The Master of the Deal

Carter Wrenn posted on July 09, 2012 09:34

In 2010 Governor Perdue steered Democrats to defeat, in 2011 the Republicans in the Legislature pounded her, and in 2012 she announced she was not running for reelection.

Speaker Thom Tillis has had his own problems: Two of his aides had affairs with lobbyists, Tillis declared nothing untoward (beyond adultery) was going on, then told the press he’d given the aides $20,000 in severance pay so they couldn’t collect unemployment – which turned out not to be true. And the News and Observer found out Tillis had spent $15,000 of taxpayers’ money to pay for his political Town Hall meetings.

Then the legislators came back to Raleigh for the Short Session, the Governor vetoed three bills, and the Speaker and the Governor locked horns again.

Tillis started the horse-trading Monday. By Tuesday night it was all over.

The Speaker supported $80 million in tax credits for movie producers, and a Democrat in a district full of movie studios voted for the Republicans’ ‘Fracking Bill;’ the Speaker supported five additional days of paid vacation for state employees, and a Raleigh Democrat in a district full of state employees voted for the Republicans’ budget; and the Speaker got five Democrats to vote with Republicans to repeal ‘The Racial Justice Act.’

The Governor lost every time. Speaker Tillis is the master of the deal in Raleigh.

Posted in: General, North Carolina - Democrats , North Carolina - Republicans

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# Reaganite

Monday, July 09, 2012 4:09 PM

Purdue won on an important one because the fool Tillis swept it under the rug, and that is the Voter ID bill that he stupidly failed to bring up for an override vote. Conservatives win either way if there is a vote. Either some Democrats cave on a popular bill in an election year and it passes, or they don't and you get a campaign issue to use agaisnt them. The only way conservatives lose is to fail to put it up for a vote, and that is exactly what the moron Tillis did. He played this one as stupidly as he played zippergate.

And recent events in Wake County show a real need for a real Voter ID law:

http://truthordarenc.com/nc-vip-finds-non-citizens-may-be-voting-in-wake-county/#comment-1961

# Carbine

Tuesday, July 10, 2012 3:49 PM

Most Democrats are ALREADY on record as having voted against the very popular voter ID bill. What purpose would be served by having them vote against it again? Tillis can indeed count to 72, the number of votes needed to override a veto. He knew that he didn't have 72, so overriding the veto was no longer an option. He wisely left the Democrats who had already voted against it to twist in the wind.

Tillis is neither a moron nor stupid nor an idiot. He's a conservative who actually gets conservative legislation passed--like Reagan. He doesn't win them all, but neither did Reagan. What Tillis and Reagan share is an understanding that politics is the art of the possible, not the quixotic quest for the impossible.

The Master of the Deal

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