911
July 16, 2010 - by
One of the hardest things to do in politics – when a “crisis” comes at you every day, or every hour – is to recognize when you face a truly defining moment.
Governor Perdue faces one now with the Highway Patrol. How she handles it could determine the course of her governorship – and whether she gets reelected.
It’s human nature to minimize a crisis, to believe you’ve got it handled, to convince yourself it will go away.
One of Bill Clinton’s great political skills was his ability to sniff out looming trouble. He would start ranting and raving at his aides, forcing them to confront the issue. Often as not, his instincts were right.
President Obama lacks that skill. His rise was too smooth, and his experience too short. That’s why he missed the health-care uprising August – and was slow to respond to the BP spill.
Governor Perdue can’t make the mistake of believing that her press conference solved her Patrol problem. She may have exacerbated it by declaring she had never intervened in promotions. She can expect the N&O to dig into whether that’s true.
This story isn’t going away. She has to put it away.
Posted in General, North Carolina - Democrats
911
July 16, 2010/
One of the hardest things to do in politics – when a “crisis” comes at you every day, or every hour – is to recognize when you face a truly defining moment.
Governor Perdue faces one now with the Highway Patrol. How she handles it could determine the course of her governorship – and whether she gets reelected.
It’s human nature to minimize a crisis, to believe you’ve got it handled, to convince yourself it will go away.
One of Bill Clinton’s great political skills was his ability to sniff out looming trouble. He would start ranting and raving at his aides, forcing them to confront the issue. Often as not, his instincts were right.
President Obama lacks that skill. His rise was too smooth, and his experience too short. That’s why he missed the health-care uprising August – and was slow to respond to the BP spill.
Governor Perdue can’t make the mistake of believing that her press conference solved her Patrol problem. She may have exacerbated it by declaring she had never intervened in promotions. She can expect the N&O to dig into whether that’s true.
This story isn’t going away. She has to put it away.
Posted in General, North Carolina - Democrats