Likely GOP gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory raised $1M in first half of 2011.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / July 27, 2011

By: Associated Press
July 27, 2011 

RALEIGH -- Likely Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory has raised more than $1 million for the first half of the year for a campaign that has yet to officially start.

The draft of a campaign finance document being filed with state regulators this week and obtained by The Associated Press shows The Pat McCrory Committee raised just over $1 million between January 1 and June 30. The campaign had $940,000 in the bank at the end of last month.

The amounts are the strongest indication yet McCrory wants a rematch with Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue next year. Perdue narrowly defeated McCrory in 2008.

Perdue hasn't announced her campaign numbers. Candidate committees must turn in their reports by Friday.

http://coastal.news14.com/content/top_stories/644437/likely-gop-candidate-mccrory-raises--1m

New polls confirm Barack Obama's Democratic base is crumbling.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / July 27, 2011 

Political commentary from Andrew Malcolm      

Los Angeles Times

With all of the spotlights on the high-stakes debt maneuverings by President Obama and Speaker John Boehner the last few days, few people noticed what Vermont's Sen. Bernie Sanders said:
"I think it would be a good idea if President Obama faced some primary opposition."
This is political treason 469 days before a presidential election. Yes, yes, this is just a crusty old New England independent for now, albeit one who caucuses loyally with Harry Reid's Democratic posse.
But while most of the media focuses on Republican Boehner and the tea party pressures on him to raise the debt limit not one Liberty dime, Sanders' mumblings are a useful reminder that hidden in the shadows of this left-handed presidency are militant progressives like Sanders who don't want to cut one Liberty dime of non-Pentagon spending.
Closely read the transcript of Obama's Monday statement on the debt talks stalemate. The full transcript is right here. And the full transcript of Boehner's response is right here.
An Unbalanced Approach to a Balanced Approach
Using political forensics, notice any clues, perhaps telltale code words that reveal to whom he was really addressing his Monday message? Clearly, it wasn't congressional Republicans -- or Democrats, for that matter.
The nation's top talker uttered 2,264* words in those remarks. He said "balanced approach" seven times, three times in a single paragraph.
That's the giveaway. Obviously, David Plouffe and the incumbent's strategists have been polling phrases for use in this ongoing debt duel, which is more about 2012 now than 2011. "Balanced approach" is no sweet talk for old Bernie or tea sippers on the other side.
Obama is running for the center already, aiming for the independents who played such a crucial role in his victorious coalition in 2008. They were the first to start abandoning the good ship Obama back in 2009 when all the ex-state senator could do was talk about healthcare, when jobs and the economy were the peoples' priority.
Democrats lost the New Jersey and Virginia governor's offices largely as a result of that and Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts. And then came last November's midterms when voters chose the approach of that historic pack of House-bound Republicans.
Republicans have their own poll problems in some areas. But even without an identified GOP presidential alternative, we've had a plethora of recent polls showing Obama's fading job approval, especially on the economy.
Now, comes a new ABC News/Washington Post poll with a whole harvest of revelations, among them, strong indications that Obama's liberal base is starting to crumble. Among the nuggets:
Despite those hundreds of billions of blown stimulus dollars and almost as many upturn promises from Joe Biden, 82% of Americans still say their job market is struggling. Ninety percent rate the economy negatively, including half who give it the worst rating of "poor."
Are You Better Off Today Than Jan. 20, 2009?
A slim 15% claim to be "getting ahead financially," half what it was in 2006. Fully 27% say they're falling behind financially. That's up 6 points since February.
A significant majority (54%) says they've been forced to change their lifestyle significantly as a result of the economic times -- and 60% of them are angry, up from 44%.
To be sure, 30 months after he returned to home cooking, George W. Bush still gets majority blame for the economy.
But here's the breaking news for wishful Democrats: George W. Bush isn't running for anything but exercise.
"More than a third of Americans now believe that President Obama’s policies are hurting the economy, and confidence in his ability to create jobs is sharply eroding among  his base," the Post reports.
Strong support among liberal Democrats for Obama's jobs record has plummeted 22 points from 53% down below a third. African Americans who believe the president's measures helped the economy have plunged from 77% to barely half.
Obama's overall job approval on the economy has slid below 40% for the first time, with 57% disapproving. And strong disapprovers outnumber approvers by better than two-to-one.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/07/obama-poll-jobs-democratic-base-crumbling.html

Lawmakers could discuss banning gay marriage in North Carolina.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / July 26, 2011

House Republicans can't override Perdue veto on Voter ID bill, but blitz her abortion veto.

Posted: Jul 26, 2011 10:23 PM EDT Updated: Jul 26, 2011 10:23 PM EDT 

 

RALEIGH, NC (WECT) - Lawmakers in Raleigh could talk about banning gay marriage in North Carolina.

A bill to introduce possible constitutional amendments is on a committee agenda for Wednesday.

Lawmakers must approve rule changes for the session first. If that happens, proposed amendments could be heard on Thursday.

House Republicans tried to override Governor Beverly Perdue's veto of the Voter ID Bill on Tuesday. They did not have enough support.

They did override her abortion bill veto, which now goes over to the Senate.

http://www.wect.com/story/15153248/lawmakers-could-discuss-banning-gay-marriage-in-nc

Trump to GOP -- 'Don't raise debt ceiling. Default will prevent Obama's reelection.'

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / July 26 / 2011

SO DONNY -- SOUNDS LIKE A FAIR GAMBLE TO ME. IF DEFAULT WOULD POP THE DETESTED BARAK BUBBLE, I'M FOR IT 100%. WHERE DO WE SIGN? WILL WE RISK A BIT OF DISCOMFORT IF IT ECLIPSES OBAMA'S DEATH GRIP ON OUR ECONOMY? THAT'S SURVIVABLE. I'D GO FOR IT. DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES!

HUFFPOST Updated: 7/26/11 01:08 PM ET

On Monday, Donald Trump urged Republicans to reject any deal with Democrats to raise the debt ceiling and let the country risk default. Economists and administration officials have warned that defaulting on our debt would have dire economic consequences, but for Trump there is an upside: the crisis would prevent President Barack Obama from being reelected.

"Frankly the Republicans would be crazy unless they get 100 percent of the deal that they want right now to make any deal,” Trump said on "Fox and Friends" Monday. "If this happens, for instance if this stuff is going on prior to an election, he can’t get reelected. He possibly can’t get elected anyway. … The fact is, unless the Republicans get 100% of what they want, and that may include getting rid of Obamacare, which is a total disaster, then they should not make a deal other than a minor extension which would take you before the election which would ensure Obama doesn’t get elected, which would be a great thing."

 Host Brian Kilmead pointed out that Americans currently blame Republicans more than Obama for the debt ceiling crisis, but Trump responded that, in the long run, the blame will fall on Obama, not Republicans.
"I don’t care about polls," Trump said. "When it comes time to default, they’re not going to remember any of the Republicans' names. They are going to remember in history books one name, and that’s Obama."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/26/donald-trump-debt-ceiling-default-obama-reelection_n_909716.html#s280957&title=The_Stock_Market

NC lawmakers like three sets of redistricting maps. Final passage may come Thursday.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster  July 26, 2011

By GARY D. ROBERTSON
Associated Press / July 25, 2011 / 9:39 PM


The General Assembly completed most of its work Monday on proposed district maps for its own seats and for North Carolina's congressional delegation, but Democrats predicted Republicans would have to redraw them later because they'll be labeled illegal in litigation.

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Republicans leading the once-a-decade redistricting process brushed aside the Democratic admonishments and substitute maps and approved the boundaries the GOP calls lawful following hours of debate. The Senate gave its approval to a map for the chamber's 50 seats and passed proposed boundaries for 13 congressional seats. The House also approved a plan for its 120 seats.

The largely party-line votes set the stage for final passage of the maps by Thursday, but they will still have to be signed off on by a federal court or U.S. Justice Department attorneys to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act before they can be used for the 2012 elections. Other litigation also is likely as Democrats continued to disagree with Republicans over how the GOP apportioned black voters in all three maps.

Democrats predicted the GOP-penned maps would never be implemented because they violated federal and state laws and court rulings. They said the boundaries weaken the political influence of black voters by lumping them in certain districts to isolate them and make surrounding districts more white and Republican. Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, who is black, said the GOP produced "ghettoized" districts.

"The judges will see the maps for what they are, and what they are is an attempt to disenfranchise African Americans by segregating them and diminishing their voting rights and the influence of women in North Carolina," said Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake, as the House debated proposed House districts. "Those two groups were not listened to in the process."

Republicans disagreed and spent most of Monday defending the maps. They cite legal rulings and the federal Voting Rights Act in arguing they're required to create majority-black districts - of which they drew more than 30 - where the population allows it and to protect the state from outside lawsuits.

The map "produced fair, legal and competitive districts that will allow any candidate to run in these districts with the opportunity to win," said Sen. Bob Rucho, R-Mecklenburg, the Senate Redistricting Committee chairman as the congressional maps were debated.

Districts are redrawn every 10 years to reflect population growth reported by the U.S. Census. With Republicans holding a majority in both chambers for the first time in 140 years, GOP lawmakers are seeking to put their imprint on boundaries to extend their control of the General Assembly and boost their representation on Capitol Hill.

The congressional plan approved by the Senate would increase Republican voter registration in four districts currently held by Democrats and place two pairs of incumbents - Democrats Larry Kissell and Mike McIntyre as well as David Price and Brad Miller - in the same districts.

The plan was approved after the GOP majority in the chamber rejected several Democratic amendments. One would have reworked all 13 districts, while two others would have adjusted districts in the mountains and the Triangle region.

Elections data project that Republicans could win as many as 10 of the state's 13 U.S. House seats in the new plan. Democrats currently have a 7-6 advantage. The Democrats' alternative statewide map would have given Republicans an 8-5 advantage instead, based on how many districts in which John McCain would have defeated Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race.

The Democratic map also would have kept all of Asheville and Buncombe County in the 11th Congressional District represented by Democrat Heath Shuler and all of Robeson County in the 7th District represented by McIntyre.

Democrats also offered alternative plans that would retain so-called "influence districts" in current boundaries that have at least a 40 percent black voting-age population. Democrats argue such districts comply with the Voting Rights Act by still effectively allowing black voters to elect candidates of their choice and preserving their overall political power.

The GOP plans "were drawn specifically to dump African American voters," charged Rep. William Wainwright, D-Craven, who is black.

Democrats said their alternative plans also were better than the Republican proposals because they crossed fewer county lines and the districts were generally more compact.

Republican mapmakers say Democrats failed to offer legal evidence that "packing" exists or timely fixes to perceived problems. Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, the House redistricting chairman, complained that Democrats offered substitute maps on the day of the floor debate after months of redistricting discussions.

The plan "is nothing more than a strategy that once again sandbags the people of North Carolina by letting something arrive on our desks right off the press," Lewis told colleagues.

Legislative maps would draw 20 pairs of lawmakers into the same district, forcing them to run against each other if they aimed to remain in the Legislature in 2013. Twenty-one are Republicans and 19 are Democrats.

Two Democrats - Reps. Dewey Hill of Columbus County and Bill Brisson of Bladen County - voted with Republicans in passing the House plan 68-50. GOP Rep. Glen Bradley of Franklin County, drawn into the same district with Nash County Republican Jeff Collins, voted against the map.

The congressional plan still must be approved by the House. The House and Senate also must take up the districts for each other's chamber, but historically each chamber has avoided changing the other's boundaries without permission. Redistricting plans don't go to Gov. Beverly Perdue's desk, becoming law immediately without her consideration.

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110725/APN/1107250581

New Hanover County Republican Party doesn't like latest congressional map version

Verne Strickland Blogmaster

July 25, 2011     

                     

The New Hanover County Republican Party expresses its opposition to Map 2A for Congressional District 7 that was recently proposed by the N.C Legislature’s Redistricting Committee Rucho-Lewis. 

“This new map defies logic and common sense,” says Chairwoman Rhonda Amoroso.  “It reaches too far north to Johnston County and too far west into Hoke County.  Moreover, Map #2A is defective in that it creates Congressional District 3 out of a jigsaw puzzle piece of downtown Wilmington lumping it with part of neighboring Pender County and stretches all the way up north to the Virginia border in Currituck County.  

"This is the kind of distortion that would make Elbridge Gerry blush," she continued.  "We believe that a Congressional District should reflect, to the extent practicable, the commonality of interests of a particular community or geographic region.  To mix coastal and agricultural areas willy nilly to advance some unknown agenda is what we fought against for so many years.”  

The previously proposed map, #1, was well crafted and was indeed a true “coastal district” bound by common interests inherent in our coastal economies, tourism, and beautiful beaches, Amoroso said.  The NHC GOP went on record commending the Committee at the July 7, 2011 Forum for its work in producing Map #1.  

“However, we feel that there has been a ‘Bait and Switch’ with the manipulations incorporated into Map #2A.  This new D7-2A map randomly lumps together inland agricultural areas that have wholly different economies, population densities, and communities that have little, if any, common interests with the residents of New Hanover County.” said Chairwoman Amoroso.

In the interest of fairness and common sense, the NHC GOP strongly urges the Redistricting Committee to go back to the drawing board and produce a Congressional District that reflects the original “coastal district” in proposed map #1. 

The residents of Southeast North Carolina deserve to be represented by a Congressman who understands the issues facing our coastal community here in New Hanover County and that of our coastal neighbors.

Contact with inquiries:  Rhonda K. Amoroso, Chairwoman of the New Hanover County GOP 910-399-2508 or Rhonda.gopchair@gmail.com.

How spending cuts -- not higher taxes -- saved Canada. Could work here, couldn't it?

 July 25, 2011

Fred Barnes: Weekly Standard

When Jean Chretien became prime minister in 1993, Canada faced a fiscal and economic breakdown. The government's share of the economy had climbed to 53 percent in 1992, from 28 percent in 1960. The new administration slashed spending.

Unemployment benefits were cut by nearly 40 percent. The ratio of spending cuts to tax increases was nearly 7-to-1.  Federal employment was reduced by 14 percent.  Canada's national railway and air-traffic-control system were privatized.

The economy rebounded, says Fred Barnes, executive editor of the Weekly Standard.

• Between 1995 and 1998, a $36.6 billion deficit turned into a $3 billion surplus.
• Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio was cut in half in a decade.
• Canada now has faster economic growth than America (3.3 percent in 2010, compared to 2.9 percent in the U.S.), a lower jobless rate (7.2 percent in June, when the U.S. rate was 9.2 percent), a deficit-to-GDP ratio that's a quarter of ours, and a stronger dollar.

Today the United States is in a situation almost identical to Canada's in the 1990s. Government spending is surging, a huge deficit and national debt are setting peacetime records, interest payments are soaring, the economy is stagnant, and unemployment is stuck at around 9 percent, says Barnes.

• It's increased spending that is largely responsible for deficits exceeding $1 trillion for three consecutive years.
• Thus the rise in the national debt's percentage of GDP from 40 percent in 2008 to 62 percent in 2011 and toward an estimated 72 percent next year.
• The public, in the 2010 election and in poll after poll, is insisting on spending cuts.

Source:  Fred Barnes, "How Spending Cuts-Not Higher Taxes-Saved Canada," The Wall Street Journal, July 21, 2011

For text:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903554904576457880527361612.html

For more on Economic Issues:
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_Category=17