Senator Tom Apodaca who’s gregarious and jovial and hard-nosed told the reporters, “The House went a little crazy with its budget” – then they asked about the Governor and he said, “The Governor doesn’t play much of a role in anything.”

He probably didn’t mean it unkindly – it probably read a lot meaner in black and white in the newspaper than the words sounded when they came out of his mouth but, either way, the quip’s likely to wind up in a Roy Cooper TV ad, landing the Governor in the same boat with Rodney ‘I don’t get no respect’ Dangerfield.

Which, if you’re in Pat McCrory’s shoes, is a conundrum.

Imagine the fate of a Democratic legislator who told a reporter that Jim Hunt was an irrelevant milquetoast? The poor Honorable would have gotten one of Hunt’s infamous 6am in the morning wakeup calls then been filleted by Hunt’s consigliores.

Pat McCrory’s cut from a different bolt of cloth. He’s not a tough-as-nails-if-you-want-to-fight-bring-it-on politician. He’s kind-hearted. And, at times, sentimental. You can see it when he’s on Facebook – the other day he was posting pictures, lamenting the passing of his ‘beloved friend Ernest’ the rescue mutt.

And sentiment’s a fine thing. It can be a virtue. But so is respect. And when you’re Governor it’s tough to get by on one without the other.