The Obama Diary

Justin Elliott (Salon): Here’s an interesting tidbit from Rick Perry’s past to keep an eye on. In the mid-1990s, the presidential candidate owned stock in a video rental store chain whose hardcore porn offerings drew the ire of conservative groups, according to a 2006 report on a liberal Texas blog. That item was resurrected by several liberal web sites this week.

Burnt Orange Report, a site founded by a Democratic activist, reported in 2006 that Perry’s 1995 financial disclosure showed he owned between $5,000 and $10,000 in stock in the company Movie Gallery. He was at the time state commissioner of agriculture.

Why is that significant? Because the now-defunct Movie Gallery, once a competitor to Blockbuster, was known for offering XXX porn rentals along with conventional Hollywood fare….

Ironically, it was the social conservative crusaders at the American Family Association - the very group that helped organize Perry’s stadium prayer rally this month - who spent years on an anti-porn campaign targeting Movie Gallery….

…. Perry’s stock holdings were put in a blind trust in 1996, so what he has owned since that year is not publicly known ….1995 was a long time ago, but never underestimate how intensely social conservatives in places like Iowa abhor porn… it’s not beyond the realm of imagination that it could become a real headache…..

Full post here