I blogged not long ago about the veto being Jim Hunt’s gift to Mike Easley – and all future Governors. Now – with Easley’s veto of the Goodyear-incentives bill – we begin to see what veto power really means.

Brave New World, Chapter One: So much for being a lame duck.

Easley may be ineffective lobbying the legislature. He may be invisible publicly. But he has the veto – plus the biggest microphone in the state to argue his case.

Brave New World, Chapter Two: The legislature’s bad year continues.

First the former House Speaker goes to jail. Now this. I suspect that Senators Basnight and Rand, who long supported the veto, now regret it.

Brave New World, Chapter Three: It’s not as important any more for Governors to woo legislators.

Speaker Hackney was angry that Easley didn’t talk with legislative leaders to work out the problems. Sorry, Mr. Speaker: Governors now have to convince only two-fifths of the members – not a majority. Because it takes three-fifths to override the veto.

Brave New World, Chapter Four: The sky’s the limit.

Wait until a Governor, maybe this one, vetoes a budget.

Brave New World, Chapter Five: What will the Republicans do?

They voted for the original bill. But now – if they vote to sustain Easley’s veto – they can sow chaos among Democrats.

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