#ncgop: Kristen Laster, on the job.
The 2015 NCGOP platform calls for repealing the state’s renewable energy mandates. (Those mandates have led to some serious cronyism and costly subsidies between politicians, solar companies and other alternative energy providers.) Yet, the staff at NCGOP has hired a top lobbyist for those same environmental interests whose agenda contradicts the party platform.
There was a bit of a hubbub about that hiring decision at a recent NCGOP executive committee meeting. A compromise was reached: the group would revisit the hiring decision in 30 days.
Shortly after that meeting, the folks at Civitas filed a formal complaint with the state board of elections alleging all kinds of financial reporting improprieties on the part of Kristen Laster while she was in the employ of those environmental interests.
A further study of Laster’s lobbying record finds that she also flacked for subsidized housing, subsidized daycare, and gambling. *All important parts of the GOP platform.*
So, let’s recap: serious charges in an elections board complaint, a record of financing Democrats and taking positions contradictory to the GOP platform, and serious dissension among the top ranks of party faithful.
The story was put out that things would be put on ice for thirty days. But Laster has been added to the NCGOP web site section “Meet Our Team” and identified as “finance director.” Strangely, though, they couldn’t find a picture of her. She also has an official NCGOP email address.
Kristen has even updated her LinkedIn profile with her new job title.
The grassroots can holler all they want, but it appears Raleigh insiders have settled this already.
Yes, the Central Committee weasels really had a stroke of genius with this hire. Insult the rank-and-file, undermine the Party Platform, and furthering Jones Street corruption into the nerve center of the NCGOP. That’s a triple play!
I am wondering how they plan to raise money by driving the party ideologically to the left. Two of the largest contributors to the GOP House caucus just a few weeks ago told the caucus they were cutting off their contributions due to the liberal moves by the House GOP, and gave their usual caucus contributions to conservative groups instead. Now one of the liberal lobbyists who helped drive the House GOP caucus to the left is sitting at NCGOP as Finance Director. The same type of contributors are likely to make the very same response, and cut their contributions, and who can say the party would not deserve it.
Laster is not a fundraiser. She is a liberal lobbyist, who has worked for a variety of left wing causes and organizations, but never for a discernible conservative organization or cause. Do they think liberals are going to start giving to the NCGOP? Fat chance.
Everyone told you that there was never a motion or a vote on a thirty day cool down….. only a vote to reverse the hirings which failed once it was proven Hasan wanted her hired.
I agree that Narnett has some things to answer for here, but no matter who ”recommended” this liberal woman that is absolutely no excuse to hiring her. The Central Committee fell for a red herring by Poole. The real issue is whether someone with her background should be anywhere near the NCGOP staff.
It was Poole who did the employment interview, and Poole who knew or should have known her full background. As far as I know, Harnett did not participate in Laster’s employment interview, and was likely not privy to such things that Poole was. Yet Poole still hired her in spite of her background.
Poole had to have expected this to cause an uproar in the party and to cause a breddh between himself and Harnett, as well as potential breeches between Harnett and his base, and within the Central Committee. Why did Poole procedd with this hiring when he was certainly savvy enough to predict all of those things? What is his game here?
Here we go again. Just send checks to self vetted candidates. The Party seems clueless.
Now that I have seen her photo I remember her and her husband at the convention in Hasans hospitality suite I think I have some photos of them together I check
People bounce around at conventions to many hospitaity suites.
Actually just after we voted for Hasan to be our next chair. I was in the lobby on my cell when I saw most of the key house members go into a NCGOP staff office and a few minutes later Hasan, Daniel, and the Lasiters come down to that office. They were still celebrating. I wonder what that meeting was about.
From your previous posts here, you seem to like to hunt rinos so you can kiss up on them. You also seem to always toe the Dee Stewart line. This is just more of the same disinformation that is your usual stock in trade, just like Stewart..
A 30 day cool down period is GOP code for; we are going to make you so DISGUSTED with other issues you will forget about it in 30 days. I stated clearly that Hassan was A BIG FAT RINO when he failed to REBUKE/Censure Tillis, Burr, Ellmers, and the gang after he LIED and said he would. But unfortunately , he had so many cheer leaders defending him with just ” give him sine time” ….. 30 day cool down periods don’t work in Rino wonderland!
A 30 day cool down period is GOP code for; we are going to make you so DISGUSTED with other issues you will forget about it in 30 days. I stated clearly that Hassan was A BIG FAT RINO when he failed to REBUKE/Censure Tillis, Burr, Ellmers, and the gang after he LIED and said he would. But unfortunately , he had so many cheer leaders defending him with just ” give him some time” ….. 30 day cool down periods don’t work in Rino wonderland!
well the gambling portion of the state party platform got weakened 2 years ago when the convention was held at a gambling facility…. I am not saying it was not a nice facility. It is probably on of the nicest places in the state to hold a convention but it was a compromise in the platform in my opinion in choosing the location
just trying to help with accuracy
At the D11 GOP meeting last week, the committee received a report from Chairman David Sawyer (who was not present at the meeting). The report mentioned the hire of Katie Sullivan and indicated that Sawyer was thrilled with the new hires, but also said that the NCGOP would reevaluate the decision in 30 days. So it appears that NC13″libertarian” is purposely feeding misinformation within the comments on these stories. Wouldn’t be surprised if it’s actually Todd Poole or Scott Laster commenting behind the fake username.
I’ve never before seen our state headquarters in such political confusion. We used to proudly proclaim that our party was the “conservative voice of North Carolina.” Lord only knows what we are now.
What happened was a palace coup. The National Committeeman, David Lewis and Executive Director engineered a confrontation with the Chairman and Vice Chairman to show them who was boss and to damage them with both their own base and with the Central Committee.
An Executive Director doing his job and trying to run things smoothly would have taken the chairman aside before the meeting and tried to work things out. Instead, Poole staged an ambush with a dossier prepared for just such a purpose. His dossier was designed to move the issue from the correct one, which was ”Are these people we ought to hire?” to ”Did the chairman have any fingerprints on the process?”. The second question had no real bearing on the issue at hand, but that seems be what the Central Committee decided the matter upon.
We are having some very divisive power plays being run within the state party.
Now, this site curiously seems to have a group of brand new posters whose screen names make it appear that they are grassroots conservatives, but the content of their posts fits so well into the organized campaign to marginalize conservatives and the grassroots that you wonder who they really are. Is Dee’s shop still working for establishment victory within the GOP? Those posts seem like his style.
The convention battle is not over. It has just devolved into guerrilla warfare, and the party had better wake up that this conflict can hurt us in the next election. An executive director who is in the thick of factional power plays is not what we need, nor are liberals in key staff positions..