Pat’s Mid-Year Review

A veteran executive of a big North Carolina corporation offers this:   “If Governor McCrory had remained in corporate America, he would’ve been subjected to a mid-year review by his boss to ensure he’s on target to meet his goals and objectives.   “Let’s see how he’s doing as governor: “Strategic planning and execution. Needs…

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On His Heels

Governor McCrory says he’s not afraid “to step on toes.” It looks more like he’s tripping over his own feet. And some of his key appointees can’t find their footing.   At this rate, they’ll all get the boot.

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Listening to Voters

A veteran political hand once gave me this insight into how political people overestimate how much attention voters are paying: “The voters listen a lot slower than we talk.”   Two pieces of recent evidence: John Frank’s fascinating set of articles in the N&O about voters in swing districts and a new poll on the…

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Who Is Paying for This?

Taxpayers are paying for big salaries and big consulting contracts at DHHS. Are they also paying for “security” so the Secretary won’t have to answer questions about what the taxpayers are paying?   An indignant TAPster emailed on Sunday: “Ned Barnett’s column this morning says that Aldona Wos has ‘security personnel.’ I guess this really…

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Lost in Syria

Foreign policy is not my forte, so don’t ask me what America should do about Syria. But I get politics, and I don’t get President Obama’s political strategy.   If you want to do something, why ask permission from a Congress that has proven itself incapable of doing anything?   Most Republicans won’t vote for…

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Meeker’s Toe Dip

When Charles Meeker let fly his Governor-in-2016 trial balloon, you saw two things about where the political winds are blowing today.   First, Democrats sense Governor McCrory is vulnerable. That’s no news flash. Everybody has concluded that over the last month. Including McCrory and his allies. That’s why they’re denouncing the media, promising to whack…

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The Price of a Fiction

In the Senate of the world’s oldest democracy the Honorables sat down around a giant horseshoe-shaped table to hold a hearing to ask the Secretary of State how he figured bombing Syria was a good idea – but a strange thing happened: As soon as each Senator asked his first question the Secretary of State…

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It’s a Little Late, Pat

Every day I say: Today I won’t pick on Governor McCrory. Then he does something so boneheaded I can’t resist.   Like his parting shots at the legislature. He looked like the 98-pound weakling sticking out his tongue long after the bully who kicked sand in his face walked down the beach.   The legislature…

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A Heart Attack?

The Governor climbed into the ring with the State House Monday morning and thirty minutes later he was lying sprawled flat on his back on the canvas then, the next morning, he climbed back into the ring – this time with the State Senate – and the same thing happened again.     Pat McCrory’s…

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Overridden

Even Republicans are puzzled about why Governor McCrory vetoed the two bills he did.   Why pick a fight you’re going to lose? Unless there’s a big upside, and there’s not here.   Both of the bills he vetoed had passed the House, his only real ally on Jones Street, with veto-proof majorities and bipartisan…

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