#ncga: GOP leaders passing stuff with Democrat votes
In Washington, House speaker John Boehner has shown he has no issue with pushing legislation that flies in the face of the GOP platform and needs Democrat votes in order to make it through the GOP-dominated House. In Raleigh, rookie Republican speaker Tim Moore is sounding like he’s keen on that concept as well:
The state House cast a series of votes last week that, by the end of Thursday, had advanced two pieces of significant legislation and helped clarify more about the approach of new House Speaker Tim Moore.
The House passed a major jobs incentives and tax-break package, much of it also sought by the governor. The key votes to send it to the Senate were 87-32 and then 88-29.
The House also approved an effort to prop up the sales tax collected from each gallon of gas that motorists pump. House members voted to keep the gas tax from dropping by roughly 7 cents per gallon as scheduled in July. Supporters say that source of money should be “stabilized” and is needed for roads projects.
Others say it amounts to an unneeded tax hike. The votes were 70-47 and 72-42 to move the legislation back to the Senate, where it began in a different form. Republicans and Democrats were both for and against the bills. Both votes were rightly described as bipartisan.
They were more than that.
In three of the four key votes, Republicans could not have passed the bills on their own. The same would have been true on the fourth vote but for the absences of several lawmakers.
[…]
‘A very different environment’
Moore, who was elected speaker in January, told Dome he would not have brought the bills to the floor for final votes if there had been any question about their passage. The substance of the bills that passed – taxes and incentives – always generates fierce discussion on both sides of the aisle, he said.
Still, he contrasted last week’s jobs bill vote with a major effort to pass an incentives bill at the close of last year’s lawmaking session. Then, Moore and Tillis watched many fellow Republicans revolt and sink an incentives plan also pushed by Gov. Pat McCrory.
“That bill had a lot of problems to it,” Moore said. “It got hyperpartisan, and not enough Republicans supported it, and then all the Democrats bloc voted against it. That’s the bad scenario you never want to be in, because then nothing gets done.”
Moore said he was glad to see deeper Democratic support last week. “I feel good with the vote margin, regardless of how we got there,” he said. “This shows it is a very different environment.”
[…]
Hmmm. He feels good about the vote margin regardless of how we got there.
They voted to raise taxes and hand out more corporate welfare than any of McCrory’s recent Democrat predecessors did. Never mind principles or that silly platform thingie. “Things” gotta get “done.”
Tell me again WHY we put Republicans in charge.
Issues matter in politics. There is an old saying in politics that you don’t piss on your base. If you do, your base will not be there for you in the next election. With the recent betrayals of GOP principles on major issues by Boehner and McConnell, I am very concerned about the GOP’s prospects in 2016. What is happening in Raleigh does not help, either. The final icing on that disaster cake would be a presidential nominee who turns off the GOP base like Jeb Bush or Chris Christie.
” Never mind principles or that silly platform thingie. “Things” gotta get “done.”
_______________________
Silly conservatives. The Platform only applies to you “little people.”
If only you would give Republicans control of the NC Congress, AND the U.S. Congress, AND the PRESIDENCY . . . Hell, there’s no telling WHAT we could do!
We wouldn’t HAVE to keep selling you out for sleazy Democrat votes!
See that hill over there? We would DEFINITELY have taken a stand on it.
But, you failed us!
Now, quit whining, and send us a check. This week would be great!
Sincerely,
Your GOP Big Government Betters
Yep, as long as we have this critical mass of people who choose to hold their noses and vote for people with R” behind their name, in order to keep whatever scary “D” team person is on the other side… then really, “no, issues dont matter”.
If people are going to vote for them anyway… why “would” they care about “issues”… whatcha gonna do, vote for a Democrat? Or sit home and let one of ’em win?
Pretty sure Tillis, Ellmers, and a good host of others just confirmed that as a fairly winning strategy just a few months ago. 🙂
I think that may be finally changing after the betrayals by Boehner and McConnell on amnesty. A recent Quinnepac poll found 16% of Republicans would not vote for Jeb Bush under any circumstances, including in the general election. I think it was also evident in polling in many races in 2014 where the wave did not develop until the last minute, as voters had to consider whether to trust Republicans one more tine.
Last week, I crossed
? “Trust Republicans One More Time”
off the list.
Next on the list is:
? “Register as “Unaffiliated” (?)