk. It is not about Wall Street at the expense of Main Street."