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Index of Past Commentaries

April 18th/20th, 2008

"Picks and Pans for Governor"

Six people from the two major parties are running for Governor this year. Two of them are Democrats and four are Republicans. Among them are a lawyer, a state Senator, a Mayor, a Lt Governor, a former Judge, and a State Treasurer.

Let’s start with the Democrats.

Beverly Perdue, a former school teacher, served in the State legislature for thirteen years, and was elected Lt. Governor in 2001. She is a down-to-earth, personable woman who genuinely seems to care about those in need, as evidenced by her work on behalf of uninsured children and the elderly.

Richard Moore, now in his second term as Treasurer, has decided to run his campaign mainly via television, rather than pressing the flesh. He is the only major candidate who refused to appear on Triad Today’s Gubernatorial Forum because his staff told me he was “just too busy to drive to Winston-Salem”.

This, despite having his pick of studio taping dates over a three month period.

In any event, what troubles me about both candidates is that while they both tout their commitment to more affordable and accessible health care, neither seems willing to launch a full scale investigation of Blue Cross Blue Shield, with an eye toward instituting a cap on premiums, and a ban on claim denials.

Perdue, for example, agrees with Fred Smith, that if we all eat healthy and exercise, our premiums will decrease. But vegetables and jogging have nothing to do with going bankrupt if Blue Cross refuses to pay for your cancer surgery.

Neither Moore nor Perdue have a viable solution for stemming the tide of job losses in our state. True, a Governor cannot repeal NAFTA and CAFTA, but he or she can impose severe penalties on companies who profiteer from the loopholes in those agreements, and abuse the spirit of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act.

A Governor can also sign an executive order putting a moratorium on all industry incentives. Instead, Moore, Perdue, and most other candidates for statewide office promote the concept of re-training. I’m sorry but someone who has made his or her living as a sock seamstress for 20 years is not necessarily going to transition well into being a small business entrepreneur. Still, Perdue has pledged to lobby her fellow Governors to get rid of incentives altogether, and that is a step in the right direction.

Perdue is also the only one of the six candidates who has come out in favor of reparations for victims of North Carolina’s forced sterilization program.

It is the most tragic chapter in State history, and her efforts could bring much needed closure for those affected.

That brings me to my pick for the Democratic nominee. Richard Moore’s refusal to take part in Triad Today set him apart in a negative way from all other candidates of both parties, who each traveled long distances to take advantage of a free forum to communicate with voters. In Moore’s case, we are left with the impression that his time is more valuable than anyone else’s, and we certainly do not need another Governor who is inaccessible. We’ve had that for eight years. Beverly Perdue is both personable AND accessible. She is also optimistic and seems genuine about wanting to make our state a better place in which to live. And so, my endorsement for Governor on the Democrat side is Lt Gov Beverly Perdue.

There are four major GOP candidates running for Governor this year: Attorney Bill Graham, former Justice Robert Orr, State Senator Fred Smith, and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.

McCrory entered the race late, immediately changed the dynamics of the campaign, and might have dashed Smith’s hopes for a cake walk on May 6.

But by coming to the dance late, McCrory lost out on early endorsements from elected officials throughout the State, and that’s not good, especially for a Mayor of Charlotte. Though Charlotte/Mecklenburg swings a lot of weight in the State legislature, voters statewide don’t tend to support a Queen city leader for statewide office. Take Richard Vinroot as an example. An accomplished Mayor, Vinroot took on Mike Easley in 2000 and lost, then couldn’t even get past Pat Ballantine for the nomination in 2004.

Nevertheless, McCrory is an effective leader who has managed to get re-elected six times in a very diverse city, and he puts no stock in the curse on Charlotte chief executives who run for statewide office. For one thing, McCrory hails from a small town, and he is in tune with the needs and concerns of all North Carolinians, having dealt with problems that are common to every sized locality, ranging from job development, to illegal immigrant gangs.

His solution for healthcare reform is to reduce the number of mandates the State requires of health insurers and providers. During our interview, he told me that we should put roads where the cars are and not where the powerful politicians live. And he is in favor of establishing an immigration Court in North Carolina as well as an immigration detention facility. He also opposes any moratorium on the death penalty, and that gives me pause. After all, our criminal justice system has sometimes sentenced innocent men, and it might serve us well to put a hold on executions for a while until we can investigate other possibly flawed convictions.

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