Secession: Texas Governor Rick Perry Flip Flops on Secession After WH Online Petitions

Earlier this week, reports surfaced that citizens from 18 states have petitioned the Obama White House for consideration of a "peaceful withdrawal" from the United States. 

Among the Americans who want out, on the wake of President Obama's reelection, are more than 60,000 citizens from Texas. However, Governor Rick Perry discouraged those online secessionists by insisting he won't give the movement more traction than what it has gotten so far.

Perry, who unsuccessfully ran for president during the 2012 Republican primary, and even fanned the flames of secessionism trying to court the more extreme elements of the Tea Party in 2009, sent his spokesperson — Catherine Frazier — to tell CBS News that even while the governor "shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government," he "believes in the greatness of our Union and [that] nothing should be done to change it."

The governor's reversal may respond to the conciliatory tone the GOP is adopting after having been defeated by President Obama and the Democrats during last week's election. After decrying what Comedy Central's John Stewart would call "Democalypse" (the demise of America by the liberal policies of Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (R-Nev.)), humbled Republicans -- such as Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner (R-Ohio) -- have shown an apparent change of heart on everything from taxes to immigration, after the resounding victory of the president. 

However, outside of Washington, the country seems more divided than ever as some Americans have taken to the White House's "We the People" website to sign online petitions asking the president to secede from the Union in an increasingly notorious online uproar that has sparked ominous reminders of the Civil War era. 

To date, the Texas secession petition has over 80,000 signatures (25,000 are the minimum required to be considered). And though other 30 states, including West Virginia, South Dakota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Alaska, California, and New York, have signed similar petitions, only the Lone Star State and Louisiana have reached the threshold for their petitions to be channeled by the White House.