The Master of the Deal
July 9, 2012 - by
In 2010 Governor Perdue steered Democrats to defeat, in 2011 the Republicans in the Legislature pounded her, and in 2012 she announced she was not running for reelection.
Speaker Thom Tillis has had his own problems: Two of his aides had affairs with lobbyists, Tillis declared nothing untoward (beyond adultery) was going on, then told the press he’d given the aides $20,000 in severance pay so they couldn’t collect unemployment – which turned out not to be true. And the News and Observer found out Tillis had spent $15,000 of taxpayers’ money to pay for his political Town Hall meetings.
Then the legislators came back to Raleigh for the Short Session, the Governor vetoed three bills, and the Speaker and the Governor locked horns again.
Tillis started the horse-trading Monday. By Tuesday night it was all over.
The Speaker supported $80 million in tax credits for movie producers, and a Democrat in a district full of movie studios voted for the Republicans’ ‘Fracking Bill;’ the Speaker supported five additional days of paid vacation for state employees, and a Raleigh Democrat in a district full of state employees voted for the Republicans’ budget; and the Speaker got five Democrats to vote with Republicans to repeal ‘The Racial Justice Act.’
The Governor lost every time. Speaker Tillis is the master of the deal in Raleigh.
The Master of the Deal
July 9, 2012/
In 2010 Governor Perdue steered Democrats to defeat, in 2011 the Republicans in the Legislature pounded her, and in 2012 she announced she was not running for reelection.
Speaker Thom Tillis has had his own problems: Two of his aides had affairs with lobbyists, Tillis declared nothing untoward (beyond adultery) was going on, then told the press he’d given the aides $20,000 in severance pay so they couldn’t collect unemployment – which turned out not to be true. And the News and Observer found out Tillis had spent $15,000 of taxpayers’ money to pay for his political Town Hall meetings.
Then the legislators came back to Raleigh for the Short Session, the Governor vetoed three bills, and the Speaker and the Governor locked horns again.
Tillis started the horse-trading Monday. By Tuesday night it was all over.
The Speaker supported $80 million in tax credits for movie producers, and a Democrat in a district full of movie studios voted for the Republicans’ ‘Fracking Bill;’ the Speaker supported five additional days of paid vacation for state employees, and a Raleigh Democrat in a district full of state employees voted for the Republicans’ budget; and the Speaker got five Democrats to vote with Republicans to repeal ‘The Racial Justice Act.’
The Governor lost every time. Speaker Tillis is the master of the deal in Raleigh.