Perdue Declines Association of Broadcasters Gubernatorial Debate

If elected will this be the typical conduct of the potential future governor?

July 20, 2008

COUNTY NC NEWS -- The North Carolina Association of Broadcasters has been forced to cancel their gubernatorial debate, which they were planning to sponsor in Asheville on July 20, 2008. The cause? Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue still refuses to participate. Like a highway construction sign blinking "Expect Delays," Perdue has already declined forums at WNCN-TV, the Triad Today show, and two statewide debates on UNC-TV, all without explanation.

Responding to the cancellation, the Elect Pat McCrory for Governor Campaign Manager, Richard Hudson said:

"Apparently, Lt. Gov. Perdue thinks she is above being responsive and accountable to the very people she hopes to represent as governor. The culture of arrogance and inaccessibility that permeates from Raleigh politicians like Perdue is unacceptable. North Carolina deserves a governor who will be accessible to the people and openly discuss his or her positions on the issues that affect our state."

"Pat McCrory has been calling for debates across North Carolina for months and is disappointed that Sunday's event has been cancelled. He once again renews his call for the lieutenant governor to move beyond formal, structured speeches and allow the voters to hear a real discussion on the issues."

Indeed, McCrory is expressing his positions as well as providing genuine solutions to the concerns of most North Carolinians. For example, Friday in Asheville, McCrory pledged to toughen the enhancement penalty for when a firearm is used in the commission of a felony. Current law calls for a 60-month enhanced sentence if a gun is used in the commission of a class A, B, C, D, or E felony leaving an entire felony class (F) not receiving an enhanced penalty. Class F felony crimes include acts such as:

• Abduction of children.
• Assault inflicting serious bodily injury.
• Assault with a firearm or other deadly weapon upon governmental officers or employees, company police officers, or campus police officers.
• Assault or affray with a firearm on an emergency medical technician, ambulance attendant, emergency department nurse, or emergency department physician.
• Taking of hostage, etc., by prisoner
• Trafficking in certain quantities of illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, etc.
• Burning of certain buildings.

Moreover, the enhancement is often ignored in cases such as assault with a deadly weapon. Additionally, only one enhancement is provided no matter how many firearms are possessed in the commission of the crime. McCrory's "pledge" is quoted as follows:

"We can thank my opponent for giving us a toothless law when a firearm is used to commit a felony. As governor, I will make it a legislative priority to toughen the enhancement penalty when a firearm is used in these types of crimes. The lieutenant governor has not led. As governor, I will lead."

"North Carolina's criminal justice system is broken. One of the reasons I am running for governor is that our men and women in uniform are re-arresting the same criminals over and over. We have to keep dangerous criminals off the street. Whether we are talking about gangs infiltrating our schools and neighborhoods, talking about a revolving door justice system that is woefully underfunded, or talking about toothless sentencing measures, the status quo is unacceptable."

Furthermore, an undeniable fact about McCrory is he does make himself available to the people. Thus far, McCrory has been averaging eight visits per week to North Carolina businesses across the state on his "Jobs Tour," whereas to the contrary, Beverly Perdue has only nine events scheduled between now and the November 4, 2008, election.

Sadly though, Beverly Perdue's reluctance to change should come as no surprise to North Carolina citizens, especially, when considering Perdue's historical record of limited accomplishments as Lieutenant Governor. This is another undeniable fact that can be found through the Lieutenant Governor's limited press release. Inevitably, leaving North Carolina voters with the question of whether they believe Beverly Perdue's "out of sight, out of mind" policy, is the typical conduct expected from a potential future governor? I hope not.