Some insight on the personality and governance of Gov. Easley
Tuesday, December 26th, 2006
By Chris Fitzsimon
By Kerra Bolton
Columnist
RALEIGH — I had an “aha moment” recently about Gov. Mike Easley.
This in-sight into his character occurred two weeks ago during the annual interview he holds with reporters from the state’s largest media outlets.
As he prattled on about this year’s highlights, he seemed out of place amid the gold brocade curtains, gilded French Empire art frames and 18th-century furniture in the executive mansion.
I bet there’s a backroom somewhere in that overwrought, Queen Anne-styled mansion with wood paneling and a 10-year-old Magnavox television where the governor likes to catch a good Saturday afternoon game.
Plenty has been written about the governor’s “Bubba” side — the stock car crashes, fishing stories and basketball games with the prison inmates who work at the mansion.
An equal amount of ink has been spilled about the governor’s enigmatic side. Easley holds the highest office in the state, and yet he reportedly hates all the backslapping that comes with campaigning.
But political observers rarely juxtapose the Bubba and the Buddha in Easley. To judge these aspects independently misses the point.
Easley uses his Bubba appeal to win elections, but he draws on his astute political instincts to advance his policy agenda. He’s one of the few Democratic governors to get elected in Southern states during Republican years. (more…)
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