Pat McCrory’s new TV campaign ad is stunning, and I don’t mean it’s beautiful. Rather, it’s stunning in an “I can’t believe I’m seeing this” way – cheesy, vapid and desperate and, depending on your view of the guy, either sad or sickening. Moreover, it’s also stunning to see just how many half-truths, distortions and outright lies the producers managed to pack into one minute. For sure, those qualities mean that McCrory’s ad fits right in with the tenor of the slick, image-making modern political ads we’ve all gotten used to. But considering that the commercial is McCrory’s attempt to counter abysmal poll numbers (only 35 percent of North Carolinians approve, according to latest surveys), and the growing perception of him as a lightweight who was stampeded in the legislature by the wingnuts in his own party, you’d think the ad would be more than a parade of dubious platitudes. You’d think he would offer more than shadings, spin and, not to put too fine a point on it, bullshit.
If you haven’t seen McCrory’s ad, check it out.
First: McCrory says he “stepped on the toes of both the left and the right.” In truth, his only veto of a rightwing law – the one that will waste your money drug-testing welfare recipients until it’s struck down by the courts – is hardly a counterweight to the scores of destructive new rightwing laws McCrory signed that are now making the state a national freak show as it lurches to the far right.
Next: McCrory claims to have reduced taxes and helped create jobs. In fact, only the rich will get a big tax cut, while most of us will be paying more to make up the difference. As for jobs, has anyone seen the ones the governor is talking about? Me either. Note also that it’s hard to boost vocational training for new jobs, as Pat claims, when you’re cutting community college budgets.
More B.S. from MC Master Pat: He’s clamping down on waste (except when it comes to salaries in the Department of Health and Human Services, naturally). He’s finding ways to reward our best teachers (while teachers’ assistants are dropping like flies and new teachers with masters degrees are screwed out of their $5K bonus).
And finally, my favorite. McCrory has the brazen, infuriating gall to say that he’s helping “our most vulnerable citizens get excellent healthcare” – after shafting 500,000 North Carolinians by refusing federal money for Medicaid expansion, effectively leaving those “most vulnerable citizens” without any healthcare insurance whatsoever. I said the governor’s ad was sad or sickening, and McCrory’s healthcare claim is both: sickening in its flagrant lying and contempt for voters’ intelligence, and sad because many voters who should know better will fall for slickly produced B.S., no matter if it’s promoting oil companies’ “dedication to the environment” or McCrory’s concern for our most vulnerable citizens. I thought, rather I knew, that McCrory was mostly corporate spin and smoke and mirrors with little substance while he was mayor. This new ad – and apparently there are more to come – confirms it once and for all. Shallowness, Patrick McCrory is indeed thy name. And that’s being generous.
This article appears in Sep 11-17, 2013.
John Grooms, your writing in this article is so bad I wonder if you graduated high school? Do you know how to make a point without using sixteen useless adjectives or profanity? I know the basis of your arguments are weak, but you only make them weaker with every word you write. Do yourself, and all of us, a favor and please quit writing. Your an embarrassment to whatever poor slob that was your English teacher.
McCroy really drives the Liberals crazy. Excellent
Let me guess, Poster #1, you’re only able to read text that uses such words as spake, beget, thou, sayeth unto thee and JESUS, MAKES, LAWS?
The points made here are valid: NC really is a laughingstock. Other states and even other COUNTRIES find this once-free state to be a ridiculous failed experiment whereby Republicans try to take over a Democratic city and impose their own backwards beliefs in a sky fairy upon its citizenry. They chip away at freedoms, they defund cultural institutions and they even went so far as to steal the federal money from the unemployed workers – who were laid off because the Republicans can’t make jobs!
McCrory wouldn’t be allowed to run a car wash in a liberal state and that’s a very good thing. Patty is just one more Rep. that spends every day fighting democratic laws and plans in an effort to make them look bad because they have no plans, no ideas and no hope of actually creating jobs of their own.
What a disgusting turn this state has taken. We used to chuckle only at the pathetic sports teams but not anymore. There’s nothing humorous in this state except the new uber-Christian laws they are forcing down our throats. Christianity makes me laugh but then I remember all the people who are forced to conform to a violent ghost’s wishes that are only based on divisiveness, bigotry, misogyny and subjugation and I suddenly find their wishful thinking/superstition/voodoo magic to be alarming rather that humorous.
Religion screws people and Pat McCrory is nothing but a tool.
Great job Pat, anytime you rile up the liberal nuts like Groom you are doing great things!
The last post is a perfect example of what is dragging us down. The current administration is not interested in actually running the state. Their total focus is on “riling up the Liberals”. They have changed hundreds of jobs from civil service careers to serve at the pleasure of the governor patronage jobs. They have gutted unemployment benefits, frozen teachers pay, laid off public employees, and given their political appointees huge pay raises. They gave a huge tax cut to the wealthiest NC residents (which includes most of them) and threw a few dollars worth to some of you. Many retired people actually got a tax INCREASE.
It amazes me that the people being harmed the most by the Republican party keep supporting and voting for them. At least I think they are voting for them. The way the Republicans are working at manipulating the election process we can’t be sure.
just wait repooplinuts, youll be taking it up the arse real fuggin soon
Reducing taxes on private planes and yachts IS helping NC…the thousands of people laid off from other jobs can surely be hired by NC’s ship building industry and jet building industry. Oh wait, we don’t have those. We do have loads of Walmarts & McDonalds, but those don’t do much for the tax base. We can look forward to the Tea Party Health Plan – don’t get sick & don’t get injured. All poor & elderly will get a free tattoo – saying DNR (do not resuscitate). Is it a surprise that the company pushing the idea of drug testing for welfare benefits, it a make of drug tests who stands to make a bundle on this? Meanwhile, Frat-boy Pat will give government jobs & contracts to his sycophants. To call him a douche bag is an insult to douche bags.