He may be a passionate outdoorsman and avid NASCAR fan, but when it comes to politics, North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley is all business.
In his latest television campaign ad, the incumbent and Democratic gubernatorial nominee wears a simple suit and stands alone in front of the camera, responding to attacks lobbed against him by his opponent, Republican Patrick Ballantine.
“The negative ads have started, but I think you deserve some straight talk,” Easley says before briefly touting his record as governor.
Only 76 words long, the ad is succinct and no-nonsense, yet personable—much like Easley’s political style.
“He may not be the barbecue circuit, slap-back and glad-hand type, but he cares deeply about individuals and making North Carolina a better place to live,” said Jay Reiff, Easley’s campaign manager.
Easley, a proud native of Nash County, N.C., has endured a tumultuous and crisis-ridden term as governor. After defeating Republican Richard Vinroot in the highly-contested 2000 election, the former state Attorney General inherited the worst financial crisis the state had faced since the Great Depression. Forced into an uphill battle with Republicans over how best to balance the budget—a requirement according to state law—Easley weathered accusations from many legislators that he was too willing to raise taxes and dip into special state funds to generate the monies needed each fiscal year.
The Ballantine campaign has consistently used these same criticisms as fodder for its attacks on Easley’s record. “When he ran for governor, he promised not to raise taxes, and in his first year, we had the biggest tax increase in North Carolina history,” said Bob Rosser, Ballantine’s campaign director. “That in itself exhibits the difference between Patrick Ballantine and Governor Easley: Mike Easley is a tax increaser, Patrick Ballantine is a tax cutter.”
The governor’s supporters, however, say this broad accusation is misguided. Campaign officials assert that a tax increase was enacted in 2001 because Republican legislators refused to support a state lottery as an alternative source of revenue, and Easley was unwilling to bow to their proposals and balance the budget by cutting education funding.
“He worked to make appropriate cuts, but drew a line when it came to education,” Reiff said. “He made sure our priorities were protected.”
Education has been one of Easley’s pet issues during his term. He fought to create and fund “More at Four,” a pre-kindergarten program that targets disadvantaged children. Over 10,000 children statewide are now enrolled in the program, which received $43.1 million in the 2003-04 budget. An additional $78 million is currently devoted to reducing the size of kindergarten, first and second grade classes.
Despite these educational developments, many Republicans maintain their criticism of Easley’s budgetary policies. They also point to an increase in unemployment during Easley’s term as evidence of his poor economic leadership. According to the state’s Employment Security Commission, the unemployment rate rose to a high of 7 percent in 2002.
In response, Mac McCorkle, an adviser and spokesperson for the Easley campaign, explained that much of the state’s job crisis has been driven by forces beyond the governor’s control, specifically federal policies that he said encourage the outsourcing of businesses overseas. “We suffered perhaps the worst blow and international trade policy wallop in the nation right as Governor Easley came into office,” he said.
In the face of this “wallop,” the governor made job growth—like education—one of his top priorities. As a result, North Carolina has experienced substantial job growth in recent months, McCorkle said. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, North Carolina leads the Southeast and ranks fourth in the nation in total job gains in 2004.
In addition to criticisms of his policies and priorities, Easley has endured accusations that he is an aloof executive unwilling to include people outside his tight circle of advisers when making policy decisions.
“It’s a total product of Republican, sour-grape, political insiders in Raleigh who like the old way of doing things,” McCorkle said in defense of the governor. “He is proud of the way he conducts himself and the way that he is inclusive. It’s a lot of bad advice that he’s not inclusive of.”
Easley, who is currently several points above Ballantine in statewide polls, plans to continue promoting improvements in education and job creation—along with fiscal responsibility—as his top priorities in his second term.
“He is really passionate about doing what’s right,” McCorkle said. “He has a prosecutor’s zeal for doing right and letting the chips fall where they may. That’s what attracts a lot of regular people to him: He’s willing to take some tough stands.”
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