Art Pope Responds
2012-02-06 - by
Following is an email from Art Pope responding to my blog post yesterday. I reprint it here in full, and I appreciate Art responding – and reading:
Gary, I realize that in your blog you are simply reporting a story “going around,” and not vouching that it is true.
Please let me assure you, it simply is not true that I told Governor Perdue “that she was facing a nasty campaign, that he [Art Pope] would spend heavily to beat her and that her husband and son might be targets.”
Governor Perdue and I have been personal friends since we served in the North Carolina House, and on several committees together, back in 1989. While of course she is a Democrat and I am a Republican, and we respectfully disagree on many issues, we have maintained that friendship. Though we rarely see each other these days, it is not unusual for us to say hello when we are at the same Carolina basketball games. Indeed, at the Carolina-Miami game, while I was talking to another person, the Governor came up to me to say hello. We had a very brief conversation, and as a private conversation I am not going to repeat it. It is unfortunate that some who may have observed the greeting, and do not understand that Republican and Democratic political opponents can still be personal friends, chose to use this as an opportunity both to further demonize me and create a a villain to blame for the Governor’s decision not to run for re-election.
But again, for the record, I did not threaten Governor Perdue as stated in the story “going around.” And for the record, I did not participate in, much less start and lead, the booing at half-time! As I have said before, I will say again, I get far too much credit, or blame, depending on your perspective, than I deserve.
Art Pope Responds
2012-02-06/
Following is an email from Art Pope responding to my blog post yesterday. I reprint it here in full, and I appreciate Art responding – and reading:
Gary, I realize that in your blog you are simply reporting a story “going around,” and not vouching that it is true.
Please let me assure you, it simply is not true that I told Governor Perdue “that she was facing a nasty campaign, that he [Art Pope] would spend heavily to beat her and that her husband and son might be targets.”
Governor Perdue and I have been personal friends since we served in the North Carolina House, and on several committees together, back in 1989. While of course she is a Democrat and I am a Republican, and we respectfully disagree on many issues, we have maintained that friendship. Though we rarely see each other these days, it is not unusual for us to say hello when we are at the same Carolina basketball games. Indeed, at the Carolina-Miami game, while I was talking to another person, the Governor came up to me to say hello. We had a very brief conversation, and as a private conversation I am not going to repeat it. It is unfortunate that some who may have observed the greeting, and do not understand that Republican and Democratic political opponents can still be personal friends, chose to use this as an opportunity both to further demonize me and create a a villain to blame for the Governor’s decision not to run for re-election.
But again, for the record, I did not threaten Governor Perdue as stated in the story “going around.” And for the record, I did not participate in, much less start and lead, the booing at half-time! As I have said before, I will say again, I get far too much credit, or blame, depending on your perspective, than I deserve.