NCGOP: 2014 Platform hijinks? Yanking, Watering-down Tea Party stuff?
A committee is quietly working away on a draft of the North Carolina Republican Party’s 2014 platform. A well-connected source — and loyal reader — of ours managed to get us a copy of the current working draft. (My source got it from someone on the committee who shared it with about a dozen or so associates to obtain feedback.)
My source pointed out two very interesting differences between the 2013 document approved at the party’s state convention and this year’s draft. First, the word “toll” is nowhere to be found in this draft. A group of grassroots activists fought hard and successfully at the convention last year — over the objections of Speaker Thom Tillis — to insert language in the party platform voicing opposition to toll roads.
My source said some acquaintances inquired about the disappearance of the toll road language:
“They were told that the language was removed because the whole toll road thing really has to do with one county. The party platform, the leadership said, is a statewide document.”
One county? That’s not exactly true. It just went public recently that Gov. Pat’s DOT board is seriously considering toll roads, among other options, for financing new road construction. Anti-toll road language would hamper the agenda of the state’s Republican governor and certainly cause problems for the clients of a certain Massachusetts law firm with big-time connections in Raleigh.
Something else conspicuously missing from this platform draft is any discussion of amnesty or immigration refor
m. Republican House leaders in DC are pushing for “comprehensive immigration reform” that will likely lead to amnesty for illegal aliens. Two of North Carolina’s GOP Members of Congress, Renee Ellmers and Robert Pittenger, are suffering political damage as a result of their support of the leadership’s immigration reform plans.
In 2013, we had:
Border security is essential to national security. In an age of terrorism, drug cartels and criminal gangs, unidentified persons who enter this country pose grave risks to the sovereignty of the United States. Furthermore, the Federal government should enforce its immigration laws.
This year, the closest thing we get is this:
[…]Strength only exists when our borders are secure and our enemies deterred.[…]
My source got some clarification on this from sources close to the platform committee:
“The change was defended by suggesting that they were saying the same thing, in only fewer words. Also, it was suggested that the party should avoid doing anything to alienate the Latino vote.”
And they wonder why people drop out of the GOP and their candidates keep losing because Republicans sit at home.
Don’t do that, we NEED conservatives involved including yourself!
What utter rubbish! Is this a GOP platform committee or a Tilli$ platform committee?
As to alienating voters, the recent Washington Post poll showed that taking a position on amnesty has no impact on the share of the Hispanic vote availible to the GOP. On the other hand, caving in to amnesty will HURT the GOP with moderate and independent voters, of whom 43% of independents and 38% of moderates are more likely to vote for a candidate if he is against a ”pathway to citizenship” for illegal aliens compared to 28% of each group more likely to vote for a candidate who is for such a pathway. Overall, there is a 12 point vote deficit for a Republican supporting amnesty.
At the last Republican state executive committee meeting someone tried to bring up a resolution supporting the national Republican platform on illegal immigration, and there was a very close vote on whether to let it come up. Thom Tilli$ had called a House caucus just before the excom meeting and therefore stuffed the meeting with legislators. The Tilli$ leaning legislators voted in a block not to consider that resolution.
They want a floor fight with conservatives? These lousy surrender monkeys will get a floor fight!
Aren’t the committees made up of 16 people one from each of the congressional districts committees appointed by the chair of each CD. And three from the Ncgop. Usually many revisions till the state convention when all the delegates get to vote and amend it from the convention floor. Some one needs to check with zan she will know what Tillis is up to.
I think I can now guess why the state convention is scheduled for Cherokee NC this year. How many delegates will stay home because of the remote location?
The 2014 platform demonstrates that NCGOP is run by Republicrats–who run as conservatives but when things get tough they take the easy way out. Republicrats are a metastasizing cancer eating away at the conservative movement and taking the country down with them. Whenever a conservative like Ted Cruz take a stand the republicrats reveal their cowardice and lies (Burr). Yesterday Louie Gohmert (R) Tx. demonstrated how to lead. I have never seen anyone in congress speak for the people like Gohmert did yesterday. Republicrats are the reason we lost the popular vote in 5 of 6 presidential elections. Millions of Christians stayed home 2012 because of moderation. NCGOP looking exactly like the Connecticut GOP.
Your comment is spot on.
Gohmert gave the entire country a glimpse of the true nature and character of Eric Holder. It was magnificent.
While Rand Paul filibustered John Brennan’s nomination and the use of drones in America against civilians, Richard Burr had dinner with Obama. When Ted Cruz filibustered the monstrous ACA, Richard Burr sniped from the sidelines. I find Richard Burr to be a waste of talent and a tremendous disappointment.
Since the convention will be at the casino in Cherokee, are they going to take out the platform being opposed to gambling? Between this and not making any effort to repeal the “education” lottery, one would think this would be in order.
If you like Elmers and Pettinger, yoo’ll love Tillis. All mush republicans. Anyone for a RINO sandwich?
Has Thom got the gas tax lowered yet? Prices are approaching $3.60 in Mecklenberg Co.
The NC GOP has a platform?
Are you sure?
How many voters will say? “I’m votin’ for Ol’ Joe cause he can quote the NC GOP Platform word for word.”
Low information voters will not know or care. The activists who get things done in the party will. They will be less interesting in working for the party when the party starts abandoning the principles that matter to them.
And of course candidates like TIlli$ who would not know a political principle if one jumped up and bit him, would like to not have a platform at all. Tilli$ just wants to keep selling his soul to the highest bidder and being a rent boy for the special interests.
“The activists who get things done in the party will.”
Are the activists the same as the establishment Republicans?
Usually not anymore. Since the chairmanship of Bill Cobey, the NCGOP has operated in a top down fashion, where the grassroots activists are sneered at by the establishment at the top, something that badly needs to change in the party. We need to go back to the pre-Cobey arrangement where the party operated from the bottom up.
I generally agree the platform is a sideshow. But it gives the delegates a feeling of accomplishment for their efforts to drive several counties away, pay for a hotel room, sit through a bunch of speeches, to finally get their say about what the core of the party thinks.
When elected officials can disregard the platform without consequences, it begins to beg the question “What does the party stand for anyway?” “Is it just a front to funnel donations to a select cadre of political consultants?” “Why bother coming to these any more?” “Heck, why bother being a Republican at all?”
Uh, the Party is it’s platform.
What happened to the Resolution supporting Recognition of WW II Coastwise Merchant Mariners? A resolution that has enjoyed the support of the GOP through the last two Congressional sessions. This time when we are so close to having these mariners recognized as our nation’s veterans they did not support us. They did not even allow it to get to the Resolutions Committee. Has the NC GOP changed their mind regarding how they support our veterans.