Carolina Politics Online

ASHEVILLE — The State Board of Elections fined the campaign of Gov. Bev Perdue $30,000 Tuesday for its failure to report as donations 42 flights on private aircraft during her 2008 run for governor.

The board, made up of three Democrats and two Republicans appointed by Perdue, voted along party lines to kill a push by the GOP to hold public hearings in which the governor’s staffers would be questioned under oath about the flights.

The board’s three Democrats also voted against a motion from Republican board member Chuck Winfrey to impose a $75,000 fine. Winfrey then joined with the three Democrats to impose the smaller sanction, making the final vote 4-1.

The News & Observer

I really don’t see this issue being that big of a deal.  Plus, a $30,000 fine for a campaign which probably has  a war chest of millions isn’t really that big of a punishment either , so really, what was the point in all of this?

As reported at WTVD-TV News 11 here in Raleigh, Pat McCrory is considering a run for governor in 2012. He is quoted that he will make a decision sometime next year.

McCrory says he’ll be making a decision on a possible run for governor sometime next year.

Pat McCrory was in Raleigh today trying to raise money to help Renee Ellmers defeat “I have you by the neck” Bob Etheridge- Democrat NC-2.

I have to say that early voting here in NC is critical and that every voter of any political leaning who wants some real change here in NC and nationally had better get to the polls.  Two more years of Obama and or Perdue will be a disaster PERIOD!

A poll of 600 likely voters commissioned by the Civitas Institute shows that Governor Bev Perdue’s favorability level in North Carolina is still insidiously low.  Only 33% of North Carolina voters hold a favorable view of Madame Governor, while 37% hold an unfavorable view.  Her numbers have improved very little over the past year indicating that voters in the state are in continuous regret or their decision to give her the reins.

Senator Richard Burr didn’t fare much better, with his approval rating at 34%, although still better than this challenger, Elaine Marshall, who stands at only 24%.  President Barack Obama holds a 46% approval rating while 43% disapprove.  Another interesting return was that when asked whether each voter would vote Democratic or Republicans in their state legislative races the answer was tied at 39% for each party.

The sample of voters was comprised of 44% Democrats, 33% Republican, and 23% unaffiliated.

The issue of school diversity in North Carolina has gotten increased attention in the past few months.

Civil rights activists have alleged that resegregation is occurring in schools in Wayne and New Hanover counties. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board, which abandoned busing for diversity in 2002, is now reconsidering what role diversity should have in student assignments.

Last month, Perdue told the state’s legislative black caucus that North Carolina is in a “war” over resegregation. A spokesman said Perdue will sign into law the bill creating the study commission.

“Gov. Perdue firmly believes that children are better prepared when the community inside their school resembles the one outside,” said Mark Johnson, a spokesman for Perdue. “When they meet and make friends with people from different economic backgrounds, they learn that everybody doesn’t have the same experiences in life.”

But it’s the fight in Wake County that has drawn the most attention, both locally and nationally.

The News and Observer

Ah yes, Governor Bev Perdue, never missing an opportunity to latch onto deceptive identity politics.  As is typical of the aristocracy in Raleigh, the governor, like her imperial guard in the state assembly, thinks she knows what’s better for your children than you do.  Remember the rule of thumb of the ruling class in Raleigh:

You = Fumbling Neanderthal

State Lawmakers = Wise, Enigmatic Sages

They need to help you raise your children because if you do it all by yourself without the intervention of government your children may grow up to be polluted with your personal morals and values.

One of the last acts of the Democrat-controlled General Assembly was to create a legislative study commission charged with seeing whether diversity helps public schools and whether the state should help it along by changing the way schools are funded.

But supporters of the Republican school board majority in Wake County see the new drive as an attempt to bash the elimination of longstanding diversity efforts in the state’s largest school district.

State Democrats have used the Wake school controversy to mobilize their supporters. They insist the commission will conduct an honest study of the issue.

Claude Pope, chairman of the Wake County Republican Party, questioned how fair the commission will be considering that the 15 members will be appointed by Gov. Bev Perdue, state House Speaker Joe Hackney of Orange County and state Senate Leader Marc Basnight of Dare County. All three are Democrats.

Well that sure sounds like an “honest” study to me.  A 15 member committee appointed by three members of the same political party with the same agenda in mind.  No, there is no potential for bias there.  How silly for Mr. Pope to be concerned.

I am glad to see the Wake County School Board majority hold firm to their campaign promises and dismantle this antiquated, ill-functioning system.  All too often when the radical left erupts over something they don’t like, the moderates and the conservatives cave to them and run away with their tail between their legs.  The radical left has used the same playbook for decades:  kick, scream, and cry racism until they get what they want.  This time they may have come up against an impenetrable wall.

The NCGOP is playing this radio ad across the state in honor of the reconvening of the General Assembly on Wednesday.

Eh… not bad. Kinda clever.

Hey, you scratch my back, I scratch yours, right?

Wilmington business owner Rusty Carter doled out $268,000 in bonuses to his employees and some of their spouses over six years with the understanding some of it would be contributed to certain political campaigns.

In that time, more than $176,000 of those bonuses awarded to employees of Atlantic Corp. and related companies ended up in the campaigns of Gov. Beverly Perdue, state Senate leader Marc Basnight and state Sen. Julia Boseman, which violated campaign laws.

On Tuesday, Carter, 61, entered an Alford plea to three misdemeanors of illegal contributions through a corporation. An Alford plea means a defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges that enough evidence exists for a conviction.

In North Carolina, it is illegal to donate in someone else’s name, and it’s illegal to donate more than $4,000 per election.

Also, corporations are prohibited from donating to campaigns.

Wilmington Star

The money flowing into campaigns should be held to the highest scrutiny.  Money can make all the difference in a campaign so when that money is funneled in illegally, the penalty should be stiff.  I’ll give Perdue, Basnight, and Boseman the benefit of the doubt.  They can’t possibly know where every dollar they receive comes from, but Carter knew exactly what he was doing.  He willfully engaged in election manipulation.  No, his actions more than likely made no difference in the outcome of those three races, but manipulation is the intention when you launder illegal funds into a political race.

So what is Carter’s punishment for screwing with our electoral system?  Not much.  A $5,000 fine, two years of probation, and he is barred from donating to any political campaigns during that time as well.  Well, that judge sure stuck it to him, didn’t he.

On another “shocking” note, Mr. Carter also has ties to…… ta-da!  Mike Sleasley of course!  He is a piece of the corrupt Sleasley political machine, having received a position on the board of UNC Chapel Hill.  His wife is a board member at UNC Wilmington. What qualifies the Carters for such prestigious positions of importance?  Carter and Easley are old college frat buddies. Even with a female governor, the good ole boys club has not checked out of Raleigh.

There you go!  Did I not friggin say this was going to happen?  Did I not say it???

The trial of a man accused of killing two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers is postponed, a judge decided Thursday.

Demeatrius Montgomery is charged with shooting officers Sean Clark and Jeff Shelton in April 2007.

The trial won’t begin until fall.

The judge said the trial won’t begin until a study about the North Carolina Racial Justice Act is completed. The study focuses on whether African-Americans are put to death more often than whites. It will be completed in August, and then there will be a hearing in September about Montgomery facing the death penalty.

North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act, which was signed into law last August, allows people facing murder charges and death-row inmates to try to show that racial bias is related to the decision to seek or impose the death penalty.

WSOC

This is exactly why there are people out there who take the law into their own hands to dispense justice, because you can’t get any in North Carolina.  This guy murdered two Charlotte police officers three years ago and he might get his life spared, why?  Because he’s black.  That’s right.  North Carolina over the past century has executed too many black people and the newly passed Racial Justice Act says that if too many black people have been executed compared to white people then you can’t stick a needle in the man’s arm and end it. Nope, he instead gets to live his life, unlike the men he killed, and all on your dime.  What kind of asinine boob would vote for something like that?  Your Democrat Governor Bev Perdue and your Democrat controlled state legislature, that’s who.

The State of North Carolina should be taken to court over that law to have it overturned because it’s racially discriminatory.  Ah, but that’s ok, because it’s not discriminatory against the right people, you see.

Demeatrius Montgomery should already be pushing up daisies.  For three years his lawyers have been using every stalling tactic they can come up with to keep pushing this man’s ultimate destiny further and further off.  The members of the state legislature who voted to pass the Racial Justice Act should be forced to stand before the families of the slain officers, Sean Clark and Jeff Shelton, and explain to them why their killer may now not be brought to the appropriate justice he deserves.

I’m now taking bets on the following over/under:

How long until we see the first commercial from a Republican candidate promising that, if elected, s/he will force Roy Cooper to sue?

Perdue said Monday that she is trying to reassure a jaded public that public servants are not crooks.

Charlotte Observer

Really, do I need to say anything at all?

Criticism continues to grow over Gov. Bev Perdue’s campaign finances.

Since last summer, her campaign has reported to the State Board of Elections 31 flights aboard donors’ planes, at a total value of more than $25,000.

Last week, the campaign forfeited $48,000 to elections officials, saying they suspected a Wilmington businessman paid his employees to make political contributions to Perdue.

Democratic political watchdog Joe Sinsheimer said Wednesday that questions about Perdue’s campaign fundraising and spending signal a systemic problem in government.

“It paints a pattern for Gov. Perdue and her campaign of ineptitude,” said Sinsheimer, whose campaign-finance complaints helped lead to criminal convictions of former House Speaker Jim Black and Rep. Thomas Wright.

“Reporting campaign events a year later doesn’t help the people of North Carolina figure out what’s going on in campaigns,” he said.

WRAL.com

When some Republicans warned that electing Bev Perdue would be tantamount to a 3rd Easley term, they had no idea…

And make sure it’s the good stuff, like Cold Duck or something out of a box!

Gov. Bev Perdue isn’t losing ground.

Perdue’s poll numbers have mostly been bad news since she took office. A new poll by Public Policy Polling suggests that Perdue’s popularity at least isn’t sinking.

PPP asked 788 likely voters what they thought of Perdue’s job performance and 30 percent said they approved while 47 percent disapproved. A tiny bright spot for Perdue: in last month’s PPP poll, 48 percent disapproved.

The poll had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

The N&O

Some of the more pro-business and conservative groups in North Carolina have gotten their feathers ruffled over Governor Perdue’s decision to expand talks with the SEANC and other union advocacy groups of state employees.  Currently, North Carolina, along with Virginia, has a ban on public employees unionizing and some interest groups throughout the state want it to stay that way.  They feel this move by Perdue is a way to slowly sneak this in the back door and pave the way for public sector unionization in North Carolina.  There is nothing wrong with groups like Civitas and others being vigiliant, but I’m not sure this is as alarming as they make it out to be.  The law is still the law and it still has to be changed.

When it comes to the private sector, I am not opposed to unionization.  I think if a group of employees want to be represented by a union then that is their right as an American.  I do not support compulsory unionization, however, which was the way of things back in my native northeast, because nobody should be forced to join one.  Up north if 50% plus one of the employees in your shop vote to unionize, everyone has to unionize, including the 49.9% of those who voted no.  I think most sensible people would agree that is just plain wrong, but many union folks are not all that sensible and the leaders of these unions see more dollar signs by forcing it on those who don’t want it.  Hence, I prefer Right to Work states, like most here in the south, where people have the right to unionize, but can’t be forced to.

Regarding the public sector, however, I am vehemently opposed to unionization.  When dealing with employees who are paid for with tax dollars and have their wages and benefits negotiated by politicians you are opening yourself up for a total economic disaster.  California is sadly an excellent example of this.  Public sector unions in California are bankrupting the state.  Steven Greenhut of the City Journal wrote an article just a few months ago revealing how firefighters in Orange County, California make an average of $175,000 a year with a gold plated pension package that provides them with 90% of their salary for the rest of their lives during retirement and that of their spouse.  This is typical compensation for a public employee in California.  This is a stark reversal of the past in which public employees would typically make less than private sector employees, but would be balanced out by more job security and better retirement benefits.  Today, they are instead turning into a special elite class of citizens in the state.  California is on the verge of true, blue bankruptcy and the state unions have so far successfully done their damndest to keep from having to make the same sacrifices that everyone else in the state has.

This is what North Carolina needs to be mindful of.  Public sector unions and the politicians that pander to them think that the taxpayers can provide an endless flow of cash to meet every demand they want and they hold the taxpayers and city government hostage in order to get it.  Need I remind you of the Air Traffic Controllers Strike of 1981?  Fortunately, President Reagan was prepared for that, but it still caused plenty of chaos.

Evidently public employees in North Carolina are feeling a bit disenfranchised right now.

“If you are anti-union this waves a red flag at you,” he said. “But from another perspective, state employees are feeling downtrodden. They have not had raises in two years and salaries are falling behind the private sector and there is no indication of any improvement in the near future.”

The Daily Reflector

Oh waaaaaaahhh!!!!  The poor babies.  A lot of private sector employees haven’t gotten raises in the past two years.  I work with people who haven’t gotten raises in the past two years.  A lot of people haven’t had a job in the past two years.  We’re in a recession people!

Now imagine if they had the power of a California public sector union.  Scary, huh?

Lanny Wilson, a very influential fundraiser for Easley and Perdue has resigned from his Department of Transportation position as reported in the News and Observer today.

He testified to the State Board of Elections that he gave large amounts of money to the Democratic Party with the intention of it being given to the campaigns of Easley andPerdue. This is a felony according to state and federal law. One has to wonder why our Democratic State Attorney General has not pursued this? No we don’t.

Such funneling would violate limits on donations to individual candidates. Wilson was the main financial backer of several coastal developments, including the Cannonsgate development where Easley bought a lot at a six-figure discount.

Perdue had him on her short list for her cabinet and Senator Basnight has just emotion filled words of support for Lanny Wilson.

“Lanny has so much to give this state. He’s smart and he understands the department very well. I believe he could reorganize the department in a fashion that we would get much more out for our money,” Basnight said.

I hope people now see why North Carolina is considered to have one of the most corrupt state governments in our union.

Bev Perdue

Bev Perdue: Mini-Mike

“I don’t believe you can raise taxes in an economy with folks struggling the way they are.”
-Candidate Bev Perdue, Oct. 2008

Sept. 1, 2009: A 14% sales tax increase, signed by Gov. Perdue, goes into effect.

One of the all-time dumbest things I’ve ever seen was witnessed on Election Day, 2008. Outside many polling locations in Wake County were signs, erected by the NC Democrat Party, with the message: “Vote for Change- Vote Democrat”. Instructions for straight ticket voting followed.

Now, if we’re talking about change exclusively on a Presidential level, those signs would be appropriate. I think we can all agree that it was inappropriate to apply that logic to U.S. House and Senate campaigns, as Democrats controlled both those chambers.

The reason those signs entered the threshold of the idiotic, however, was that anyone with even a cursory knowledge of N.C. politics knows that here, “change” means voting for Republicans. Democrats have held the governor’s mansion since 1992. Since 1900, they’ve held the state house for all but a few years. They’ve held the state senate since Reconstruction. Reconstruction! That’s like McDonald’s having a sign saying, “Eat Healthy- Scarf down a Big Mac!”

I was reminded of those signs as I sat thinking of what to write about your choice for the penultimate jackass of 2009- N.C. Governor Beverly Perdue. For all the talk of “change”, both nationally and statewide, all I’ve seen in the past year is the same old incompetence on a more cataclysmic scale.

“Change” would have meant a governor taking a tougher stand against the knee-high crap-pool of corruption in this state. Instead, she appointed Tony Rand, who is corruption personified, as head of the parole board. What, Bev? Couldn’t wait for Jim Black to get out of prison? At least he’d be more qualified.

“Change” would have meant avoiding absurdist dick-measuring contests like the tax-wasting fiasco between her and June Atkinson. It took several months and a court decision for Bev to finally figure out what was clear to anyone who could read- that Atkinson’s office and authority are clearly defined in the state constitution.

“Change” would have meant cutting spending to avoid budget deficits. Oh, some spending was cut- teachers got the shaft, which was ironic considering that Perdue was a teacher and that they are her core constituency. Nice move Bev. I hope you told them it was for a good cause, because while you hung them out to dry, you refused to cut a $25 million pier, $123 million for the Wildlife Resources Commission, $55 million for low income energy assistance, $277 million in “free” child care, which isn’t so free if you pay taxes to support it, a “cultural tour” to China, and more pork spending projects than I care to review here.

And “change” would have meant doing something about North Carolina being the highest taxed state in the southeast. When you and I have income troubles, we cut spending. When the N.C. state government has income troubles… they just get more income by raising taxes. Perdue, who pledged not to sign a tax increase on “working families”, signed a 14% sales tax increase and an income tax surcharge. Well… at least we can say that our tax rate changed.

Yesterday I said that Kay Hagan was one of those accidents of history who happened to be at the right place at the right time- in this case, a Democrat in 2008. Ditto for Purdue. Now a woman who has no business running more than a Qwik-E-Mart is doing her damnedest to ruin the state’s economy for a generation. Not even her pal Mike Easley did that, and that’s why Bev Perdue is the 2nd Biggest Jackass of 2009. Not bad for your first year in office Bev. Now let’s see how low you can crater your approval ratings in 2010.

Tomorrow- Your choice the Biggest Jackass of 2009!

RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Beverly Perdue is returning to North Carolina after a nearly two-week trade and cultural mission to China and Japan.

The AP

You’d think with a 25% approval rating Bev would do a cultural tour of North Carolina instead.

Perdue leaves behind a contingent of about 20 North Carolina residents — including several legislators — visiting China on a separate trip paid by outside groups. They will return this weekend.

Well, that must be costing the state that just raised taxes to fill a budget shortfall a pretty penny.

A political tip: If you’re going to send something to the governor’s office, you better know what’s in it.

Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger showed off a wheelbarrow full of “Conservative Voter Surveys” Tuesday that he said reflected lots of anger and frustration with Democrats.

We’re guessing Berger never imagined the governor’s staff would bother to read them. He was wrong.

Perdue spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson, responding to a request from Dome, said she had skimmed about a third of the 3,000 or so surveys. She noted comments written to the Republican party included:

“I am embarrassed to be associated with this organization. Your tactics are disgusting and you’re going to lose a generation of voters.”

And then there was the check. A staff member found a $50 campaign contribution made out to Berger tucked in the surveys, which were, after all, a fundraising ploy.

The N&O

::head in hands::

::heavy sobbing::

Due to a North Carolina state law that defines a life sentence as 80 years, 20 violent inmates, rapists and murderers, are due to be let out of jail next week.  Apparently, they’re getting time off for good behavior.  The governor says, no way.

Gov. Beverly Perdue says she will not release 20 inmates who received life sentences in the 1970s.

Court decisions have said that one of those inmates, Bobby Bowden, appears eligible for release because when he was convicted of a double murder, state law defined a “life” sentence as 80 years. The court said that Bowden appeared to have earned enough credit to qualify for release.

The N.C. Department of Correction identified 20 inmates who would also appear to qualify for release because of their credit for good behavior. Perdue said in a statement that new questions about how the inmates were awarded credit off their sentences will mean the inmates won’t get out of prison soon.

The News & Observer

Props to Bev, although I have to say that if the court’s decision stands, she’d be breaking the law, which she is supposed to preside over, by refusing to let them out of jail.  I would imagine that would set her up for a contempt of court charge, so I’m skeptical that she will stick to this if push comes to shove.  We’ll see.

News and Observer

Lawyers for the state and the vendor traded arguments before the state Court of Appeals over the legality of a 2006 state law that made machines illegal except on the Cherokee reservation, west of Asheville. A trial court judge in Wake County overturned the law in February.

Governor Perdue says the current law allowing the Cherokees to have video poker in a casino but not allow others to have video poker machines is okay. To me it is all about greasing palms of the Democrats in this state.  Except for a brief period in this state’s history, the Democratic Party has held court over the citizens here. I hope the voters here come to their senses. I had better stop here I do not want to get on a Democratic enemies list.

Governor Bev Perdue hasn’t improved her persona in the eyes of the public.  A Public Policy Polling poll has her at her worst numbers yet with only a 24% approval rating and even in her own party there are now more Democrats disapproving of her than approving.  Pat McCrory is certainly going to have an anxious three years ahead of him.

A.D. “Zander” Guy, appointed as a member of the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission by Gov. Beverly Perdue, a Democrat, on Sept. 16, 2009, referring to his serving three months in prison in 1990 for cheating insurance clients out of nearly $16,000. Gov. Jim Martin, a Republican, commuted the rest of Guy’s three-year sentence and later pardoned him.

The News & Observer

Outraged or expected?  After all she is just keeping up with the corruption of the former Governor.  The House Speaker is in prison for bribery.  In South Carolina the elected coke head State Treasurer just got out of prison and the Governor is running around the world contributing to its over population.  And I haven’t even touched on the legions of state representatives who have ended their political careers in a drunken stupor.

This appointment sounds like par for the course for the Carolinas, but that’s your fault for voting for them all in the first place.