Shipp: Inaction seems to be an effective strategy for the governor.
In a 12-29-05 post I posted Bill Shipp's wish list for 2005, the last one being:
"Gov. Sonny Perdue will prove his critics wrong. He will do something."
That post followed a 11-11-05 post entitled "More "Them thar's are fighting words." -- Shipp accused of having an open invitation for breakfast at the Governor's Mansion" that quoted a Political Insider column saying:
"[Bill] Shipp is the governor's least favorite political writer."
With that background, today Bill Shipp writes as follows:
The first campaign-disclosure report suggests every non-crank candidate will have enough funds for a campaign.
Besides, the lesson of former Gov. Roy Barnes' campaign lingers. Barnes spent nearly $20 million on his failed re-election campaign in 2002. Winner Perdue expended less than $3 million.
Perdue didn't have to campaign much. He let Barnes do it for him. With sweeping initiatives, Barnes engaged every major issue facing Georgians.
In doing so, he created hordes of enemies. Perdue has avoided the Barnes mistake.
When editorial writers refer to Perdue as the "do-nothing governor," our chief executive privately smiles - and yawns.
You won't catch Sonny proposing a Northern Arc to relieve traffic. Or trying to weed out incompetent teachers from the education system. Or demanding more spending on prison overcrowding. Or calling for tougher standards for law-enforcement officers.
As Barnes found out, seemingly little things translate into a lot of opposition.
That doesn't mean Sonny has not taken care of business - big business. Even there, he was careful not to step on too many toes. He let legislators do the heavy lifting on pushing through the last General Assembly session the complete agenda of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the giant insurance lobby. Perdue mostly spoke in generalities.
When the governor appeared on the verge of showing leadership on several items and heard hostile fire, he ducked out of sight. He abandoned his own tax program, his first choice as House speaker, his anointed candidate for election to the Supreme Court, a University System in disarray, a prison system in serious trouble and a series of urban crises too complex to describe here.
He let education reform slide, sidestepped tough environmental issues and failed to follow through on important (but sticky) economic development projects.
Do not misinterpret the above as knocks on Perdue. Our compliments to the shrewd candidate. He practices safe politics. How will his opponents run against an incumbent who has done so little to run against?
He has created few targets to attack.
(The Athens Banner-Herald.)
"Gov. Sonny Perdue will prove his critics wrong. He will do something."
That post followed a 11-11-05 post entitled "More "Them thar's are fighting words." -- Shipp accused of having an open invitation for breakfast at the Governor's Mansion" that quoted a Political Insider column saying:
"[Bill] Shipp is the governor's least favorite political writer."
With that background, today Bill Shipp writes as follows:
The first campaign-disclosure report suggests every non-crank candidate will have enough funds for a campaign.
Besides, the lesson of former Gov. Roy Barnes' campaign lingers. Barnes spent nearly $20 million on his failed re-election campaign in 2002. Winner Perdue expended less than $3 million.
Perdue didn't have to campaign much. He let Barnes do it for him. With sweeping initiatives, Barnes engaged every major issue facing Georgians.
In doing so, he created hordes of enemies. Perdue has avoided the Barnes mistake.
When editorial writers refer to Perdue as the "do-nothing governor," our chief executive privately smiles - and yawns.
You won't catch Sonny proposing a Northern Arc to relieve traffic. Or trying to weed out incompetent teachers from the education system. Or demanding more spending on prison overcrowding. Or calling for tougher standards for law-enforcement officers.
As Barnes found out, seemingly little things translate into a lot of opposition.
That doesn't mean Sonny has not taken care of business - big business. Even there, he was careful not to step on too many toes. He let legislators do the heavy lifting on pushing through the last General Assembly session the complete agenda of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the giant insurance lobby. Perdue mostly spoke in generalities.
When the governor appeared on the verge of showing leadership on several items and heard hostile fire, he ducked out of sight. He abandoned his own tax program, his first choice as House speaker, his anointed candidate for election to the Supreme Court, a University System in disarray, a prison system in serious trouble and a series of urban crises too complex to describe here.
He let education reform slide, sidestepped tough environmental issues and failed to follow through on important (but sticky) economic development projects.
Do not misinterpret the above as knocks on Perdue. Our compliments to the shrewd candidate. He practices safe politics. How will his opponents run against an incumbent who has done so little to run against?
He has created few targets to attack.
(The Athens Banner-Herald.)
posted by Sid Cottingham | 12:06 PM
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