North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue calls for suspension of the First Article of the United States Constitution | Eastern North Carolina Now

    At a Rotary event in Cary, North Carolina, where Governor Beverly Perdue spoke, national news was certainly made. At the heart of this news event maelstrom was the Governor's call for the suspension of the First Article of the United States Constitution, to whit the United States would suspend congressional elections in 2012.

   Governor Perdue explained that her reasoning for the suspension of this article of the U.S. Constitution was to provide political cover for United States Senate and House of Representative members, who are charged with the responsibility to initiate the fixing of the nation's debt crisis, and in a timely manner. At the heart of this political tempest are these remarks by the governor at that Rotarian event:

    "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. You want people who don't worry about the next election."

Governor Perdue visiting Beaufort County's command and control center for the Emergency Management team in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.     photo by Stan Deatherage

    By the Governor's call to suspend the article governing the election of representatives from the states to the nation's capital, she raised the ire of both core Republicans and constitutionalists alike.

    Republican Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger responded to Perdue by stating:

    "In light of Gov. Perdue's support for suspending Congressional elections, I want to state clearly, on the record, that I do NOT support suspending our next gubernatorial election."

   Citizen Francis X. De Luca, Colonel, USMCR(Ret) gave his opinion of the Governor's call for the supsension of Article I:

    "This is the type of rhetoric that you expect to read in a book of fiction or see in a bad conspiracy movie. But no, this was our elected governor! North Carolina is going to be the laughingstock of the nation! She's already on the Drudge Report!"

   Commentary

   While one can understand why Governor Beverly Perdue would want to see a bit more harmony on Capital Hill, one has to wonder why she make such a flippant remark on the mechanism that has given our Republic the ability to govern ourselves and function for the last 222 years. It is the document that she is sworn to defend by oath of office, it is the document that protects her from an unruly mob, and provides her the tools to govern her piece of this Republic to the best of her ability.

    Good politicians recognize that their job is always on the line, and they should, understandably, govern accordingly with wisdom, prudence and complete abject honesty. For the Governor to suggest that politicians would somehow be more responsible in their duties by being less responsive to their constituents speaks volumes about Governor Perdue's perception of the document she is sworn to defend, and the nature of the job in which she is now engaged.

    Fortunately, the Governor's call to suspend this most important article of our Constitution will not occur. It is because of this document that she, and other poorly informed public officials like herself, must stand for reelection, and therefore, they have the infamous ability to only do nominal damage to any piece of this Republic.

   An unintended point made by the Governor could well be that we should all pay closer attention to whom we elect to public office.

    I trust that you (you folks taking a moment to read this commentary) understand this completely, for therein is our salvation or our ruination. And most certainly, that depends on you.