Wrong Tools For The Job

By John Hood
Carolina Journal

RALEIGH – Bev Perdue needed a ladder. Instead, she brought a shovel.

Having dug herself deeply into a political hole over the past two weeks on the key issue of offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, Perdue came into Tuesday night’s live television debate with Pat McCrory needing to offer a more coherent position. She needed to explain how she could go from being “100 percent opposed” to drilling off the North Carolina coast just last week to being, well, for drilling this week if Congress and a governmental panel say it’s okay – maybe. And she needed to perform better than in her first TV debate with McCrory back in June.

During the hourlong forum on WTVD, the Triangle’s ABC affiliate, Perdue did herself few favors. Overly programmed with soundbites, she overused some and stuffed others into unrelated topics. After each exchange, her face broke out in her trademark smile. Grins and gentility are worth something in North Carolina politics, but they’re no substitute for a relevant message, expressed clearly and convincingly.

Hard to believe that Bev Perdue has got a good chance in being our next governor. I don't see how Richard Moore lost to her. Last night's debate performance was terrible. According to the reviews, her first debate performance against Pat McCrory was terrible too. They showed clips of the debate last night on the news and she looked like a deer caught in headlights.