OPINION:
ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Not that anyone needs reminding why the only people on earth more despised than politicians are the media, but this one has to be documented for history.
North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue, a jubilant supporter of President Obama who is co-chairwoman of the Democratic convention to be held in her state next year, announced her support last week for canceling congressional elections.
Here is what she said with a straight face and a serious voice to an audience of adults:
“I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won’t hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that.”
Mrs. Perdue was not laughing. She did not wink.
In fact, she emphasized her seriousness a few sentences later by explaining her curious wisdom: “You want people who don’t worry about the next election.”
In other words, these are terrible times, no time for democracy or freedom or faithfulness to the Constitution; power must be removed from the hands of the people and given to politicians like her.
There is not one glimmer of light between her sentiments and those of the British we killed in a bloody war to win our freedom.
As shocking as her treasonous plot is, even more disturbing was the sleepy reaction to it by the local media. Instead of alerting the public in a straight news story that the state’s highest elected official wants to cancel elections, a “reporter” from the Raleigh News & Observer immediately began covering for her as if she were just funnin’ around.
“File this in the random-things-politicians-say file,” the reporter spun in a blog post entitled, “Perdue: Hold off a bit on Congressional elections.”
In the first place, she never said anything about “holding off a bit” on congressional elections. She said she wanted to “suspend” them for “two years.”
Note to “reporter”: Congressional elections are held every two years. Suspending them for two years is canceling an entire election — you know, the kind of thing that happens in Third World dictatorships. And when a politician in a democracy announces her support for canceling an election, it is called a “big story.”
Second, if you filed this one under “random” things politicians say, we sure would like to see the rest of that file, especially given the current track record for news judgment.
It was only after the Daily Caller and other online publications picked up on the sensational comments that the North Carolina press was shamed into covering the story more fully. And then, it was full apologia. It was just “sarcasm” or “hyperbole,” they reported. She was just joking. And then came the wonderment over all the outrage far outside the newsrooms of North Carolina. “Perdue’s remarks strike nerve,” the Raleigh paper marveled.
The Charlotte Observer — the supposed “watchdog” covering the DNC convention in its hometown next year — soon displayed its own utter disdain for voters and disregard for liberty. The paper actually conducted an online survey asking readers: “Would it be a good idea to suspend congressional elections?”
Terrifyingly, about 40 of the paper’s remaining long-tortured readers actually agreed that it would be a good idea to halt U.S. elections.
In one apology titled “Perdue didn’t start Revolution,” the Raleigh paper explained how Mrs. Perdue has a history of offering “off-the-wall” ideas such as canceling elections.
Well, gee, how did such a danger to freedom and democracy get elected to public office in the first place? Oh, that’s right, the watchdogs are dead. Or, more accurately, sleeping in Beverly Perdue’s lap.
With America’s guardians of freedom so far corrupted, is it any wonder we are in so much trouble?
• Charles Hurt’s column appears Wednesday. He can be reached at charleshurt@live.com.
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