Well, everyone thought Pat McCrory was looking for a reset as he begins his second year in office. Instead, he’s falling back on the same bad habits that got him into trouble during his first year. He’s whining, passing the buck and blaming other people for the mistakes of his administration.
This time, it’s the Department of Health and Human Services mailing the personal information of almost 50,000 people to the wrong addresses. Instead of taking responsibility or asking Secretary Aldona Wos to do so, McCrory is blaming somebody else, because we know it’s not Wos’ fault.
He’s even blaming Obamacare. I guess if the ACA hadn’t required him to send those letters, they wouldn’t have ended up in the wrong mailboxes. So basically, his excuse is, if they hadn’t asked us to do something, we wouldn’t have screwed it up. Weak.
And then there’s that pesky press corps. Always asking questions and pointing fingers. Won’t even give him a chance to fix all that broken stuff.
Well, Governor, if you think the press is a problem, you’re right. They are first-rate sons of bitches and they feed on bureaucratic incompetence and political corruption. They helped send a speaker of the house and a commissioner of agriculture to prison. Their work brought disgrace upon a former governor and contributed to your predecessor deciding not to run for re-election.
So don’t take it personally. Do something about it. Either take responsibility for some of the messes yourself or hold someone accountable in your administration. Otherwise, you’re going to continue to get bad press and look like a weak governor. You obviously didn’t learn that your first year. You would be wise to learn it this one.
The press is not going away so you better get used to it. They’ve been skulking around the capitol for over two hundred years, causing politicians heartburn and occasionally giving them joy. In the scheme of things, you’re just passing through. The press is here to stay.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
Pow! Right in the kisser! Well said, very well said. — A
I’m a Republican who expects better. Not a Democrat trying to gain political points.
My apologies then. I hoe for better too. BTW, I’ve worked for the HHS for a couple of states (none NC) and if NC is like the other states, the entrenched bureaucracy is pretty fierce and immovable. That NC is having these problems — including the simple issue of mailing insurance cards — is believable based on my experience elsewhere. IF NC can do better — and it won’t “do better” if the thing is run by patronage people — then it will certainly be a marvelous, if not miraculous, thing.
I agree, cronyism and political patronage has ruined effective government so would you agree that expanding the number of exempt positions from 500 to 1500 by Pat is a step in the wrong direction?
I think that when a government tries to do functions that are not “natural” to it, (or at that level anyway) then you get really bad results. HHS functions are ones that have vexed governments since Old Testament times, and I’m betting even prior to that. We are trying to use a Fed thing, administered per Fed rules by the states, for a problem that is largely local community / family in nature.
So my answer to your question — Pat’s move on exempt employees is not gonna help. Might not hurt, but won’t help. ‘Cause the problem is a wrong approach entirely.
Did I mention that one constant gripe I have with McGovern liberalism (and the Comedy Central liberalism that has replaced it) is that they want every solution to be a huge, powerful, expensive government program at the highest possible level?
You’re misrepresenting the democratic and liberal position using a straw man argument, although some may want that, I know for a fact not all think that huge, powerful, expensive government programs are the solution to every issue. Otherwise they would not be progressives but ideologues. Pragmatic solutions while approaching each issue separately is what motivates me (I don’t like to generalize like you do) but I can’t speak for everyone so I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t put words in my mouth or every so called liberal in the world.
Rep. Justin Burr (Stanly/Montgomery) co-chairs the HHS legislative oversight committe. He was appointed by Speaker Thomas Tillis who whose 2 key aides were caught sleeping with lobbyists. Burr has received thousands of dollars in campaign donations from health care interests. Burr redistributed a lot of that money to legislators who then voted for Burr’s self serving bills and amendments. HHS hired 2 former McCrory campaign workers at enormous salaries and gave a lucrative contract to a McCrory/Wos insider. Burr presumably looked the other way to gain favor.
So, the Dems never had such convenient crony jobs? I mean, when you guys ran things, there were never any such things happening? If you really hate this stuff, will your side pass laws against it if/when you regain power? (hashtag “not holding my breath”)
When the “press” are simply shills for the Dem Party, complete with staffers who hold jobs for both local major media as well as WaPost/NYTimes, McCrory need not worry about “the press”. ‘Cause it will always work against him here.
So he doesn’t have to answer question from those of a different party? I thought he was governor of ALL of us.
Mind you — there never has been such an animal as an unbiased press. And in NC, where the Dems ran things for over 100 year of uninterrupted “brilliance” (cough), those legacy media who were hand-in-pocket with the Dems won’t change anytime soon. I get that.
But the issue here is that a GOP Gov is supposed to worry about “The Press”. And when “The Press” has been in bed with the Dems is is laughable that they’d worry about “The press.” Such an expectation is akin to having Obama or Kay Hagan expecting to have unbiased coverage on the Rush Limbaugh show, albeit far less entertaining.
Did you read the article? “The Press” has covered Dems and got them sent to prison but now that they are doing the same with McStupid, they are doing so only because they are in bed with the dems? This makes no sense and clearly shows your bias.
So when I see a Charlotte Observer also on staff to the big Liberal papers, what am I to think? When I see the N-O in the bag for Obama and Obamacare and pretty much the entire Dem line, what am I to think? (note — the N-O does deviate when it comes to the Dem education lobby). To say that the WRAL/McClatchy people are somehow unbiased and pure in their pursuit of the political truth would be, uh, well, most would laugh at that. Even the Dems.
Nice work, perfectly put.
Thanks, James.
Well said, Thomas, very well said.
Thanks, Frank.