Governor Pat McCrory is in trouble. McCrory’s stock has been plummeting since he took office, and he’s finally dug himself a hole too deep to climb out of.
After the governor signed HB2 into law in the dead of night, his approval numbers took a nose dive. The disastrous HB2 continues to damage North Carolina’s economy and reputation, and now as they attempt to defend Donald Trump’s disgusting comments caught on tape in 2005, which seem to mirror too well what they said HB2 would prevent, McCrory and his Republican cronies won’t back down.
At the same time that HB2 is keeping jobs out of the state, McCrory’s touting around his favorite talking point on the “Carolina Comeback,” or as the Triad Business Journal called it the “Carolina meh.” Advocating for policies right out of the Koch handbook, McCrory has prevented the economic growth North Carolina deserves.
The state has seen more than 10,000 layoffs announced in the last year. In 2015, the governor signed a budget that increased fees on car registration, sales taxes on maintenance for cars and home appliances — even fees for hospital screenings of newborns. Meanwhile, the state’s wages have stagnated, but don’t expect McCrory to help with that — his HB2 law also prohibits cities from raising the minimum wage.
Governor McCrory is the perfect Koch puppet. He supports policies that are hurting North Carolina working families while helping the richest among us. Instead of leadership, he’s stuck by the side of the Koch brothers and the GOP nominee Donald Trump in his bullish refusal to compromise or listen to what voters want. Come November, he’ll pay the price.
Background:
Pat McCrory, Koch Puppet
Koch Puppet Pat McCrory Admitted Supporting The Koch Agenda And Empowered Key Koch Figures In His Administration And Campaigns
McCrory And AFP Acknowledged Their Policy Alignment
Pat McCrory On AFP: “There Are Areas Where We Just Agree To Disagree, But That Doesn’t Mean I Won’t Support Most Of What They’re About.” According to an opinion by columnist John Grooms in Creative Loafing, “McCrory says that if he has linked up with Americans For Prosperity, ‘it’s because I agree with them, particularly on three issues: taxes, education and energy exploration. There are areas where we just agree to disagree, but that doesn’t mean I won’t support most of what they’re about. You know, about this notion that I’m positioning myself a certain way, I don’t calculate based on opponents’ – or potential opponents’ – positions. I just don’t do things that way; I don’t worry about the other candidates. I only can control what I do, and I’m out there supporting the positions I believe in, not to please one group or another.’” [John Grooms – Creative Loafing, 8/24/11]
AFP President Tim Phillips Praised Pat McCrory As “A Great Governor” At The 2016 NC Civitas Conservative Leadership Conference. According to a recording of AFP President Tim Phillips at the NC Civitas Conservative Leadership Conference, “Every election is important but it’s the long-term building and the battles that we have to win to genuinely move our country to prosperity and freedom for every American. And so this year, in 2016 as a movement, roll up our sleeve and let’s go out and fight. But let’s all make a solemn pledge to each other. That no matter what happens this year, that come January 2017, when the North Carolina legislative session convenes and when a new governor—excuse me, when the governor— Excuse me, want to be clear on that. This governor’s been a good governor, a great governor.” [Tim Phillips – NC Civitas Conservative Leadership Conference, 3/4/16]
McCrory’s Campaigns And Administration Were Managed By Koch Leadership
Art Pope Became McCrory’s Budget Director After At Least $40 Million Linked To His Stores Went To Political Donations And Groups Like AFP And Civitas. According to Democracy North Carolina, “Art Pope Is head of Roses and Maxway and now Gov. Pat McCrory’s Budget Director[:] $40 million linked to Pope’s stores has gone to political donations and rightwing groups like Americans for Prosperity and Civitas. Pope’s money put conservatives in charge of the legislature and elected Gov. Pat McCrory. Pope is now McCrory’s Budget Director. Budget Director Pope helped pass laws that: • Cut aid to the jobless; fired teachers. • Cut early voting, make voting harder. • Cut taxes for rich, make the poor pay more. • Cut health services for women and kids. • Gut environmental & safety regulations. • End the Racial Justice Act for fair trials. • Raise interest rates on small loans. • Kill public campaign financing, so big private donors like Pope call the shots.” [Democracy North Carolina, 12/2/13]
Jack Hawke Transitioned From Civitas Institute President, To Campaign Manager For Pat McCrory, To Civitas Senior Fellow, To Signing Up To Be Treasurer Of McCrory’s Political-Action Committee. According to an article by Jane Mayer in The New Yorker, “Some officials at Civitas appear to shuttle frequently between ‘nonpartisan’ and partisan roles. In early February, 2008, Jack Hawke, a Republican political operative in the state, stepped down as president of the Civitas Institute; by the end of the month, he had signed on with the campaign of Pat McCrory, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, eventually becoming its manager. After McCrory lost, to Beverly Perdue, Hawke returned to Civitas, as a senior fellow. In January, 2010, Hawke signed a form indicating that he will become treasurer of McCrory’s new political-action committee, which is widely seen as the first step toward a rematch of the 2008 governor’s race. Hawke is currently an unpaid senior fellow at Civitas. ‘Jack Hawke’s serial involvement in Civitas and the McCrory campaign is no accident,’ Marc Farinella, the Democratic campaign consultant, said. ‘Pope has used the federal tax code to create a massive campaign apparatus that is only thinly disguised as a collection of benign, civic-minded nonprofit groups.’ Hawke did not respond to interview requests.” [Jane Mayer – New Yorker, 10/10/11]
LIBRE’s North Carolina Field Director Was Previously A Member Of Pat McCrory’s Advisory Council of Hispanic/Latino Affairs. According to the LIBRE Initiative website, “Vanessa Faura[-] North Carolina Field Director […]She spent seven years working for Wells Fargo Bank in wholesale finance. In July 2013, Faura was appointed to North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory’s Advisory Council of Hispanic/Latino Affairs.” [LIBRE Initiative, 9/26/16]
AFP Vigorously Defended McCrory’s Implementation Of The Koch Agenda
AFP Sent Mail Ads And Launched Petitions In Support Of McCrory’s Tax Cuts, Pushing The Message That Opponents Were Engaging In “Class Warfare” And Running Down The American Dream
AFP Promoted McCrory’s Repeal Of The Estate Tax
AFP Sought Petition Signatures Thanking Gov. McCrory For Cutting Individual Income Taxes Two Years In A Row, Repealing The “Death Tax,” And Increasing The Zero Tax Bracket. According to a page on the Americans for Prosperity website, “Individual Income Taxes Cut! Individual income taxes cut for two years in a row[.] Death Tax Repealed! ‘Death tax’ repealed, which protects family-farms[.] Increased Zero Tax Bracket! Increased ‘zero tax bracket’ to help low-income singles and married couples[.] Join us in saying Thank You by signing our petition below!” [Americans for Prosperity, 7/21/16]
- AFP Defined The “Death Tax” As A Measure “Which Protects Family-Farms.”According to a page on the Americans for Prosperity website, “Individual Income Taxes Cut! Individual income taxes cut for two years in a row[.] Death Tax Repealed! ‘Death tax’ repealed, which protects family-farms[.] Increased Zero Tax Bracket! Increased ‘zero tax bracket’ to help low-income singles and married couples[.] Join us in saying Thank You by signing our petition below!” [Americans for Prosperity, 7/21/16]
AFP Promoted McCrory’s Tax Cuts In Mail Campaigns And With Petition Drives
AFP Sent Mailers Lauding Gov. McCrory For Cutting The Income Tax. According to a tweet by NC Political Mail, “New mail piece from Americans for Prosperity. Found in North Mecklenburg County #ncpol[.]” The tweet included pictures of literature which directed recipients to “Call Gov. McCrory at 919-814-2000[;] tell him thanks for cutting my income taxes!” [NC Political Mail, 7/18/16]
- AFP-NC Launched A Direct Mail Campaign To “Hundreds Of Thousands Of Households” Thanking Gov. Pat Mccrory For Cutting Taxes, Noting That The Announcement Came Just Two Days After The Unveiling Of Similar Door Hangers. According to a post on the Americans for Prosperity website, “Americans for Prosperity – North Carolina launched a direct mail effort to hundreds of thousands of households thanking Gov. Pat McCrory cutting more than $4.4 billion in taxes since 2013. The announcement comes two days after the grassroots advocacy group unveiled similar door hangers that it is hand delivering to tens of thousands of households in personal conversations every week.” [Americans for Prosperity, 8/25/16]
AFP Launched A Petition To Thank Gov. McCrory For Cutting Income Taxes Three Times Since 2013: “Since Gov. McCrory Took Office In 2013, North Carolina Has Led The Southeast With 300,000 New Jobs Created And The Largest Per-Capita Income Growth In The United States.” According to a page on the Americans for Prosperity website, “North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has cut income taxes three times since 2013, reducing the statewide rate to 5.49% and increasing the standard deduction to $17,500 by 2017. How has that worked out for working people? Since Gov. McCrory took office in 2013, North Carolina has led the Southeast with 300,000 new jobs created and the largest per-capita income growth in the United States. Rapid GDP growth, a $425 million budget surpluses and lower unemployment in all 100 counties have solidified the state as the emerging economic powerhouse of the East coast. Take time to thank Gov. Pat McCrory for three tax cuts today.” [Americans for Prosperity, 7/27/16]
- AFP Also Launched Separate “Say Thanks For Three Tax Cuts” Petitions Thanking North Carolina Senator Chad Barefoot And North Carolina Representatives Jonathan Jordan And Susan Martin.[Americans for Prosperity, 7/27/16; 7/27/16; 7/27/16]
AFP-NC Recirculated Its Petition To Thank Gov. McCrory For Cutting Taxes. According to a tweet by AFP-NC, “Since 2013, NC led southeast with 300k new jobs & $425 million budget surplus.https://buff.ly/2barXl9 #NCGA #NCPOL[.]” The tweet linked to AFP’s petition to thank Gov. McCrory for cutting taxes. [AFP-NC – Twitter, 8/15/16]
- AFP-NC Responded To An Op-Ed Rejecting “A Central Narrative In The Re-Election Campaign Of Gov. Pat McCrory,” That NC Was “Undergoing A Robust Economic Recovery Brought About By Hard Policy Choices,” Responding That It Was “Completely False” That NC Had “Subpar Job Growth And Elevated Joblessness.”According to a tweet by AFP-NC, “Big lie in @NewsObserver today: NC has ‘subpar job growth and elevated joblessness.’ Completely false.” The tweet linked to an opinion by South by North Strategies Ltd principal John Quinterno in the News & Observer which stated “The claim that North Carolina is undergoing a robust economic recovery brought about by hard policy choices has become a central narrative in the re-election campaign of Gov. Pat McCrory. Yet if North Carolina’s recovery is so robust, why is public enthusiasm for the ‘Carolina Comeback’ so hard to find? Ultimately, the lack of popular acclaim for the ‘Carolina Comeback’ is due to its failure to raise the incomes and living standards of most North Carolinians. […] Because most households derive almost all of their incomes through paid work, falling incomes are intertwined with a statewide labor market defined by subpar job growth and elevated joblessness, which are factors that drive down wages.” [AFP-NC – Twitter, 8/15/16]
AFP’s Tea Party Campaigning Launched McCrory’s Gubernatorial Career
McCrory Signed An AFP Tea Party Pledge During His First Run For Governor
AFP Praised Pat McCrory For Signing A Spending Limits Pledge During His 2008 Run For Governor As He Set To Participate In Its “Take Back Our State Coalition Rally” And AFP Encouraged “A Second Tax Revolt” Across The Country. According to an Americans for Prosperity press release via Targeted News Service, “Americans for Prosperity issued the following news release: Charlotte Mayor and Gubernatorial Candidate Pat McCrory, who has signed a pledge to support spending restraint, will address the Americans for Prosperity sponsored Take Back Our State Coalition Rally, on Wednesday June 25th at Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh. The rally is free and will begin at 4:30 PM, with Mr. McCrory expected to speak after6:00 PM. Mayor McCrory will join hundreds of free market grassroots activists, former Senator Bob Dole, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and members of the Take Back Our State Coalition. TABOR is just one of the issues supported by the Take Back Our State Coalition. (For a full list visit www.takebackourstate.org) ‘Americans for Prosperity is committed to placing common sense limits on the growth of government that reflect the budget limits American families must live by everyday,’ said AFP-NC State Director Dallas Woodhouse. ‘A second tax revolt is sweeping the country and we are encouraged to see that gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory is joining the fight by pledging to support spending limits.’” [Americans for Prosperity, 6/20/08]
- AFP Was The Main Sponsor Of The “Take Back Our State” Rally.According to the Charlotte Observer, “The event is scheduled to feature Charlotte Mayor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory, former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas and a two-ton fake pig named ‘Ten Pence.’ Americans for Prosperity, an anti-tax group, is the main sponsor of the ‘Take Back Our State Rally.’” [Charlotte Observer, 6/21/08]
AFP Launched A Late 2016 Effort In Support Of McCrory After Republicans Began Fretting About North Carolina
AFP Claimed Its Late September Launch Of A Six-Figure Campaign Against Roy Cooper Was Not In Support Of Pat McCrory, As They Were “Not In The Business Of Endorsing Candidates”
September 2016: Republicans Scrambled To Pour New Resources Into North Carolina, Increasingly Nervous About The Prospects For Both Presidential Nominee Donald Trump And Sen. Richard Burr, With Gov. McCrory Also In Danger Of Losing His Reelection Bid. According to the Washington Post, “After years of successfully holding off Democratic gains in this rapidly changing state, Republicans are scrambling to pour new resources into North Carolina in the face of unexpectedly close contests in the presidential and Senate races. Republicans here are increasingly nervous about the prospects in November for both presidential nominee Donald Trump, who held a rally in Asheville on Monday evening, and Sen. Richard Burr, who is in a tight race with a relatively unknown Democratic opponent. The state’s Republican governor, Pat McCrory, also is in danger of losing his reelection bid.” [Washington Post, 9/12/16]
- Washington Post: AFP’s Directed Resources To The North Carolina’s Senate Race, Reflecting The National Importance Of The Contest And Nervousness Among GOP Leaders About Burr’s Campaign.According to the Washington Post, “Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity, a conservative nonprofit group backed by the billionaire Koch brothers, recently decided to shift its resources in the state to help Burr and go after his Democratic challenger, Deborah Ross. The group had previously been focused on helping McCrory and on unseating GOP Rep. Renee L. Ellmers, who lost her primary. […] The decision by Americans for Prosperity direct resources to the Senate race reflects the national importance of the contest and nervousness among GOP leaders about Burr’s campaign. The Koch-backed group is known for using TV ads, mailers and field staff to attempt to influence the outcome of targeted races. ‘We do not to take anything for granted, so we are now making sure voters understand the differences between Senator Burr and his opponent,’ said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity.” [Washington Post, 9/12/16]
AFP Announced An Express Advocacy Campaign Against Gubernatorial Candidate Roy Cooper. According to the North State Journal, “‘This morning we are announcing that we are launching an effort to expressly advocate for the defeat of Roy Cooper as a candidate for Governor of North Carolina,’ said state director for AFP in North Carolina, Donald Bryson. ‘We disagree with his policy positions and where he would like to take North Carolina in a variety of ways.’ Bryson highlighted Democrat nominee for governor, Attorney General Roy Cooper’s policies on energy, healthcare, and corporate welfare as the core reasons why they oppose his election.” [North State Journal, 9/26/16]
Published: Oct 12, 2016