Perry Delivers Tough & Controversial Words to Fed Chair Ben Bernanke

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has only been a GOP presidential contender for a few days, but he's already sparking controversy.

On Monday, he delivered some tough words to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke -- words that some of his critics find less than appropriate. The Huffington Post has the quote from Perry, who was speaking in Iowa:

"[If Bernake] prints more money between now and the election, I don't know what y'all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas."

Then, he went on to say that the act of printing more money would be "almost treasonous." Watch these comments below in a video captured by ThinkProgress:

The comments have drawn ire from liberals and conservatives, alike. ThinkProgress predictably picks apart Perry's comments, writing that he "appeared to suggest a violent response would be warranted should...Bernake 'print more money' between now and the election."

NYU economics professor, Nouriel Roubini, though, took a much harsher approach. On his Twitter feed, he called Perry a "thug" and compared his tactics to Lenin's (yes, the Russian revolutionary):

Tony Fratto, a former member of the Bush Administration, while not as harsh in his assessment, was also less-than-pleased with Perry's commentary on Bernake. He Tweeted the following:

The Blaze reached out to Fratto via Twitter, asking him to elaborate on why, exactly, he sees Perry's comments as un-presidential utterings. He responded:

Clearly, Fratto believes that Perry crossed the line. ABC News has more regarding what Perry said following these controversial comments:

“We’ve already tried this. All it’s going to be doing is devaluing the dollar in your pocket and we cannot afford that. We have to learn the lessons of the past three years that they’ve been devastating. The President of the United States has conducted an experiment on the American economy for almost the last three years, and it has gone tragically wrong and we need to send him a clear message in November of 2012 that new leadership is  coming.”

But, his statements on the Fed didn't end there. In a follow-up interview, Perry was asked if he believes the Federal Reserve has been playing politics to assist the president. His reply?

“If they print more money between now and this election, I would suggest that’s exactly what’s going on.”

Despite the response, it's likely that this situation will rapidly blow over. Still, it's further evidence that candidates must be careful concerning how they market and package their ideals. One comment that is left unexplained may lead to a plethora of opposition.

(h/t The Huffington Post)