McCrory clear winner in debate
Published October 14, 2016
by Mark Shriver, "What Matters Most," published in NC Capitol Connection, October 13, 2016.
Governor Pat McCrory briefly pushed the pause button on the leadership he has shown in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, and took on Roy Cooper in a gubernatorial debate Tuesday night. The contest wasn’t even close. In my opinion, McCrory owned the night with his record and with facts. Cooper was desperate, repeating the liberal mantra “HB 2” and having nothing of substance to say.
Cooper, the state’s attorney general, started with a line from his latest round of television ads, “We need a jobs governor, not an HB 2 governor.” While snappy to some as a catch-phrase, it is nonsensical in light of the fact that under McCrory, the state has added 300,000 jobs. Saying we need a jobs governor in the midst of North Carolina’s job growth is like saying to someone who is sitting, “Have a seat.” North Carolina already has a jobs governor, so this line of attack by Cooper fell dramatically short.
It was clear early in the debate that Cooper was going to read talking points from the Left, making statements that are devoid of factual accuracy, but uttered to incite an emotional response. For example, even though McCrory has not used $500,000 that the legislature moved from the disaster relief fund for attorney’s fees related to the defense of HB 2, Cooper accused him of doing so. The truth again was absent as that money has not been spent, but Cooper tried to hammer away nonetheless.
Cooper also reached back into 2012 for some “golden oldie” leftist blather, saying “thousands of teachers are fleeing North Carolina” because of teacher pay issues. That rhetoric has repeatedly been proven to be false, but it makes for a good sound bite for some. The facts – again on McCrory’s side – are that teachers just received the largest pay raise in North Carolina history, and that the average annual pay for teachers is now up to $50,000. The fact is that North Carolina is a net importer of teachers.
In the midst of flooding, devastation and loss of life, the General Assembly’s and McCrory’s bolstering of the state’s emergency reserves fund has been shown to be prudent. Cooper, however, is on the record as being critical of building up the fund, something that his Democrat counterparts failed to do when the state had a budget surplus right before the recession. When confronted with his criticism Tuesday night, Cooper hemmed and hawed and had no real answer. The glaring truth is that tax-and-spend Democrats are not willing to make wise financial decisions to protect the state. Once again, under the bright lights of the debate, the advantage went to McCrory for providing sound leadership.
Cooper had no answer for his mishandling of the State Crime Lab, which has been bogged down by huge backlogs for a long time. McCrory noted that many county sheriffs are seeking private crime labs for their work because the State Crime Lab is just not able to keep up under Cooper’s watch. Cooper really has nowhere to hide when the light of his mismanagement of the State Crime Lab shines bright.
By the time the debate was over, it was clear that the only clubs Cooper had in his bag were HB 2 and the tired line that McCrory was “distorting his record.” But, it’s hard to distort the truth, and while McCrory outlined the realities of the state’s enormous economic success over the past few years, all Cooper could do was say this was somehow a distortion. Whatever gubernatorial persona Cooper had tried to assume before the debate was left on the stage in a pile of empty bullet points.
http://nccapitolconnection.com/2016/10/13/ncgov-debate-response-mccrory-clear-winner/
October 14, 2016 at 10:19 am
Robert J Millikin says:
Wrong! What a spin doctor!! I knew McCrory was in trouble when he went to the label-gun early: Liberal; very liberal; it's not my fault! DoubleDown Pat has himself in real trouble, and only himself and his Daddy, Phil Berger Sr. to blame. I'd save my money were I him! Walterr Dalton looks better and better!
October 14, 2016 at 3:40 pm
Michael Warren says:
I just saw a repeat of the debate and Pat McCrory cleaned Coopers clock, however, I don't know if it was enough to help him win. The HB2 has hurt North Carolina and while I think MCCrory had a good night on the debate, I don't know if he persuaded anyone to vote for him. I moved back to the state a few months ago and got registered. I am voting for Richard Burr who I think will win his race, but I am still undecided on this race
October 14, 2016 at 9:15 pm
Janice Sutton says:
Robert, Did you actually watch the same debate I did? I was proud of our governor and he actually answered the questions he was asked. I'm still waiting to hear any answers from Roy Cooper. He danced around every question with his "talking points" and used old statistics that were true only when his cronies were in office.
Pat McCrory handled this current flooding disaster like a true leader and he actually did his job. Cooper, on the other hand refuses to do his job to defend the laws of our state. If his conscience won't allow him to defend HB2 or any other laws of our state, he should resign. I don't like paying for services that are rendered only if the employee agrees with the policy. When he forms his own state, he can make any laws he wants, but when he works for me, I expect him to do his job or get out.
October 14, 2016 at 10:38 am
Norm Kelly says:
I almost always know who I'm going to vote for, so watching/wasting time with a debate is pointless. Watching Hildaliar spew any of her garbage is as much a waste of time as watching the current unqualified lying occupier spew forth his garbage. So watching Donald put Hildaliar in her place does nothing to move the debate forward. Watching 'news' media allies of the Demon party rant about how great Hildaliar did, while impuning EVERYTHING Donald says, simply wastes time. This is one major reason streaming is so popular - an alternative to the old-style media demon spokespeople carry on about their ally.
However, after hearing how well Pat handled the debate, and how poorly Roy did, I just had to see it for myself. So I streamed it from the WUNC website. Well worth the time. Not because it proved I am voting for the right candidate, but because it showed how devoid of substance Roy and the Demon party really are.
Roy had 2 things to say the entire night. Both misleading. First, HB2 is/was wrong and that's why he chose not to do his job. Except he denied that HB2 was/is a response to over-reach by an arch left-wing zealot city council in Charlotte. Pat had to repeatedly point out the truth to Roy. Something that is a fact for most demon pols - a lack of understanding what truth is.
The second was reducing taxes had a negative impact on every aspect of the state, especially teacher pay. Roy has nothing to say about education except the same thing all Demon pols say - teachers must be paid more, the rich must pay 'their fair share'. What about raising teacher pay? Does it positively affect education? NO! What about 'their fair share'? What does it mean? There's not a single Demon pol who explains this; nor is there an ally in the media who presses them to define it. Like all Demon pols, Roy intends to raise taxes, raise spending, and pay more companies to do business here, penalizing all of us already here! No good economic plan, just the same old tired used failed Demon policies!
Oh, and then there's the holy grail of all Demon pols - abortion. Roy tried to make the claim that improving medical care in abortion clinics equated to restricting access to abortions. Next to raising taxes and regulations, abortion is the only other arrow in the quiver of Demon pols. To all Demons, abortion should be unregulated, unrestricted, and paid for by taxpayers. There does NOT need to be a doctor on staff to make abortion safe. Dentists MUST be regulated and licensed to administer all kinds of treatments, but baby killers MUST be 100% unregulated, uncontrolled. Doesn't matter that Pat pointed out that the 2 clinics closed because they couldn't even meet the old standards let alone the new standards, but that both clinics reopened conforming to the new standards.
Pat walked all over Roy. As expected. If Roy had something solid to stand on, it MIGHT have been a fair contest. But since Roy only has feelings, emotions, racism to stand on, Roy did NOT stand a chance. And he proved how lacking his liberal, socialist, group-fight policies really are. Now, if only low-information, lib-voting citizens could see the same applies to Hildaliar, the country could be saved. But, if enough citizens open their eyes and minds, Demon pols would find a way to allow felons and illegal aliens to vote. Oh, wait, they've already done that. Along with preventing citizens from showing ID to prove they are allowed to vote! Along with finding a way to dispose of over-seas military absentee ballots! See, nothing praise-worthy of Demon pols or the entire Demon party! For all you libs who are naturally offended, please prove me wrong!
October 18, 2016 at 12:27 pm
Douglas Scott Treado says:
November 8th will bring you to attention...Time's up for Gov."Duke" McCrory, and his appointee, Art Pope. Let's hope some of the Koch money will also begin to disappear from within the NC borders as well--it's been to damaging for the past eight years...both politically and in regard to dealing with fossil fuel profits and lack of attention to scientific studies that warn of the GOP's foolhardy concerning obvious climate change and also the need to deal with Duke Energy's ignorance as regards there toxic coal ash ponds throughout NC...Remember the Dan River "spill:? That was nearly three years ago! Deal with your responsibilities to the health and safety of N. Carolina's taxpayers, and stop being apologists for DE...
November 3, 2016 at 3:50 pm
Douglas Scott Treado says:
You will be proven wrong by November 9th. Burr and McCrory will lose--and they can enjoy their earnings from their political lives---and perhaps sea level rise will do them in at their vacation properties. The NC GOP is fractured, and the embarassment of having Trump as their "leader" is their own undoing...Thom Tillis will be next to go down in 2018! Meanwhile, while "Duke" McCrory was asking for a quarter million dollars to upgrade five bathrooms in the Gov's mansion, HB2 has lost hundreds of millions of needed dollars, tourism, jobs, businesses, etc.
