CARY, NC (WBTV) - Critics say new audio of Democratic Governor Bev Perdue shows she was not "obviously using hyperbole" as her spokesperson maintains when she said elections for Congress should be suspended.
Perdue was speaking at rotary club in Cary. She began talking about how Washington needs to have less partisan bickering, and then said this:
"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...I really hope that someone can agree with me on that. You want people who don't worry about the next election."
The Raleigh News and Observer first reported Perdue's remarks Tuesday, and then released audio of what she said Wednesday. Click here to listen to it
The newspaper wasn't sure if it was a joke and seemed confused about how to report it: its story said it wasn't, but its headline said it was.
In the article the newspaper said "her tone was level and she asked others to support her on the idea."
The Drudge Report picked up the story on Tuesday evening and talk radio was abuzz with the comments and reaction. Even on Wednesday, the headline was at the very top of the Drudge site throughout much of the day.
A spokesman for Perdue said that it was just "hyperbole" and that she was highlighting a problem.
"Gov. Perdue was obviously using hyperbole to highlight what we can all agree is a serious problem: Washington politicians who focus on their own election instead of what's best for the people they serve," Chris Mackey said in a written statement.
"It didn't sound like a joke to me," said Republican and former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory, who narrowly lost to Perdue in the 2008 election and may run against her again next year.
"The smartest thing for her to do would be to own up to it and say, 'I made a stupid remark and I take it back,' but instead I think she's trying to cover it up or have her staff cover it up."
Here is Perdue's full statement:
"You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing things. 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. The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines. It's a little bit more contentious now but it's not impossible to try to do what's right in this state. You want people who don't worry about the next election."
