Proving the Point

To show he isn’t “obsessed with his image,” Governor McCrory sent a response to the Charlotte Observer that showed he is, in fact, obsessed with his image.
 
This calls to mind Virginia Sen. William L. Scott. In 1974, New Times magazine labeled Scott the country’s “dumbest” congressman. Scott called a press conference to deny the charge. He “met with a notable lack of success,” one observer noted.
 
Two things got Governor McCrory in this fix. First, he had 90-plus minutes with an editor who has been sympathetic and supportive. But McCrory apparently spent most of the time complaining about what the media is saying, not talking about what he is doing.
 
Second, he keeps reinforcing the impression that he is careless with facts. So we wonder: Is he ill-informed, or is he deliberately trying to mislead?
 
Neither one is good. And either one can hurt him. He is getting hurt now because political insiders suspect he is lacking in either intellect or integrity. Eventually, he could lose the trust of the public.
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Gary Pearce

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Proving the Point

To show he isn’t “obsessed with his image,” Governor McCrory sent a response to the Charlotte Observer that showed he is, in fact, obsessed with his image.
 
This calls to mind Virginia Sen. William L. Scott. In 1974, New Times magazine labeled Scott the country’s “dumbest” congressman. Scott called a press conference to deny the charge. He “met with a notable lack of success,” one observer noted.
 
Two things got Governor McCrory in this fix. First, he had 90-plus minutes with an editor who has been sympathetic and supportive. But McCrory apparently spent most of the time complaining about what the media is saying, not talking about what he is doing.
 
Second, he keeps reinforcing the impression that he is careless with facts. So we wonder: Is he ill-informed, or is he deliberately trying to mislead?
 
Neither one is good. And either one can hurt him. He is getting hurt now because political insiders suspect he is lacking in either intellect or integrity. Eventually, he could lose the trust of the public.
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Gary Pearce

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