North Carolina – Republicans
Democrats, Republicans and ‘Pay to Play’
The Democrats in the State House have been conducting their version of ‘damage control’ to dodge the political fallout from the ‘pay to play’ scandals in the House. What’s their strategy? Well, it’s to pass meaningless reforms and then to proclaim from the rooftops that they have solved the problem. When, in fact, they have…
Read MoreThe Governor’s Race
The Republicans Salisbury attorney, Bill Graham, has spent a million dollars of his own money to pay for TV ads to express his opposition to the Gas Tax. And, now, he’s getting ready to spend another bundle of his own money to say he’s against illegal immigration. Graham’s potential opponents might call this buying an…
Read MoreNew Life for ‘Pay to Play’?
Republicans are hoping the ‘pay to play’ scandals swirling around Speaker Jim Black will help them retake control of the State House this fall. So it sounds odd that a Republican, Representative Paul Stam, has introduced a bill to delete a key provision from the legislation to end ‘pay to play.’ Money and campaign contributions…
Read MoreA Tsunami?
Republicans just held their bi-annual State Convention. I spoke to a friend who attended. He has been active in politics for years and he’s pretty glum about Republican chances in the election this fall. He’s looking at the national trends and remembering 1994, 1982, and 1974 when one party (Republicans in ’94 and Democrats in…
Read MoreHockey and Gifts to Legislators
The State House passed a ‘Reform’ bill to clean up government by limiting lobbyists’ gifts to legislators. How much good has it done? The newspapers report spotting five legislators attending the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup finals. According to the News and Observer (6-10-06) Democrat Representative Jim Harrell – who voluntarily signed a list to put…
Read MoreThe Most Interesting Thing in State Politics…
…is the way the Senate Democrats are hammering House Speaker Jim Black. Marc Basnight, the Senate leader, is one of the all-time North Carolina political powerhouses, wheeler-dealers. He is also interesting. Because he has the ability to surprise. Basnight’s surprise this year is all the punches the Senate is throwing at House Speaker Black. First,…
Read MoreJim Black Attacks Art Pope
Art Pope must be tickled to death. Last month he lead a campaign to defeat five Republican legislators – saying they were really pawns of Democratic House Speaker Jim Black – because three years ago they voted for a coalition that elected Republican Richard Morgan and Democrat Black Co-Speakers of the House. Of course, the…
Read MoreEthics In Its Mildest Form
Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives – both Democrats and Republicans – showed this week that they just don’t get it. They have no idea how little confidence the public has in them now. The representatives passed a new ethics law, but did everything they could to protect themselves against any real change…
Read MoreBombs Away
Congressman Brad Miller’s opponent, Vernon Robinson, last week sent out one of the wildest, most over-the-top, most clever, most irresponsible, most expensive and – I hope – least effective mailings I’ve ever seen. And I thought nobody could top the stuff Carter and the Congressional Club used to send out about Jim Hunt. Now, Brad…
Read MorePope versus Morgan – Chapter 4 – The Purge
The usual way to eliminate an opponent, politically, is to defeat him in an election. A simpler way – when the legislature redraws its districts – is to put him in someone else’s district. After he was elected Co-Speaker, Richard Morgan took Leo Daughtry out of his district and put him in a district with…
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