*The truth* comes roaring out of Tillis’s BIG, stupid mouth
I’ve been trying to tell you people about this guy for the entire fifteen years this site has been up. Now, you’re learning the hard, painful way.
Excuse us, Laura. Trump was DEAD WRONG about Tillis in 2020. Trump swooped down here, endorsed Tillis for reelection, and saved that weasel from a serious primary challenge. You may remember that Trump lost that year, but Tillis got six more years.
It sounds like Thom is joining his buddies Bill Cassidy and John Cornyn on this kamikaze mission. And why not? He won’t be facing the voters anymore. Never mind that he ran twice pledging to represent us in Washington. (Do you feel, um, *represented*?)
This can’t be helpful for the campaign of Mike Whatley — his protégè seeking to succeed him in the Senate.
From the beginning, Thom Tillis was a weapon in the fight to sanitize the GOP of anything and anyone conservative. He was recruited by Paul Shumaker and Richard Morgan to knock off a conservative NC House member in 2004. (Mission accomplished, BTW.)
Shumaker moved over to work for House member Tillis. The campaign to replace conservatism with RINO-ism in the legislature was underway.
Who can forget the story about election night 2010 when the GOP took over Raleigh? Eyewitnesses told me a cadre of Charlotte money men reportedly ushered Tillis over to the then-GOP leadership and said:“Meet your new speaker.”
The few conservative things that made it through the Tillis-led NC House were allowed reluctantly. Way too many conservative *problem-children* still in the caucus for him to fight on every front.
Soon, we found the GOP we elevated to control Raleigh spending even more money.
Never mind what the party platform said. Generosity with campaign donations replaced competence and ideology when it came to state appointments.
Tillis held on to the speaker post while he ran for Senate. That allowed him a new venue to raise lots of money from special interests while pushing the interests of those special interests through the House.
Thommy never saw 50 percent of the vote in two Senate races. In 2014, he benefited from multiple candidates splitting the vote. There were no conservative principles to be defended. We were told: “Hey, he’s better than a Democrat.”
But, honestly, WAS HE?
It’s hard to figure out what his endgame is here. All of that Lumbee paraphernalia he’s been wearing makes me think he’s aiming to be the manager of the tribe’s soon-to-be casino off I-95. Perhaps there is a leftist lobbying firm playing footsie with him up there.
But make no mistake — this whole thing has never been about fighting for us. It’s been about enriching himself, and promoting himself, at our expense. The sad part is — the damage he and Shumaker have done to the NCGOP will endure. Talk to the crowd in Raleigh. They’re picking the candidates who will *represent* us. They will tell you FUNDRAISING is the ultimate determinant of a candidate’s quality and viability.
The fight went from statism v. freedom to *Red* v. *Blue.*
Any idea what voting *Red* really means? (*Whatever Destin and Phil tell you it means?*)
If you’re confused / puzzled, you’re not alone. The messaging is meant to separate you from your beliefs and adapt you to a mindset not too different from choosing between rooting for Duke or Carolina, or joining the Kiwanis or Rotary.
If you’re still clinging to the GOP based on your passionate beliefs, you can expect at least four more years of sitting in the corner being frustrated.
History repeats itself. It seems we’re cycling back to the same conflict that plagued the GOP in 1964 and 1980. Conservatism sells. We saw that in 1980. We saw it in 30 years of Jesse Helms. We see it in the rhetoric RINOs use to win elections but quickly abandon after they are sworn in.
Stop settling. Start scouting for a true, principled champion who we can push across the finish line and get started on making a real difference.
