Inquirer Columnist: Corbett unpopular because he is callous, mean-spirited & has no accomplishments
Last edited Fri Sep 20, 2013, 01:19 PM - Edit history (3)
The first part is my opinion, the second part is the Phila. Inquirer column that inspired this rant.
I believe this new column in the Phila. Inquirer is very accurate. Corbett seemed to take pleasure in slashing the funding of public schools and public universities. He didn't even pretend to regret making those cuts, and never even gave lip service to restoring any of them once the state's revenues improved.
Let's also remember that Corbett tried to slash public school and public university funding by much greater amounts than what was finally approved. Corbett's cuts were moderated by the few remaining moderate Republicans who hold the controlling votes in the State Senate (such as the Senator who represents Penn State... I mean Centre County).
Part of Corbett's problem is that he lives a very sheltered existence by choice. He rarely talks to members of the press who are not his buddies. His former press secretary was infamous for not returning phone calls from the press.
When Corbett leaves home, it is to attend fracking conventions, make speeches before chambers of commerce, or to hold photo ops with corporate business owners (with the employees seeking meekly and quietly in front of the camera). (These are even failures as photo ops, because no one covers them except PCN).
His best friends appear to be frackers and owners of charter and cybercharter schools. He gets flown around on corporate jets by some of his buddies. He tries to promote tourism in Pennsylvania during the same week it is uncovered that he bought a vacation home on Hillton Head (which he failed to reveal in his required disclosures).
It is very similar to George W. Bush towards the end of his reign, when he would only make public appearances before audiences composed of carefully screened Republican activists or inside domestic military bases.
Corbett never talks to teachers or public school students. He never talks to the unemployed or sick people who need health care.
The column also compares Corbett unfavorably to Christie. Christie made plenty of budget cuts, but he really targeted waste and abusive spending by the politically connected, which the public could easily support. Corbett has made no real efforts at reforms - he just slashed with a meat cleaver.
In every situation, Corbett's administration has shown extreme favoritism towards charters and cybers instead of public schools. That even extended to making a small public school district pay the retirement account funds for a charter school, when the charter failed to pay their bills from the state. His administration tried to skew the standardized test results in favor of the charter schools after so many showed failing results.
He has starved public schools in a way that has given many strong supporters of public schools no choice except to move out of cities or transfer their own kids out of public schools. That is the goal, to beat down public schools so much that everyone chooses tax-payer funded charters. Many of those charters are run by people who are major campaign contributors to PA. Republicans (including Corbett's largest contributor).
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http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20130920_Patrick_Kerkstra__Roots_of_Corbett_s_woes.html
So, enough from me, here is the excerpts from this great column:
" Corbett is increasingly seen by voters as callous - even mean-spirited - without having any compelling reforms or accomplishments to show for his unsparing assault on state spending, particularly in education and social services.
Mean can be politically effective (hey there, Chris Christie). But the tough love approach only works when moderate voters perceive that budget sacrifices serve a greater purpose. Take Christie's pension reforms, which will have a lasting impact on New Jersey's financial future....
But put it all together - along with some politically risky propositions such as cuts to higher education - and Corbett has left voters with the distinct impression that he's uncaring. Belatedly, Corbett seems to have realized this, hence his contortions on accepting federal cash to expand Medicaid in a way his conservative base might accept."
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"Could you ask the Governor if our class could please get a math teacher?"
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If you doubt this angle, just spend a few minutes watching Corbett on PCN. You will dislike him all the more.
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