#ncga #TBT: The dawn of the Speaker Timmy era


With politicians, it’s always fun to match what they’re saying and doing NOW, with what they said or did FIVE MINUTES ago, FIVE WEEKS ago, FIVE MONTHS ago, or even FIVE YEARS ago.

Here’s a post from 2014 where a bright, young bushy-tailed legislator from Kings Mountain was making his case to replace Thom Tillis in the speaker’s chair:

[…] Even with those accomplishments, it is time we move toward a different phase in our leadership of North Carolina. To govern in the future, I believe we must use and grow our collective wisdom and participation. That means we must use the vast resources of the membership of our caucus to solve problems. We must encourage fruitful debate and respect opposing viewpoints and each other. Regardless of the outcome, we stand as one caucus. […] 

Respecting opposing viewpoints? Respecting each other?  Let’s ask John Blust, Larry Pittman, Chris Millis, and Mike Speciale — to name a few —  how well THAT has been working in the Speaker Timmy era.

And “using the vast resources of the membership of our caucus to solve problems”?   If you thought that meant sharing with everyone, you were mistaken.  It was just Speaker-in-Waiting Timmy’s special charming little way of saying: “Nelson Dollar, David Lewis, Kelly Hastings, and Jason Saine MATTER, while the rest of ’em DO NOT.”

Here’s another “funny” from Timmy’s pitch to be speaker:

“[…In the Tillis era, we] placed the interests of hard working taxpayers above the various special interests groups.[…] 

Didn’t happen then.  STILL isn’t happening now.  Here is Moore’s 2014 “Dear Colleague letter,”  and here is an accompanying brochure where he makes his case for speaker in a more detailed fashion.

It sure sounded good at the time.