#ncpol: Sleep-walking toward election day
This has to be the quietest, most humdrum presidential-year campaign season EVER. On North Carolina’s November’s ballot, we will be choosing a president, a governor, a US senator, members of Congress, The Council of State, state legislators, and a bunch of other things. Yet, there’s not a whole lot being done to fire up the troops to further the Republican revolution’s gains of 2010 and 2012 and 2014. The state GOP’s web site is full of typos and news briefs from 2013 and 2014. Donald Trump is the only person that has right-leaning voters pumped up this campaign season. They’re either strongly FOR HIM, or scared to death of the thought of President Pants-Suit Pneumonia.
The two guys topping the Tar Heel State’s GOP ticket — Richard Burr and Pat McCrory — are acting almost like 
they don’t know there is an election in a few months. Instead of going on offense and setting the tone of the debate as an incumbent governor, McCrory is spending way too much time responding to the driveby media and talking about exactly what the Democrats want to talk about: education spending and HB2. Burr’s campaign team is talking up their hopes of voters picking Hillary AND their guy. His campaign literature touts Burr’s support for child care funding and federal environmental policy. Both Burr and McCrory are doing their best to avoid Trump.
Two mont
hs out from the big vote, you don’t see yard signs or bumper stickers touting these two guys. I’ve been shocked at how many Roy Cooper bumper stickers I’ve seen on very-Republican cars in very-Republican areas. It’s also alarming to hear numerous diehard Republicans declare there is “no way in hell” they are marking the ballot for Pat McCrory.
The natives ARE restless. There IS trouble in River City. The polls are bleak for McCrory and weak for Burr. Yet, you can’t find either one of these guys between Murphy and Manteo. Burr is hanging out in Washington doing cable TV talk shows and god-knows-what-else. McCrory is in DC fundraising at the offices of the law firm currently suing North Carolina over HB2.
Issues, anyone? Tax reform and smaller government are still pretty hot issues with the electorate. (The last time I checked, they were both still in the GOP platform.) With all of the problems we’ve had with Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC), why not follow South Carolina’s lead and allow for private liquor sales? Liquor prices are lower in The Palmetto State, and they are still collecting state sales tax. 
And what about ditching the state income tax for a pay-as-you-go sales tax? Imagine not having to withhold state tax or file returns in April. It would mean more money in people’s pay checks. Granted, the sales tax adjustment would likely knock up some prices at the cash register. But this move would knock a huge hole in the Left’s class warfare arguments. Rich people buy more stuff. They also tend to buy bigger-ticket items. So, it would still be taking more money out of their pockets than from working-class pockets.
WHERE is the bold conservative revolution that got talked up so much in 2010 and 2012? Republicans were put in the driver’s seat in Raleigh and DC with marching orders to provide dramatic change. Yet, in both places, we’re getting a whole lot of caretaking of the welfare state. Simply a new set of money-changers in the temple.
Voters wanted resistance to Obama and federal overreach. Yet, Richard Burr has rubber-stamped some horribly liberal judges who have recklessly meddled in our state’s internal affairs. He’s refused to act against ObamaCare — arguably the biggest threat to our economy. 
We’ve had a placeholder for a senator the last 12 years. We’re being told this year that we need six more years of Burr to check President Hillary. He hasn’t done a thing to check Obama. Why should we believe it would be different with Hillary? And what will Burr have to offer under President Trump? THAT is still a real possibility.
In North Carolina, we’ve got a fantastic opportunity to expand the Republican hold on the seats of power in Raleigh. Yet, the state’s Republican hierarchy is tackling that challenge with all of the vigor and enthusiasm of, um, Hillary.
The opportunity is there to finally put statism down for the count. Yet, North Carolina Republicans are dangerously close to handing the keys to the state over to The Left via TKO. Tell the voters why they need Republican leadership. Tell the voters what good you’ve done over the last four years, and sell them on the good you can do over the next four years. Before it’s TOO LATE.
Well Burr will hopefully get what he deserves, I for one will not be voting for him. Pat is in the process of making his own bed with the poor campaign he is running. He and his handlers do not seem to understand that he needs to attack at this point. Coop has the media to do his dirty work so he just has to campaign like he does his AG job…just sit back and relax and do nothing.
Our only hopes rely on keeping the GA safe from some whacko veto by Ol’ Roy. As long as they can keep a somewhat conservative bearing there then we can keep the good things happening and avoid the whacko progresso path that the disgraced media wants us to take.
Ever since Cooper became AG we have been told that he is the strongest member of the Democratic bench. Stronger than Richard Moore, Elaine Marshall, or Bev Perdue. I wonder if that is because Mike Easley was AG and he shocked everyone by beating Lt. Gov. Wicker in the primary and becoming governor in 2000. Maybe we have entered a period where AGs are heir apparents to governorship. At any rate if McCrory somehow wins then it will be a serious blow to the Democratic bench. After Cooper who do they have left to run for governor? Kay Hagan?
Hasn’t AG always stood for ”Aspiring Governor”?
Yes, and if this is the best “bench” the democrap party has then they are in grave trouble.
If that’s the case then we should be watching Josh Stein and Buck Newton even closer than we have been.
Ever since big dollars from our hard core environmental movement bought RINO consultant Shumaker, his client Burr was in our pocket.
Buying Republicans like Burr are how we will keep President Obama’s green energy crusade in place.
The only Republican candidate the grass roots is excited about is Trump. There is no excitement for Burr or McCrory. Unfortunately the GOP Establishment despises its own conservative base and is supporting Hillary. Conservative voters are just as “deplorable” to McConnell and Ryan as they are to Hillary. Even though Trump is now in a position to win, the Romney-Bush operatives are just doubling down on Hillary. This is killing all the down-ballot Republican candidates in NC.
No phone banks, no updated voter lists, promoting 3hour Sat walks? Does the GOP even give a sh–.? Locally they are even thinking we don’t need poll observers. WTH I seriously believe they found being in charge too much work.
We’ve never had a two-term GOP Governor and Pat McCrory seems committed to preserve this record, at all cost. Talk about ” snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” .
Have you forgotten Jim Martin? The best governor in my lifetime, elected in 1984 and 1988. His reelection was a cakewalk as he staffed his administration with GOP activists, mostly conservative, and stayed conservative on policy.