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Wed.: Debatable
posted at 2008-09-25 00:15 | Last modified 2008-09-25 12:13
McCrory vs Munger
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Pat McCrory won tonight’s UNC-TV debate, I thought. Not a big surprise -- he's done a lot more debating this year than Libertarian Mike Munger -- but it was still a lot more interesting than the usual Pat vs Bev show.
(Not that out of sight equalled out of mind, of course. By my count, the absent Perdue took about one hit every six minutes, mostly from McCrory.)
I have to admit I know Munger, and I think he’s a wicked smart guy. But this may not have been his best night ever. He was a little hesitant on the issue of how to pay for growth and infrastructure. And his solution to energy prices was that “High prices are not something we should solve.” Some people would say it's a valid point - high gas prices will change consumer habits far more quickly than any conservation initiative ever could. But saying so is political suicide.
Then there was the odd anecdote about his son bringing a “$100-an-hour” girl to dinner. I’m sure there was a point to this, but we never got to it. And it's hard to say how many viewers knew what to make of his “Jedi” reference near the end. Still, he gets style points for using the term “Ponzi scheme” to describe COPS debt. And his answer on using the veto was textbook gorgeous.
Munger is backing planned/regulated growth (as does McCrory), more charter schools, more local control and parental control of schools, and less regulation on small business. He wants to recruit more physicians’ assistants to help cut health care costs, and he doesn’t think insurance should be tied to jobs. But unlike McCrory, he’s staunchly opposed to the death penalty.
McCrory missed no opportunity to bash Perdue for not showing up. (He didn’t even need to make the “detached power elite” argument anymore – her absence made it for him.) But he also saw a chance to make his case for governor, and I think he made good use of it, with one possible exception.
Shop around
As he has throughout the campaign, McCrory voiced his support for less emphasis on “four-year college” and more on trade schools. Again, he argued that many mechanics and wood floor installers make more money than he does. That may be the case in some instances, but overall, I’ve been wondering whether it’s true.
If Salary.com is any indication, maybe not. The site says 85% of mechanics who work in McCrory’s own zip code (28209) make less than $31,000 a year. The average salary for a flooring installer in the Charlotte metro area? About $40K. Even the best-paid plumbers in 28209 only average $51K.
We don’t know what McCrory made at Duke Energy before he quit earlier this year – he hasn’t made that info public. But even without that, his part-time mayor’s salary plus expenses is $39K. His house is valued at $487,000. I don’t know many mechanics, but the ones I do don't own houses worth nearly half a million dollars.
No, I’m not saying being a mechanic or a plumber isn’t a worthy career. And I’m not knocking trade school, either – my father graduated from one. But it may not be realistic to argue that, in 2008, a mechanic or floor installer or plumber with a two-year degree is likely to out-earn a former Duke Energy executive and mayor.
Bush’s speech
President Bush addressed the nation tonight about the bailout plan advanced by his Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chair Ben Bernanke.
Just after the speech, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer described it as “a dire warning.” Maybe I missed the dire part: I thought it packed all the urgency of a book report. To be fair, the President doesn’t have the luxury of sounding panicky. But this is what happens when reporters read the speech instead of listening to it.
It's hard to say whether the speech will help increase acceptance of the bailout plan. Voters have been up in arms since it was announced. Many are incensed at the administration’s reluctance to limit the eyepopping severance packages -- “golden parachutes”– often given to outgoing CEOs, successful or not. You have to wonder why, if our entire economy is in danger, it took three days of negotiations before Paulson relented on CEO pay late this afternoon.
Palin-tology
The first part of Katie Couric’s Sarah Palin interview aired tonight on CBS. It was a little tough to watch, but if you’re game, it’s here. Ben Smith has a full transcript at Politico.
One key moment: Couric asked Palin for examples of McCain's support for more regulation or oversight. Palin couldn’t come up with one.
Couric: …he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more.
Palin: He's also known as the maverick, though. Taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about — the need to reform government.
Couric: I'm just going to ask you one more time, not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation?
Here’s one: McCain-Feingold. It’s a stellar example of a time McCain backed more regulation for the common good, and it’s also one of her running-mate’s highest-profile legislative legacies. She seemed to be heading that way with the “reform” allusion, but no.
Part 2 of the interview airs Thursday night.
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