Pat McCrory really is trying hard to get a reset. Earlier this week, he rolled out a press conference at the Governor’s Mansion flanked by his cabinet secretaries. He went over his priorities for 2014, but failed to take any responsibility for the problems that came out of 2013.
McCrory has a serious credibility problem with the press and with his Democratic opponents. He needs to offer more than words. He needs to take action to show that he’s serious.
McCrory said the right things about teacher pay. He wants a give them a raise during the short session and even acknowledged that the issue requires a long term solution, not a quick fix. But where was this McCrory when the budget got passed? Teacher pay sure wasn’t his priority six months ago.
If he really wants to make an impact, he should offer a bold plan on teacher pay and force the legislature to respond. If he really wants a better dialogue with Democrats, he should involve them in designing the plan. He could grab the mantel of bipartisanship and dare Republicans facing re-election to oppose a bipartisan plan to raise teacher pay to the national average. That’s leadership.
I realize McCrory’s not an intellectually curious guy, but he should take some time to study Bill Clinton’s tenure as president and Jim Hunt’s tenure as governor. Both men found the middle, alienated the extremes and got a lot done. And both left office popular.
Right now, North Carolina has a number of issues that have broad public support, particularly in education. McCrory should grab them and make a stand. It’s an election year. The short session of the legislature happens after the primary season. Reach across the aisle and force some of his Republican colleagues to do the same. After his pitiful performance in 2013, he’s really got nothing to lose.
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 >
“he should take some time to study Bill Clinton’s tenure as president and Jim Hunt’s tenure as governor. Both men found the middle, alienated the extremes and got a lot done. And both left office popular.”
Clinton actively set the country up for the financial debacle of 2007, moved the US pretty far to the right by any measure, beat the crap out of the least fortunate, promoted inequality and was generally a toady to the rich and powerful, and their corporations. My what accomplishments. And with Rubin and Summers, how could we lose? What could go wrong?
Brother Hunt, much taken by hisself, is now undertaking to (1) mentor McCroney (which I call consorting with the enemy), (2) starve the Democratic Party with an outsider strategy to deprive NCDP of desperately needed money and (3) trying to set up a stable of Hunt’s girls and boys along with a C4, aided and abetted by Nine Szlosberg and others–why, well they just do not like who got elected, simply. Which that contingent has declared war on the Chair for a year, knockdown and dragged out.
Both Clinton and Hunt have been unable to keep their hands in their pockets, wanting to stay relevant, to the extent Clinton is driving for Hillary no matter what for President, and Hunt is setting up his own wing of the Democratic Blue Dogs in his own name.
Hey, Gov., come on home and help your own party, the Democratic Party. We do not need a rump party diverting resources from the main struggle. Do we?