#NCSEN: GOP legislator raises questions about speaker-turned-candidate Tillis
The feud between GOP state Reps. Robert Brawley and Thom Tillis is bubbling up again here late in the 2014 primary season. Brawley went public with his issues about Tillis, and ended up relinquishing his chairman’s gavel. Tillis’ henchmen put the word out that even sharing a table with Brawley at lunch would be the kiss of death to one’s political career. (Flashbacks to junior high, anyone?)
Well, here we are in late April, and Speaker Thom is locked in a very tight GOP primary for US Senate. Brawley has taken the opportunity to release a letter raising questions about Tillis, the top official in his chamber:
Which Thom Tillis are you supporting?
Republicans have a number of qualified leaders and the NC General Assembly has served North Carolina well. While I would like to thank Thom Tillis for the benefits he has helped with and while I appreciate the good accomplished, I regret the lack of input from the body as a whole. We could have helped head off the challenges we will have this fall. Following is a list of issues the Democrats will have a field day with and could quite possibly hurt the number of Republicans we have in the general assembly if Thom Tillis is our Senate candidate. We must ask ourselves:
Which Thom is he?
1) The Thom that favors free-enterprise or the Thom that passes legislation giving a fellow legislator’s family a monopoly business in North Carolina? This is not only unconstitutional (as ruled by judge) but also unethical and a total disregard for rule of law and the rest of the people in North Carolina. At the time the bill was passed the Department of Insurance certified more than one company as qualified to teach the course work.
2) The Thom that favors competition and free enterprise or the Thom that passes legislation that restricts the broadband companies that compete with Time Warner? Again, questionable ethics especially when you consider the campaign contributions resulting and for certain a conflict. Thom restricted city owned broadband because cities have an unfair advantage, so he says, not true. But he also favors public/private partnerships unless they compete with his friends.
2a) Thom says he favors Public/Private partnerships yet his reason for the restriction on the city owned broadband partnerships is that they allow unfair competition. Thom which is it, do you know where you are on this issue of free enterprise? Or is the one you pick the ones that deserves the benefit? Does the $39,000 campaign contribution from Time Warner affect your decision?
3) The Thom who told the Truckers Association “I do not want any toll corridors in North Carolina” or the Thom that champions toll lanes on I-77? Thom says they are not toll lanes but Hot Lanes. They still charge a toll. Toll’em Thom which is it? Hot Toll lanes?
By the way — in case you were thinking of “buying” Thom’s spin — HOT stands for ”High Occupancy Toll.” MORE:
4) The Thom that says he favors open government yet he fires a chair of finance (me) for not agreeing with him. Thom has occasionally snapped at members and visitors who disagree with him. It was also suggested to Thom’s inner circle to start rumors questioning my mental health. Is that bullying?
5) The Thom that is ethical? Read the article in the N&O about the board of governors. Why did Thom sell the seats on the board of governors? Unethical and a violation of the law. Do we need more or is there a question about what Thom really stands for other than his own advancement? The caucus voted three times on our choices for the board of governors. Thom’s friends were left off so Thom recessed the assembly, called a caucus and handed out a list of his six friends he said, due to campaign commitments, needed to be on the board. (Jim Black, Patrick Cannon, and Thom Tillis.)
6) The Thom that says he supports small business or the Thom that pushed a tax package that taxes every business making less than $225,000 per year and cuts taxes on any company making more than $225,000? If your company makes only $50,000 profit this year you will pay an additional $2,700 in taxes to North Carolina.
[…]
The Tillis that is all for strengthening border security or the Tillis who gutted NC’s e-verify law making it a more desirable place for illegal aliens?
The Thom Tilli$ who claims he is against ”amnesty” or the Thom Tilli$ who told the NC Farm Bureau that he supports a ”pathway to citizenship” (amnesty) for illegal aliens and has pushed legislative amendments to give drivers licenses to illegal aliens?
I guess it all depends on which side of his mouth Two-faced Tilli$ happens to be talking out of at any given time.
Rep. Robert Brawley is a conservative hero. No wonder power bully Tilli$ has ginned up a primary opponent for him. The sooner we cut the cancer named Tilli$ out of North Carolina politics, the better. Of course, that also goes for the cancer named Hagan, and there is not a lot of difference between that pair.
GO Brannon!
We must keep him under 40%. I still have Brannon bumper stickers on my vehicle.
Spin43,
I think it is the other way round in that Tillis is trying to keep Brannon below 40%!
Brannon said on the Glenn Beck show:
“We are pulling back the veil and showing who the wizard is and they are getting exposed,” Brannon said of Tillis, whose conservatism he questioned at multiple points. “We are going to win this without a runoff. There’s no doubt in my mind. The wave is coming.”
I’ll pose the same comment to readers of the Daily Haymaker that I posed at PunditHouse.com:
In an effort at being transparent, I wish Rep. Brawley would have included the name of the candidate he’ll be voting for in the upcoming primary.
This “letter” is nothing more than a rehash of his committee resignation letter from a few months ago. I will say, however, I agreed with his point #1 then and I agree with it now and I am glad it raised awareness about this issue. You can read more about Senate Bill 738 and the granting of an unconstitutional monopoly by the NCGA at the links below, or just search for “NC Bail Academy lawsuit.”
1) http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/judge_grants_injunction_for_bail_bondsmen_training_firm
2) From the NCICL – http://ncicl.org/litigation/34
But, to be fair to Speaker Tillis, he did not vote on this piece of legislation according to the legislative history of Senate Bill 738, and it was passed overwhelmingly by both houses of the NCGA:
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=S738&votesToView=all
And, more importantly, Rep. Robert Brawley DID vote in favor of this unconstitutional legislation. So, back to transparency, why does Rep. Robert Brawley not include this fact in the letter above? Does this mean Rep. Robert Brawley is also in favor of state sanctioned monopolies?
Tillis is a control freak, and if a bill does not get green-lighted by him it does not move. He may not in most cases formally cast a vote, but anything that comes to the floor has his approval. He also often twists arms in committee to push or halt bills. You have not been following how the NC House operates during the Tillis regime if you are not aware that Tilli$’ fingerprints are all over this bill simply from the fact that it has been allowed to move.
The Speaker of the House plays a large role in determining which bills get voted on and so even though he didn’t vote for it, the bill still had his approval? Got it. And this explains why Rep. Robert Brawley voted in support of the same bill he now decries because… ?
”A large role”??? That is a bit of an understatement. If a bill does not have the Speakers approval, it does not get to the floor, PERIOD. In the Tillis regime, with his red-yellow-green light system, it is not even allowed to get out of committee.
I cannot speak for Brawley, but there are times that legislators may not have picked up on their implications when they were going through, or they may be under pressure from above. The latter would particularly be true of a committee chairman like Brawley.
So quick to go from “Rep. Robert Brawley is a conservative hero” to “I cannot speak for Brawley.
Why not just denounce Brawley’s hypocrisy on this point and move on? He’s a politician just like Speaker Tillis, neither are immune from mistakes.
Jesse Helms and John East may have occaisionally made a mistake, too. but that did not stop them from being conservative heroes.
Today we have so few with the backbone to stand up for principle even when it means standing up to weanies in our own ”leadership” like Boehner and Tillis. Those who do so in the NC House are under primary attack by Tillis or escaped because Tillis was unable to dig up a candidate against them.
In the US House we have the same thing, with Weepy Boehner’s crowd going after conservatives. We have one such attack right here in North Carolina with a pile of establishment money being spent in the 3rd district to try to replace Walter Jones with a beltway establishment operative whom they parachuted in.
OKay Guys…here’s what happened. Raphael you are right. Eric you are very astute by picking up on the monopoly story as it is very telling on what goes on Jones street. Let me set your mind at ease. Yes everybody almost voted for the monopoly bill. Because they were LIED to in committee by the folks named in the bill to eradicate competition. The recorded audio is part of the official court record. It features chairman Jerry Dockham stammering and hem hawing as to why this text has come up all of a sudden with no notice to committee members, and it features Attorney Mark Black, a lobbyist MAKING false statements before the body. No one, especially any competitor knew of the switcheroo at the last minute. However the Department of Insurance knew and never informed anyone. So the bill text was adopted in a seemingly benign way, effectively shutting out any and all competition existing and forever. The substituted bill was then voted on the Senate floor in about 48 hours, because of the way things are done in Raleigh. One Democrat to his credit stood and asked if it wasn’t a monopoly. Josh Stein was then assured by the Insurance Commissioner Goodwin that it was a good bill in ‘the name of cost savings.”
The competitors found out about 7pm that night after the vote and before July 4 adjournment, because again that’s Raleigh politics.
Not ONE SOUL was willing to help to introduce an amendment or try to repeal it. NOT ONE SOUL except Robert Brawley.
Did I say NOT ONE SOUL? Yes not your Senate Leader, your House Leader, and many many others. Lots of Democrats were just as sympathetic or patronizing as the Republicans, but NOT ONE would help.
So yes Brawley voted for it, unwittingly. But when asked to fix it, he stepped up when NOBODY would. He risked lots. NOBODY wants to buck Tillis, Apodaca, Berger and Company. Only a fool or a very honest man would do so. And Brawley paid the price but has his dignity, where the others have none.
I don’t know about John Rhodes, but he put out an open letter a bit ago about Tillis. Now Brawley put his out. Yes it might be characterized as a rehash. So what?
Brawley quietly tried to fix the monopoly issue and save face for his colleagues. He put an amendment repealing it, and it passed 118-1, then on final vote 119-0. That would have fixed it, and let every member have the satisfaction of righting what they knew was a wrong. But guess what?
Rep Jeff Collins, the spineless pawn of the controlling party, said it was ‘controversial’ and had it stricken from the bill and the repeal never happened. He lied as well. However, there were higher powers pulling the strings behind the scenes. Little did Jeff Collins know, he didn’t have to lie and strip the amendment, the leadership had already done it BEFORE the committee meeting. That’s right the amendment was approved 119-0 and then stripped out before advancing without anyone’s knowledge. Sounds like a Board of Governor’s vote doesn’t it?
So Brawley tried to fix it at great personal cost, and he was the ONLY one with the cajones to even try. The game in Raleigh is so rigged, if the public realized it, there would be tar and featheings.
Give Robert Brawley his due. He ain’t perfect, but he knows a rat when he sees one and isn’t afraid to shoot at it.
So you either work at the legislature or you’re a party to the pending lawsuit, hence the anonymous post? Detractors will be able to use your anonymity to discredit your argument, why not post under your actual name?
I appreciate the additional history regarding Senate bill 738. The more I research legislation in Raleigh, the more I come to realize how often bills are passed unanimously, or near unanimously. I think this would surprise most voters, especially supporters of the current minority party. But I still stand by my original position that it is hypocritical of Rep. Robert Brawley to now attempt to attack Speaker Tillis based on a bill he himself voted for. If the above is true, Rep. Brawley should include these additional facts in future statements about this issue.
Are you a Tilli$ apologist or part of Tilli$’ crusade against Brawley and other conservatives?
I have known Brawley from his previous stint in the legislature and he is a straight shooter and a solid conservative, two things that Thom Tilli$ is NOT..
Are you a sai wielding turtle with ninja skills, or a famous Italian painter?
I use this because I set this screen name up and it serves me well enough. In fact, you might say it can be downright dangerous sometimes to question or implicate the wrong people.
Why, our subject Brawley spoke of his conniving colleagues trying to float mental health issues about him.
You said you were starting to investigate legislation, maybe you are new or nieve to the game. The few crooks we have in charge in Raleigh play hardball. They can have just as much bad come your way as good.
Everybody thinks the media is holding their feet to the fire. Bull. The media I know is scared to confront them for fear of losing access. We have elected a crop of bullies who feed off each other and their own arrogance. And I belong to their party, and I’m saying it!
I could care two craps what detractors have to say. I deal in truth. I deal in black and white public records and hard evidence. Only every now and then do you run across a real journalist or a real legislator. Brawley is one, I couldn’t name a real journalist right off…maybe Brant on here might measure up pretty good.
I think if you really want to satisfy your mind, you should call Rep Brawley up and ask him if he considers himself hypocritical. He’ll call you back more than likely, cause he’s got gumption and doesn’t speak with forked tongue. Then try to contact Tillis, or Berger, or Apodaca or even your own elected, and see how much info you get if you get a call back at all.
Then come on here and tell us what you think about that exercise.
By the way, the lawsuit regarding the monopoly….is before the Supreme Court after the court of appeals declared 3-0 it was illegal and unconstitutional. You might be surprised to know that Sen Tom Apodaca who owns significant interest in a bail surety company conveniently abstained, but the company given the monopoly has about two thirds of the board stacked with the same company’s agents, including a regional manager. If that doesn’t stink enough, the president is Rep Justin Burr’s father. You should read the court file. When it gets back into Superior Court, it will be damning for many on Jones Street.
I don’t know what your line of work is or your background, but without being too melodramatic, candidate trackers are childsplay. Some with a lot to lose or be exposed are not above threats, private detectives dispatched on you, and ruthless smear tactics. Don’t be too nieve when you see your well dressed elected official.
Maybe you were referring to Bill Brawley not C. Robert Brawley. C. Robert Brawley of District 95 was not in the Legislature when the Bail Bondsman Bill was passed. District 95 was represented by Mills at the time not C. Robert Brawley. Thank You Robert for speaking up for your district. We dont want to be second class citizens and have to pay a toll to go to Charlotte when Salisbury Kannapolis and Corcord have a great newly renovated NON TOLL I-85