Gov. Mike Easley has thrown the full weight of his political organization behind the presidential candidacy of Sen. Hillary Clinton in the May 6 Democratic primary.
The question is, of course, how much of an organization the governor has to throw to anyone’s support. Easley won the governorship in 2000 largely without a large political organization such as the ones that former Democratic Govs. Jim Hunt and Terry Sanford put together not just to win elections but also to shape public policy.
Mike Easley shunned the usual trappings of political organizations - the county grass-roots building blocks that his predecessors used, and the endless ribbon-cuttings and baby-kissings when he ran successfully for governor in 2000 and 2004. Easley’s appeal was based in large measure on his extraordinary ability to communicate with individual voters through TV ads and broadcast appearances.
But there’s relatively little organization - he couldn’t even get his choice selected chairman of the state Democratic Party several years ago. There’s even less now that Easley is going out of office in a few months and apparently is not all that interested in running for further public office or even serving in the new administration in Washington. But who knows what’s in the mind of politicians? He may want a job in D.C. badly.
How much will Easley’s endorsement help Clinton next week? How much would it weigh, politically? Let me know what you think.
