Talk of a Pat McCrory candidacy has the state chattering classes (such as they are) all astir with speculation. It’s true: McCrory is a Republican. But is he a conservative? At least: is he a fiscal conservative?
As mayor of the Queen City, his crowning achievement is supposed to be that let-them-eat-cake trolley and the accompanying transit tax — which Under the Dome seems to think is an achievement. If money fell like manna from heaven and central planning worked, it might be a ok. But Charlotte’s light rail is a massive error IMHO, where that shiny new toy obscures the tremendous costs spread out over the state and even the rest of the country (onto people who will likely never see it or ride it).
And wasn’t McCrory mixed up in the corporate welfare projects of the Bobcats Arena? He’s been a very effective mayor. But effective at what? At lobbying the city, the state and the feds for resources to concentrating expensive, wasteful goodies on the people of Charlotte? This suggests to me that he’d be that kind of governor, too.
Basically, he’s going to have to prove his credentials as a fiscal conservative if he’s going to attract anybody except those who function on the get-us-goodies calculus. People of principle and economic sanity may not bother with him.
(Note: Ryan Beckwith’s Dome post (linked above) intended "achieve" in the neutral sense of being able to get it done. He did not want to editorialize with the post. – MB)
-Max Borders
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