Pat McCrory released a re-election video yesterday and it opens with an interesting story. He says that one of the hardest days of his life was when he had to tell his wife that he had lost his job. It’s a slow deliberate statement accompanied by dramatic music. It’s clearly meant to show the people who are still struggling to recovering from the recession that he knows economic hardship, too.
But when did that happen? And was it really that traumatic or just part of a reshuffling at Duke Energy, his employer for 28 years? According to his wikipedia page, which was obviously written by his political team, McCrory started work for Duke in 1980 and worked there until 2008 when he ran for governor. He was elected to Charlotte City Council in 1989 and mayor in 1995. Since his wikipedia page doesn’t even mention his wife, I can’t verify when he got married, but my friend Frank Eaton pointed out on twitter that they got married in 1988.
I don’t believe Pat McCrory got laid off and he is certainly implying that in his video. Even if his job got “eliminated,” as he says, I don’t believe he ever suffered any financial hardship or serious job insecurity as a result. He just moved to a different place in Duke’s bureaucracy.
McCrory has a problem with honesty. Over and over, he’s said things that just aren’t true. Most recently, he denies hearing Graeme Keith say that he wanted a contract extension in exchange for his campaign donations despite being in the room when Keith said it. Everybody else in the meeting knew what Keith said. They ended the meeting because of it. So why didn’t McCrory?
He told reporters that he regularly attended Moral Monday rallies when he clearly didn’t. He told us he hired campaign hacks at inflated salaries because they beat out the competition when, in fact, there were no other applicants. Most significantly, he told a debate moderator that he would not increase any restrictions on abortion when he did just that, over and over.
Pat McCrory has a credibility problem. He says whatever he thinks is in his best interest with little regard for the truth. Right now, he thinks it’s in best interest to empathize with people still trying to get on their feet economically. So, he made up, or at least embellished, a story about himself. He clearly implied that he lost his job and was unemployed. I don’t believe him.
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 >
Neal — very funny!!!!
When he spoke at an event on 9/11 last year, he said he was laid off, but then Duke Energy offered him another job almost immediately. From what I remember of his speech, I want to to say he was unemployed for a laughable amount of time… A few days or something.
So he was telling the truth but perhaps embellishing the impact. That kind of opposition nit-picking isn’t going to send him packing next year, at least by itself.
Actually, I’m more interested in exactly what he did at Duke…..anybody know? I remember him once telling an audience that he worked as a meter reader during which he was twice bitten by dogs. Even if true, I think it’s a safe bet that he didn’t do that for 28 years
Dogs, obviously, don’t like him either.
Mecklenburg Register of Deeds has Patrick Lloyd McCrory and Ann Price Gordon applying for a marriage license on Nov 28, 1988 with the marriage occurring on Dec 16, 1988.
Looks like the date for when McCrory was elected to Charlotte City Council should be 1989, not 2009. The article says now, “He was elected to Charlotte City Council in 2009 and mayor in 1995.” I agree about McCrory’s huge credibility problem.
Fixed. Thanks.
I will go with the “paid off” explanation.
I guess Donald Trump & Co. have proved that lies are not an impediment to gaining voter support. Appalling on all counts.
Next year he will be fired.
Let’s hope you’re right, Keith! Work our butts off to “make it so.”
Andy
Maybe McCroney got “laid off” mixed up with “paid off.”
As a side note, McCroney’s twitter feed is getting hammered.