Carolina battle: Don’t look now, but there’s another Democratic scuffle

There is more than one “he said, she said” game going on in the Democratic party — and this one is very close to home.

The race for the Democratic nomination for governor has pitted Richard Moore and Beverly Perdue against each other as the frontrunners in the fight for the party’s slot on the November ballot.

And just like the battle for the White House, it is getting ugly.

Every day there is a new accusation, a new ad, a new statement — all of which read more like a cage match than a civilized run for the chance to lead the state of North Carolina.

The battle is so intense that an unsuspecting voter might wonder if either candidate really has what it takes to win this November, let alone enough credibility to guide a state that has been plagued by questions about its legislative leadership and needs a new, squeaky clean ethics image.

And in the meantime, again, although there are just as many Republicans running for a chance to be governor of North Carolina, the focus seems to be on the brawl and not really on the issues.

Who knows what will happen over the next 30 days, but it is time to get as serious about picking gubernatorial candidates as it is a Democratic nominee for president.

And that means thinking about something other than the latest accusation or the most recent campaign ad.

If we want the best Democrat for the job — or Republican for that matter, we really have to take a close look at what they stand for — and not get too focused on the campaign flash on either side.

There’s still time to pick the right contenders. All we have to do is set the agenda for what’s most important for our state’s future — and start interviewing the job applicants on their plans to meet those goals.

Published in Editorials on March 28, 2008 10:54 AM