28.7
2.15-2011: ,
Later Y’all; Bev Takes Her Leave
Ashleigh Phillips, Editor-
image via indyweek.com
On January 26, Governor Bev
Perdue announced that she would
not seek re-election, fearing that an
other campaign would only further
politicize the public education fight
with Republicans. Perdue, North
Carolina’s first female governor,
narrowly won the gubernatorial race
in 2008, after President Obama’s
surprise victory in her state. But
once in office. Perdue faced a cam
paign finance investigation and
unfavorable poll numbers that led
fellow Democrats to worry about
how she’d help Obama win North
Carolina again in 2012. Now that
it’s 2012, Purdue’s taking her exit
and leaving her office wide open in
a state that’s so important to Obama
that the Democratic National Con
vention is being held in Charlotte
this September.
It seems that Perdue was ill-fated
for her governorship from the begin-,
ning. When Perdue found herself in
Raleigh, she faced disapproval over
airline flights she’d taken during
her campaign that she didn’t intially
record on required campaign filings.
Not only did she face investigation
but also the recession had ravaged
North Carolina with an unemploy
ment rate higher than the national
average. So in 2009, Perdue, a
former school teacher who had run
her campaign on improving North
Carolina’s public school systems,
raised the sales tax rate by a penny
and made deep cuts in educa
tion and health care. Additionally,
the landmark 2010 elections gave
Republicans control of North Caro
lina’s legislature for the first time
since Reconstruction in the 1870s.
Last summer the GOP led legislature
ousted the penny increase sales tax.
In her struggle against the Republi
can legislature, she vetoed numer
ous bills last year.
Crystal Sumner, class of 2009,
looked forward to having Perdue
as her governor. But like many in
North Carolina, her initial excite
ment subsided. Sumner states, “Be
cause Perdue was a former school
teacher and education has always
been one of her platforms, I hoped
that she would help with classroom
size, teacher salaries and better
technology to make North Carolina
one of the best states in the na
tion to obtain an education.” It’s no
surprise that during her time in of
fice, Perdue’s approval ratings have
been unfavorable. This is especially
crucial in regards to Pat McCory,
the Republican opponent that she
barely defeated four years ago in
North Carolina’s closest gubernato
rial race since 1972. According to
Aaron Blake in his article North
Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue Won’t
Seek Re-Election published in the
Washington Post on January 26, “a
poll conducted for Perdue’s cam
paign just before Christmas showed
her trailing McCrory by six points,
though her approval rating had
risen to 45 percent.” Former Char
lotte mayor, McCrory, was gearing
for a rematch with Perdue this year
before her decision, which caught
many by surprise. Dr. Clyde Fraizer,
Meredith political science professor,
states, “Nobody saw that coming. I
think everybody assumed she was
going to run.” In Bev Perdue Retir
ing, published in the Huffington
Post on January 26, Gary D. Rob
ertson writes that it’ll be the first
time in North Carolina that a sitting
governor has failed to get elected
to a second term since “voters gave
chief executives authority to succeed
themselves in the 1970s.”
“Nobody saw
that coming.
I think everyone
assumed she was
going to run.
Several candidates have heard
McCrory’s challenge. Lt. Governor
Walter Dalton has announced he’s
running, as well as Democratic State
representative Bill Faison and for
mer Representative Bob Etheridge.
Former State Treasurer Richard
Moore, who lost to Perdue in the
2008 primary, says he’s also consid
ering joining the race. Regardless of
who’ll vie for the Democratic nomi
nation, there’s no doubt that Per
due’s decision has stirred up North
Carolina’s Democratic party. Anna
Beavon Gravely, class of 2011, thinks
“her exit intends on strengthening
the Democratic Party.” Further
more, Sumner comments,“Because
there will be a new Democratic
candidate, it will hopefully energize
Democrats and make the race more
contested.”
After Perdue announced her exit,
Obama offered support in a state
ment: “For over 25 years, she has
fought for the people of the Tar Heel
state - working to transform the
state’s public schools, improve the
health care system, protect and at
tract jobs for members of the mili
tary and their families, and create
the jobs of the future” (Robertson).
With Obama’s blessing, Perdue
plans to focus on the state’s educa
tion for the remainder of her tenure.
At 65, Perdue will be taking it easy
while she is going down in the his
tory books as North Carolina’s first
female govenor.
With this legacy it’s disappointing
for Perdue to leave this way. Emily
Hawkins, class of 2013, explains:
“Women constantly fight against
stereotypes of sexuality, stupid
ity, and such, so they must be very
smart, very modest, and very confi
dent.” Women struggle to succeed
in the man’s world of American
politics. While other countries have
had female presidents, America
hasn’t even had a female presiden
tial nominee. Even though Hillary
Clinton did become Secretary of
State, she did so in a time when
Americans met and said goodbye
to other female politicians such as
Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and
Christine O’Donnell. Now Clinton
has expressed that she’s ready to get
out of politics, too. As we say good
bye to Perdue, Fraizer says it best,
“In a way it’s good that she can walk
away from it with a modicum of
dignity.” Even though Perdue’s time
is up, at least she can bow out with
some class.
IN THIS ISSUE...
State & Local: Chris Cassidy, Drunk Driving, Bobby Montoya Joins Girl Scouts, Commencement Speaker Responses
Arts & Entertainment: Rebecca Rants, Style Stalker, Ask Gigi, Life Its Own Self
Campus Life: Confessions of an NFL Fanatic, Open House Hours and Alcohol, Campus Elections Results
OpmiOTi; Welcome to College, Whines and Gripes