This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedantam.

In 2011, the race for US President was heating up.

Near the front of the pack on the Republican side was Rick Perry.

His odds look promising.

He had been governor of Texas for more than a decade

and the previous Republican President, George W. Bush,

had also been a Texas governor.

Rick Perry's poll numbers were competitive

and he had amassed an impressive war chest.

His core themes of shrinking government and cutting spending

were popular with many Republican voters.

Tonight, we are here in the great state of Michigan

for a debate that will focus almost exclusively on the economy.

On November 9th, Rick Perry appeared on stage in Rochester, Michigan,

along with seven fellow candidates.

It was a live, televised debate, watched by millions.

The moderator asked a question about what the candidates would do in office if elected.

But to factor the matter is, we better have a plan in place

that Americans can get their hands around.

And that's the reason my flat tax is a-

Rick Perry launched energetically into a description of the actions he planned to take as President

and his sweeping plans to slash the size of government.

...