North Carolina – Republicans
Senator Berger Responds
A reader passed along my post on taxes – “A Whiff of a Waffle” (see below) – to Senator Phil Berger. The reader received this response from the incoming Senate leader: “No waffle. No extension of temporary taxes. Phil.” All righty, then.
Read MoreWho’s Next?
The Mike Easley affair had so much foreplay and so little climax that everybody was left frustrated. His enemies gripe that he got a slap on the wrist. His lawyer says he was “trashed” by The News & Observer. The N&O’s editor fervently defends the coverage. After nearly two years of big investigations,…
Read MoreA Whiff of a Waffle?
The N&O reported that one of Sen. Phil Berger’s five goals for the new Republican Senate is: “Write a state budget with no tax increases and with the intent of letting temporary sales tax and income tax surcharges expire on schedule” (italics added). Saying that’s your “intent” is a lot different from promising…
Read MorePolitical Disconnect
Politicians in Raleigh and Washington are spending their time and energy debating an issue that, I suspect, few Americans spend much time and energy worrying about: the budget deficit. Yes, the average person probably would say something has to be done about the deficit. But the real concern is the economy: jobs, paying the…
Read MoreDoing the Impossible
After pouring millions into campaigns to elect Democrats from Chris Dodd to local Congressman Bob Etheridge, the Wall Street Banks are now rubbing their hands together and purring over the prospect of the new Republican Majority repealing the President’s new banking regulations – like the legislation the Democrats passed that cut debit card fees for…
Read MoreRecount
Just when I thought I’d seen it all out of the blue I ran head-on into a living breathing piece of devilment called the Recount. In North Carolina the recount medusa only raises its head if a candidate wins by less than 1% of the vote. In Renee Ellmers’ race with Congressman Bob Etheridge…
Read MoreThat’s The Spirit
Republican legislators say they’ll balance the state budget by combing through every item. Now comes Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler – a Republican. The Greensboro News & Record reports that he “says there’s nowhere left to cut in his department and he has refused to give Gov. Bev Perdue recommendations on where to cut…
Read MoreTransition Trials
First Carter and Renee Ellmers go to war with Washington Republicans over funding her recount fight. Then Republicans begin jockeying for legislative leadership positions. It proves the truth of James Carville’s old age: “Transitions are when you stop fighting your enemies and start fighting your friends.” Except he used a more colorful…
Read MoreReset
The great thing about political blogging is that the game never ends. For the next two months, we get to watch the positioning for the legislative session. Governor Perdue’s first statement got it right: We need to work together in a time of economic and fiscal crisis. But she’ll have conflicting advice. Move…
Read MoreAn Education in Washington Politics
Election night, after the ten counties in her district reported their votes, Renee Ellmers led incumbent Congressman Bob Etheridge by 2,100 votes. (That number is crucial because under North Carolina law Congressman Etheridge is not entitled to an ‘automatic recount’ if he trails by more than 1% – or 1,888 votes.) Then the afternoon…
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