Posted on 09/29/2011 4:44:03 AM PDT by abb
Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue has long had a reputation for shoot-from-the-hip remarks that leave her audiences shaking their heads, part of her folksy, I'm-just-a -coal-miner's-daughter persona.
But none of her previous comments hit a political nerve like her startling suggestion this week that Congress suspend its elections next year to concentrate on fixing the economy.
In the connected digital age, her remarks - made in response to an audience question at the Cary Rotary Club and reported online by The News & Observer - leaped across the Internet and were soon the subject of a provocative headline on the Drudge Report, scathing commentary by Rush Limbaugh, and dark warnings in the blogosphere by the conspiratorial minded of the coming of a "Banana Republic."
On Wednesday, Perdue continued to try to walk back her comments, which her staff initially described on Tuesday as hyperbole.
"My point was one of sarcasm," Perdue told reporters in Thomasville. "We really just need to encourage our leaders who are elected to work together and solve America's problems."
She added: "It was taken out of context from my perspective. But honest to goodness, who would think something like that would be said seriously. It's ridiculous to have this kind of discussion about it."
But Republicans and other critics were not going to let her off the hook so easily.
"In light of Gov. Perdue's support for suspending Congressional elections, I want to state clearly, on the record, that I do NOT support suspending our next gubernatorial election," said Republican Senate leader Phil Berger.
"The next time they tell you how stupid Sarah Palin is or Michele Bachmann, just think back to this day and North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue," said Limbaugh, the conservative talk show host.
Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who is expected to challenge Perdue next year, said the governor should admit she made a mistake and apologize. But he now is using the remark to raise money for his forthcoming campaign.
"It's one thing for Governor Perdue to suggest that we should suspend congressional elections as a very odd approach to getting the economy moving," McCrory said. "It's an entirely different thing for the governor to get her staff to cover up her blatant mistake by saying she was joking."
(Perdue's staff never said the governor was joking. The word was used in a headline by some media, including The News & Observer.)
Michael Munger, who as the Libertarian candidate ran against Perdue in 2008, said it was clear that Perdue was not serious and that even if her proposal was nonsensical, she had a valid point.
"The reaction proves her point," said Munger, a Duke University science professor. "Is that what we should all be arguing about? An off-the-cuff remark instead of what we need do to improve the economy and the situation of the country and the state?"
For Perdue this was not her first gaffe. In fact, it was not even her first gaffe that day. Earlier on Tuesday, at an appearance in Raleigh, she referred several times to Raleigh Denim co-founder Victor Lytvinenko as "David."
When Perdue is off script, it is often an adventure. While visiting SAS's solar farm in Cary where sheep graze, she commented to co-founder John Sall: "If we only had that ram, John, we could mate and have fun."
Or while appearing at a state employees health fare, Perdue talked about her decision to give up smoking cigarettes and eating a bag of Doritos at the end of each week when she thought she was having a stroke.
"My head popped open, and I said, 'Dear God, if you let me live, I'll quit.' And I quit. I didn't quit for me. I quit because I thought about my kids not having momma or a daddy."
Or there was the time, when a television cameraman, offered a lascivious "All Right," after Perdue said she would "undress" from the TV microphone that was clipped to her jacket. " I'm an old woman," Perdue said. "You are a pervert."
She has publicly acknowledged in speeches - as she is about to go off script - that her staff has urged her to stay on script. And she runs through communications staff like water - David Kochman, Tim Crowley, Justin Guillory, Pearse Edwards and Chrissy Pearson are all former communications staffers no longer on the governor's staff.
"She is perfectly bright," Munger said. "But she is not quick on her feet. George Bush had the same problem. He was a smart guy but he would sometimes come across as: What in the world is that?"
To enter politics today, one has to have "an absence of self-doubt" and both Perdue and Bush have that, Munger said, allowing them to say whatever is on their mind, when other people might hold back.
When a politician makes a controversial mark, more than anything, speed matters, said Karen Finny, a Democratic strategist and former spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee under Howard Dean, another politician known for speaking out.
"When politicians, in particular, say something off the cuff, whether it's a joke, or they're on a roll and say something, you have to make a quick decision when you hear it ... either clarify what they did mean or it was a joke and put it in the proper context," she said. "That's the reality of the news environment that we live in. Things get posted to the Web. It not only happens quickly, but it's permanent."
Several reporters did not immediately question Perdue about her remarks after her speech at McGregor Downs Country Club.
"It was obviously hyperbole," said communications aide Mark Johnson, who was at the governor's side. "Nobody asked about it at the time."
Several hours went by before the governor's office took steps to clarify her remarks. But by that time, her remarks, after appearing on newsobserver.com, had spread like wildfire over the Internet.
It is a sobering lesson for politicians.
"The worst wounds in politics are always self-inflicted, particularly when things can go viral," said Gary Pearce, a veteran Democratic strategist. "It emphasizes how disciplined politicians have to be. The slightest controversial remark and all of a sudden you have a million hits on the Internet."
Rob Christensen: 919-829-4532
Peter Orszag calls for less democracy, more rule by elite technocrats
Purdue, the NYT, Orszag....all just kidding.
Sad!!! The voters of North Carolina hit on, beat on, rant and comment on this site about the remarks of Gov. bev Purdue to cancel congressional elections next year, when what they should be doing is forcing her to resign or impeach her!!! Folks, this is dicator stuff!!! North Carolina, a state I love, you all asleep at the wheel. Yoru freedom and liberty are in jeopardy and you cannot see the forest for the trees. You all, deserve Herr Obama and Dictator Bev Perdue!!!
I love it when the mask slips off...
This one made it to the North Woods. Quite a stir here at the camp. Glad I left the old north state, these New Englanders are so peeved at Ms PurDoodie.
Ms PurDoodie is far from an incompetent political hack. The battle axe helped nominate Pat McCrory to be her opponent in the 2008 election. By nominating a bozo former mayor of the Big “C” as her opponent she was certain to win and did.
Other former Big “C” mayors from both parties suffered similar fates in the recent past. Gantt and Vinroot come to mind.
Fear not, the NC republican party will figure out how to screw this up so bad that the LOON BAT will carry at least 93 of the 100 counties there.
The NC republican party is guilty of felonious incompetence.
Caddis the Elder
She needs to look up the definition of the word “Sarcasm” in the dictionary, because that wasn’t it.
Lying whore.
LLS
Govnr...YOU LIE!
Oh, come on, voting from the rooftops means voting more than once! (hehe)
She was not kidding. She should be prosecuted for treason.
Will see who picks it up and runs with it.
If that happens, there will be the greatest march on the WH we've ever had.
She is a liar, alright. And not smart enough to come up with that on her own. Follow the trail to find out who thought she would be the one who could get away with floating out there. Find them and hold them as accountable as she should be held. Demand she not destroy any emails or phone records and get them. The way she said it sounded like she was pretty secure in saying it, like she had had discussions about it, not like an off the cuff remark. And for her to say something treasonous like that and then try to play it off like a joke shows she does not have good judgement.
Hey NC!! What are you doing about this? Hellooooo???!! WTF are you doing about this? I hear silence when I should hear the crowd demanding she step down or be removed from office. I can only hope there is some action on this or you deserve her.
The only way she can prove to me that she did not mean this is if she can show me that her family tree doesn’t fork, that there is inbreeding in her ancestry and therefore not responsible for her actions.
Well said, Kindred Spirit!!! Could not have stated it better. Good to know there are still folks in America that will stand up for freedom and liberty. The folks in North Carolina are like sheep being led to the slaughter. Go figure!!!
From the musical “Evita”:
PERON
Dice are rolling, the knives are out
Would be presidents are all around
I don’t say they mean harm, but they’d each give an arm
To see us six feet under ground
EVA
This is crazy defeatist talk
Why commit political suicide?
There’s no risk; there’s no call
for any action at all
when you have unions on your side
WORKERS’ VOICES
Peron! Peron!
CHE
A new Argentina!
The chains of the masses untied!
A new Argentina!
The voice of the people cannot be denied!
INDIVIDUAL WORKERS
Nationalisation of the industries that the foreigners
control
Participation in the profits that we make
Shorter hours
Higher wages
Votes for women
Larger dole
More public spending
A bigger slice of every cake
PERON
It’s annoying that we have to fight elections for our cause
The inconvenience—having to get a majority
If normal methods of persuasion fail to win us applause
There are other ways of establishing authority
“Evita” - Music, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics, Tim Rice
Rush said yesterday this liberal was dead serious. Backtracking on her comment isn’t a surprise. Now saying I was just being sarcasm, is a lie, which is the way liberals try to wiggle out of a dead serious statement.
Bullshit! She meant every word.When it comes to power and the control of others, Democrats never joke. But sh was the choice of the majority of North Carolina voters.
My intelligence tells me that the mianstream media at ABC and the local statewide media in North Carolina want to broom Governor Bev Purdue down the flushing toilet for her remarks. Why? Obama must win NC in 2012 and.....the Obamabots are frightened to death that the Republicans will throw the “Hitler Rule” of dispensing with elections into Obama’s face at every chance they get!!! Not good for Dictator, Obama. Now, if only the Republicans can find a backbone and chase this buffoon idiot out of office, that would send a message to all the kool-aid worshipers in the anti-American Democrat Party!!!
Even if she didn’t mean it, so what? Use it anyway against her and the liberal party
http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/perdues_numbers_low_even_before_gaffe
Perdue’s numbers low even before gaffe
http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/on_fox_news_berger_drops_a_line_against_perdue
Berger responds on Fox News to Perdue’s gaffe
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