McCrory: The Un-Easley
2013-06-10 - by
Governor McCrory’s style reminds me of Mike Easley: as in, the exact opposite.
Easley was notoriously private. He hated being out in public and going to events. Which is bizarre in a politician.
But Easley had real beliefs and convictions that he stood up for: smaller class sizes, early-childhood education, economic development in rural areas and small towns, and equal opportunities for all.
McCrory’s style is clear after five months. Unlike Easley, he seems to have no core beliefs, except a fuzzy-minded version of jargon-filled conservatism.
And most unlike Easley, he LOVES going places. He’ll go anywhere, anytime. Having a press conference about Dix? He’s there. Announcing a new industry he had nothing to do with? Count on Pat. Walking down Main Street and eating at a diner? Shake hands with Pat.
In other words, he’s good at the show. But the work? Not so much. So that leaves the legislature to run things, which they’re happy to do. And it leaves McCrory’s political fate – and North Carolina’s future – in the hands of some Cabinet secretaries whose grip is questionable, like Secretary Wos with Medicaid and Secretary Skvarla with the environment.
Being Governor is hard work. It’s more than showing up. It takes studying and learning. It takes listening to people and managing people. It takes a vision and persuasion. Without that kind of governor, a state can get outworked – and left behind.
By the way, Thomas Mills had a good analysis of this dynamic in his blog. I forgive him for stealing my lead above after we talked last week. But that’s fair, because I’ve stolen a lot of lines from him. And his blog is consistently great.
McCrory: The Un-Easley
2013-06-10/
Governor McCrory’s style reminds me of Mike Easley: as in, the exact opposite.
Easley was notoriously private. He hated being out in public and going to events. Which is bizarre in a politician.
But Easley had real beliefs and convictions that he stood up for: smaller class sizes, early-childhood education, economic development in rural areas and small towns, and equal opportunities for all.
McCrory’s style is clear after five months. Unlike Easley, he seems to have no core beliefs, except a fuzzy-minded version of jargon-filled conservatism.
And most unlike Easley, he LOVES going places. He’ll go anywhere, anytime. Having a press conference about Dix? He’s there. Announcing a new industry he had nothing to do with? Count on Pat. Walking down Main Street and eating at a diner? Shake hands with Pat.
In other words, he’s good at the show. But the work? Not so much. So that leaves the legislature to run things, which they’re happy to do. And it leaves McCrory’s political fate – and North Carolina’s future – in the hands of some Cabinet secretaries whose grip is questionable, like Secretary Wos with Medicaid and Secretary Skvarla with the environment.
Being Governor is hard work. It’s more than showing up. It takes studying and learning. It takes listening to people and managing people. It takes a vision and persuasion. Without that kind of governor, a state can get outworked – and left behind.
By the way, Thomas Mills had a good analysis of this dynamic in his blog. I forgive him for stealing my lead above after we talked last week. But that’s fair, because I’ve stolen a lot of lines from him. And his blog is consistently great.