Archive for Parties
Responding To The Pearl Clutchers
Posted by: | CommentsAll the fuss over Newark, NJ Mayor Corey Booker’s comments about Obama’s “nauseating” campaign ad slamming Mitt Romney’s experience with Bain Capital has Booker backtracking, the White House scolding and Republicans clutching their pearls. How dare he slam the private equity firms for maximizing profits at the expense of workers? No business-friendly politician would do that, would they?
Think Progress reminds us of pearl-clutching, anti-capitalist Republicans who did:
Here are the top 10 comments about Bain from Romney’s Republican rivals:
1) “The idea that you’ve got private equity companies that come in and take companies apart so they can make profits and have people lose their jobs, that’s not what the Republican Party’s about.” — Rick Perry [New York Times, 1/12/12]2) “The Bain model is to go in at a very low price, borrow an immense amount of money, pay Bain an immense amount of money and leave. I’ll let you decide if that’s really good capitalism. I think that’s exploitation.” — Newt Gingrich [New York Times, 1/17/12]
3) “Instead of trying to work with them to try to find a way to keep the jobs and to get them back on their feet, it’s all about how much money can we make, how quick can we make it, and then get out of town and find the next carcass to feed upon” — Rick Perry [National Journal, 1/10/12]
4) “We find it pretty hard to justify rich people figuring out clever legal ways to loot a company, leaving behind 1,700 families without a job.” — Newt Gingrich [Globe and Mail, 1/9/12]
Six more at Think Progress. How rude, Digby observes.
Pat McCrory’s Ethics and Transparency Under Fire
Posted by: | CommentsRepublican candidate for Governor, Pat McCrory, is being taken to task over his financial relationship with a mortgage lender. The news report below investigates the claims and then goes one further, scrutinizing McCrory’s unwillingness to release his tax records. It’s all very fishy. Kudos to WTVD for doing the legwork to actually investigate rather than just doing a he said-he said story.
‘But I Stand By What I Said Whatever It Was’
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Priorities
Posted by: | CommentsYour North Carolina General Assembly is back for their short session. You can see Nelda Holder’s preview of the session here. These headlines jumped off the page yesterday and today:
In North Carolina, the GOP is intent on maintaining short-sighted cuts to our children’s education system, but increasing revenue for roads is a-ok. WRAL:
“My guess is it’s (gas tax) going to be something that’s focused on freezing at whatever rate that it’s projected to go down to in July and then freezing it.” Current plans, he said, call for freezing the gas tax for one year and then rewriting the gas tax law as part of a comprehensive tax reform plan the GOP wants to roll out next year. “We have inadequate money going to road projects,” Tillis added. “We’ve got to think about how tolls, gas tax, and other sources of revenue can help us overcome that gap.”
James O’Keefe made a video to bolster the case for NC Voter ID laws. O’Keefe has become notorious for his disinformation campaigns in efforts to further restrict voting. Think Progress:
NCDP Hijinks in Greensboro
Posted by: | CommentsSaturday’s events in Greensboro proved it takes more than business acumen and holding elective office to control a rowdy state Democratic Party meeting. It takes gravitas, stage presence, and experience — more than just the support of top party elected officials.
When outgoing North Carolina Democratic state chairman, David Parker, resigned as promised at a meeting of the State Executive Committee (SEC), the six-hour meeting dissolved into near-chaos soon after he left the room. As is often the case, there was more going on than meets the news camera’s eye.
Somebody’s Pissed
Posted by: | CommentsFilmmaker and Democratic activist Frank Eaton is running for chairman of the NC Democratic Party. The State Executive Committee member is known for the videos he’s done for the party, including his “War on Women” video. Based on the post date, he prepared the video below prior to the May 8 primary. Eaton’s not very happy with the outcome.
Raleigh City Councilor Mary-Ann Baldwin has declared as well. She also opposed Amendment One. With campaign and marketing experience, Baldwin wants to bring “new blood” to party leadership and to “Raise a little bit of hell!” along with money. Another business-person-elected-official (we had one of those recently), maybe this one knows which end of the gavel to hold.
State Sen. Don Vaughan is running for chair, too. After the Trayvon Martin shooting and weeks of fallout over stand-your-ground legislation (an American Legislative Exchange Council model bill), Vaughan waited until the day before he declared for chair to resign from ALEC after many years as a member. Not sure whose, but that cigar blew up in somebody’s face.
Which one would you pick on Saturday to represent NC at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte?
NC Democratic Party chair hopeful is active in just-ex ALEC
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From the Independent Weekly of Raleigh this morning: Vying for NC Democrats chair: Vaughan quits ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council:
State Sen. Don Vaughan, D-Guilford, the only announced candidate for state Democratic Party chair, said last night he is quitting ALEC. His statement follows below.In calling around yesterday, I heard from party sources that Raleigh City Councilor Mary-Ann Baldwin is among several others who’s been dialing for support; Baldwin is expected to announce soon that she’s in the contest against Vaughan. Baldwin didn’t return my call.
The new chair will be chosen next Saturday in Greensboro.
Payday lenders fund Rogers’ NC-11 campaign
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We received the following press release this morning from 11th District congressional candidate and our friend Cecil Bothwell, reprinted in its entirety (I take responsibility for the funny picture over there on the right).
It’s fascinating stuff. Follow the money, as they say…
From Bothwell for Congress:
For immediate release: May 2, 2012
What: Payday lenders fund Rogers’ NC 11 campaign From: Bothwell for Congress
Contact: Cecil Bothwell
Phone: 828-713-8840
Website: http://bothwell2012.com
The Bothwell for Congress campaign will accept no money from corporations or corporate PACs. Our campaign is entirely funded by individuals. (The committee donation listed on our campaign finance reports is Bothwell for Buncombe, funded by individuals for Bothwell’s local races in 2008 and 2009). Our opponent has taken tens of thousands of dollars from lobbyists and PACs. The most questionable sources are payday lenders.
Hayden Rogers has accepted $17,500 from individuals, lobbyists and special interest groups associated with the Payday Loan Industry. All of these donors are from outside of North Carolina, hailing from places such as Las Vegas, Miami, and South Carolina.
They are all from out-of-state because North Carolina banned the Payday Loan Industry in 2001.
It took until 2006 to fully shut down the industry (which played a cat and mouse game exploiting loopholes, changing names, etc.). In a 2006 press release NC Attorney General Roy Cooper said: “We’ve fought payday lending at every turn and now we’re putting this industry out of business here in North Carolina. These payday lenders thought they’d found a way around North Carolina law. Now we’re showing them the way out of our state.”
Sex and Candy
Posted by: | CommentsAnother lobbyist sex scandal in Speaker Thom Tillis’ office. Nothing to see here.
House Speaker Thom Tillis said Tuesday a second staff member will resign this week after admitting to having an inappropriate romantic relationship with a lobbyist.
Tillis would not identify the staff member or the lobbyist, but he provided enough details to indicate that they are Amy Hobbs, a policy analyst, and Dean Plunkett, a lobbyist who represents several clients in the state legislature.
