North Carolina – Democrats

I’ve not often had a kind word to say about Senate Democratic Majority Leader Tony Rand. I do today. It seems hard to believe but House Speaker Jim Black has made Rand, the man who removed the crosses and Bibles from the Senate Chapel, look like a paragon of public virtue when it comes to…

Here’s the State House version of Ethics Reform: Members can take secretly ‘gifts’ of up to $500 from people seeking favorable legislation. They can take bigger gifts if they report them. Hard to believe? Democrat Representative Verla Insko, who voted against the secret gifts said “she didn’t like the thought of being able to keep…

Governor Easley’s sneaky streak breaks out every now and then. To hear the Governor tell it he’s going to do two things with the State’s $2 billion surplus: increase some needed spending and cut taxes. What’s sneaky – and what he’s not talking about much – is that his tax cut is only a fraction…

Few would argue (with the exception of the members of the House Democratic Caucus) with the proposition that Jim Black, after a year of ‘pay to play’ scandals, is now the most unpopular man in North Carolina. A series of hearings, investigations, and exposes has left the heretofore sure-footed House Leader battered and bruised. But…

Democrats in the State House Committee say they want to ban political contributions from lobbyists to legislators. That’s fine. But don’t be deceived. They are not trying to end ‘pay to play.’ In fact, what they are doing will hardly slow Marc Basnight or Jim Black down at all. The House Democrats are being clever.…

How deeply is ‘pay to play’ ingrained in the culture of the Democratic Party?Let’s take a look at the upcoming Democrat race for Governor in 2008. Three candidates are already raising war chests and State Treasurer Richard Moore leads the pack. The News and Observer reports Moore has raised over 42% of his money from…