Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, the Republican candidate for governor, says he’s for school vouchers “in concept,” but has neither announced nor developed any plan. That’s why Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue, the Democratic candidate, is wrong — he argues– when she assert that McCrory’s vouchers would cost the taxpayers (and the public schools) $900 million a year. OK, what would it cost? How many students — and which ones — would qualify for vouchers under a McCrory regime to pay for private schools? And the vouchers would be in what amount(s)? If McCrory’s serious, he’ll spell it out. So far, he isn’t.
Then there’s off-shore drilling. McCrory’s 100 percent in favor of it, apparently regardless of any environmental permitting process that might say it’s not safe. Perdue’s position has “evolved.” She was 100 percent opposed; now, she’s OK with it if “experts” say it’ll be safe, which she thinks they probably will. Here’s the N&O’s version of the debate.
UPDATE: Here’s what progressive pundit Chris Fitzsimon thought:
The tag line of McCrory’s commercials is “the difference is leadership.” Tuesday night’s debate was a another reminder that in this campaign we aren’t seeing very much of it on either side.
