Pat McCrory's "they" problem
Submitted by James on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 10:19am
I confess to not knowing a lot about Pat McCrory and the great state of Mecklenburg. But I do know this. Pat McCrory has a big ugly "they" problem, and it will be his downfall in November. From his victory speech last night, referring to his tenure as mayor in Charlotte:
"I plan to bring that leadership to the rest of North Carolina because they deserve it."
They? Just who the heck is this "they" he's talking about? Well, just in case you weren't paying attention, "they" is "you" - the people of North Carolina, as distinguished from the people of Charlotte. And that pretty much sums up the problem with Pat McCrory and his messiah complex. He believes he's better than North Carolina, not part of North Carolina. That's why he calls us "they." And what else would you expect from a guy who hasn't cared about our whole state for one second over the past decade? All will be well if only he can be king. Don't you get it? North Carolina deserves to be graced with Pat McCrory's magnificence.
Aside from this profound arrogance, it's clear that Myers Park Pat is woefully out of touch with what really matters to our state. Just consider what he says will be the single most important priority of his reign:
"The number one priority will be to protect people from gang violence, career criminals and illegal immigrants breaking the laws."
It looks to me like the guy doesn't even know what office he's running for.
The same could be said about Charlotte in general
Just change "he" to "Charlotte."
As a resident of Charlotte metro
I could do without the regionalisms, thanks. I don't spend time making cracks about people Down East (and there are plenty that could be made). Nor do I hit my own people in the Blue Ridge. So how about not painting us with that broad brush, eh?
Mecklenburg went for Kerry
Charlotte also has a majority Dem City Council, a majority Dem County Commission, a majority Dem School Board and my personal favorite: a majority Dem Soil and Water Conservation Board. We also went 70% for Obama, one of the highest percentages in the state.
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
Sorry, but...
"Charlotte" in general is not culturally part of the state and does not really "play" with the rest of the state. Certainly there are exceptions, but that's how I see it.
give me a break
And I thought I painted with a broad brush.
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
Wow.
Charlotte is culturally part of the state, because it is part of the state. Whether or not it "plays" with the rest of the state is a matter of opinion, but all of the jokes about the "great state of Mecklenburg" aside, you can't just throw an entire city out of the state. That's ridiculous. If we could do that, I'd throw Pinehurst out of Moore County! And don't get me started on Pinewilde and their annexation woes.
But we can't do that. We are who we are because of everyone in the state, not just the parts that some people want to acknowledge. To do otherwise is simply elitist, and in my view unacceptable. I mean, think what you want, but I didn't expect that from you.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
Pointing at Naked Emperors
OK, downtown Charlotte rocks.
It's an exciting, appealing, well-ordered, vibrant place these days ... thanks to some real courage and good decisions by a line of successive city councils and others ... so I'd kind of like to keep it in the state, please. Thanks.
"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry Truman
"They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum Then they charged the people a dollar 'n a half just to see 'em. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
Percentages of voters in Mecklenburg
9.64% of all NC Democrats are in Mecklenburg, 9.33 of the Republicans and 11.2% of the Unaffliateds
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
And don't forget Jack Hawke, McCrory's campaign manager
The preeminent Puppet from the Civitas Institute, who hired a guy named Max Borders:
What a team.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Jack Hawke and Tom Fetzer
Jack Hawke and Tom Fetzer openly, and with relish, talk about how they plan to use racial tensions to promote their partisan campaigns.
I think we'll hear Hawke speaking out of McCrory's mouth often, particularly on "gangs and immigrants" (or is it "gangs = immigrants").
One thing Hawke won't be able to frame is McCrory's habit of increasing taxes on middle class families. McCrory can try to explain away his record on taxes, but North Carolina voters are going to look to the facts.
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http://twitter.com/Jerimee
taxes in Charlotte
might want to hold off on that argument. The majority Dem. City Council are the ones who approved the property tax increases and if I remember right, there have only been a couple during McCrory's 14 year tenure and the transit tax has been approved twice by the voters. There have been some hotel/motel/tourist tax increases but they really don't affect the citizens of Charlotte.
Most of the tax increases around here have come from the county commission.
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
I am so glad we have TrueMeckDem
Seriously.
We are counting on you for the straight scoop about McCrory. Up until he ran for governor, I mostly saw him as a smart administrator with at least bit of strategic vision. But no interest at all in North Carolina. Now I see him as a Puppet with Jack Hawke pulling the strings, pandering to the rabid right with more "lawn order" rhetoric than you can shake a stick at. Sort of like Hillary when she started down the "obliterate Iran" path.
So, is McCrory an honest guy ... or will he say whatever he needs to say to fulfill his messianic ambitions?
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Myers Park Pat
My opinion of Pat has changed over the years. I used to think he was truly a man of the people but the longer he has been mayor, the less I think of him.
As with most cities, Charlotte has three political parties: Dem, Rep, and Chamber of Commerce. Pat is definetly the puppet of the COC here. What is good for business is good for Charlotte and Pat.
He is definetly a politician and I don't mean the good kind. He is about as two faced as you can get. Very personable guy, he has gotten a bunch of Dems in these parts to vote for him but I don't trust him.
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
I live right outside Meck County
It's been my experience of McCrory that he's competent at maintaining his image as "Pat McCrory." He's quick to claim credit for something when it's popular, and equally quick to distance himself from projects that go sour. He's the quintessential bandwagoneer.
He's also mighty far off the mark if he's putting himself out there as the tough-on-crime guy, given Charlotte's record of putting criminals back on the street.
Pat McCrory
for The Great Police State of North Carolina.
So I guess with McCrory we'll be retraining teachers and healthcare workers to be prison guards and INS agents?
"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry Truman
"They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum Then they charged the people a dollar 'n a half just to see 'em. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
I'm saying stuff
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http://twitter.com/Jerimee
Hahaha
Ok, now I see what you're after.
Too bad Bob Orr didn't win.
Like most great candidates, Robert Orr hovered way behind the front-runners. At least Fred Smith didn't win, McCrory's better than him.
Unless McCrory says this sort of mistaken "they" all the time, I don't see it as a problem. We all slip up sometimes, including Obama with his guns and religion comments and Hillary with her sniper attacks.
Looks like I'll be voting for Mike Munger in the fall if it's not a close race. He seems to be the most intelligent candidate by far.
Oh, it'll be a problem.
This isn't a slip up, it's a mindset. In his entire career representing The Company Town, McCrory hasn't given one hoot about North Carolina that I can see. Now all of a sudden he's coming on like he's god's gift to the millions of people who see Charlotte as a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America and Duke Energy.
It'll be a problem. That's for sure.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
don't forget
Don't forget about Wachovia....
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
Oh Pat, your slip is showing
your Freudian slip.
Progressive Democrats of North Carolina
Progressives are the true conservatives.
Beauteous.
Perfectly put.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
As a
gay Charlottean I will never vote for McCrory. He has been callous and completely hostile to any dialogue at all from the largest gay community in the Carolinas. Yeah, I know he's a NC Republican. We are not asking him to march in a gay pride parade. I just happen to think that Mayors should respect and listen to ALL citizens even those you don't agree with. Pat refuses to even go that far. Perdue is no prize in the gay friendly category either but she is my only choice.
As as resident of the city of Chapel Hill, and a student at...
UNC, I can say with 100% certainty that the rest of you guys in North Carolina suck.