Has anyone else been wondering why Gov Pat McCrory has been so staunch in his rock solid support of the I77 HOT lanes project?
In the face of rising public opposition and mounting evidence more than a little something is rotten in Denmark with this deal, the Governor decides he is going to stand with his boys from Cintra rather than with the people he represents. Who does that?
Here's who...
Back during the summer we told you the sordid tale of two recent NCGOP Executive Directors and their close ties to the Governor as well as Cintra. See here and here for those details.
Then just a couple of weeks ago we told you about the obscene (and anonymous) $4.7m donation given to the Carolina Rising PAC which benefited Thom Tillis in his campaign for US Senate. Carolina Rising was formerly operated by current and recently appointed NCGOP Executive Director, Dallas Woodhouse.
In that piece we wondered if Dallas Woodhouse could make it a "trifecta" of shady connections between the top spot at NCGOP HQ, the I77 HOT lanes project, and Cintra.
Well, the other shoe has now dropped on that one.
On Tuesday, the Raleigh News & Observer reported on tax documents put out by the people behind OpenSecrets.org showing that one of the largest Super PACs in the country, Crossroads GPS, was behind the huge check to Carolina Rising. Crossroads GPS is a PAC founded by none other than Karl Rove, advisor to former President George W Bush.
For more analysis on the Woodhouse connections in this plus other shenanigans, check out the DailyHaymaker.com stories here and here.
So where is the connection to Cintra?
When researching the pieces covering two of Woodhouse's predecessors as NCGOP Executive Director, Chris McClure and Russell Peck, one other politically connected name also popped up but the pieces did not seem to fit. That was Patrick Rhode, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Cintra, USA.
Now those pieces fit perfectly.
The first two jobs on Rhode's LinkedIn profile are Deputy Director of National Advance Operations for the Bush Cheney 2000 campaign and Special Assistant to the President of the United States, the White House.
These are positions where he would have worked closely with Karl Rove, President Bush's right hand man, and the man behind Crossroads GPS.
From the rest of Rhode's resume it seems pretty clear the most valuable skills he brings to a job are his political connections.
He has been at Cintra for going on 8 years now a time span that more than covers the entire history of the HOT lanes efforts here in NC.
Loop this all in with the storyline we told you about here covering the impact of ALEC (including Cintra's involvement) in the history of the I77 HOT lanes, and you get a pretty clear picture of what is going on.
Highly connected, very powerful people with more money to throw around than most people will see in a lifetime want this to happen.
Governor Pat is not going to stand up to them. Let's hope we can find a judge who will.
Showing posts with label NCGOP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCGOP. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
"Obscene" donation benefits Tillis campaign..."you know it when you see it"
The NY Times published an op-ed on Tuesday involving the Junior Senator from North Carolina, Thom Tillis, that should make everyone cringe.
The Times piece was done by The Center for Responsive Politics, the people behind OpenSecrets.org. OpenSecrets.org provides tremendous insight into the money trail that runs through politics by linking donors, lobbyists, PACs, and candidates with campaign donations.
The op-ed covers how an unnamed donor pumped $4.7 million dollars into the "nonprofit" Carolina Rising "social welfare organization" during Tills's campaign against Kay Hagan for US Senate. That was pretty much everything the group raised and pretty much every penny of it went to support ads benefiting Tillis in the final weeks of the campaign.
Read the NY Times op-ed here. OpenSecrets.org has published
a much more detailed account here.
The major issue covered in these pieces is that Carolina Rising may have broken all kinds of IRS rules by effectively existing solely to support a single candidate. At the center if this controversy is information spouted by Dallas Woodhouse at the Tillis victory celebration on election night. Check out Woodhouse in this video from that night.
Woodhouse was recently named as the new Executive Director of the NCGOP.
Now, I don't know about you, but $4.7m seems like a lot of money to me. "Obscene" is the word that comes to mind. It conjures images of Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart saying “I know it when I see it” when he was describing how to identify pornography.
And of course, it makes one wonder what in the world does someone expect to get in return for spending that kind of money on a candidate's behalf???
The Times piece was done by The Center for Responsive Politics, the people behind OpenSecrets.org. OpenSecrets.org provides tremendous insight into the money trail that runs through politics by linking donors, lobbyists, PACs, and candidates with campaign donations.
The op-ed covers how an unnamed donor pumped $4.7 million dollars into the "nonprofit" Carolina Rising "social welfare organization" during Tills's campaign against Kay Hagan for US Senate. That was pretty much everything the group raised and pretty much every penny of it went to support ads benefiting Tillis in the final weeks of the campaign.
Read the NY Times op-ed here. OpenSecrets.org has published
a much more detailed account here.
The major issue covered in these pieces is that Carolina Rising may have broken all kinds of IRS rules by effectively existing solely to support a single candidate. At the center if this controversy is information spouted by Dallas Woodhouse at the Tillis victory celebration on election night. Check out Woodhouse in this video from that night.
Woodhouse was recently named as the new Executive Director of the NCGOP.
Now, I don't know about you, but $4.7m seems like a lot of money to me. "Obscene" is the word that comes to mind. It conjures images of Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart saying “I know it when I see it” when he was describing how to identify pornography.
And of course, it makes one wonder what in the world does someone expect to get in return for spending that kind of money on a candidate's behalf???
Friday, October 2, 2015
GOP swirl at national and state levels make for interesting week
The below column is from this week's Herald Weekly. It was submitted Monday night, prior to the flurry of activity at the NCGA Tuesday.
Couple of observations/updates.
1. As was mentioned in the previous post, the Honorables actually expanded the use of the controversial committees rather than cutting them back.
2. Local legislator John Bradford who indicated that he would have voted against H373 actually voted for S119 which contained the expanded provisions, so that gives a sense for how strongly he felt (or not) about the issue. In fairness, so did John Blust who was one of the most vocal opponents of H373.
Column from the Herald Weekly...
Wow! Last week was some week in the world of politics.
On Friday, you had the “surprise” but really not so surprising announcement that U.S. Speaker of the House, John Boehner, would be stepping down and resigning his seat in Congress. It was a surprise because it came just one day after he achieved one of his long-time goals of coordinating a Papal address to a combined session of Congress. However, if you've been following the action in Washington over this past Summer it is not all that surprising he decided to “go out on a high-note”.
Ever since late July, when Rep Mark Meadows (NC-11) threw down the gauntlet and publicly called for Boehner to be replaced, Boehner has had the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head. On July 28th, Meadows submitted a motion to “vacate the chair”. That's a fancy way of saying he wanted a vote on a new Speaker. Boehner could have brought the issue for a vote if he was certain he had the votes to win cleanly. The fact that he did not do that clearly signaled he was uncertain of that support.
Over the past two months, it became increasingly clear that if another vote was actually held, Boehner may need Democrats to vote for him. That would put him in the predicament of being a Speaker who couldn't win with just members of his own party. Facing that potential embarrassing situation, it's not all that surprising he decided to resign.
However, facing a similar situation at the state level just the day before, leaders of the NC House came to a very different conclusion.
In a surprise move, the Republican-led NC General Assembly passed bill H373 with the last minute inclusion of a provision limiting the influence of the state's political parties. The provision allows legislative leaders to take full control of the purse strings for caucus fundraising and expenditures by setting up what has been called by some a “shadow” party structure. Instead of the money going through the political parties and being subject to their rules, it would be controlled by legislative leaders directly.
The bill passed the NC Senate with zero Democrats supporting it. The House was a different story however.
The bill passed the House 52-49 only because seven Democrats supported it. It was also voted on while a large number of Republicans were excused Thursday afternoon. One of those excused was North Mecklenburg’s John Bradford. In a Facebook post Thursday evening, Bradford indicated he would have been a “no” vote if he had been present.
Incidentally, the other North Mecklenburg legislators, Rep Charles Jeter and Sen. Jeff Tarte, both voted for the bill.
The divisiveness of this bill did not sit well with some Republican members of the legislature - much less with many party activists. Republican Rep John Blust of Guilford County had this to say on Facebook Thursday evening after the vote.
“Honorable people do not conduct the public's business this way. The attitude reflected by the leaders in carrying this out shows a profound disrespect not only for the other legislators, but for the people we represent.”
Before this offending provision was added, H373 was simply a bill intended to move NC's primary date back to March to avoid penalties at next year's Republican National Convention. To do so it needed to be passed by an October 1st deadline.
The short time left makes a veto – something being encouraged by many NCGOP activists - unlikely since that penalty will go into effect if the bill is not signed before October 1st. As of this writing Monday night, no veto had been issued.
By the time you read this On Thursday, this bill will have passed or there will have been a whirlwind of activity at the NCGA to remove it and resubmit after a veto. In either case, it will have been quite the week.
NC House Republican leaders will have also proven they they have a higher tolerance for embarrassment than John Boehner - using votes from the other party to help gut their own.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Has NCGOP Chairman Hasan Harnett become his own worst enemy?
As mentioned in the previous post, Saturday's NCGOP Executive Committee/Central Committee meeting in Greensboro turned out to be a doozy - and a marathon.
With multiple controversial topics on the agenda including votes on...
Now, I'm not a trained negotiator, but I've got to think there is a chapter somewhere in Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People that says something along the lines of don't spit in someone's face if you want them to vote your way in just a couple hours.
Just sayin'...
Email from Hasan Harnett below...
YES, Voting Members of the Central Committee will vote on and will elect the Executive Director for the North Carolina Republican Party. I strongly recommend you go into the ExComm meeting knowing who our next Executive Director is.
Executive Committee Members, if the bad news and perception from up above is true, you will hear ALL about it. And if so, may the names of these select individuals be thrust forward into the light. They must be held accountable and responsible for purposely working hard against me, against you and the ultimate success of the North Carolina Republican Party.
Republicans All Across North Carolina, may you remember the scriptures of John 3:20 when it says...
“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”
Stay Tuned. God Bless You. God Bless America.
With multiple controversial topics on the agenda including votes on...
- proportional versus Winner Take All allocation of delegates in next year's presidential primary (the vote went with proportional)
- whether or not to take action against Rep David Lewis for his role in pushing through last week's controversial bill allowing NCGA leaders to setup separate committees with the powers of a political party (the item ended up being avoided due to a technicality)
- and selecting a new Executive Director (former AFP leader and Gov McCrory favorite, Dallas Woodhouse, got the nod)
Now, I'm not a trained negotiator, but I've got to think there is a chapter somewhere in Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People that says something along the lines of don't spit in someone's face if you want them to vote your way in just a couple hours.
Just sayin'...
Email from Hasan Harnett below...
ALL THINGS IN THE DARK GET EXPOSED IN THE LIGHT
To: Central Committee Members
To: Executive Committee Members
To: Republicans All Across North Carolina
To: Executive Committee Members
To: Republicans All Across North Carolina
THE GOOD NEWS
To clarify to each of you...YES, the Central Committee will vote on and elect the next Executive Director for the North Carolina Republican Party without delay.
Our top prospective Executive Director Candidates are great and they have sacrificed their time, energy and treasure for this position. At the very least, these Candidates deserve a fair vote as we elect the next Executive Director.
THE BAD NEWS
Republicans all across the state are outraged. Your voices have been heard. Like you, I am deeply concerned.
Rest assure, there are specific individuals (on the Central Committee) who will attempt to mute your voice and concerns by delaying or even stopping the vote as we elect the next Executive Director.
It is also perceived that specific individuals (on the Central Committee) will also attempt to use the following strategies and tactics which include:
1. Fear
2. Intimidation (lack of fundraising)
3. Emotional Disturbance (lack of trust, confidence, etc.)
4. Disappointment (personal or collective feelings) and,
5. Confusion
Just to be crystal clear, all of this is designed as an attempt to distract, stall, delay, thwart, postpone or even suspend the vote as we elect the next Executive Director. It this be true, what a shame.
CONCLUSIONS
Remember the State Convention? Remember the energy? What you should remember about me, in the face of all this chaos, I remain steadfast ready and willing to work with all Republicans; however, some are set on seeing us fail. We just all need to work together.
THE BAD NEWS
Republicans all across the state are outraged. Your voices have been heard. Like you, I am deeply concerned.
Rest assure, there are specific individuals (on the Central Committee) who will attempt to mute your voice and concerns by delaying or even stopping the vote as we elect the next Executive Director.
It is also perceived that specific individuals (on the Central Committee) will also attempt to use the following strategies and tactics which include:
1. Fear
2. Intimidation (lack of fundraising)
3. Emotional Disturbance (lack of trust, confidence, etc.)
4. Disappointment (personal or collective feelings) and,
5. Confusion
Just to be crystal clear, all of this is designed as an attempt to distract, stall, delay, thwart, postpone or even suspend the vote as we elect the next Executive Director. It this be true, what a shame.
CONCLUSIONS
Remember the State Convention? Remember the energy? What you should remember about me, in the face of all this chaos, I remain steadfast ready and willing to work with all Republicans; however, some are set on seeing us fail. We just all need to work together.
YES, Voting Members of the Central Committee will vote on and will elect the Executive Director for the North Carolina Republican Party. I strongly recommend you go into the ExComm meeting knowing who our next Executive Director is.
Executive Committee Members, if the bad news and perception from up above is true, you will hear ALL about it. And if so, may the names of these select individuals be thrust forward into the light. They must be held accountable and responsible for purposely working hard against me, against you and the ultimate success of the North Carolina Republican Party.
Republicans All Across North Carolina, may you remember the scriptures of John 3:20 when it says...
“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”
Stay Tuned. God Bless You. God Bless America.
Friday, September 25, 2015
There will be War!
That very well may be the result of the Pearl Harbor style attack by NCGA electeds on the NCGOP apparatus yesterday with passage of H373.
Rep John Blust of Guilford County had this to say on Facebook Thursday evening after the vote.
"Just think - the measure was only released 24 hours ago. If it was something we needed to enact, why wasn't a bill filed which followed the normal process which those we represent could follow? Why would this matter be hidden even from members until the very last minute? Honorable people do not conduct the public's business this way. The attitude reflected by the leaders in carrying this out shows a profound disrespect not only for the other legislators, but for the people we represent. That cannot be disputed. If one disputes it, tell me why the matter was hidden until the last minute?"
Blust was referring to the inclusion in the bill of a provision that would gut the power and influence of the state's political parties by allowing legislative leaders to essentially take full control of the purse strings. This provision was added as part of the conference report for H373 - a bill intended to move NC's primary date back to March to avoid penalties at next year's Republican National Convention for having the state primary too early according to national party rules.
The new provision would allow House and Senate leadership to form their own fundraising and campaign support committees. Instead of the money going through the political parties, it would be controlled by legislative leaders directly.
It appears this is a direct response to the grassroots success at June's state NCGOP convention. The election of Hassan Harnett and Michele Nix as Chairman and Vice Chair has upset the applecart. Direct control of the purse is more important than ever for legislators who raise large sums from special interest groups who want to ensure it goes where it is "needed".
If that control can't be assured the money could dry up all together.
Party leaders and grassroots activists are not taking this lying down however. An effort was underway Friday afternoon to encourage Governor Pat McCrory to veto the bill.
McCrory has not had a lot of success with the veto this legislature. However in this case it seems unlikely the House would have the votes to override one if he decides to use it. The Republucan-led effort only passed the House by 3 votes (52-49) and relied on several Democrats to get it done. There were also four Republican legislators absent yesterday afternoon who were actually there earlier in the day. It appears this bill may have even been scheduled for an afternoon vote to ensure passage. At least one of those absent Republicans, John Bradford of Mecklenburg, indicated on Facebook Thursday evening that he likely would have been a 'no' vote.
So, why is all this happening now?
It may just be part of the typical shenanigans that seem to occur at the end of legislative sessions. However, it may also have something to do with the imminent selection of a new NCGOP Executive Director. Maybe legislative leaders see that choice not going their way, so this was a preemptive strike.
Regardless, it will make Saturday's Party Executive Committee meeting much more interesting.
Time to get the popcorn ready!
Rep John Blust of Guilford County had this to say on Facebook Thursday evening after the vote.
"Just think - the measure was only released 24 hours ago. If it was something we needed to enact, why wasn't a bill filed which followed the normal process which those we represent could follow? Why would this matter be hidden even from members until the very last minute? Honorable people do not conduct the public's business this way. The attitude reflected by the leaders in carrying this out shows a profound disrespect not only for the other legislators, but for the people we represent. That cannot be disputed. If one disputes it, tell me why the matter was hidden until the last minute?"
The new provision would allow House and Senate leadership to form their own fundraising and campaign support committees. Instead of the money going through the political parties, it would be controlled by legislative leaders directly.
It appears this is a direct response to the grassroots success at June's state NCGOP convention. The election of Hassan Harnett and Michele Nix as Chairman and Vice Chair has upset the applecart. Direct control of the purse is more important than ever for legislators who raise large sums from special interest groups who want to ensure it goes where it is "needed".
If that control can't be assured the money could dry up all together.
Party leaders and grassroots activists are not taking this lying down however. An effort was underway Friday afternoon to encourage Governor Pat McCrory to veto the bill.
McCrory has not had a lot of success with the veto this legislature. However in this case it seems unlikely the House would have the votes to override one if he decides to use it. The Republucan-led effort only passed the House by 3 votes (52-49) and relied on several Democrats to get it done. There were also four Republican legislators absent yesterday afternoon who were actually there earlier in the day. It appears this bill may have even been scheduled for an afternoon vote to ensure passage. At least one of those absent Republicans, John Bradford of Mecklenburg, indicated on Facebook Thursday evening that he likely would have been a 'no' vote.
So, why is all this happening now?
It may just be part of the typical shenanigans that seem to occur at the end of legislative sessions. However, it may also have something to do with the imminent selection of a new NCGOP Executive Director. Maybe legislative leaders see that choice not going their way, so this was a preemptive strike.
Regardless, it will make Saturday's Party Executive Committee meeting much more interesting.
Time to get the popcorn ready!
Thursday, September 24, 2015
NCGOP dominated NCGA attempting to gut NCGOP
In breaking news out of Raleigh yesterday, legislators inserted language into a bill which effectively will allow party leaders to circumvent their actual parties by forming their own committees to control the money rather than having it go through the party.
This appears to be in response to the takeover of NCGOP party leadership by outsiders earlier this summer.
The NCGOP has been in turmoil since then with multiple senior staff leaving.
Make no mistake this recent effort is about money - who gets it and who controls it.
Below are the details from Adam Love...
This appears to be in response to the takeover of NCGOP party leadership by outsiders earlier this summer.
The NCGOP has been in turmoil since then with multiple senior staff leaving.
Make no mistake this recent effort is about money - who gets it and who controls it.
Below are the details from Adam Love...
HB 373 is up for a vote today. This is the bill that will change our primary date to be in accordance with the RNC rules, so we don't lose our delegates.
The bad news is that Rep. David R. Lewis has added another section to the bill that sets up House and Senate "shadow" parties. This will undermine the NC GOP and will create havoc next year. Please call your representatives and ask section 163-278.8B be taken out of the bill. The vote is TODAY.
Here is the newly-added text inserted by Rep. Lewis:
"§ 163-278.8B. Affiliated party committees.
(a) The leader of each political party caucus of the North Carolina House of Representatives and the Senate may establish a separate, affiliated party committee to support the election of candidates of that leader's political party. The affiliated party committee is deemed a political party for purposes of this Article."
Read that again: "The affiliated party committee is deemed a political party for the purposes of this article."
This is nothing less than the establishment of a new political party. The NCGOP RNC Committeeman is trying to start his own political party! Why would he do this?
This is nothing less than the establishment of a new political party. The NCGOP RNC Committeeman is trying to start his own political party! Why would he do this?
Call your NC House representative TODAY and demand that this language be stripped from the bill! By attaching this to HB 373, Rep. Lewis has effectively taken our RNC delegates hostage; if the bill fails completely, NC will lose many of its RNC delegates!
While you're on the phone, call Rep. David Lewis at 910-897-8100 and ask him WHY he is attacking his own party!
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Fear and Loathing on the Road to the NCSEN Primary
"The stage lay set in a perfectly diabolical manner. All the pieces were in place.
The pesky media stood docilely outside - locked out by having the event in a church. A similar tactic worked well when the mafia needed to meet away from the prying eyes of law enforcement - using their doctors' and lawyers' offices to gain a certain freedom to conduct business. If a tactic like that worked for them, why not for a political party convention?
The plan for the new rules change had been kept secret and hidden like an assassin's poison ready to do it's ugly work. The snake-oil salesmen rehearsed their pitches well to ensure it was taken in by the audience with ease - ready to spin anyone brave enough to try and talk some sense into the crowd.
A sense of F.E.A.R. - False Evidence Appearing Real - permeated the room."
Channeling Hunter S Thompson and picturing a large, free-flowing vat of electric cool-aid provides the best way to make sense of what happened last Saturday at the MeckGOP convention after reading this piece by Christian Hine over at PunditHouse.com.
Rule 19(a) as passed by the latest MeckGOP convention effectively eliminates issue-based resolutions at the county convention. This comes on the heals of the unanimous issue based resolution against HOT lanes at last year's convention. The rule will likely become a divisive lightning rod in future conventions as one can picture grassroots activists repeatedly trying (and failing) to get a supermajority to override the rule and pass resolutions on the hottest issues of the day. It's hard to fathom why local GOP leaders truly thought this rule was a good idea. It will do nothing but drive a deeper wedge between establishment and tea party type grassroots activists.
The only answer that makes any sense is F.E.A.R. The local GOP establishment seems to have fallen into the trap laid by fear - believing in the falsehoods that conflict equates to weakness, that anything but total unanimity of opinion leads to failure. The reality will be just the opposite.
After what happened on Saturday, how do establishment Republicans expect to say with a straight face that all factions should support the eventual nominee for US Senate - their assumption of course being that the nominee will be Speaker Thom Tillis. This rule change effectively says "we do not want to hear your opinion." Passing it in the way it was done - without significant early notice - says "dirty pool" is Ok.
With Mecklenburg having the 2nd largest number of Republicans in the state, this was a terribly risky maneuver by the MeckGOP to achieve effectively nothing of value. This rule plays right into the problem outlined in this piece nearly a year ago - making it much harder to repair any damage after the primary season is over. If Republicans lose the US Senate race, regardless of who the nominee turns out to be, it will be actions like this that are to blame as much as anything else.
By comparison, at Monday night's WakeGOP convention leaders seemed more inclined to do the right thing in the face of a possibly less than favorable outcome for the establishment. Wake is the largest GOP county in the state. They did a straw poll (something the MeckGOP also avoided) and they let the chips fall where they may.
Here are the results: Brannon 45%, Tillis 33%, Harris 20%, all others 2%.
They were not overcome by F.E.A.R.
The pesky media stood docilely outside - locked out by having the event in a church. A similar tactic worked well when the mafia needed to meet away from the prying eyes of law enforcement - using their doctors' and lawyers' offices to gain a certain freedom to conduct business. If a tactic like that worked for them, why not for a political party convention?
The plan for the new rules change had been kept secret and hidden like an assassin's poison ready to do it's ugly work. The snake-oil salesmen rehearsed their pitches well to ensure it was taken in by the audience with ease - ready to spin anyone brave enough to try and talk some sense into the crowd.
A sense of F.E.A.R. - False Evidence Appearing Real - permeated the room."
Channeling Hunter S Thompson and picturing a large, free-flowing vat of electric cool-aid provides the best way to make sense of what happened last Saturday at the MeckGOP convention after reading this piece by Christian Hine over at PunditHouse.com.
Rule 19(a) as passed by the latest MeckGOP convention effectively eliminates issue-based resolutions at the county convention. This comes on the heals of the unanimous issue based resolution against HOT lanes at last year's convention. The rule will likely become a divisive lightning rod in future conventions as one can picture grassroots activists repeatedly trying (and failing) to get a supermajority to override the rule and pass resolutions on the hottest issues of the day. It's hard to fathom why local GOP leaders truly thought this rule was a good idea. It will do nothing but drive a deeper wedge between establishment and tea party type grassroots activists.
The only answer that makes any sense is F.E.A.R. The local GOP establishment seems to have fallen into the trap laid by fear - believing in the falsehoods that conflict equates to weakness, that anything but total unanimity of opinion leads to failure. The reality will be just the opposite.
After what happened on Saturday, how do establishment Republicans expect to say with a straight face that all factions should support the eventual nominee for US Senate - their assumption of course being that the nominee will be Speaker Thom Tillis. This rule change effectively says "we do not want to hear your opinion." Passing it in the way it was done - without significant early notice - says "dirty pool" is Ok.
With Mecklenburg having the 2nd largest number of Republicans in the state, this was a terribly risky maneuver by the MeckGOP to achieve effectively nothing of value. This rule plays right into the problem outlined in this piece nearly a year ago - making it much harder to repair any damage after the primary season is over. If Republicans lose the US Senate race, regardless of who the nominee turns out to be, it will be actions like this that are to blame as much as anything else.
By comparison, at Monday night's WakeGOP convention leaders seemed more inclined to do the right thing in the face of a possibly less than favorable outcome for the establishment. Wake is the largest GOP county in the state. They did a straw poll (something the MeckGOP also avoided) and they let the chips fall where they may.
Here are the results: Brannon 45%, Tillis 33%, Harris 20%, all others 2%.
They were not overcome by F.E.A.R.
Friday, January 31, 2014
NCSEN Candidates put on a good show in Huntersville
Some great political theater came to Huntersville Thursday night.
The show was put on by the new Lake Norman Conservatives activist group with all the ingredients for a solid performance - good speakers, good organization, and a good crowd. If they can repeat it on a regular basis, the group could be in for a long run on the political stage here in North Mecklenburg.
A packed house with overflow seating came to hear the three GOP candidates for US Senate who were on hand to answer questions - Greg Brannon, Mark Harris, and Heather Grant. Bill Flynn had committed to the forum but dropped out of the race all together on Thursday morning. There was the now-standard empty chair with Thom Tillis's name on it. Media was on hand including Jim Morrill from the Charlotte Observer as well as a reporter from the Associated Press. An operative from a pro-Hagan PAC was even thought to be seen circulating in the audience. Coverage of the event got some national attention
There was a definite Tea Party vibe to the event and the crowd. Guerrilla videographer Chuck Suter was on hand. Multiple small cameras were taking it all in. Christian Hine, President of CAUTION - Charlotte's main outlet for the Tea Party movement - served as the forum's moderator. The crowd was a bit younger, a bit more diverse, a bit more casually dressed than your average Republican Party affair. But make no mistake, they were equally as intense and interested as any you will meet in this area.
When the questions started flying all three candidates presented themselves well. Dr Brannon has been on the stump for a while now. His delivery and detailed references to the Constitution are delivered with ease. Reverend Harris is as polished as you'd expect from a someone used to speaking with passion in front of a crowds. Heather Grant more than held her own.
Seeing all of these candidates debate alongside of Thom Tillis would certainly have been interesting. But while Thom Tillis wasn't there in person and hardly mentioned at all during the evening, his supporters weren't going to cede any ground on social media during the event. A quick glance at Twitter showed the #NCSEN hashtag being bombarded with several Pro-Tillis tweets right at 7pm when the event was scheduled to kick-off. Coordinated by the campaign or just coincidence, they came mostly from a single account and appeared to be staged in advance and ready to fire from right at 7pm until roughly 7:30. An effort to dilute the "where's Thom" tweets expected to pop up at the same time? So, while Team Tillis seemingly wants to publicly ignore the other candidates in the primary race, it also appears they may not be taking any chances on letting the opponents have any free shots.
With all sides gearing up for the final 90 day push to the May primary, ignoring the opposition will be harder and harder to do for Team Tillis. That's a task made even more difficult with the Brannon Campaign opening an office in Cornelius on Friday - right down the street from entrance to the Peninsula neighborhood - almost literally right in Speaker Tillis's back yard.
Act One of this NCGOP primary drama is almost over with the main characters all set. The main question is will the story of this primary season end after Act Two in May or will there be a surprise Act Three and a run-off in July?
The show was put on by the new Lake Norman Conservatives activist group with all the ingredients for a solid performance - good speakers, good organization, and a good crowd. If they can repeat it on a regular basis, the group could be in for a long run on the political stage here in North Mecklenburg.
 |
| Over 150 people packed the main room plus overflow to see GOP NCSEN candidates Thursday night. |
There was a definite Tea Party vibe to the event and the crowd. Guerrilla videographer Chuck Suter was on hand. Multiple small cameras were taking it all in. Christian Hine, President of CAUTION - Charlotte's main outlet for the Tea Party movement - served as the forum's moderator. The crowd was a bit younger, a bit more diverse, a bit more casually dressed than your average Republican Party affair. But make no mistake, they were equally as intense and interested as any you will meet in this area.
When the questions started flying all three candidates presented themselves well. Dr Brannon has been on the stump for a while now. His delivery and detailed references to the Constitution are delivered with ease. Reverend Harris is as polished as you'd expect from a someone used to speaking with passion in front of a crowds. Heather Grant more than held her own.
Seeing all of these candidates debate alongside of Thom Tillis would certainly have been interesting. But while Thom Tillis wasn't there in person and hardly mentioned at all during the evening, his supporters weren't going to cede any ground on social media during the event. A quick glance at Twitter showed the #NCSEN hashtag being bombarded with several Pro-Tillis tweets right at 7pm when the event was scheduled to kick-off. Coordinated by the campaign or just coincidence, they came mostly from a single account and appeared to be staged in advance and ready to fire from right at 7pm until roughly 7:30. An effort to dilute the "where's Thom" tweets expected to pop up at the same time? So, while Team Tillis seemingly wants to publicly ignore the other candidates in the primary race, it also appears they may not be taking any chances on letting the opponents have any free shots.
 |
| Sources say that 50+ people stopped by to help open the Brannon for Senate campaign office in Cornelius |
Act One of this NCGOP primary drama is almost over with the main characters all set. The main question is will the story of this primary season end after Act Two in May or will there be a surprise Act Three and a run-off in July?
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Disecting the Pro-HOT Lanes Arguments at the NCGOP Exec Committee Meeting
The good folks over at PunditHouse.com posted audio last week covering the debate on HOT Lanes from the previous Sunday's NCGOP Executive Committee meeting. It's about 30 minutes long but well worth a listen.
At stake was an official resolution by the State Republican Party against HOT Lanes providing more emphasis to the anti-HOT plank already added to the Party Platform.
Two arguments against the resolution were made by former NCGOP Chairman Robin Hayes and NC House Speaker Thom Tillis. The arguments provide a glimpse into why it is so very important that grassroots activists keep bringing up issues, keep fighting for the what they believe, and don't take "no" for an answer. This applies to HOT Lanes, but it also certainly applies to other issues as well.
Taken together, these arguments amount to saying to the party faithful...
"Don't rock the boat. We know what's best for you. If you think otherwise, you're not being faithful to the Party."
Robin Hayes made the argument that the Party should not get involved in "pending legislative matters" and that passing this resolution would somehow "tie the hands of our newly elected House, Senate, and Governor".
Speaker Tillis opened his remarks referring to Governor McCrory's Transportation Plan working it's way through Raleigh and argued that the resolution would be a vote instructing the Legislature "kill one of his three major initiatives of the year."
Fortunately, these arguments were immediately rebuffed by multiple speakers supporting the resolution.
It's a simple question really. If the members of the Republican Party are not supposed to "inform" their representatives on what they want them to do, then what is the point of having a Party, much less an Executive Committee? As a frame of reference, the NCGOP has two main "leadership" committees. The Central Committee is made up of the Chairs of Congressional District organizations, the senior Party Legislative officials, the Party's State officers, and the chairs of the various State-level auxiliary organizations. It has about 30 voting members. The Executive Committee on the other hand has about 600 members and represents the much broader body of the Party. It is exactly the group that should inform the Legislature and the Governor on what the members of the Party want done.
Those were the purely political arguments against the resolution.
Addressing the substance of the resolution, Speaker Tillis also stated that Governor McCrory thought tolls are an "essential option" to the State's transportation plans and that NCDOT was required to engage in a "deliberative, public, well vetted, representative process" with local officials before implementing tolls.
While there is no doubt that figuring out how to pay for roads is critical, these arguments don't square with how Governor McCrory campaigned or with how this debate has unfolded.
See "If Tolls Were a Bad Idea During the Election, They are Still a Bad Idea Today" from over at WidenI77.org for examples of the Governor's statements on tolls during the campaign. It's hard to see how these match up with him now seeing tolls as an "essential option." If he truly does see them as essential, he was not being up front with voters during the campaign.
And as for engaging in a "deliberative, public, well vetted, representative process"...
There certainly have been a number of meetings held locally and in Raleigh on HOT Lanes, but on the whole it's hard to say the above adjectives accurately describe the overall process dealing with this issue. See any or all of the below for reference.
At stake was an official resolution by the State Republican Party against HOT Lanes providing more emphasis to the anti-HOT plank already added to the Party Platform.
Two arguments against the resolution were made by former NCGOP Chairman Robin Hayes and NC House Speaker Thom Tillis. The arguments provide a glimpse into why it is so very important that grassroots activists keep bringing up issues, keep fighting for the what they believe, and don't take "no" for an answer. This applies to HOT Lanes, but it also certainly applies to other issues as well.
Taken together, these arguments amount to saying to the party faithful...
"Don't rock the boat. We know what's best for you. If you think otherwise, you're not being faithful to the Party."
Robin Hayes made the argument that the Party should not get involved in "pending legislative matters" and that passing this resolution would somehow "tie the hands of our newly elected House, Senate, and Governor".
Speaker Tillis opened his remarks referring to Governor McCrory's Transportation Plan working it's way through Raleigh and argued that the resolution would be a vote instructing the Legislature "kill one of his three major initiatives of the year."
Fortunately, these arguments were immediately rebuffed by multiple speakers supporting the resolution.
It's a simple question really. If the members of the Republican Party are not supposed to "inform" their representatives on what they want them to do, then what is the point of having a Party, much less an Executive Committee? As a frame of reference, the NCGOP has two main "leadership" committees. The Central Committee is made up of the Chairs of Congressional District organizations, the senior Party Legislative officials, the Party's State officers, and the chairs of the various State-level auxiliary organizations. It has about 30 voting members. The Executive Committee on the other hand has about 600 members and represents the much broader body of the Party. It is exactly the group that should inform the Legislature and the Governor on what the members of the Party want done.
Those were the purely political arguments against the resolution.
Addressing the substance of the resolution, Speaker Tillis also stated that Governor McCrory thought tolls are an "essential option" to the State's transportation plans and that NCDOT was required to engage in a "deliberative, public, well vetted, representative process" with local officials before implementing tolls.
While there is no doubt that figuring out how to pay for roads is critical, these arguments don't square with how Governor McCrory campaigned or with how this debate has unfolded.
See "If Tolls Were a Bad Idea During the Election, They are Still a Bad Idea Today" from over at WidenI77.org for examples of the Governor's statements on tolls during the campaign. It's hard to see how these match up with him now seeing tolls as an "essential option." If he truly does see them as essential, he was not being up front with voters during the campaign.
And as for engaging in a "deliberative, public, well vetted, representative process"...
There certainly have been a number of meetings held locally and in Raleigh on HOT Lanes, but on the whole it's hard to say the above adjectives accurately describe the overall process dealing with this issue. See any or all of the below for reference.
- HOT Lanes: Municipalities Exert Influence with NCDOT on Monday
- HOT Lanes: The Empire Strikes Back...
- Charlotte Throwing Its Weight Around at MUMPO
- Cornelius Commissioner Blasts Town Decision to Support I-77 HOT Lanes
- MUMPO Jumbo: Video from Last Night’s Debacle via PunditHouse.com
- NC House Hides from Voting on Toll Roads in North Carolina...Government Transparency is a Casualty
- H267: Redux - NC House really, really, really doesn't want to vote on tolling you
- HOT Lane Proponents Disguise Truth via PunditHouse.com
...and then of course there's what happened minutes later after his comments at the Executive Committee meeting when Speaker Tillis leaves and forces the meeting to adjourn before completing its business.
This is our government.
This is our government.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Speaker Tillis Leads Walkout to Scuttle Quorum on NCGOP HOT Lanes Vote
Maybe it was an attempt to avoid another vote against plans to bring more tolls to North Carolina, or maybe it was just a sheer power play to show who's "boss", but what happened at Sunday's NCGOP Executive Committee meeting on the last afternoon of the annual State Convention certainly was not pretty.
After checking with multiple sources in the room at the meeting, it is safe to say that when it became clear the vote on a resolution opposing HOT Lanes was likely not going to go his way, Speaker Thom Tillis left the room taking enough delegates with him to break quorum and effectively shut down the meeting.
By all accounts, the move appeared intended - even coordinated - to achieve that exact result. Two quorum calls came minutes apart. The first achieved a result of one over quorum. The second, mere minutes later, came immediately after the Speaker and a few others left the room. The second call was even contested as being "dilatory". For those not versed in the finer points of parliamentary procedure, dilatory tactics are described as "those used to delay or obstruct business, annoy the deliberative assembly, or in legislative procedure, to delay consideration of a subject for other reasons." However, the second quorum call was allowed to proceed. When it was finished, the meeting was, for all intents and purposes, over.
The remaining delegates were left stunned and angry at what they had just witnessed.
Delegate Adam Love of Mecklenburg had introduced the resolution. He was left standing at the microphone ready to speak in favor of it. By his count as many as eight others also stood ready to speak in favor of the the resolution. None were standing to speak against it at that point.
After the walkout, delegate Bill Green of the Forsyth County GOP spoke to those still in the room. Referring to the Executive Committee members who left with the Speaker as "not doing their jobs" and "shirking their duties" Green's comments received applause for expressing the frustration those remaining delegates surely felt. They had been sent to the convention to express the desires of their local party members. They had come there to do a job. However, the actions of Speaker Tillis and a few others prevented them from doing so.
And here's the part that makes this even more "small"...
The bulk of any perceived damage by the NCGOP formally opposing HOT lanes had already been done with the inclusion of an anti-HOT Lanes plank in the Party's Platform document. Before quorum was broken, the platform was adopted with the amendments that had passed earlier in the convention - including one under platform Article II that said...
"We oppose any plans for or legislation in favor of HOT Lanes."
With that already in the Party Platform, the below resolution which did not receive a vote was in some ways just a formality. However, the repercussions from deliberately subverting the actions of the Party's Executive Committee could be something that takes on a life of its own.
As has been said before here in these pages, this HOT Lanes debate has become as much about heavy-handed government and unresponsive leadership as it is about roads and transportation. Sunday's display was a classic example.
Anti-HOT Lanes Resolution (Font reduced to fit on one page. Click to enlarge)
After checking with multiple sources in the room at the meeting, it is safe to say that when it became clear the vote on a resolution opposing HOT Lanes was likely not going to go his way, Speaker Thom Tillis left the room taking enough delegates with him to break quorum and effectively shut down the meeting.
By all accounts, the move appeared intended - even coordinated - to achieve that exact result. Two quorum calls came minutes apart. The first achieved a result of one over quorum. The second, mere minutes later, came immediately after the Speaker and a few others left the room. The second call was even contested as being "dilatory". For those not versed in the finer points of parliamentary procedure, dilatory tactics are described as "those used to delay or obstruct business, annoy the deliberative assembly, or in legislative procedure, to delay consideration of a subject for other reasons." However, the second quorum call was allowed to proceed. When it was finished, the meeting was, for all intents and purposes, over.
The remaining delegates were left stunned and angry at what they had just witnessed.
Delegate Adam Love of Mecklenburg had introduced the resolution. He was left standing at the microphone ready to speak in favor of it. By his count as many as eight others also stood ready to speak in favor of the the resolution. None were standing to speak against it at that point.
After the walkout, delegate Bill Green of the Forsyth County GOP spoke to those still in the room. Referring to the Executive Committee members who left with the Speaker as "not doing their jobs" and "shirking their duties" Green's comments received applause for expressing the frustration those remaining delegates surely felt. They had been sent to the convention to express the desires of their local party members. They had come there to do a job. However, the actions of Speaker Tillis and a few others prevented them from doing so.
And here's the part that makes this even more "small"...
The bulk of any perceived damage by the NCGOP formally opposing HOT lanes had already been done with the inclusion of an anti-HOT Lanes plank in the Party's Platform document. Before quorum was broken, the platform was adopted with the amendments that had passed earlier in the convention - including one under platform Article II that said...
"We oppose any plans for or legislation in favor of HOT Lanes."
With that already in the Party Platform, the below resolution which did not receive a vote was in some ways just a formality. However, the repercussions from deliberately subverting the actions of the Party's Executive Committee could be something that takes on a life of its own.
As has been said before here in these pages, this HOT Lanes debate has become as much about heavy-handed government and unresponsive leadership as it is about roads and transportation. Sunday's display was a classic example.
Anti-HOT Lanes Resolution (Font reduced to fit on one page. Click to enlarge)
Bonus Observation: From the Charlotte Observer on the left to The Daily Haymaker on the right, this story is being reported the same way. Not surprisingly, the Speaker's defenders are taking to places like Facebook to push back. Over at Sharon Hudson's Facebook page there is a good back and forth on it with those who were in the room validating this account. See post from Sunday afternoon among others. Ms Hudson was one of the activists who worked to get the resolution submitted.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
UPDATED: NCGOP Convention Adds Platform Plank Opposing Toll Roads
One of the first items voted on Friday afternoon at the NCGOP convention in Charlotte was an amendment adding language opposing toll roads in North Carolina to the State's GOP Platform. Developing...
Update #1: It was not a unanimous vote. But sources tell aShortChronicle that the main opponent was revealed by Jack Brosch, candidate for NCGOP Chair, to be a highway construction consultant - sealing it for the majority.
Update #2:Reports that Ada Fisher spoke during Friday's HOT lanes NCGOP platform debate saying "we would be screwed" if we get toll roads here in NC.
Update #3:Now receiving a report that the platform discussion may have broken up due to lack of quorum, meaning the previous platform would stand unamended.
Update #4: Reports confirmed that the platform was accepted with this amendment as part of the Executive Committee meeting Sunday. However, there are also reports that an additional resolution against HOT lanes did experience issues due to a quorum. More on this story later.
Update #1: It was not a unanimous vote. But sources tell aShortChronicle that the main opponent was revealed by Jack Brosch, candidate for NCGOP Chair, to be a highway construction consultant - sealing it for the majority.
Update #2:Reports that Ada Fisher spoke during Friday's HOT lanes NCGOP platform debate saying "we would be screwed" if we get toll roads here in NC.
Update #3:Now receiving a report that the platform discussion may have broken up due to lack of quorum, meaning the previous platform would stand unamended.
Update #4: Reports confirmed that the platform was accepted with this amendment as part of the Executive Committee meeting Sunday. However, there are also reports that an additional resolution against HOT lanes did experience issues due to a quorum. More on this story later.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Tea Party vs. GOP Establishment...Battle Comes to Mecklenburg's Doorstep
A couple of interesting events have happened in the past few days which may signal a looming battle within the Republican party between the establishment GOP and Tea Party grassroots activists. What makes this more interesting for us here in Mecklenburg is that it would be right on our doorstep.
Early this week rumors began to swirl that the GOP establishment is seeking a candidate to primary conservative legislator Rep Larry Pittman of Cabarrus County. This comes on the heels of last week's brouhaha between Rep Pittman and Speaker Tillis over comments Pittman made at a Cabarrus County meeting of the We The People grass roots activist group.
Primaries come as nothing new to Pittman. He survived a primary challenge last election cycle - beating challenger Jay White by 51.46% to 48.54%.
Making matters worse, the rumors swirling have the potential challenger being from Mecklenburg County, moving to Cabarrus specifically to challenge Pittman. Those rumors generated this response on Twitter from one connected conservative activist in Cabarrus...
While I prefer to not use the RINO label, this gives you some sense of what's waiting for someone crossing county lines to challenge Pittman. Pittman also enjoys support from Tea Party types outside of Cabarrus who would likely join the fight in the event he receives a primary challenge. He has raised his profile by taking the lead on some of the strongly Pro 2nd Amendment legislation working its way through the General Assembly. During the most recent Mecklenburg GOP convention, a resolution was debated at length specifically to show support for Pittman's efforts. There will likely be many volunteers crossing county lines to support Pittman along with any potential challenger against him.
The second event that could have local impact is something that actually won't be happening.
The upcoming NCGOP convention in June will be held in Charlotte. Local grassroots activist Jack Brosch has thrown his hat in the ring for NCGOP Chair against Claude Pope - the hand-picked candidate of the Raleigh establishment. A third candidate Mattie Lawson, a Tea Party leader from the Outer Banks, had briefly also joined the contest, but on Wednesday put out this announcement:
This well-considered decision shows a maturity of the Tea Party movement to not repeatedly make the same mistake and dilute support by running multiple candidates for the same contest. It also shows an understanding that concentrating forces on a confined battlefield - such as a Convention floor - allows for a much higher likelihood of success.
Convention elections are all about who shows up.
Talk of a primary against Larry Pittman when the convention is in his backyard and his issues are what currently animates the party faithful could very well be what drives more "conservatives" to show up in Charlotte this June and create some unexpected surprises for the State GOP.
Early this week rumors began to swirl that the GOP establishment is seeking a candidate to primary conservative legislator Rep Larry Pittman of Cabarrus County. This comes on the heels of last week's brouhaha between Rep Pittman and Speaker Tillis over comments Pittman made at a Cabarrus County meeting of the We The People grass roots activist group.
Primaries come as nothing new to Pittman. He survived a primary challenge last election cycle - beating challenger Jay White by 51.46% to 48.54%.
Making matters worse, the rumors swirling have the potential challenger being from Mecklenburg County, moving to Cabarrus specifically to challenge Pittman. Those rumors generated this response on Twitter from one connected conservative activist in Cabarrus...
While I prefer to not use the RINO label, this gives you some sense of what's waiting for someone crossing county lines to challenge Pittman. Pittman also enjoys support from Tea Party types outside of Cabarrus who would likely join the fight in the event he receives a primary challenge. He has raised his profile by taking the lead on some of the strongly Pro 2nd Amendment legislation working its way through the General Assembly. During the most recent Mecklenburg GOP convention, a resolution was debated at length specifically to show support for Pittman's efforts. There will likely be many volunteers crossing county lines to support Pittman along with any potential challenger against him.
The second event that could have local impact is something that actually won't be happening.
The upcoming NCGOP convention in June will be held in Charlotte. Local grassroots activist Jack Brosch has thrown his hat in the ring for NCGOP Chair against Claude Pope - the hand-picked candidate of the Raleigh establishment. A third candidate Mattie Lawson, a Tea Party leader from the Outer Banks, had briefly also joined the contest, but on Wednesday put out this announcement:
This well-considered decision shows a maturity of the Tea Party movement to not repeatedly make the same mistake and dilute support by running multiple candidates for the same contest. It also shows an understanding that concentrating forces on a confined battlefield - such as a Convention floor - allows for a much higher likelihood of success.
Convention elections are all about who shows up.
Talk of a primary against Larry Pittman when the convention is in his backyard and his issues are what currently animates the party faithful could very well be what drives more "conservatives" to show up in Charlotte this June and create some unexpected surprises for the State GOP.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
NC-9 Republicans Meet in Cornelius...Unity a Common Theme
Republicans in North Carolina's Ninth Congressional District met in Cornelius on Saturday for a convention to elect a new slate of leaders for the congressional level of organization within the party. The event brought numerous politicians to Cornelius Town Hall including Congressman Robert Pittenger, NC Speaker of the House Thom Tillis as well as Representative Charles Jeter of Huntersville and Senator Jeff Tarte of Cornelius among others. About 100 of the party faithful were in attendance.
There was some speculation that there would be fireworks surrounding the ongoing intra-party tensions around the I-77 HOT lanes supported by most Republican elected officials. When it came time for nominations for officers, Convention Chairman, Billy Miller, paused extra long to see if there were any additional nominations beyond the existing slate - even making a joke that he thought there might be. However, in the end the elections for offices was not contested and John Steward of Union County and Davidson's Linda Angele maintained their positions as Chairman and Vice-Chair respectively. It was a good show of unity within the party.
That unity was a culmination of a theme hit on by most of the speakers throughout the morning.
Speaker Tillis first hit on the topic, highlighting "The Eleventh Commandment" made popular by Ronald Reagan..."thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican". He also paraphrased another quote commonly attributed to Reagan.."the person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally."
Claude Pope, campaigning for NCGOP Chairman, said "for party unity we have to teach the losers how to support the winners, rather than taking their ball and going home."
Finally, John Steward, in his brief acceptance speech as NC 9 Chairman said that Republicans can't win without the Tea Party, the Tea Party can't win without the establishment Republicans, and that the Libertarians can't win on their own. A statement that highlights the need for all the facets of the conservative cause to work together for a common purpose to be successful.
To a degree, they are obviously all correct.
However, for that unity to occur all sides must feel that they are being dealt with fairly, and far too often things occur during campaigns and during contentious issues to undermine that sense of fairness. Whether it be perceived meddling in primaries, or how contentious issues are handled, to put all of Saturday's words into real action will require much more than saying "can't we all just get along?"
There was some speculation that there would be fireworks surrounding the ongoing intra-party tensions around the I-77 HOT lanes supported by most Republican elected officials. When it came time for nominations for officers, Convention Chairman, Billy Miller, paused extra long to see if there were any additional nominations beyond the existing slate - even making a joke that he thought there might be. However, in the end the elections for offices was not contested and John Steward of Union County and Davidson's Linda Angele maintained their positions as Chairman and Vice-Chair respectively. It was a good show of unity within the party.
That unity was a culmination of a theme hit on by most of the speakers throughout the morning.
Speaker Tillis first hit on the topic, highlighting "The Eleventh Commandment" made popular by Ronald Reagan..."thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican". He also paraphrased another quote commonly attributed to Reagan.."the person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally."
Claude Pope, campaigning for NCGOP Chairman, said "for party unity we have to teach the losers how to support the winners, rather than taking their ball and going home."
Finally, John Steward, in his brief acceptance speech as NC 9 Chairman said that Republicans can't win without the Tea Party, the Tea Party can't win without the establishment Republicans, and that the Libertarians can't win on their own. A statement that highlights the need for all the facets of the conservative cause to work together for a common purpose to be successful.
To a degree, they are obviously all correct.
However, for that unity to occur all sides must feel that they are being dealt with fairly, and far too often things occur during campaigns and during contentious issues to undermine that sense of fairness. Whether it be perceived meddling in primaries, or how contentious issues are handled, to put all of Saturday's words into real action will require much more than saying "can't we all just get along?"
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