Well, I think our system of government is well served by a strong
two-party system. You have a strong two party system. In fact
we're better for it. While I say to you that it is important,
it is also important that the governor be bigger than just his party.
You have to have, develop bipartisan [support]. You have to work with
people of different parties. You should try to develop bipartisan
support for things when you can. But the fact is you, your party is the
group that worked hardest to elect you, support you strongly, believes
in you, will go to the wall for you if you're a strong party
leader. Now I, of course, came up through the party. My first activities
were in Young Democrats. I wrote the state party precinct manual,
‘Rally Around the Precinct’. I canvassed every
house in my precinct and got involved with the people and talking with
them and so forth. I was state president of Young Democrats and led the
first sort of party reform effort in North Carolina which included
recommending voting eighteen-year-olds and full participation by
minorities and women and so forth. I was maybe the last governor that
came along to come up through the party ranks going out and speaking to
party organizations in all counties of North Carolina. As I look back on
it I think it was a great advantage because I got to go to people out
there, where they were. Television and media today is, was very
important. You can probably win without going to counties. I
don't think you should. I don't think
you're as good a governor as if you'd been out.
You shouldn't just work out in the across the state, through
the party. That shouldn't be the only thing you do. I did
agricultural groups and education groups, especially in recent years
environmental groups and safety groups and on and on. But your question
was about party leadership, and I think it strengthens you a great deal
if you're strong in your party. For them
to be behind you they have to know you, have worked with you, see their
success as yours.
Now but there are limits to that, and I'll give you an
example. Parties tend to be one side of the spectrum. There are many
people within a party that just want you to be very orthodox, very
extreme their way. So moderate Republicans in this state often times
aren't appreciated by very conservative, maybe far right of
the party. I could always tell in the Democratic Party that my pushing
for punishment of criminals, my strong stand on that including support
of capital punishment (that) all the liberals in my party, the very most
extreme liberals, always felt like I wasn't quite one of them
because I wasn't. My closeness to business, my understanding
of how you have to make the economy work, working with business and
seeing that we had an environment in which they could locate and prosper
and provide jobs. That didn't sit well with some people in my
party. I know that. There were issues that we had a great deal in common
on.