| Viewing Single Post From: Blog and Media Roundup - Sunday, June 28, 2009 | |
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| abb | Jun 28 2009, 05:00 AM |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1586614.html Published: Jun 28, 2009 04:44 AM Modified: Jun 28, 2009 04:45 AM Gov. Beverly Perdue, right, greets Linda Karolak at the N.C. Federation of Business and Professional Women. Gov. Beverly Perdue with guests at the N.C. Federation of Business and Professional Women conference. Gov. Beverly Perdue speaks with her press secretary, Chrissy Pearson, before a speech. Perdue has been more visible lately, trying to explain the state's economic predicament to constituents. SHAWN ROCCO, Staff photos by Shawn Rocco Hard times, tough luck for Perdue The governor's approval plummets as the state's economy worsens and she proposes raising taxes. BY ROB CHRISTENSEN, Staff Writer RALEIGH - Nearly six months after taking office, Gov. Beverly Perdue's political honeymoon is over. Perdue has been politically whipsawed from the left and the right. Teachers, state employees and advocates for the poor have taken to the streets, upset about state budget cuts and furloughs. Conservatives, outraged over her proposal to raise taxes by $1.5 billion, have taken up protest signs. Their anger has taken a toll on Perdue, to the point that she is now among the nation's most unpopular governors. Comparing polls assessing the performance of governors is imprecise at best, but apparently only three governors -- Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, David Paterson of New York and Jim Gibbons of Nevada -- have lower job-approval ratings than Perdue. In response, Perdue has hit the campaign trail again, hoping to revive an administration that has been battered by the state's worst fiscal crisis in generations. In rallies across the state in recent days, Perdue has called for tax increases to avoid deep cuts to public schools. She has also sought to reinvigorate North Carolina's progressive spirit, reminding voters just how far the state has come from its humble roots. At times, she compares herself to former Gov. Terry Sanford, an icon for Tar Heel liberals, who raised taxes to improve public education. She said criticisms of her leadership should be viewed in the context of the times. "The economy has collapsed around our people," Perdue said in an interview. "I've been governor for five and half months. I've had furloughs. I've had to do things no other governor has done before to pay the bills. It is what it is. There will be better days." It is unclear how Perdue's call for sacrifice will play with an increasingly surly public, angry over an 11.1 percent unemployment rate, a record $4.7 billion budget shortfall and a raft of investigations of Democrats in the state capital (none of them involving Perdue's administration). Perdue has taken a series of austerity measures to keep state government operating for the year ending June 30. And she has proposed some tough medicine to help close a shortfall for the fiscal year that begins Wednesday. Most governors across the country have sharply dropped in popularity after making politically difficult choices to cut government programs, lay off state employees or raise taxes. But few have fallen as far as Perdue. Perdue's job approval rating since she took office in January has fallen from 60 percent to 30 percent, according to Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning firm based in Raleigh. The poll found that 54 percent disapproved of the job she was doing, while 17 percent had no opinion. Other recent polls have shown her approval rating only slightly higher. At former Gov. Mike Easley's lowest ebb during the 2002 recession, he dropped to a 40 percent approval rating. But the 2002 recession was not as deep as the current economic crisis, and the budget measures Easley took were not as severe. "She faced a deficit in our state that is unheard of,'' said Senate leader Marc Basnight, a Democratic ally. "She had to make reductions that were very, very unpopular. She knew when she talked to me that this was going to cause a great deal of pain for people who are now employed in this state, particularly the teachers." Perdue, who was elected governor with the strong support of the N.C. Association of Educators, the influential teachers' advocacy group, has seen her biggest falloff in support among teacher and state employees. The decision to cut a half percent of pay for teachers at the end of the school year hit a political nerve - partly because it was delivered at the last moment by a political ally. Her support among self-described liberals has dropped from 66 percent to 46 percent, said Tom Jensen, a Democratic pollster. She is the only governor in the country for whom a majority of voters of her own party do not approve of the job she is doing, Jensen said. "Our members have been very angry about that and many continue to be angry about that," said Sheri Strickland, president of the state's largest teachers organization. "They felt like the governor is someone we worked very hard to elect.'' Perdue has sought to remedy that in recent days by holding rallies in Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte, Asheville, Wilmington and Greenville to garner support for a $1.5 billion tax increase, which she argues is needed to prevent teacher layoffs and not increase the number of children in each classroom. The rallies were mainly attended by teachers, but their reaction was often subdued. "I think she's just trying to make sure we're not totally mad at her," Bonnie Stebnicki, a preschool teacher, said at a rally in Greenville. "Teachers are the ones who stood out in the rain for her for all those hours [at the polls]." Conservative critics, meanwhile, say Perdue's proposal for new taxes is the wrong medicine in a struggling economy. They say that Perdue sometimes acts as if she is, in the words of state GOP chairman Tom Fetzer, politically "tone-deaf.'' "It is hard to believe Governor Perdue is serious about cutting wasteful state spending when she jets off on a taxpayer-funded, five-city 'Tax Hike Tour' in a state airplane,'' Senate Republican leader Phil Berger, an Eden lawyer, said at a news conference last week. Perdue dismissed the criticism as routine politics. "One day I was criticized for not doing anything and the next day I was criticized for doing too much," Perdue said. "It just doesn't matter. "What matters to me is that we move this state forward. I didn't run to have political battles. At the end of the day, I'm going to stand up for kids." Mac McCorkle, a 2008 Perdue campaign adviser, said Perdue's problems must be viewed in the context of governors getting hammered across the country. If Perdue's numbers are worse, McCorkle said, it is only because she is a new governor. "I think she is being punished for things largely beyond her control," he said. "She couldn't raise taxes in this fiscal year. She didn't have that option. When people start seeing her values and priorities, I think you see some of the base voters come back." Perdue took office in January with a flurry of activity and a new openness that stood in marked contrast to her predecessor, fellow Democrat Mike Easley, who was secretive and kept public appearances at a minimum. "I think she is doing a good job," said Dana Cope, executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina. "As long as she shows up and makes public appearances and is engaged with taxpayers, that is about 70 percent more than Governor Easley did." Perdue seemed less visible as the budget debate shifted to the legislature during the spring. When Perdue made the news, it was usually to announce another belt-tightening measure. "When she goes out and plants the flag, my perception is she does pretty well,'' said Gary Pearce, a veteran Democratic strategist in Raleigh. "But she had this mystifying period when she was off the radar screen.'' Adding to Perdue's problems is that she entered office without a strong mandate. During a Democratic landslide year, she struggled to defeat Republican Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. "She won in large part because of a big Obama turnout," Pearce said. "She does not have the personal popularity that President Obama has. Her popularity is much more related to her policies and budget situation.'' Perdue remains optimistic about the state, describing the current economic crisis as a speed bump on the road to prosperity. But some say North Carolina's image has suffered, with the state now struggling with an unemployment rate that is more akin to the Midwestern Rust Belt states such as Michigan. "There is a widespread perception of a sudden and massive reversal of fortunes," said John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank in Raleigh. "To be confronted with the realization that we have one of the worst-performing economies in the country has probably come as a shock." Hood said Perdue is also suffering from the multiple investigations into Easley, a former Democratic governor, and his use of free cars, a favorable real estate deal and the hiring of his wife by N.C. State University. "Is it entirely fair to hold the current governor responsible for the misdeeds of the past governor?" Hood asked. "No. But it's very common. She is governor at a time when the previous Democratic governor seems to be taking a PR hit every morning. I do not think she had done nearly enough to separate herself from the previous one.'' Senate Democratic leader Tony Rand of Fayetteville warns against reading too much into Perdue's predicament. When the economy is going badly, she gets disproportionate blame, he said, and when it turns around she will get disproportionate credit. "The lesson,'' Rand said, "is don't get elected when the bottom is falling out.'' Staff writer Kevin Kiley contributed to this report. robc@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4532 |
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| Blog and Media Roundup - Sunday, June 28, 2009 · DUKE LACROSSE - Liestoppers | |
9:45 AM Dec 5
