North Carolina and Republicans' push to the extreme right

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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.

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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.

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North Carolina GOP has issued the following statement:

Thank you, New York Times. We southern hillbillies are always honored when the Old Gray Lady’s beacons of intelligence bestow their political wisdom from on high.

And why shouldn’t we be eager to heed your advice on critical legislative matters pending in the Tar Heel State?

After all, you’ve stood courageously against some of humanity’s most imminent threats – like soda. Does the thought of hiking taxes on North Carolina’s job creators make your Ivy League hearts flutter as fast as a new tax on Dr. Pepper? It must. Why else would you be so serious about leaving the unemployed stuck in poverty, instead of helping them climb out of it by creating new jobs?

You’re one of the world’s most ardent advocates of diversity and tolerance. Except the ideological kind, of course. Remember 1956? That’s the last time you endorsed a Republican presidential candidate.

That’s right: Carter, Dukakis, Mondale – all met your elite editorial standards. So it’s understandable you felt the need to traipse into this General Assembly’s business, with no mention of the Democrat disaster that preceded it.

If you had ever stepped foot in North Carolina, you’d know the carnage you describe is actually a massive rebuilding and clean-up effort. Your ideological soul mates sunk this state into a financial hole larger than your collective egos.

No wonder the liberals here swoon over your every word. What you oracles of knowledge lack in humility, you certainly make up for in fair-mindedness, and accuracy.

Although, your “demolition derby” of hyperbole did miss the mark on our legislative agenda. The voter ID laws we’re “rushing” through have actually been in the works since January. The convicted death row inmates you defend – those guilty of some of our state’s most egregious, violent crimes – already have an avenue to prove discrimination, one that doesn’t rely on faulty political science research.

What was it, exactly, about North Carolina that you found so “farsighted”? Was it double-digit unemployment? Horrendous dropout rates? Declining wages? The highest taxes in the Southeast?

And spend more money for better education, you say? How’s that working for your public schools, NYC? Still poorly-performing, and poverty stricken?

Oh, and thanks for all the revenue. The “grotesque” policies you decry are bringing North Carolina more residents from New York than any other state in the nation.

Thanks again, New York Times. We aspire one day to live in a state as progressive, clean and friendly as your city. And to live in a world as enlightened as your editorial board.

Source: http://www.ncgop.org/chairman-claude-pope-issues-an-open-letter-to-the-new-york-times-editorial-board/

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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).

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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?

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Also, I don't see how cutting paid for teacher is a good idea when the state is already rank 48th in teachers' paid.

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I was watching an Assembly hearing on the voter suppression legislation; one of the speakers testifed that white males in NC have one of the worst turnout rates relative to their population. The voter ID legislation may actually end up hurting the Republicans.

Voter ID disproportionately affects the groups with low turnout rate. The impact is most felt in states with very big Hispanic population.

Since North Carolina doesn't have a huge Hispanic population like Arizona, I am not sure that the impact is that great.

Voter ID may impact the youth vote, but it may also impact the elderly vote.


In my opinion, the most alarming thing NC Republicans are doing is to try end the child taxes credit for students who vote from their college. Ending early voting and same day voter registration are close second and third.

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I actually thing there is a reasonable justification for removing the credit. Why should the gov't be in the business of trying to induce you to vote from a certain location? Does that not strike anyone else as corrupt?

Why shouldn't students vote from their colleges?

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I was watching an Assembly hearing on the voter suppression legislation; one of the speakers testifed that white males in NC have one of the worst turnout rates relative to their population. The voter ID legislation may actually end up hurting the Republicans.

Voter ID disproportionately affects the groups with low turnout rate. The impact is most felt in states with very big Hispanic population.

Since North Carolina doesn't have a huge Hispanic population like Arizona, I am not sure that the impact is that great.

Voter ID may impact the youth vote, but it may also impact the elderly vote.


In my opinion, the most alarming thing NC Republicans are doing is to try end the child taxes credit for students who vote from their college. Ending early voting and same day voter registration are close second and third.

What do ending child tax credits and having your kid vote from college have anything to do with each other. Why should you get a child tax credit if your child is over 18 anyway?

I don't understand with the big hurrah is on the left with getting rid of voting machines for early voting. I thought voting by machine was only for the actual voting day that day. If you have to mail your paper ballot early because you  are going on vacation than fine I understand but having voting machines open for 2 weeks? That's just insanity to me.

I agree with you however why can't vote and register to vote on the same day?

It's how Democrats win. I don't understand what the hype is about early voting. Well, it does allow a better chance for Democrats to vote twice. We need to abolish early voting. There isn't a good reason for it outside of being out of the country on military leave which is covered by absentee ballots. Election Day should be a national holiday so people can vote and if they're too lazy or irresponsible to vote on Election Day, then sorry and better luck next time.

We don't need early voting. People should have to wait in line until after midnight to vote like in Florida in 2012. /sarcasm

There were people still voting in Florida after Obama was already declared the winner.

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I was watching an Assembly hearing on the voter suppression legislation; one of the speakers testifed that white males in NC have one of the worst turnout rates relative to their population. The voter ID legislation may actually end up hurting the Republicans.

Voter ID disproportionately affects the groups with low turnout rate. The impact is most felt in states with very big Hispanic population.

Since North Carolina doesn't have a huge Hispanic population like Arizona, I am not sure that the impact is that great.

Voter ID may impact the youth vote, but it may also impact the elderly vote.


In my opinion, the most alarming thing NC Republicans are doing is to try end the child taxes credit for students who vote from their college. Ending early voting and same day voter registration are close second and third.

What do ending child tax credits and having your kid vote from college have anything to do with each other. Why should you get a child tax credit if your child is over 18 anyway?

I don't understand with the big hurrah is on the left with getting rid of voting machines for early voting. I thought voting by machine was only for the actual voting day that day. If you have to mail your paper ballot early because you  are going on vacation than fine I understand but having voting machines open for 2 weeks? That's just insanity to me.

I agree with you however why can't vote and register to vote on the same day?

Like I said above, there will insanely long lines and people will leave, having not voted (aka Florida 2012).

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I was watching an Assembly hearing on the voter suppression legislation; one of the speakers testifed that white males in NC have one of the worst turnout rates relative to their population. The voter ID legislation may actually end up hurting the Republicans.

Voter ID disproportionately affects the groups with low turnout rate. The impact is most felt in states with very big Hispanic population.

Since North Carolina doesn't have a huge Hispanic population like Arizona, I am not sure that the impact is that great.

Voter ID may impact the youth vote, but it may also impact the elderly vote.


In my opinion, the most alarming thing NC Republicans are doing is to try end the child taxes credit for students who vote from their college. Ending early voting and same day voter registration are close second and third.

What do ending child tax credits and having your kid vote from college have anything to do with each other. Why should you get a child tax credit if your child is over 18 anyway?

I don't understand with the big hurrah is on the left with getting rid of voting machines for early voting. I thought voting by machine was only for the actual voting day that day. If you have to mail your paper ballot early because you  are going on vacation than fine I understand but having voting machines open for 2 weeks? That's just insanity to me.

I agree with you however why can't vote and register to vote on the same day?

Like I said above, there will insanely long lines and people will leave, having not voted (aka Florida 2012).

There are tons of things we can do to keep election day just once every 4 years. We can have more polling locations, instead of carding people for ID, have fingerprinting set up at the booths, open polls earlier or even at midnight, and make election day a national holiday. One or all of these things would work. We don't need to risk people voting multiple times on multiple days.

Sure. Let's take DNA samples and check criminal records while they are at it.

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See what I mean. The Democrats are against fair elections. I suggest a simple way to eliminate voter fraud and we get a smart ass remark about DNA testing and criminal records as opposed to another idea. Please explain to me in depth detail what is so bad about stopping voter fraud. Now, I've already moved away from the voter ID argument which I never argued, but most Republicans would and what I've done is call a Democrat out. The Democrat knowing full well why their party is really against voter ID, makes a smart ass remark about DNA testing and criminal records instead of staying on topic.

The leading cause of voter fraud is absentee ballot. In person impersonation voter fraud is rare.

Voter ID does not do anything to combat absentee ballot fraud.

If Republicans are REALLY trying to combat voter fraud, they would end absentee ballot (except for those under special circumstances).

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The North Carolina GOP is a gift that just keeps on giving....   

Basically. Hagan reelection seems a lot easier than I previously though.

Democrats will probably have a lock on the Governor mansion for a very very long time.

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The North Carolina GOP is a gift that just keeps on giving....   

Basically. Hagan reelection seems a lot easier than I previously though.

Democrats will probably have a lock on the Governor mansion for a very very long time.

Parties don't really have locks on governor's mansions in this country. Exceptions being Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, usually Hawaii and Rhode Island. Are you suggesting North Carolina is on their level of blueness?

You are wrong about that one.

Rhode Island, Hawaii, Vermont, and Massachusetts are among the most elastic states in the country.

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The North Carolina GOP is a gift that just keeps on giving....  

Basically. Hagan reelection seems a lot easier than I previously though.

Democrats will probably have a lock on the Governor mansion for a very very long time.

If the state Democratic Party ever gets their act together, yes.  And if and when they finally do, it will be a different party from the one that got trounced in recent years -the old rural party we all knew is gone forever.  

Hopefully Randy Voller stops screwing up and the infighting dampen.

I wonder if Roy Cooper will challenge Pat McCrory in 2016.

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When did they last have a conservative governor? I don't mean George Pataki and Mitt Romney, I mean a Mike Huckabee, George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Rick Perry in the governor's mansion. North Carolina is a purplish red state and will go back and forth.

Did you read what you yourself wrote? You didn't say anything about them being social conservatives.

Also, before the North Carolina Democratic Party blew up in scandals, it almost always win the governor race.

In a "normal" year, North Carolina would choose a Republican for president and a Democrat for governor.

Unlike many Democratic Party in other states, North Carolina Democratic Party is run by conservatives not liberals.

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I'm just going to point out that politics can change a lot in a few years.  Walker seemed like he would be ousted for sure in 2011, but things changed and he held on.

McCrory is on the race to break as many as possible, promises that he made when he was running for governor.

What is he going to run reelection on? The broken promises?

McCrory is also a philological liar as has been proven on numerous occasions.

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Well, IF we were to ever see a national holiday for election day, AND an increase in polling stations, then we can start talking. I don't think either party is going to do that though.

Early voting and mail in ballots help Democrats so they'll never budge. It leads me to think these things causes voter fraud so they'll never budge. I'd like to see my party propose something small like this as a starter. Please check out my campaign finance reform bill under the political debate threads.

You got that wrong. Absentee ballot disproportionally benefits Republicans while early voting disproportionally benefits Democrats.

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I never understand why election day occurs on Tuesday,

It should happen on Sunday: the day most people don't have to work.

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Here's my take on all this...

The General Assembly has gone nuts and Gov. McCrory is throwing his political career down the drain. Unfortunately, the gerrymandering will keep the Assembly Republican for several cycles. However, I do expect Senator Hagan to be reelected in 2014. Before all these Republican shenanigans I wasn't so sure but especially without a strong challenger, Hagan should expect victory. Come 2016, Hillary will carry the state and Gov. McCrory will very likely lose if he attempts reelection. I can't say the same for Senator Burr. He has a much better record, recently speaking out against fellow Republicans for trying (yet again) to repeal Obamacare. My current prediction is that he would win, but a Democratic wave in 2016 could change that.

We are on the same page.

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Hagan will be one of the first to benefit

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/north-carolina-senate-race-2014-kay-hagan-95025.html?hp=f1

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Two more articles:

http://swampland.time.com/2013/07/30/north-carolina-reverts-to-red/

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2148633,00.html

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A Sharp Turn to the Right in North Carolina

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/19/us/19iht-letter19.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0