Better, But A Bit Short Of "Fabulous"

By John Hood
Carolina Journal Online

RALEIGH – Tuesday’s night gubernatorial debate at WRAL-TV gave Democrat Beverly Perdue a valuable chance to recover from weak performances in two previous debates against Republican Pat McCrory. Perdue did show some improvement. She didn’t seem as overprepared as last time, and her answers came more naturally. She didn’t try to force prepared soundbites where they didn’t fit, and didn’t seem to get as rattled. There was even some welcome bits of humor, such as when she criticized a Republican Governors Association ad for casting an actress to play her who lacked a suitable hairstyle.

But, let’s face it, face-to-face debates are just not Perdue’s friend.

I still find this turn of events surprising, given her long tenure in the North Carolina General Assembly. Anyone who has watched her run legislative committees or preside over the state senate knows that she is fully capable of expressing herself effectively and asserting herself commandingly. But put her in a TV studio with Pat McCrory, and the best the Perdue camp seems to be able to hope for is that the hour will pass quickly without too many mishaps.