We hope North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue either steps down or chooses not to run for another term in office — as we fear she might try to change the rules, or relax them, so that she could serve as governor-for-life.

To put it kindly, Perdue uttered some remarks that were ill-considered — or maybe sincerely meant — to the Cary Rotary Club on Sept. 27.

“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 decision they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that,” she told the Rotarians.

Of course, the move that the governor claims to be joking about would be unconstitutional.

The governor’s remark — and whether it was said in jest or serves as yet another example of certain elected officials, including President Barack Obama intently wanting to waive the Constitution to achieve their own ends — was picked up locally by “The Matt Mittan Show” and nationally by The Drudge Report and Rush Limbaugh’s talk show.

Perdue spokeswoman Chris Mackey later said, “Come on. 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.”

Before the gaffe, Perdue’s polling numbers were sagging — at 42 percent approval of the job she is doing.
Even if one gave Perdue the benefit of the doubt, joking about shelving the Constitution and democracy is highly inappropriate for a governor.