Swingin’ for the fences

by | Jan 27, 2015 | Economic Development, Economy, Editor's Blog | 13 comments

McCrory-(full)The 2016 political environment will likely be much different from 2014. Last year, voters we dissatisfied with state of the economy and the dysfunction in Washington. While most economic indicators showed an improving outlook, most working families still had not, and have not, felt it. Ultimately, they blamed Obama and Republicans rode to victory on a wave of discontent.

In 2016, voters will likely be more optimistic. The improvements in the economy will likely have taken hold and people will feel better about their personal situations. Obama, for his part, is fighting the perception of a do-nothing government by issuing executive orders and laying out a plan to help the middle class. Republicans are still stuck on repealing Obamacare. As a result, Obama’s approval ratings are higher than they’ve been in more than a year.

Granted, a lot can and will change over the next year and a half, but Pat McCrory is likely to face re-election with a more optimistic electorate that has a more positive view of Barack Obama. He’ll need to make sure that he gets some of the credit for the economic uptick. And that’s why he’s swinging for the fences.

McCrory is chasing an auto manufacturer. He missed the Mercedes headquarters recently, but he was in England last week courting Volvo. The symbolic importance of landing a car maker is huge. Even if they don’t start construction on the plant until after the election, the governor will get credit for focusing on jobs and piggy back on the economic optimism that might otherwise be focused on Obama.

At the national level, Democrats are likely to be crowing about the success of Obama’s economic policies but demanding more help for the middle class. National Republicans will be criticizing the president and Democrats for not doing enough while spending too much. In this space, McCrory will try to eke out a state message that takes credit for North Carolina’s upswing even if it’s being driven by the national recovery. A big employer like an automaker provides the foundation for that argument. 

13 Comments

  1. Patrick

    Good point. I work for a large international company that values and stresses diversity and acceptance of those different than you in the workplace. I keep wondering how much longer they’ll choose to stay in the post, post Jim Crow south. Crowing about an uptick in the NC economy while the country as a whole has benefited (we weren’t hit near as hard as others) as a republican success is laughable at best. Anyone wonder why the governor started re-running for office 3 years before the next election? Apprehension. We North Carolinians are a fickle and in many ways moderate lot who don’t take kindly to extremes. Curdles the milk so to say. Far too many out-of-staters than say in Mississippistan. Expect a swing to the left. This is McCroney’s Ace in the hole attempt to keep Roy Cooper from becoming Governor. Too much dirt and that thorn-in-the side wouldn’t be bound to defending the kind of 1890’s tactics he’s had to. Oh and by the way, people are getting plenty mad about their state income taxes right now. Those got jacked up too by those who run on hating taxes.

  2. Someone from Main Street

    Chiquita is leaving; Mercedes chose Georgia over NC; teachers are fleeing (no money for infrastructure improvements or raises); UNC system in turmoil; NCGOP enacting an extremely right-wing agenda – very un-American in its scope.

    Why would a company move here?

  3. Randy Voller

    One of the sites is in Western Chatham County and a portion of Randolph County. In addition, this story below from WRAL alludes to another potential game changer:

    PITTSBORO, N.C. — A study by North Carolina State University economist Mike Walden says the controversial 7,000-acre Chatham Park development will have a substantial economic impact extending well beyond Chatham County.

    Over 40 years, Chatham Park will produce 115,000 jobs and drive $154 billion in economic impact, Walden projected in the study. He described the related jobs and economic impact outside of the development as “leakage.”

    The Chatham Economic Development Corporation commissioned the study, which was released Tuesday.

    “This project alone will quadruple the number of permanent jobs in Chatham County, as well as double the county’s tax revenue,” said Dianne Reid, president of Chatham EDC.

    Research Triangle Park covers nearly 7,000 acres, and about 50,000 people work there. Although a new development plan for RTP calls for residential areas, the area have focused on businesses for more than 50 years. Meanwhile, Chatham Park will be a combination residential and business development from the start.

    “Prior to conducting the study, I knew that a project with the size and scope of Chatham Park will have a significant impact on the local, regional and state economies, and after calculating the numbers, the impact is truly impressive,” said Walden, who writes extensively about economic issues in North Carolina.

    Breaking down jobs and economic investment by region, the study projects:

    61,000 permanent jobs in Chatham County
    99,000 permanent jobs for the Triangle region
    115,000 permanent jobs for North Carolina
    $80 billion in Chatham County
    $140 billion for the Triangle
    $154 billion for the state
    As planned, the mixed-use development will include about 22,000 residences plus 2.4 million square feet of commercial space, 16.6 million square feet of office space and 2.5 million square feet of “civic, school and hospital space,” Walden noted.

    “After accounting for the leakage of some spending and employment impacts to outside of the area as well as direct and supply-chain effects within the area, the analysis shows the peak of annual spending generated from the project will occur in year 40, at $4 billion for Chatham County, $7 billion for the Triangle region and $7.7 billion for North Carolina,” Walden wrote in the report.

    After that, he said, the annual spending impact will drop to $3.6 billion in Chatham County, $6.2 billion in the Triangle and $6.8 billion in North Carolina.

    Reid said Chatham Park will be a boost to the Triangle economy in ways other than jobs.

    “Chatham Park offers companies that are looking to relocate or expand their operations a marquee location in the Research Triangle region with direct access to highly educated talent from some of the country’s top universities,” she said.

    Read more at http://www.wral.com/study-chatham-park-development-to-produce-115-000-jobs/14394320/#yHoiBBriBFy560rL.99

    • Gregorious Collo-Rosso

      Randy, what are you doing concerning yourself with stuff like this? Shouldn’t you be devoting your energies to sorting out the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” atmosphere you’ve got going on over there at the NCDP? That joint is a hot mess! Didn’t you get the message when Kay Hagen blanked you people?
      Look, just leave these kind of things to the grownups and we’ll leave the “this is my boyfriend and this is my girlfriend” type things to you.

      • Bob

        Gregorius, I agree. Voller spent the past 2-3 years defending himself and destroying the NC Democratic Party at a time when its influence was needed more than any time in the past 100 years. I hope he becomes a Republican.

        • Randolph Voller

          I appreciate your insightful wisdom. Perhaps if the NCGA hadn’t fiddled with the tax credits for the film industry and hampered a healthy business segment in our state “Real Housewives…” could be filmed in North Carolina and more jobs would be created for our citizens.

          • Gregorious Collo-Rosso

            Well if they ever do film a program like that then 220 Hillsborough Street would be a good place for it.
            By the way, have you guys Cloroxed those toilets seats lately?

    • Mike Leonard

      Yes, we all know how honest the Washington Times is!

      • Apply Liberally

        Mike L. Yeah, I laughed my morning coffee through my nose at the sourcing of that Washington Times piece. Oh, the bizarre, believed-only-by-the-gullible fairy tales offered up by that rag (and FAUX News).

        • Gregorious Collo-Rosso

          So only liberal papers are to be believed? Hey, I can see that.

          •http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/11192438/Life-under-Obama-sucks.-And-these-numbers-prove-it.html
          •http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/01/15/extending-unemployment-insurance-wont-fix-obamas-jobless-economy
          •http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2014/04/10/bill-clinton-points-at-gloomy-state-of-the-economy-under-obama/
          •http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/18/us-usa-obama-economy-idUSKBN0KR0HD20150118

          There you go.

          • Apply LIberally

            Come on!. We’re smarter than that….

            Two of those URLs are 9-12 months old, before the jump the economy has taken in the last year.

            The Telegraph URL is another biased source. It is from the British newspaper version of FAUX News. Links between the paper’s editors and the leadership of the UK Conservative Party, along with the paper’s right wing stance, has resulted in the paper being referred to in England as the “ToryGraph.” And its owners are UK tax exiles.

            And the Reuters URL tells the tale of how Obama rescued things from the recession but has been stymied in his efforts to do more for the middle class by many factors, INCLUDING political/congressional roadblocks (brought to us by the GOP, you know, the guys who won’t even consider raising the minimum wage?). Try reading it with an open mind.

  4. Apply Liberally

    Well, even as much as I think McCrory and the NCGOP are bad —in oh-so-many-ways— for NC’s future, even I would applaud the gov should he succeed in attracting an automaker. It wouldn’t be unionized (unfortunately, NC is a “Fight”-to-Work state) but the deal would be good for the economy, workers and the middle-class of NC.

    I’ll root for McCrory knocking a homer on this, but still striking out at his next at-bat, i.e., his re-election bid.

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