Volvo’s announcement that it’s South Carolina bound puts a damper on last week’s good news that the state is going to end the year with a surplus. It’s no surprise why the Swedish company chose our neighbor to the south: they threw a bunch of money at it while our state wasn’t able to get its act together. North Carolina is the only state in the Southeast to lack an automobile manufacturing plant, and the opportunity to land Volvo was one of the best in a long time. It would have provided a needed shot in the arm for Pat McCrory’s reelection campaign, not to mention thousands of jobs in Eastern North Carolina. (By the way, it’s incorrect to assert that we ‘lost’ Volvo to South Carolina. That’s like saying you were outbid at an auction you didn’t attend.)
Already, Democrats are using the failure to land Volvo to bludgeon Republicans politically. While the legislature was debating divisive social issues, they say, real issues like solving our incentives situation were being ignored. While that’s somewhat true, it’s telling that Volvo chose to relocate in a state like South Carolina, a red state that unlike NC has a Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It’s more evidence that companies care about the bottom line and little else.
Even though Governor McCrory pursued the auto plant aggressively, he’s still going to get the blame for the legislature’s failure to act. It’s not fair but that’s just the way things are. His administration can blame the legislature, but he’s the one up for reelection next year and if voters are angry they’re going to take it out on him.
The good news? Voters have short memories and while this is a big deal for those in economic development, this will hardly be an issue in 2016. It will, however, be woven into the Democratic narrative, that Republicans are more concerned about ideology than jobs. If voters believe it, the self-described “Eisenhower Republican” Pat McCrory will pay a price.
John Wynne is the “conservative voice” at PoliticsNC, where he also provides polling analysis and commentary on legislative campaigns. When not writing about politics, he enjoys gardening and listening to opera. Contact: johncwynne@gmail.com.
Volvo is no longer a Swedish company. It is a CHINESE company. However much of the management and design is in Sweden, for now, Watch traditional Volvo quality and innovation take a slide to Made in China junk. Just terrible for such a fine company
I do agree that voters have very short memories….and it’s very frustrating! Remember when Moral Monday was so huge, and there was all this optimism that Republicans would suffer at the polls? Remember how everyone was outraged by GOP actions in 2013? Yet who was elected to the US Senate in 2014? The Speaker of the House! It’s as if politicians can be as crazy as they want in a non election year, but as long as they put up a sane front in an election year they get a free pass…
IMO, it was the short memories AND/OR the partisan blindness of the relatively few who voted in 2014 that resulted in Tillis’ win. In the 2016 presidential election year, there will be many more voting. And the GOP will need to base its chances of a very good election night on their economic/jobs record (as their record on social, religious, and voting access issues may cost them more votes than it gains).
South Carolina appears to be cleaning up nicely with their social values. Having said that, both Parties are wack on this one. So NC doesn’t have an auto plant. Big whoop, our pharmaceutical industry beats anything SC has, just to name one sector. And why does either Party suddenly think corporate welfare is a good thing?
Nice try in defense of your party, John, as they definitely need defending. Just too bad none of your points really hold water:
-“…..it’s incorrect to assert that we ‘lost’ Volvo to South Carolina. That’s like saying you were outbid at an auction you didn’t attend.” (No, NC was totally in the hunt, and it just plain lost);
-“…..it’s telling that Volvo chose to relocate in a state like South Carolina, a red state that unlike NC has a Religious Freedom Restoration Act.” (No, it isn’t “telling” at all, as SC’s RFRA is unlike the discriminatory bill proposed by the NCGOP);
-“…..It’s more evidence that companies care about the bottom line and little else.” (No, it’s not “more evidence” of anything trend; it’s a single instance and single decision. And how might do you explain the corporate reaction to the bad RFRA bills proposed in AK and IN and even here in NC?);
-“….he’s (McCrory) still going to get the blame for the legislature’s failure to act. It’s not fair…” (No, it’s very fair. The GOP is his party, in which he is a leader. Why hasn’t he come to terms and agreements with his party’s other leaders about how to attract large manufacturers? I thought the GOP were the business-friendly job creators?
-“Voters have short memories and while this is a big deal for those in economic development, this will hardly be an issue in 2016.” (No, jobs—or the lack of them—and the economy will be a major issue come 2016, and not getting Volvo (or Mercedes earlier) will be added to the list of economic failures and missteps by the GOP. Voters will be asking themselves “So, has there been a Carolina Comeback as touted and promised?” And Republicans could be left without any major, easy-to-remember success story to tell).