#NCSEN: Gov. Pat is on the phone. He likes Thom.
I am hearing from quite a few folks who heard from Pat McCrory on their home telephones Sunday evening. The governor was telling them how important it was to vote for state House speaker Thom Tillis in Tuesday’s GOP primary. Yes, that’s right. The — for all intents and purposes — HEAD of the North Carolina Republican Party is butting in on a hotly-contested Republican primary race.
We’ve all been subjected to lectures from Raleigh about the importance of GOP leaders staying OUT of party primary races. Yet, Thom Tillis is on record as having meddled in a number of legislative primaries in Eastern North Carolina. Former NCGOP vice-chairman Wayne King got caught meddling. We’ve got an NCGOP staffer working on the campaign of an incumbent legislator currently involved in a primary. The NCGOP executive director’s consulting firm — is actively aiding at least one candidate involved in a primary race. And NOW we have the governor actively taking sides in a hotly-contested primary race.
In 2008 and 2012, we conservatives were told to set aside our concerns about Pat McCrory and work together toward getting an R in the governor’s mansion. Never mind that he helped the Democrats push through tax hikes in Charlotte. We were good soldiers in both of those races. Now, our loyalty gets repaid by McCrory-ite establishment types trying to block and take out bona fide conservative candidates.
In my lifetime, I can remember when the NCGOP was little more than a small coterie of country-clubbers in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Greensboro. GOP primaries were all about picking someone to be a sacrificial lamb in the November general election. Then, Ronald Reagan and Jesse Helms came along and made it cool to vote — and register as — Republican. Both of those guys — Reagan in 1976 and 1980 and Helms every six years — got blasted as extreme and unelectable by liberals, the media, and GOP establishment types. Both of those leaders had an enormous impact in-state and across the country. They set the table for the GOP dominance we are seeing in Raleigh today. Unfortunately, it appears that the powers-that-be in the NCGOP have learned nothing from history. They are trying really hard to revert back to the form that kept the party a geographically-restricted afterthought and novelty.
The establishment is trying hard to push a candidate on us for US Senate who has been very impressed with alternative energy mandates that drive up the cost of electrical power. That Senate candidate is backed by Karl Rove, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner who have all expressed glee over the idea of “crushing” The Tea Party.
The establishment has been working THIS year to remove opposition to toll roads, amnesty AND ObamaCare from the NCGOP platform. It appears they’ve been quite successful so far.
Our Founding Fathers rose up against a government that oppressed the people with outrageous taxes and regulations, and stomped on the rights of the common man. During the civil rights movement, courageous average Americans took a stand for personal freedom against government sanctioned tyranny. Judging from what we see coming out of DC and Raleigh on a daily basis, we’re close to coming full circle.
What does it mean to be Republican? Giving the people only 90 percent of what the Democrats would have done?
Are we going to keep tolerating two groups of statists taking turns controlling our lives with their hands in our wallets? Will “Just Give Me My Check” continue to drown out the cries of “Freedom!” Has the passion — the fire — of 2009 and 2010 flickered out?
It appears We’ll know by the end of the day Tuesday. If you don’t vote — don’t make your voice heard — or do vote for more of the same, you’ve already surrendered to the idea of statist elites running your life FOR YOU.
Kind of like Rand Paul coming down today to meddle in the Brannon campaign.
Yup – my wife got two of those calls – one on Friday, one today. She called to say “we’re still supporting Brannon, right?”. Absolutely, and I believe we’ll be looking for a primary challenger for the Governor as well…
I already voted for Brannon and will never vote for McCrory again.
I believe this may signal that McCrory has decided not to run for a second term. There has been some speculation earlier about that, and this would be a really dumb move if he was planning on running again. Governor Martin was confronted with a similar primary, conservative David Funderburk against establishment moderate Jim Broyhill, and was astute enough to stay out of the primary. McCrory hurts himself more than he helps Tillis by getting involved.
If they have to do stuff like this then they are sweating. Nice job Karl. Hahahahhaa.
McCrory is calling for Tillis.Romney is supporting Tillis and Burr supports Tillis and says Brannon cannot beat Hagan in the fall.Brannon has made too many comments that the media will use to show him to far out of the main stream to be elected and beat him mercilessly.Not to mention the lawsuit he lost.Brannon said voting for Romney would,”advance tyranny.” Not to mention what he said about Catholics.He is a gaf machine tailor made for the liberal media.Nevertheless Tillis will win tomorrow and this site can go back to being irrelevant.
Tillis’ pay for play corruption, his support of amnesty, his talking out of both sides of his mouth on Obamacare, his support for expenisve green energy boondoggles, his waffling on gay marriage, his sex and influence scandal and lots of other things are what make Tilli$ the most unelectable. Plus Tilli$ has been knifing conservatives so long, he is the one candidate who, due to his own record, would be unable to unify the party. This is a dumb, dumb, dumb choice from would-be party boss Karl Rove.
I think his way of thinking may be a little more mainstream than you would like to think, Mr. Bradshaw.
One question about Romney and tyranny: does “Romney care” have anything to do with the Pelletier case in Mass.? If you don’t know the case, look it up. One could argue its a really big step towards tyranny.
I know many Catholics that are voting for Brannon. They are also aware of the many problems within the Catholic church.
After Brannon wins tomorrow, I hope you continue to share your thoughts on this website. None of our voices are irrelevant!
I believe he just admitted that this site is currently relevant. It’s just tomorrow that we’ll be irrelevant, 😉
Amen! Last I saw, McCrory’s popular numbers were lower than Burr’s. Not much help for Tilli$ who was endorsed by the Chamber of Crony Capitalism(big advocates for Common Core as well as amnesty). It is all good though ’cause Tillii$ said he was against both. Wow, do I feel better!
Tilli$ is a slippery weasel on both.
On Common Core, these days he says he is against it, but his actions or lack thereof, say otherwise.
On Immigration, Tilli$ tells voters he is ”against amnesty” but tells the NC Farm Bureau that he supports ”a pathway to citizenship” for illegal aliens. Is he playing word games or outright lying?
The bottom line is that you cannot trust Tilli$ on anything. He would not know a political principle if one jumped up and bit him. He is just a rent boy for the special interests, and his bread is almost certainly buttered on the side of supporting both Common Core and Amnesty when it comes to brass tacks.
Sounds like he’s getting his talking points from Amnesty-Bot, Renee Ellmers.
Tillis tried to pass an immigration amnesty bill (Everify) and McCrory vetoed it. It is ironic he allowed Tillis’ opponents an issue they could use.
I have already voted in early voting. The choice was easy. If you have a conscience or a brain, you can’t possibly vote for Thilli$. It’s that simple. Vote for somebody else. Anybody else. Just like Brant said ABT!
And here is how I figure the best outcome for the whole state would be. It’s not a new battle cry, but one whose time has definitely come. Real simple…TTBT. Throw the bums out! The way I figure it There isn’t a Republican worth his salt in the whole Gen Assy for pulling the crap they have been doing and still continue to do. Their arrogance is mindboggling. From Berger and Thilli$ on down, they should all be ashamed of how they conducted the people’s business. The only exception would be Robert Brawley, who called his own party ‘boss’ out and rightly so. He is the ONLY honest man on the Republican side. So he deserves a seat at the table. Send the rest packing.
As far as Democrats go, none of them raised enough hell for my liking. They sat docile and watched. So they are equally to blame for all the corruption and shenanigans. Throw those BUMS out too.
These are drastic times and call for drastic measures. Just imagine if every incumbent was thrown out on his or her ass. Now that, my friends would send a message everybody would understand. I don’t even think the media could spin that.
Somebody used the term ‘housecleaning’ and that is what is called for. My critics would say my plan is simplistic, harsh, unforgiving, and perhaps draconian. I spent 3 or 4 days a week in the legislature last session. The place is a cesspool, and the players are scavengers, crooks, and liars. Go spend the time and you critics might come ’round to my logic.
The word ‘incumbent’ should have a bad connotation. And by the way, I’m as loyal a Republican as there is. But like the man said, I didn’t leave the Republican Party…the Party left me. Today I am working the polls for a Democrat newcomer I believe in…all day long. And I will be voting for Clay Aiken also. The man has good sense.
Hope you don’t sleep a wink tonight, Karl Rove. Go back to whereever you came from.
Go Brawley! Go Clay! Go Bibbs!
My goal is to bring Kay Hagan back home regardless if we do it with Tillis, Brannon, Harris or whomever. Sure the Republicans could have fielded some better candidates but none stepped forward so we must work with what we have.
I see the race against Kay as the classic Democrat vs. Republican battle. Obviously the Democrats will not go down easily and it will be a slugfest. Both sides will have tons of baggage but that is nothing new.
Kay has tons of money so the Republicans will start out in the hole. It will be a long campaign.
Brannon is by far the best prepared candidate I have ever seen. The problem is not with Greg Brannon but with the electorate. Most Republicans would not recognize freedom and liberty if they saw it. Voting for anyone other than Brannon shows just how far we have fallen into the progressive, big Govco trap that has been given to us by the “conservative” GOP members such as McCrory, Jeb Bush, Romney, Gingrich, Huckabee, et al. Big Govco is OK with most Repubs as long as “our guys” are large and in charge. Bush could have chosen to lead us towards liberty when the GOP had control of the WH, Senate and House but decided along with those bodies politic to take more of our money and more of our freedoms.
Voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.
“Voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.”
Evil, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
Well said.
You all have nothing new to say.Today is going to be a bad day for you.Tillis will easily get 40% and you can get onto something else.
We need to at least see if there is a way to make the Ellmers vs Democrat race a closer race.
I’d be happy if Ellmers lost to a Democrat. In 2016 we get a conservative elected to an open seat and that conservative holds that seat for 6-10 years.
As it is now. If Ellmers gets away with this she can hold the seat for a decade like a RINO.