In the credit-where-credit-is-due department, the state senate should get accolades for the teacher pay plan it’s introducing today. Whether you agree with all of it or not, it’s a serious proposal that significantly increases pay while offering flexibility aimed at long-term teachers who are happy with the current system. Unfortunately, they didn’t tell us how they’ll pay for it so somebody is about to get screwed.
The big loser in the plan is the governor. McCrory obviously got left out of the process again. Remember, a couple of weeks ago he rolled out his own pay plan that was really too little, too late. And he was on a podium by himself. The leaders of the senate and house were nowhere to be seen.
According to some folks, the governor only gave the legislative leaders 24 hours notice of his press conference and didn’t allow any input. The senate roll out today is payback. The governor will be the one on the sidelines and the senate proposal probably means McCrory’s plan is dead in the water.
The episode is emblematic of how the senate views McCrory. They neither seek is advice nor do they seem to get in his way. They let him have is press conferences and roll out his proposals and budgets but then promptly ignore him and do their own thing.
Berger and company quite clearly don’t take the governor seriously. To them, he’s little more than a sideshow. McCrory has shown little political skill and doesn’t appear to have learned much over the past year. He needs to show leadership but he also needs to figure out how to avoid being upstaged by the legislature. If he can’t do that, maybe he should stick to cutting ribbons.
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 >
I almost feel sorry for the guy. ALMOST. Cookies… what a jackass.
Rip Van Winkle state all over again.
If a conservative is speaking, a conservative is lying.
The North Carolina legislature is very conservative.
North Carolina fell asleep in 2010 and continues to pay for it. Poor poor dumb luck N.C.
I think Berger/Tillis/et al know that McCrory is a lightweight without any gravitas or grit. You’re right; they don’t take him seriously as Pat McCrory, influential politician, innovative policy wonk, or any sort of force with voters. But they do take the position of governor very seriously, and with McCrory, they get exactly what they want and need—-a weak chief executive who they can indeed ignore, who won’t cross them when push comes to shove, and who won’t veto bills important to their ALEC aims.
You guys nailed it, Thomas and Mick. That’s not how you treat an ally, or even someone who might be useful later on. Totally ignoring the McCrory plan, which isn’t going anywhere, shows the kind of contempt for you show a minion who doesn’t deserve any respect. Of course, McCrory probably asked for it by coming up with his Great Idea and pitching it without running it by the bosses at NCGA.
So we’ve got a tone-deaf wimp in McCrory and a (sad, but it’s true) pretty savvy bully in Berger. Who ya gonna bet on?