President Obama is looking for help from Governors in the battle over federal spending. At a meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington yesterday, the President predicted the sequester's $85 billion in automatic annual budget cuts would destroy the national economy.
Democrats want more tax increases. Republicans say their colleagues already got tax increases when the Bush tax cuts expired.
It should be noted that $85 billion out of $3.6 trillion in annual spending is about three cents of every dollar.
Also, keep in mind that we're running annual deficits of over $1 trillion. So, cutting $85 billion each year for the next decade would not even wipe out a single year's deficit. The total new debt over the same time period would be about $12 trillion.
As I've said on the show - the sequester cuts are a joke and the scare-mongering in which both parties are engaging is shameful.
The Governor Goes to D.C.
So, Governor Pat McCrory appeared on FOX & Friends this morning to talk about the meeting with the President, among other items.
First, I think Brian Kilmeade might have a bit of a distorted view of his and his program's role in society. He started off the interview by saying McCrory, "was there and spoke to the Commander-in-Chief himself. And, more importantly, joins us this morning."
Really? Appearing on FOX & Friends is more important than meeting and speaking with the President of the United States? I think a readjustment of perspective might be in order.
But on to the interview!
Gov. McCrory said that after the Most Transparent President in US History kicked the media out of the room of public servants, he asked whether the Administration would help North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia explore offshore for oil and gas.
The response?
"I got a political speech and no commitment to it whatsoever," McCrory said.
The first-term Republican noted that the Administration had just distributed information to the Governors and the media about how the sequester cuts would impact all the states.
"So, at a time when the Governors are trying to grow the economy and become more energy independent, there was absolutely no sense of urgency to give us the permitting process or at least begin that process for offshore exploration," said McCrory.
McCrory noted the stark contrast in the way the Administration treated the governors on Oscar night with a black tie dinner and military band, following up the next day with a list of "devastating cuts" that sequestration would cause.
Meanwhile, closer to home
McCrory was also asked about the leaked Blueprint NC memo and the coordinated strategy among liberal groups to "cripple" and "eviscerate" the GOP leadership in the Tar Heel State.
McCrory said the memo will make it harder for people of different political stripes to work together, and will discourage young people from getting into politics. This is a familiar refrain from McCrory. He used to say it a lot as Mayor of Charlotte. Some of his detractors said it was a way for a thin-skinned politician to tamp down criticism.
McCrory urged the media to find out who the liberal groups are and what their other plans are in NC. This, too, is a familiar McCrory strategy.
When I was a reporter in Charlotte, Mayor McCrory would often pull me aside after City Council meetings and offer his opinions about what the media should cover.
He'd ask, "Why are you guys not asking .... ?"
Or, "You know what hasn't been covered...?"
On a weekly public affairs TV program ("Final Edition") I referred to his efforts as "working the refs," (which I'm not sure he entirely appreciated).
But just like athletes and coaches who lobby referees for calls, sometimes it works. Directing reporters to focus on things they otherwise might ignore can be effective in shaping coverage. It's why I've always said McCrory was a strong mayor in a weak mayor form of government.
It appears he's keeping this strategy in his bag of tricks.
Check out the full interview:
