Quitting Time
2012-01-30 - by
In politics, you’re never beaten until you give up. Governor Perdue is now officially beaten.
She proclaims she’ll keep fighting and she’s no lame duck. She apparently gave a rousing speech to the Sanford-Hunt-Frye dinner. Still, she’s laying down her sword and walking off the field of battle.
No doubt she feels beat up: beat up by campaign investigations, beat up by the Republican legislature, beat up by carping Democrats and former supporters, beat up by the media.
No doubt she didn’t want to risk being the first North Carolina governor to lose a race for reelection.
From that personal standpoint, her decision makes sense. But she had a larger responsibility. And some Democrats feel like she put herself ahead of her responsibility to the party, the state and the progressive cause.
After all, Democrats nominated her to be their candidate for governor four years ago. And a Democratic tide carried her into office.
In 2000 and 2004, Democrats nominated and elected her to be lieutenant governor.
Didn’t she have a responsibility to stand and fight against all the evil things she says the Republicans are doing?
Doesn’t she put Democrats in a hell of a spot now? Another Democrat won’t have her baggage, but they also don’t have her head start raising money. Every dollar they raise from now to May will go into the primary. After that, the winner will have to reload quickly against a Republican opponent who has a four-year head start.
Worst of all for some Democrats, Perdue proved that Bill Faison was right when he predicted she wouldn’t run.
No matter what she says, she’s a lame duck. She still has the veto, but wavering Democrats won’t have to worry she might be in power another four years.
Spin it how you will, giving up is giving up.
Quitting Time
2012-01-30/
In politics, you’re never beaten until you give up. Governor Perdue is now officially beaten.
She proclaims she’ll keep fighting and she’s no lame duck. She apparently gave a rousing speech to the Sanford-Hunt-Frye dinner. Still, she’s laying down her sword and walking off the field of battle.
No doubt she feels beat up: beat up by campaign investigations, beat up by the Republican legislature, beat up by carping Democrats and former supporters, beat up by the media.
No doubt she didn’t want to risk being the first North Carolina governor to lose a race for reelection.
From that personal standpoint, her decision makes sense. But she had a larger responsibility. And some Democrats feel like she put herself ahead of her responsibility to the party, the state and the progressive cause.
After all, Democrats nominated her to be their candidate for governor four years ago. And a Democratic tide carried her into office.
In 2000 and 2004, Democrats nominated and elected her to be lieutenant governor.
Didn’t she have a responsibility to stand and fight against all the evil things she says the Republicans are doing?
Doesn’t she put Democrats in a hell of a spot now? Another Democrat won’t have her baggage, but they also don’t have her head start raising money. Every dollar they raise from now to May will go into the primary. After that, the winner will have to reload quickly against a Republican opponent who has a four-year head start.
Worst of all for some Democrats, Perdue proved that Bill Faison was right when he predicted she wouldn’t run.
No matter what she says, she’s a lame duck. She still has the veto, but wavering Democrats won’t have to worry she might be in power another four years.
Spin it how you will, giving up is giving up.