North Carolina – Republicans
Carter’s Right!
To my readers: Because you often come here through Facebook or Twitter, you may not see Carter’s blogs. But you should. Because even when you don’t see eye-to-eye with him, you get to see where he’s coming from. And sometimes, shockingly enough, you may find yourself agreeing with Carter. So I wanted to be…
Read MoreThe Return of Elmer Gantry
The Reverend William Barber stepped back up onto his soapbox and thundered it’s time that Richard Burr and Thom Tillis left the chains of hatred behind and joined the chorus for justice by voting to confirm Loretta Lynch. The Reverend went on to explain how he’s looked into Ms. Lynch’s heart and how he…
Read MoreCrossing the Line
Pat’s attacking Phil’s tax cut plan, and the Senate’s Sales Tax Plan, and the Senate’s Religious Freedom Act (about gay marriage) was a mixed bag – after all, voters like tax cuts and are split on gay marriage (with almost all the Republicans agreeing with Phil). But next Pat hit the mother lode, attacking…
Read MoreThe Way of Things
Roy whacked Pat. Pat then slapped Phil. Phil poked Pat back. And no one laid a glove on Roy. That was last week. This week Roy whacked Pat again. And Pat gabbed Phil three times. Last week Pat said Phil was cutting taxes too much – and this week he said Phil…
Read MoreRepublicans’ RFRA Risk
Governor McCrory and Speaker Tim Moore have two big reasons to worry about the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” (aka, the “Freedom to Discriminate Against Gays Act”): business and politics. It’s bad business for North Carolina. And bad politics for McCrory, Senator Burr and House Republicans. Business first. Indiana shows how such a law…
Read MoreWhip It
Thanks to a TAPster who remembers the 1980s for this one: “(North Carolina Congressman) Patrick McHenry is listed as an organizer of a new joint fundraising committee named – drum roll – Whip It Good PAC. At first I thought it was a joke, but apparently not.” For those not familiar…
Read MorePolitics As Usual
Sometimes in politics you have to rise above principle. Republicans vow to resist fight President Obama’s “redistributionist” economic policies. Then GOP legislators plot to redistribute sales tax revenues from urban (Democratic) to rural (Republican) counties. Senator Ted Cruz vows to repeal Obamacare. Then he signs up for insurance under Obamacare. Governor McCrory…
Read MorePat and Phil
Pat and Phil don’t gee and haw. Awhile back, after the Coal Ash Spill, Pat went to work cleaning up the mess, then Phil passed a bill to have a Commission take over the job – which got Pat’s hackles up. Pat said the Constitution was written in black and white and no…
Read MoreWaking Up
Yes, the Republicans’ Wake County power grab is raw, cynical politics. But it could help Democrats win legislative seats, the Governor’s Office, the U.S. Senate race and even a U.S. Senate majority and the Presidency next year. Wake is the biggest-voting county and the biggest swing-vote county in a big state that could decide…
Read MoreTwo Sides of a Coin
There’re two sides to every coin. Last year, when the State Senate took away Governor McCrory’s appointments to the Board of Review, the Governor vetoed the bill. Then the Senate overrode his veto. Then the Governor sued the Senate. Then, this year, as soon as the Senate got back to town it passed another…
Read More