North Carolina and Republicans' push to the extreme right

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As some of you may be aware, Republicans have taken full control of the North Carolina's state government for the first time in 140 years and have been pushing the state hard right. A lot of these Republicans are now locked in thanks to redistricting and Art Pope's money. Not so moderate Governor McCrory has appointed Art Pope, North Carolina's Budget Director.

As a result, there have been these "Moral Monday" protests.

I am wondering how this will affect how North Carolina vote in the future?

If you weren't aware of what's going on in North Carolina: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/07/how-north-carolina-became-the-wisconsin-of-2013/277007/

sounds tragic, let me get my violin

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The only thing that worries me is whether or not Republicans will aggravate voters in North Carolina to the point it could slip away in a presidential election or force our party to spend more resources there than necessary.

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The only thing that worries me is whether or not Republicans will aggravate voters in North Carolina to the point it could slip away in a presidential election or force our party to spend more resources there than necessary.

North Carolina is already moving to the left.

What is more interesting is if and by how much faster North Carolina will be moving to the left as a consequence of what the NC GOP is doing.

If the GOP hopes to maintain grip on the state in the future, what is happening now certainly doesn't help.

It's not as bad as Democrats think it is or want it to be though. It never is. Human nature makes us biased. Obama being black helped him enormously in North Carolina which makes its trends deceiving. By 2020 we should be able to tell how much he helped the trend or how much he skewed the trend. Right now we're only wishfully thinking. Trends don't go on forever. It's not  like the state will ever actually belong to the Democrats.

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The only thing that worries me is whether or not Republicans will aggravate voters in North Carolina to the point it could slip away in a presidential election or force our party to spend more resources there than necessary.

North Carolina is already moving to the left.

What is more interesting is if and by how much faster North Carolina will be moving to the left as a consequence of what the NC GOP is doing.

If the GOP hopes to maintain grip on the state in the future, what is happening now certainly doesn't help.

It's not as bad as Democrats think it is or want it to be though. It never is. Human nature makes us biased. Obama being black helped him enormously in North Carolina which makes its trends deceiving. By 2020 we should be able to tell how much he helped the trend or how much he skewed the trend. Right now we're only wishfully thinking. Trends don't go on forever. It's not  like the state will ever actually belong to the Democrats.

Really? I don't think a lot of Republicans who are unemployed and sees their benefits cut feel the same way.

North Carolina has the 5th highest unemployment rate and trust me, it's not because people there just don't want jobs.

Also, I know that North Carolina is moving to the left because Charlotte and the Research Triangle are the fastest growing areas just like I know that Missouri is moving to the right because Southwestern Missouri is the fast growing area there.

So unless Republicans can start winning urban and secular voters, North Carolina is moving to the left.

Additional note: stealing the water system and regional airport from Asheville and stealing the international airport from Charlotte can already mobilize a lot of voters.

I don't know about the airports. People who are unemployed vote against the party in the white house. They don't just blame Republicans like the parties blame each other.

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I don't know about the airports. People who are unemployed vote against the party in the white house. They don't just blame Republicans like the parties blame each other.

North Carolina is a manufacturing-heavy state that is more sensitive to economic swings and that such traditional industries as textiles, tobacco and furniture have been devastated by foreign competition. This is why the unemployment rate is so high.

I do agree that the people of North Carolina did voted against the president's party for the reason you have just stated.

What is happening now, though, is that once the NC GOP has taken over, it has push a lot of extremely unpopular measures (the prime example is to cut unemployment benefit). This is what will cause the people to swing the other way (to the NC Democrat).

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It's possible, but it will probably depend on what the map looks like. For the Democrats to win NC they'd have to win the election even under these circumstances. It may not be overly conservative though if the Republicans win. Having an unpopular state government will hurt Republicans in 2014 most likely but by 2016 things could be different.

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It's possible, but it will probably depend on what the map looks like. For the Democrats to win NC they'd have to win the election even under these circumstances. It may not be overly conservative though if the Republicans win. Having an unpopular state government will hurt Republicans in 2014 most likely but by 2016 things could be different.

McCrory is going to be on the ballot in 2016 (assuming that he runs for reelection). I am sure there are going to be plenty of people who are itching to throw him out.

The are going to be a lot of people who split ticket (vote for Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Republican presidential candidate), but I also suspect that a lot of people who felt burn may vote against both McCrory and the Republican presidential candidate.

I don't follow NC politics, but I'd think it would have to be really bad for that to happen. Usually it's the Presidential Election that effects the candidates from the respective parties. Assuming the Republicans win the White House after 8 years of the other party, the GOP candidates will likely be helped as well. We'll have to wait and see though. It should be interesting to see what happens in NC and other battleground states like FL, OH, PA, CO, and NV after the 2014 midterm elections. I know NC votes in presidential years.

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I don't follow NC politics, but I'd think it would have to be really bad for that to happen. Usually it's the Presidential Election that effects the candidates from the respective parties. Assuming the Republicans win the White House after 8 years of the other party, the GOP candidates will likely be helped as well. We'll have to wait and see though. It should be interesting to see what happens in NC and other battleground states like FL, OH, PA, CO, and NV after the 2014 midterm elections. I know NC votes in presidential years.

There is a protest every Monday in Raleigh. 3000+ people (by conservative estimate) attended the last protest, so yes, it is really that bad.

Also, you can never assume that "Republicans win the White House after 8 years of the other party".

I never assume. No one should assume the Democrats would keep the white house after 8 years of being there. There's a very strong chance the Republicans will win it though. No one is pay

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No one is paying attention yet and like Bush before him, Obama's popularity is declining. They're at about the same approval rating at this point in their presidency. 2016 can easily be a referendum on Obama.

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I just had dinner with three elderly (55,58,72) Republicans - expats here, all from Illinois of all places - and it was an eye opener.  I hadn't met people like that in a long time, and they seriously support not only the kind of policies being implemented now in NC, but even 'armed insurrection' (not really, just bluster in their beer, the poor old nincompoops).  Very typical older white voters I guess, but seeing them in the flesh reminded me where the other side is coming from:  for certain they hadn't a rational idea in their heads, it was all just pure racism and outraged privilege.

Our founding fathers started an armed insurrection and they accomplished great things. It is our duty to do the same if the government gets out of hand.

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I just had dinner with three elderly (55,58,72) Republicans - expats here, all from Illinois of all places - and it was an eye opener.  I hadn't met people like that in a long time, and they seriously support not only the kind of policies being implemented now in NC, but even 'armed insurrection' (not really, just bluster in their beer, the poor old nincompoops).  Very typical older white voters I guess, but seeing them in the flesh reminded me where the other side is coming from:  for certain they hadn't a rational idea in their heads, it was all just pure racism and outraged privilege.

I wonder how far an armed insurrection would get. I mean, you might have the support of a fair majority of the military but who would support you internationally? How many soldiers would actually defect and if you are lucky every step of the way and  the Government starts to lose and gets desperate, what do you think they would do with 5000 kiloton and megaton warheads when that becomes their sole deterrent against your rebellion? 

This is what I think of when I think of "the other side"...and this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpQkJ2T7zrc

So the left would use warheads on conservative insurgents but not terrorists in Ben-Ghazi. I guess Obama's logic has worked its way on people. "If they bring a knife we bring a gun."

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The Democrats actually won the state legislative popular vote in 2012; the Republicans have an out-sized majority due to gerrymandering.

Gerrymandering can have a reverse effect if the party gets out of hand. It's also part of politics though and to some degree I like it.

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I just had dinner with three elderly (55,58,72) Republicans - expats here, all from Illinois of all places - and it was an eye opener.  I hadn't met people like that in a long time, and they seriously support not only the kind of policies being implemented now in NC, but even 'armed insurrection' (not really, just bluster in their beer, the poor old nincompoops).  Very typical older white voters I guess, but seeing them in the flesh reminded me where the other side is coming from:  for certain they hadn't a rational idea in their heads, it was all just pure racism and outraged privilege.

I wonder how far an armed insurrection would get. I mean, you might have the support of a fair majority of the military but who would support you internationally? How many soldiers would actually defect and if you are lucky every step of the way and  the Government starts to lose and gets desperate, what do you think they would do with 5000 kiloton and megaton warheads when that becomes their sole deterrent against your rebellion? 

This is what I think of when I think of "the other side"...and this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpQkJ2T7zrc

So the left would use warheads on conservative insurgents but not terrorists in Ben-Ghazi. I guess Obama's logic has worked its way on people. "If they bring a knife we bring a gun."

A conservative "dicatorship" would do the same against  theoretical left-wing insurgents.

No one is being a dictator. Dictators do exist in places like Cuba and Venezuela.

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Lower taxes, smaller government, and more economic freedom =/= "the extreme right".

It's the way it should be. In Maryland are you kind of outnumbered? I have friends in your state through my best friend and they're all die hard Republicans and very socially conservative. It's funny how that works out. Actually, I've found that outside of the Washington D.C. and Baltimore areas, Maryland is fairly moderate.

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Lower taxes, smaller government, and more economic freedom =/= "the extreme right".

There's nothing small government about the NC Republicans. They are just social conservatives.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/04/20/2839185/christensen-column-big-government.html

While Democrats want big government on the economy, Republicans want a bigger government on social issues.

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While Democrats want big government on the economy, Republicans want a bigger government on social issues.

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Are you sure? Did you check out the whole article?

These Republicans want "big government on the economy" too.

I was referring to cheesepizza's quote.

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Yes I'd vote for them as long as they were the better alternative to the Democrats.

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Yes I'd vote for them as long as they were the better alternative to the Democrats.

Are you saying that you would vote for Republicans as long as they have (R)s after their name?

No I said I'd vote for the Republicans if they were better alternatives to the Democrats.

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Yes I'd vote for them as long as they were the better alternative to the Democrats.

Are you saying that you would vote for Republicans as long as they have (R)s after their name?

No I said I'd vote for the Republicans if they were better alternatives to the Democrats.

on social issues or on economic issues?

in general

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NYTimes editorial board wrote an article on North Carolina: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/10/opinion/the-decline-of-north-carolina.html?_r=0

If the NY Times says something about politics, I can assume the opposite.

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NYTimes editorial board wrote an article on North Carolina: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/10/opinion/the-decline-of-north-carolina.html?_r=0

If the NY Times says something about politics, I can assume the opposite.

The news is all over News & Observer and Charlotte Observer, the NC's two biggest newspapers.

I am just surprise that the NY Times is running a story on it.

Only votes will tell.

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NYTimes editorial board wrote an article on North Carolina: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/10/opinion/the-decline-of-north-carolina.html?_r=0

If the NY Times says something about politics, I can assume the opposite.

The news is all over News & Observer and Charlotte Observer, the NC's two biggest newspapers.

I am just surprise that the NY Times is running a story on it.

Only votes will tell.

Ah, yes in 2014 since there's no recall in NC.

I doubt that the Democrats can win back the GA because of the way the districts are drawn, but I am sure they will get far more votes than Republicans.

State and federal are different cans of worms though. 2014 maybe a bad year for NC Republicans but 2016 will depend on how much they approve of Obama or want change.

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I can sure tell you that my father enjoyed enjoyed the "Progressive Paradise" of NC, as he spent half of his first eight years living in the state unemployed, and was finally forced to retire early because he couldn't find work. 

I enjoyed watching my brother get screwed six ways to Sunday for eight years under NC's "enlightened education policies", when he had been doing well before we moved down here.

Or those "Forward Thinking" policies that got DOT in the news every year for incompetence, corruption and scandal, for eight years.

It is just like the redistricting plans. Don't like the current one, so the prior one becomes utopia. It makes me sick, those SOBs didn't live in this hellhole. They just the got the façade passed along by their Progressive buddies. I don't like everything the Republicans are doing, but I would gladly vote for them then to vote back in what we had before.

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The first part of this doesn't even make sense. And as if $2.5 billion dollars is chump change for a state that can easily be "found". The attitude in the last sentence is emblematic of the screw business in general, jack up the rates, pass out special breaks to favorite companies (that then ditch the state when the incentives run out) and then wonder why there are no damn jobs approach, that governed this state's tax policy before.

I love how Democrats think these government programs help after things like this.

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Well more funding for failing schools clearly isn't the answer. If a business performs poorly, then they'd go out of business and so should bad schools. I'm sure parents don't like to be forced to send their kids to these schools. As for taxes on sodas? What about less spending and the government staying out of our diets? I'm far from the most conservative Republican, but the letter is dead on and exposes the left for what they really are.

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Well more funding for failing schools clearly isn't the answer. If a business performs poorly, then they'd go out of business and so should bad schools. I'm sure parents don't like to be forced to send their kids to these schools. As for taxes on sodas? What about less spending and the government staying out of our diets? I'm far from the most conservative Republican, but the letter is dead on and exposes the left for what they really are.

North Carolina is 48th in paid for teachers. Schools there are falling behind because teachers are moving to South Carolina (and other states).

States and localities should decide on competitive pay for teachers. I understand teachers wanting to go where they're paid more.

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Well more funding for failing schools clearly isn't the answer. If a business performs poorly, then they'd go out of business and so should bad schools. I'm sure parents don't like to be forced to send their kids to these schools. As for taxes on sodas? What about less spending and the government staying out of our diets? I'm far from the most conservative Republican, but the letter is dead on and exposes the left for what they really are.

North Carolina is 48th in paid for teachers. Schools there are falling behind because teachers are moving to South Carolina (and other states).

States and localities should decide on competitive pay for teachers. I understand teachers wanting to go where they're paid more.

Is it the teachers' fault that they happen to work in poor districts where students are less educated to begin with?

no why