Pat McCrory, Demagogue
Posted August 8th, 2007 at 5:32 AM by Jeff A. TaylorCharlotte Mayor Pat McCrory made it abundantly clear yesterday that he will do or say anything in order to save the half-cent transit tax in November. When asked what he would do as mayor if voters opted to repeal the tax, McCrory told listeners to WBT that he would immediately move to cut CATS’ costs, including reducing bus service by two-thirds.
Let’s think about the cynicism behind that response.
That even after voters have said no to a $9 billion transit plan, including at least $1 billion in brand new spending on two additional light rail lines, the first thing Pat McCrory would do is move to yank bus service. Not use the seven months and $6 million a month in continued half-cent transit tax revenue collected through the end of the fiscal year to help build a better, more affordable transit system for Charlotte, but immediately move to vindictively cut current mass transit service.
The mayor reveals too much. First, that when push comes to solve, CATS’ light rail spending will always crowd out spending on buses. That is because — as we learned from city officials in June — our transit plan is not really about moving people around, it is about “place making.”
Second, McCrory is telling you that our transit plan is total automatic pilot with no real oversight in place and no alternative for future funding aside from local taxpayers. Faced with the loss of CATS’ $70 million-a-year revolving charge card, McCrory wants to stop spending on essentials and keep the fluff.
CATS should only need about $60 million a year to run the current bus system, a completely attainable number were costs reigned in, over-subsidized fares increased, and the city kick in a few million dollars it current squanders elsewhere. Ikea got — what was it? — a $6 million kickback from the city alone this year. Several weeks ago is was another $15 million or so to build subsidized townhouses just outside of Uptown.
And best of all, there is the $76 million “funding gap” for the $300-plus million North rail line that CATS will fill with future property tax revenue. There is simply no way to look all the money Charlotte city government spends and plans to spend aside from the half-cent tax revenue and conclude that bus service should immediately be chopped if voters say no to CATS’ plans.
Except if you are Pat McCrory and you are unfamiliar with having to actually align your priorities with those of the broader public’s. Instead, McCrory promises to throw a spiteful hissy fit, ignore constructive alternatives, and punish the public for thwarting him.
Great leadership, Pat.
Bonus observation: Does the mayor’s stance remind anyone else of CMS and county officials during the run-up to the 2005 school bond vote? Vote for it or we’ll never build schools again? Never, ever use certificates of participation to fund our most vital needs if you vote this down? Never, ever, ever.
Voters saw through that one too.
August 8th, 2007 at 7:17 am
Pat McCrory is vulnerable on many issues, but Jeff Katz cannot provide an effective debate forum, with half of the time devoted breaks for commercials, etc! No continuity, only sound bites, mostly.
One blow was scored when McCrory did not deny that Charlotte is a Sanctuary city, esentially protecting the illegal aliens from being identified. I’m not sure if it was Katz or Gjertsen who said Chief Stephens refuses to apply for the federal 287g program! Too true!
Hopefully, a debate can be arranged with some continuity.
August 8th, 2007 at 9:24 am
What would you expect from WBT, the Faux News of CHarlotte? Time devoted to letting people talk like WFAE does? Jeff had a ful hour on the Mike Collins show, no sound bites.
August 8th, 2007 at 9:49 am
In fairness to BT, that was more a function of the time-slot in prime drive time than anything else.
You are just not going to get more than a handful of minutes at a time in that situation. Same deal at commercial stations everywhere in that regard. I did WBAL-AM in Baltimore a couple time on the dook lacrosse rape case and you wouldn’t believe how long the traffic updates were, for example.
We still got some stuff discussed as it was just me, the host, and another guest — then we took some calls. I think if they had to do it over again, Katz wouldn’t have tried to have 5 guests on to talk about serious subjects in drive time. Too chaotic.
And I also must note that my WFAE slot was broken up by breaks, which you really have to do to give LISTENERS a break too and meet their expectations of regular info regardless of guest.
To top it off, I did the 9pm-10pm slot of Tara’s show last night with Pete Kaliner and we had several good and I think informative runs with callers and back-and-forth.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Did you listen to the same debate that I did? Not only did I listen to the debate but I heard the coverage after it by John Hancock and EVERYBODY that called in said Pat McCrory won. Are you that out of touch with your derangement? You also need to know the difference from state roads and city roads. I-85 and I-77 problems are not the fault of the city or Pat McCrory. Tell the truth for God sakes. Ken sounded like a complete moron and in NO WAY did he represent my conservative principles yesterday. If that’s the best that the far right has, then I don’t want ANY far right in Charlotte. Get a clue dude, or atleast start telling the truth.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:48 am
TC, that Faux News of Charlotte comment was really clever. Please tell us, what don’t you like about WBT?
As far as WFAE goes, it’s an ok format that uses a business model that depends on taxpayers to pay for a huge part of the stations’s operating budget. WBT, on the other hand, costs the listener nothing, as many advetisers pay WBT millions of dollars a year to rent the ears of their listeners.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Just FYI, “Packpat1″ is the name of a forum poster over on Charlotte.com who many believe is actually Pat McCrory.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Packpat — Where did I say that Mayor Pat lost the “debate” such as it was?
I said he gave an amazingly cynical and borderline shocking answer to a single question, albeit it on a vital topic.
No one has ever said that the mayor was not extremely good at deflecting and re-directing initial questions. Where he falls apart in under sustained probing about previous assumptions and pronouncements.
And as for Ken, no he has never shown much of an aptitude for explaining where he is coming from, where he’s at, or how he got there. The question is how much Republican voters (I’m not one, BTW) do not care about that and just want to dump Pat.
My incredible insight? Some.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Rick, correct, sort of, but you are close, let’s take a look, shall we?
1. WFAE’s funing is about 80% listeners and corporate sponers, and around 20% Corporation for Pubic Broadcasting. These numbers are from memory, but I thnk they are close.
2. NPR’s is: http://www.npr.org/about/annualreports/2005_Annual_Report.pdf
3. So what? Just because WBT offers completely biased coverage and do nto receive funding, to bad for them.
I listend to WBT once, during the VA Tech shootings in hopes to hear what was going on. It was the only “news” station I could pick-up in my Freedom Drive office. Maybe they will give updates like NPR did while I was in my car goingto the office) interviews, real coverage. NO Jeff Katz could only push two things:
1. “Now the gun control people are going to say ’see, we this is what happens’”
This is sick, all these dead kids and he is concerened w/ gun control views? 30 some kids died and he only want to protect gun owners from better background checks! Nice way to dierespect the dead.
2. “Call in if you thought this was a terrorist attack.” What! We have a long history of killing off each other at schools that are NOT terrorist related. Keep pushing fear and hatered Katz, nice going. THis is absurd.
On NPR (WFAE) is was simply updates and information. A week later, when the discussion was more appropriate, they had the gun control debate, and both sudes were given equal time each day to discuss the pros/cons in a non yelling and screaming sound bite forum.
So yeah, this was the first and last time I would ever turn to WBT Rick.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Clayj — Don’t know about that — here is a “packpat1″ Web photo album that suggests otherwise.
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1255856598055818019fCUUCq
Perhaps a nephew or cousin?
In any event he or she has been remarkably consistent in defending Mayor Pat across the Web — here for example:
http://projects.newsobserver.com/blogs/mccrory_08
That’s fine, nothing wrong with that. Just can the outrage over folks having a slightly more grounded opinion of McCrory’s performance as mayor.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Jeff,
I never said you said that he lost(that was a mouth full). My point is that nobody that called in said Pat did a bad job and nobody that called in said Ken did anything right. You were trying to link the study by UNCC to McCrory last night and that’s just dishonest. The Mayor has never stated that light rail will reduce traffic, but he has said that it is an alternative. That’s the whole point ot it!
As far as the buses, all you got to do is look at the numbers. Go ask the city where they get the funding for the bus system. The numbers don’t lie and they will show you that most of the transit tax goes to the bus system. You may not agree with the trains but atleast use facts in your arguments. Let’s not make this the dailykos of conservative blogs.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Packpat, if the transit tax is repealed, there is an easy solution to how to make up that shortfall:
Raise. The. Fares.
The fact that CATS’ budget is only 14-16% covered by fares is horrible. That figure should be AT LEAST 25%, and preferably higher. Right now we are subsidizing the average bus rider (2 fares a day for 20 days a month) to the tune of $300-$400. Forget buying cars for train riders; we’d almost be better off buying cars for the bus riders (it would be cheaper, anyway). While we’re at it, let’s raise the fares for all routes that exit the county.
Oh, and let’s start selling ad space on the sides of buses. I don’t give a DAMN if it makes the buses less pretty. Their role is not to be pretty. Their role is to move people around Charlotte in a cost-efficient manner, and advertising would help to reduce that cost to the taxpayers.
All this talk about cutting routes or slashing law enforcement is fearmongering of the worst kind, and the mayor should be absolutely ashamed of himself for suggesting it. I used to be a big fan of Pat McCrory, but no more; I will definitely be voting for Ken Gjertsen in the primary, and I may even vote for Beverly Earle if it comes down to McCrory and Earle, just to get McCrory out of office. 2 years of Earle and the people of Charlotte will be all too eager to vote a real Republican, who believes in fiscal constraint, into office.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
McCheese definitely handed Jerkson his hat in yesterday’s debate. Too bad there’s not a None of the Above option. Maybe I’ll write in Howard or Tommy Chuck.
Calling WBT “Faux News” is a little misleading as mostly the main shows are the Editorial Opinions of the Hosts and not News. Since most of the Host are Conservative they tend to be Cheerleaders but the News on WBT reports the news.
Mike Collins is my favorite Liberal Weinie(I miss “Winning and Winning Big” when he was on WBT and yes his show had a Liberal opinion) but his show and most of the Shows on NPR always remind me of the Joe Adamov show on Radio Moscow back in the good old days when Shortwave was the Internet.
As far as the Transit Tax Repeal, if Charmeck.gov eliminates the Corporate Welfare it’s dishing out it will have plenty of cash for the Winos who used to drool on me on the 17 and 29 buses to keep riding unabashed.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Clayj is stealing my ideas!!
I said to put sponsorship on the schools” Myers Park Norstrom High, South Meck Wal*Mart High….what is the difference between the sponsorship of buses or schools? It is all public property, right?
Sky, like all shows, many have a slant, but Mike Collins show is abot 70% non-political issues. Local theater, science, where to find a haute cuisine in Charlotte etc. That is but one show on NPR. Plus, Jeff had a full hour to make his point. Jeff also admitted in this blog that Collins did press the issues against the rail study in a show. Granted, not enough to his wants, but he did admit it was pressed. Of course, it could never be done to anyone’s satisfaction on this post.
So if Collins has a liberal opinion on local arts, food, advances in brain surgery, so be it. Do we want a conservative telling us the best places to eat wings, what Bruce Willis film is the best, and how to skin a opossum using the new CASE Hunter’s knife…..no!
August 8th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
You surely missed the early to mid 90’s when Mikey was on WBT in Katz’s current slot. He took two hours trying to answer Rush Limbaugh and at 5 the “Win and Win Big” trivia contest. I got some good vittles out of that. That was back when Limbaugh was first on the air. Today he’s kinda like “All My Children” you can stop listening for awhile and when you come back everything’s the same except Erica has a new husband and Rush as a new Democrat.
Sounds like you’re obcessed with sterotypes. Though I am a conservative I enjoy fine food, good wine, fine art, and good films in addition to my Nuclear Holocaust Wings, “Unbreakable”, and skinning a buck and running my trot lines. I don’t care if a critic is Conservative or Liberal as long as they have good taste.
August 8th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
I’m with you on that Sky. My seemed aim on stereotypes stems from have read all the stereotypes in the opposite direction on this site before I ever posted. In fact, I do not even believe some of the things I say, but someone needs to play the contrarian here. I can’t not tell if you caught it or not, but by Faux News, I mean Fox News. Not that WBT offer false news. A little play on words. Fox news has always been run by someone from the RNC, mostly a former number 1 or 2 guy there. But, no, they have no agenda! Also, I am 8′ tall.
August 9th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
No I know what you meant. Roger Ailes at FOX has Conservative Format Opinion Shows and regular news just like WBT.
January 24th, 2008 at 10:57 am
[...] Gold star Meck Deckers will recall Packpat 1 from this blog last August, I which time I speculated McCrory had an enthusiastic nephew or cousin at work on boards and blogs. Jensen details some other Packpat1 activity the past few months and concludes this is not a good sign. Anyway, after seeing my response PackPat1 deleted his comment about our poll. Or maybe the hacker got in and deleted it, who knows. But that’s why I wanted to get this information out here. It’s just more sloppiness on the part of McCrory campaign to send a family member whose identity is easily traceable to attack all bad news for him on blogs — especially when their posts show them to be quite ignorant as in this case. [...]