Two North Carolinas, one message
Published February 2, 2018
by Gary Pearce, Talking About Politics,
Governor Cooper may be doing something few politicians can or want to do: talk to both sides of a divided state.
This week the Governor, who won thanks largely to urban voters, announced a jobs initiative for rural counties. Last week, he spoke on the same day at two events symbolizing the two North Carolinas.
In Mooresville, he honored Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller for their racing-business and charity work. Then, in Ellerbe he dedicated a bridge for Henry Frye, the state’s first African-American chief justice.
NASCAR and civil rights are a twain that rarely meet. About all the two events had in common were cars and the Orders of the Long Leaf Pine that Cooper presented.
A TAPster, obviously a Cooper fan, sent links to the Earnhardt and Frye videos and wrote:
“In watching them back to back, I was struck by the broad audience and also the fact that the Governor really sticks to his usual message of creating opportunity, tearing down barriers and expanding access to education. (It highlights) the desire and ability of elected leaders to speak to different audiences in a meaningful way with a similar basic message (without it being super intentional/forced or less-than-sincere). It feels very unTrump and I found it valuable to watch.”
Can a Governor with rural roots (Nash County) and urban roots (Raleigh) appeal to both? That would be quite the feat in today’s political world. And a lesson for all Democrats\\
https://talkingaboutpolitics.com/two-north-carolinas-one-message/#.WnSzWa2ZNo4
February 7, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Norm Kelly says:
'the fact that the Governor really sticks to his usual message' - the usual liberal gov't in control of everything message?
'message of creating opportunity' - he's a demoncrat, so this must be, has to be, 'government' opportunity. Opportunity bought by government. Opportunity only when gov't 'incentivizes' business. Opportunity based on quotas.
'expanding access to education' - by limiting the number of charter schools? By eliminating opportunity scholarships? By trapping minorities in failing schools? By busing kids all over the county for racial balance?
'It feels very unTrump' - like expanding opportunity for ALL citizens? You mean like reducing taxes across the board? If unTrumpness were good, then why was the economy stuck in such low gear during the 8 socialist years of Obumbler? By unTrump, you mean like 'shovel ready jobs' from the stimulus package that was laughed at because there were no shovel ready jobs and most of the stimulus was wasted?
Let's face it, the gov is a dem and can't get out of the lib/dem/socialist mind set of tax, spend, give away, regulate. Which is most definitely unTrump.
'who won thanks largely to urban voters' - urban voters who were fooled by his message and by gays who KNEW that his entire campaign was based on the bathroom bill. There was more coal ash on Roy's hands than Pat's. Even the never-conservative Raleigh N&O paper one time, and one time only, explained that the coal ash pits were KNOWN to be leaking for decades and none of the ruling libs or ruling lib state agencies did anything about it. So, Roy's whine about the coal ash spill was nothing more than a pointless whine, aimed at the wrong people/person. Why did't Roy whine about his own party's responsibility in the coal ash spill? Cuz the truth would have hampered his single-issue campaign.
Does Roy really appeal to 'both' sides of the state? Or does Roy only appeal to his liberal base? So far, Roy is appealing to his liberal base, if we take him at his word on the pipeline and off-shore drilling. Both of which would benefit the state, and both of which Roy (and all libs) are opposed to. So, how does Roy appeal to the 2nd part of our state? By being even more liberal?
