Politics

New York Times 'p---ses off' Chuck McGrady

By Bill Moss, Published: October 2, 2014

That earnest and dry rite of campaign season — the candidate forum — got more juiced up than usual Wednesday night when the moderator tossed out a fat pitch to four candidates running for two state House seats.

"What will you do," asked Judy Katz of the League of Women Voters, "to get North Carolina off the pages of the New York Times for going backwards?"
Democrat Norm Bossert, who is challenging Rep. Chris Whitmire, got the first at bat.
"Do I think North Carolina's going backward? In the case of education policy, absolutely, and in many other instances also," he said. He mentioned Medicaid expansion and said "the New York Times might characterized it as not being concerned about poverty in our state."
The principal of Black Mountain Elementary School, Bossert said that just he listened to a homeless boy who had no school supplies. "The real problem here is we are not taking care of our citizens, and the New York Times must find that amusing in some way because I don't."
Mood, a Libertarian who is running against Rep. Chuck McGrady, weighed in next.
"I haven't read that article," he said. "Was it education specifically or was it a general hit piece on North Carolina by a bunch of Yankees. Because if that's the case, I'm not particularly interested."
But it was McGrady who took the biggest swing and delivered the most unscripted moment of the night.
"The New York Times doesn't reflect my values," he said, frowning even more grievously than he had been for most of the night. "It doesn't reflect the values of my constituents. They're just wrong. They're attacking us, for example, for rolling back early voting. But then look at what they do in New York. They have no early voting. What in hell's name are they telling us how to do things.
"We had a billion dollar budget hole a few years ago. Look where we are today. Our state health plan is completely solid. We completely resolved that budget hole ... This state is in so much better position than New York state is financially.
"I suggest New York Times spend some time looking at New York," he added, his voice rising, "and let North Carolina take care of itself. It pisses me off."
A substantial segment of the audience applauded and hooted.
Whitmire, the most conservative candidate on the platform, was like the baseball player who came up to bat after a grand slam.

"Well, Chuck, you fired us up and stole some of my thunder," he said. He noted that he has lived in New York three different times, stationed there in the Air Force and living in New York City when he earned a masters degree from Columbia. But as an eighth generation N.C. mountains native, he said, he'd stand by the North Carolina Legislature's achievement in balancing the budget, adding jobs and attracting business.
"We're doing some good things, folks," he said.
The candidates also answered questions on fracking, voting rights, teacher pay and other topics. For full coverage, see the Hendersonville Lightning and HendersonvilleLightning.com.