GOP senator: Berger will sacrifice GOP majority to save himself
We’ve all heard about Amy Galey‘s late-night unannounced visit to Sam Page‘s house. She put into writing a lot of stuff many of us already knew about Raleigh politics: It’s ALL about the cash.
There apparently is little concern about putting together and pushing through an agenda that actually cuts spending, shrinks government, ensures a quality public education, and makes the streets safer. The agenda is determined by how much cash accompanies a special interest’s pitch. THAT is how we got to the point where the state’s alleged conservative party helps Roy Cooper expand welfare spending, pushes for legalized gambling, and seeks to build casinos.
Galey left a three-page document on sheriff Page’s front porch. Read for yourself:
What should you take from this? Well – just 15 years into Raleigh’s GOP era – things in our capital city are no better than they were under Marc Basnight and Jim Black. Some can argue that they’re worse. Just like in the bad old days, it can cost you six to seven figures to get the attention of the handful who run the General Assembly.
What happened to the whole ideal of fighting for the little folks back home? *CHA-CHING!*
THAT is what happened. Well-intentioned people get elected, go to Raleigh and learn rather quickly that you can get filthy stinking rich by playing with other people’s money.
Despite what Amy or President Trump want you to believe, having Phil Berger or any of his cronies in charge is not a good thing. Sitting back and allowing folks in Raleigh pick your candidates for you has left us with a scenario where our opinions, needs, or beliefs do not matter (unless they are presented along with a fat check or wire transfer).
No one in Raleigh bothers with trying to sell a set of principles to the people. Campaigning now involves disemboweling – with financing from Berger’s shakedown efforts – anyone who dares try to take your place at the public trough at feeding time.
Changing from the R crime family to the D crime family is not going to fix things. Both institutions are equally corrupt. A lot of what’s up there needs to go, and go now. Whether it’s via indictments and handcuffs or simply by the ballot.
We need to bring the power of candidate choice back home to our districts. We need to keep an eye on the folks we elect to ensure they understand the bosses are back home, and not in the office of a Rockingham County legislator. Make more decisions based on issues and ideas, and less on personality or party ID.
Electing Sam Page to the state senate would not be the disaster Amy paints it to be. Senator Sam would be the first step in sanitizing our government and remaking it into something we can actually be proud of.
All of them are bought and paid for. Just look at the growth around the Sandhills. It is almost as if the local representatives and senators are beholden to the cronyism and money masters. Just look at their campaign finance contributions. However, the Republicans will vote in the same old same old and eventually that bubble of pedaling promises only will burst. But let’s all be sure to attend the fundraisers and nibble on the mediocre country club cuisine. Just proof that term limits are needed.
I would suggest Sen. Galey instead demand that Phil Berger back off of his jihad against the six conservative leaders of the House Freedom Caucus. Berger has recruited primary opponents to them and is said to be intending to spend $4 Million in special interest money to try to defeat them.. Berger is miffed that House conservatives have blocked some of his leftwing special interest legislation like the far left bill to kill eastern NC’s shrimping industry. and his casino bill. Nobody in the Senate has the gonads to stand up to Boss Berger and now he wants to try to intimidate the House, too. I disagree that Berger is like Jim Black. He is more like Liston Ramsey, a total power bully who is in bed with the special interests. NC Republicans deserve better..
Did Sen. Galey have the backbone to say NO to Phil Berger’s corrupt casino bill? NO. Did she have the spine to stand up for our hardworking shrimpers to stop Berger’s destruction of their industry in a corrupt deal with far left environmentalist kingpins? NO. Did she stand up for the NC Republican platform against Berger’s Obamacare Medicaid expansion? NO. The list could go on. North Carolina needs Sam Page a lot more than it needs Amy Galey. Maybe she needs to grow a backbone and start representing grassroots Republicans for a change, not being a rubberstamp for corrupt Bergernomics..
I don’t think Berger has a single bit of involvement with Kidwell. I hear Kidwell is getting primaried because he is a jerk to people. People have started noticing “exaggerations,” like on his expense report…it indicated he gave his campaign a weapon worth $100,000. Local folks also know he is the source of the legislation that would have overridden the county commissioners with the whole housing scandal on the coast….those emails WERE public record at that time.
I agree I don’t know what this lady was thinking. She left the democrats a letter they will use to fundraise forever. I also don’t get the begging. That was not a good look, in my opinion. I read she was a lawyer…IF that is true, it is a REALLY bad look. The writing was terrible…and leaving anything behind was….well….not very smart.
Kidwell is indeed one of the 6 being primaried, but not the only one. All 6 of the top leaders of the House Freedom Caucus have Berger recruited primary opponents. One of Berger’s agents in recruiting candidates was liberal “Republican” Jimmy Dixon, the anti-gun twit who killed Constitutional Carry this session. Dixon also helped recruit for Berger a go along – get along benchwarmer for the senate seat that Bobby Hanig is vacating. The Berger boys were afraid they could not control retired Superior Court Judge Jerry TIllett who is running for that seat. The Freedom Caucus has blocked some of Berger’s bad legislation when it got to the House, and Berger wants to intimidate the House into doing his bidding.
Kidwell’s opponent, by the way, was a big time Marc Basnight Democrat when he lived in Hyde County.
You are correct, sir. Kidwell is no fan of many local conservatives. His personality is caustic, and he really put on quite the show at the county convention this summer, ‘to have things his way.’.
He may be sound on some legislation, but he can do a 180 on other matters, as noted.
You may remember that I spoke in opposition to Kidwell’s position on that county PoO change on composition of the county executive committee, and we prevailed. Yes it did eat up a lot of time. However, that is a sideshow compared to our present primary. Kidwell has one of the most conservative voting records in the legislature and he is active in working the legislature, particularly the Freedom Caucus, for conservative policy positions. Policy matter more than personality.
His opponent was recruited from out of county. Jimmy Dixon of Duplin County openly took credit for recruiting Armstrong before Armstrong even announced. Dixon recruited pro-Berger candidates for both House and Senate races on behalf of Berger.. The leader of the cross party center-left faction of two liberal Democrats and two moderate Republicans that controls the Beaufort County Commission and sidelines the three conservative Republicans, first tried to recruit Armstrong to run as part of that cross party center-left county commission team, but Armstrong apparently got a bigger offer from Dixon, on behalf of Berger.. Armstrong has never been known to be involved in Republican or conservative politics since he moved to Beaufort County, but he was a big Marc Basnight Democrat when he lived in Hyde County.
We have to decide on the candidates we have, and Kidwell has a proven record of fighting for conservative causes in the legislature. Armstrong is an unknown quantity, but surrounded by too many people known to be non-conservatives. Birds of a feather?
AND, recently became involved in a local bd of educ matter AGAINST a conservative bd rep that he had NO business interjecting into. NO reason for it and NO justification for it whatsoever. He won’t be forgiven for it. It only goes to show the behavior he exhibits that has left him unfavorable to many.
My sources in Beaufort County back up what you are saying. While Kidwell plays conservative in Raleigh he aligns with anti-conservatives at home. Very good sources are telling me Kidwell is either directly, or behind the scenes, working against every conservative in Beaufort County. Your example of the attack on the conservative board of education member is indicative of the overall situation. In this episode, Kidwell working in concert with the local Republican Party Chairwoman demanded the conservative BoE member resign. The duo implies to the local press that they have the weight of the Republican Executive Committee behind them, and it is reported that way. It turns out the executive committee has not met in months. In those months major atrocities have been committed in the name of the local GOP (There’s likely more to come on this).
In short, Berger has his machine in Raleigh, and it seems Kidwell has his machine in Washington, NC also. Local conservatives in Beaufort County are systematically being pressured into having to oppose Kidwell for self- preservation. I’m hearing that Mr. Rader is also in the gun sights of this BC machine. In fact, all BC conservatives are.
Amy has picked her poison. I may get screwed over in all of this, but I’m not going to be extorted. It’s well time for honorable people to step up.
This lady is a major Senate figure? She certainly does not display much political savvy, that is for sure. Maybe our very own AOC? Her statements make it pretty clear that Senator Berger is diverting Senate GOP Caucus money — gathered to help Republicans win against Democrats — to attack another Republican running against him in the March primary. That is outrageous. And I would like to ask her, if Sam Page (a Republican) takes Berger’s seat, how does this change the balance of power in the Senate? It just means another Republican besides Phil Berger will become the President pro tem of the Senate, does it not? The GOP supermajority would be jeopardized only if Berger depletes the Caucus fund for his own selfish purposes, as your headline says.
It is very obvious here in the east that the use of the $pecial Intere$t$ 4 million put forth to eventually end commercial fishing in NC (Shrimpgate) is now being used to not just recruit but HIRE candiates that will dance to the tune of those doing the hiring.
I cant help but wonder if those who cave to those doing the hiring realize that like space, that cave has no end..
Browny, I wonder if some of Berger’s special interest loot may be coming from Red China. At the very same time that Berger was pushing a bill to destroy our own domestic shrimping industry in North Carolina, a company that imports shrimp from Red China was undergoing a big expansion in the Norfolk area. Was that part of a deal to supply shrimp after Berger put our own shrimp industry out of business? Shrimp growers in China feed shrimp on all sorts of disgusting things like hog manure and even human waste. Some overseas shrimp producers are even worse. Shrimp imported from Indonesia had to be recalled some months ago because they were radioactive. If we want to keep safe local North Carolina shrimp on our plates, we need to elect Sam Page and FLIP THE BERGER.
Steve, the importer thing is A LOT easier for me to believe than not believe.. The factual TRUTH is that Mr Berger’s leadership is not defending this states ability to feed millions of CONSUMERS not just in NC but nationally and internationally. Yes. We need HEALTHY imports with the return of HEALTHY exports.
Ill say it again. The fisherman are not just fighting for themselves and the immediate coastal economy but for food security stretching from caught here to tables in all fifty states and beyond. A major protein source is being ignored by those that bow to Berger. They should be standing in defense of President Trumps efforts to strengthen this country’s commercial fishing industry. To be sure Trump must not have been apprised of Shrimpgate.
We all love money. BUt, we are not all GREEDY. Greed is a challenge to ones integerty . Remember that 41 ers. LETS GO Sam Page!!!!!!
The deceit of Berger attempting to push the gaming industry on his county without one public hearing there disqualifies him from public office. Too many of our GA members are in the back pocket of the gambling industries!
I’m surprised nobody has picked up on how openly selfish Berger has become. Gaily using Berger’s megalomaniacal actions as a persuasive technique conjures up the abused wife, begging her abused children not to trigger dad.
He’s willing to keep all of that caucus money just for himself, thus sacrificing three other Senators in the process. His egoism will damage the GOP’s chances of keeping a leash on Hollywood Stein.
So, do the math. Page is safe in the primary and in November. Berger is not. If Berger cared about the GOP Senate’s super majority, he’d drop out of the race and free up the money he’ll otherwise squander in his effort to claw his way back into a weakened senate majority office. It’s time for him to resign.