Capital bullying
Republican leaders in Raleigh look like a cross between the Nixon White House and North Korea.
Nixon: “Make an enemies list. We’ll screw ‘em!”
North Korea: “All Facebook and Twitter posts will be monitored. There will be no deviations from the party line.”
WRAL’s Laura Leslie exposed the tawdry mess in a story (“Lobbyists: Lawmakers turn up pressure to quiet HB2 opponents”) that reported:
“While Republican state leaders have complained about being ‘bullied’ by the federal government over House Bill 2, lobbyists in Raleigh tell WRAL News they and the businesses they represent are being bullied by state lawmakers seeking to silence business opposition to the new law.
“Lobbyists say they’ve been told – either directly by legislative leaders or by lawmakers’ staff – that, if they or the businesses they represent speak out publicly against House Bill 2, they can expect retribution from House and Senate leaders.
“Legislation they want won’t move, and other bills could actually target them.”
Leslie interviewed lobbyists who called the pressure a “gross abuse of power” and “vicious.” One said, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Now, lobbyists will get little sympathy from across North Carolina. But the behavior of high state officials screams for attention.
For one thing, you can be certain these same politicians will be demanding that these same lobbyists help them raise campaign money. The politicians expect lobbyists to deliver the party line now – and deliver the money later.
This vengefulness has been a fact of life on Jones Street for some time, even before HB2. And it’s not just legislative leaders, it’s Governor Pat (Potty) McCrory’s office too.
But no one laid out the full deal before now. And Leslie had to quote lobbyists off the record because – wait for it – they’re afraid of retribution.
Here’s proof the story is accurate: Leslie reported that House Majority Leader Mike Hager recently tweeted at a lobbyist, “Wow I would think from all your negative posts about HB2 that u weren’t a lobbyist and didn’t have to work with the majority.”
And, in what Hagar called a “coincidence,” he is trying to remove state tax breaks that benefit American Airlines, NASCAR, Google, Apple and Facebook, all of which have taken public positions against House Bill 2.
What the story reveals among these “leaders” is a smallness of mind and character. And a lack of self-confidence.
Real leaders don’t fear debate. They welcome it. They don’t punish dissent and disagreement. They work on turning adversaries into allies.
But the Republicans seem more interested in settling scores than in making North Carolina great again.
And they act like they’re afraid their power rests on shaky footing. Much like Nixon and North Korea.
As King George sings in Hamilton, “Oceans rise, empires fall….”
Capital bullying
Republican leaders in Raleigh look like a cross between the Nixon White House and North Korea.
Nixon: “Make an enemies list. We’ll screw ‘em!”
North Korea: “All Facebook and Twitter posts will be monitored. There will be no deviations from the party line.”
WRAL’s Laura Leslie exposed the tawdry mess in a story (“Lobbyists: Lawmakers turn up pressure to quiet HB2 opponents”) that reported:
“While Republican state leaders have complained about being ‘bullied’ by the federal government over House Bill 2, lobbyists in Raleigh tell WRAL News they and the businesses they represent are being bullied by state lawmakers seeking to silence business opposition to the new law.
“Lobbyists say they’ve been told – either directly by legislative leaders or by lawmakers’ staff – that, if they or the businesses they represent speak out publicly against House Bill 2, they can expect retribution from House and Senate leaders.
“Legislation they want won’t move, and other bills could actually target them.”
Leslie interviewed lobbyists who called the pressure a “gross abuse of power” and “vicious.” One said, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Now, lobbyists will get little sympathy from across North Carolina. But the behavior of high state officials screams for attention.
For one thing, you can be certain these same politicians will be demanding that these same lobbyists help them raise campaign money. The politicians expect lobbyists to deliver the party line now – and deliver the money later.
This vengefulness has been a fact of life on Jones Street for some time, even before HB2. And it’s not just legislative leaders, it’s Governor Pat (Potty) McCrory’s office too.
But no one laid out the full deal before now. And Leslie had to quote lobbyists off the record because – wait for it – they’re afraid of retribution.
Here’s proof the story is accurate: Leslie reported that House Majority Leader Mike Hager recently tweeted at a lobbyist, “Wow I would think from all your negative posts about HB2 that u weren’t a lobbyist and didn’t have to work with the majority.”
And, in what Hagar called a “coincidence,” he is trying to remove state tax breaks that benefit American Airlines, NASCAR, Google, Apple and Facebook, all of which have taken public positions against House Bill 2.
What the story reveals among these “leaders” is a smallness of mind and character. And a lack of self-confidence.
Real leaders don’t fear debate. They welcome it. They don’t punish dissent and disagreement. They work on turning adversaries into allies.
But the Republicans seem more interested in settling scores than in making North Carolina great again.
And they act like they’re afraid their power rests on shaky footing. Much like Nixon and North Korea.
As King George sings in Hamilton, “Oceans rise, empires fall….”