Cooper fumbles badly
Published October 21, 2016
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Roy Cooper[/caption]
by Mark Shiver, Capitol Connection, October 19, 2016.
The following is a column by Mark Shiver, host of “What Matters in North Carolina”
Attorney General Roy Cooper fumbled badly Tuesday night. The final debate between candidates in the race to be North Carolina’s governor was held at the studios of WRAL, and featured Gov. Pat McCrory, Cooper, and Libertarian candidate Lon Cecil. I tuned in eagerly, hoping to see if Cooper had gone to work with his campaign advisors and debate-prep team in an effort to improve on what was a dismal performance his last time out. I was genuinely surprised at what I saw.
Cooper appeared to be even less prepared for this debate, and came off as anything but legitimate governor-material. While McCrory projected an aura of calm confidence and assurance that established facts about the surging North Carolina economy were on his side, Cooper floundered through nearly every question. He responded by essentially reciting the latest leftist talking points, which were painfully obvious in their lack of veracity.
The ultimate meltdown for Cooper came during the questions about recent tax reform in North Carolina. McCrory ran through the litany of tax reforms that have fueled the state’s economic engine over the past several years. When given the opportunity to rebut McCrory’s answer, Cooper was all over the place with typical blather about the tax reform only helping the wealthy.
One of the moderators, WRAL’s David Crabtree, then asked Cooper if he would repeal the tax cuts. Cooper melted down in a response that can only be described as rambling and incoherent:
Cooper’s fumbling may very well be a significant point in the race for governor. It illuminated brightly the reality that talking points rarely stand up under the scrutiny of questions. It also showed Cooper as lacking in any serious plan to further advance the state’s economy. It was a moment that undoubtedly Cooper would like to have back.
Cooper was empty, repeatedly saying that “HB 2 is all he [McCrory] wants to talk about,” which seemed glaringly out of place with the dialogue that went on throughout the debate. Even when the topic did turn to HB 2, McCrory offered a fact that was devastating to Cooper’s chances of winning the debate.
McCrory asked if he or anyone present knew what the penalty was for violating the gender identity provisions of the Charlotte ordinance that precipitated HB 2. As the state’s attorney general, one would think that Cooper would have known the answer. But, he didn’t know about the penalty, which could have been a $500 fine or 30 days in jail. It was simply another example of Cooper not being prepared. This post on Twitter sums it up:
McCrory said he’d love to have more debates, but it is likely that Cooper couldn’t get out of WRAL fast enough. To the detriment of voters, Cooper can now spend the vast sums of money his campaign has received from special interest groups to lob false talking points across the airways. For McCrory, this clear debate victory might propel him to a win in November.
http://nccapitolconnection.com/2016/10/19/cooper-fumbles-badly/
October 21, 2016 at 9:22 am
Norm Kelly says:
Like every other Demon pol out there, Roy has only talking points to stand on. Which are so weak when looked at, even from a distance. The failure of lib/socialist policies doesn't even require a close look in order to see the folly.
Roy can only denigrate Pat for cutting taxes that spurred the economy. Roy won't say it cuz he's a lib pol; like every Demon has learned that promising to raise taxes is political death. But claiming that your opponent CUT taxes, but only for 'the rich' or 'the wealthy' continues the lib strategy of fomenting hatred of financial success. But it does nothing more than stir up low-information lib voters. This whole 'tax the wealthy' scheme of libs is a distraction meant to take attention away from their real goal: raise taxes, raise spending, increase government subsistence programs (aka buying votes). It just takes 1 week of reading the N&D in Raleigh, watching a few painful days of either CNN or MSNBC, to realize that there is no substance to any of the lib whining or schemes they propose. Roy can't stand on stage speaking boldly about his plan(s) because he's a lib/demon and therefore has NO plan. Like ALL current lib pols, all Roy has are schemes. Tired, old, failed schemes meant to distract voters, stir hatred among low-information types, and stir the base of black voters who, for some reason, continue to believe the failed policies of the left will eventually produce fruit for blacks.
Libs claim HB2 wrote hatred and discrimination into state law. But what they fail to ever mention is that the arch left-wing zealots on the Charlotte council were the first to write discrimination into law. And poor Roy didn't even know details of the ordinance he supports. Charlotte chose to discriminate against the majority of NC citizens for 2 reasons. First to garner support from the gay community, lest they somehow find it necessary to vote Republican. Second to force the Legislature to take correct, proper, and RIGHT action against them to stir the gay vote. If the ordinance was allowed to stand, it was supposed to sway gay voters across the state. (to hell with the majority, so long as libs got this voting block!) If the state did it's job and responded to the overreach of the arch left-wing zealots, gays could use 'hatred', legal discrimination as another talking point. Gays and Charlotte zealots are hoping the majority will ignore the controversy THEY created and place the blame solely on the legislature. But with performances as bad as what Roy has put on, left-wing zealots may fail.
One can only hope that more people will see the failure(s) of the schemes touted by left-wing zealots. Take the VA Health system as a perfect example of a failed scheme. Take the case of obamacancer as another perfect example of a system designed to fail, and busting budgets. Want more failed schemes? Vote demoncrat. Want solutions, lower taxes, lower spending, fewer foolish regulations? Vote libertarian. But until Libertarians are a viable party, vote Republican.
But whatever you do, know the facts BEFORE you step into the voting booth. Something Roy should have known BEFORE he stepped on the debate stage.
