Carolina Politics Online

Why else would he support two things that would drive the enviro-wackos even more wacko?

A Davie County Republican is urging fellow state lawmakers to stop wasting time and money on the state’s climate change commission and support energy policy he says will have a tangible impact on the state. Sen. Andrew Brock says the legislature should move to tap the massive natural gas reserve experts believe is sitting off the North Carolina coast.

“This whole thing was based on a false set of principles and false data,” says Brock, referencing e-mails leaked last year from the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit. Climate-change activists have relied on East Anglia data to justify massive government intervention, including caps on greenhouse gas emissions and limits on fossil fuel consumption. “There’s no credible evidence that supports that all the production by mankind is affecting the global climate.”

The four-term conservative is a longtime critic of the N.C. Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change, created in 2005. He’s also a longtime supporter of offshore drilling.

The Carolina Journal

Earth-hater. He probably still uses incandescent bulbs too, the jerk.

Sen. Larry Shaw, a Cumberland County Democrat, announced Thursday he will not seek re-election this year. Shaw has served in the Senate’s 21st district since 1995.

“A wise man once said the greatest one among you, is the greatest servant among you,” Shaw said in a written statement. “My public service duty has been fulfilled and now the torch of community servitude must be passed on. Now more than ever, Cumberland County needs an individual with an executive mindset to harness the resources necessary to allow it to continue to develop into a competitive region of the state.”

Shaw’s departure is the latest in a wave of longtime senators announcing their retirements. Tony Rand, the former Majority Leader, resigned his seat representing a Cumberland County district at the end of last year.

The N&O

The North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation has compiled a list of the top ten most competitive State Senate races in North Carolina this year.  It’s pretty much on par with what I have written about as well.  They list the most likely seat to flip being District 43 currently held by Senator David Hoyle (D).  This is a very heavily Republican district and Hoyle has hung on over the years due to his more conservative and pro-business voting record, but he has decided to retire from the Senate this year leaving it an open race.  Two other open seats, Districts 8 and 9 held by Democrats R.C Soles and Julia Boseman are also open seats this year.  Both have decided not to seek reelection and both are Republican leaning districts.

The Foundation also has the following on their radar:

I don’t agree with all of the above. In what is looking like to be a Republican wave year, I don’t see any of the first term Republicans they list as being in trouble unless one of them is a real jag off.

Personally, I would include Marc Basnight as being potentially vulnerable this year. He represents a district that is just barely Democratic and in a year in which voters may throw his party overboard on top of him orchestrating a huge tax increase on the people of this state. The state Republicans would be wasting a colossal opportunity to not recruit a decent candidate against him. They have plenty to beat him over the head with.

So as I’ve said before North Carolina Republicans have an opportunity to capture the State Senate this year for the first time in, well, ever, providing their organization is competent enough to do so. Redistricting will begin next year and the Republicans will want to take control so they can undo the gerrymandering done by the Democrats and turn around and gerrymander it all over again in their favor instead. We really need an independent commission drawing districts in this state.

We’re getting pretty close to registration time for those who want to run in N.C. in 2010:

David Redwine (D), a long-serving state House member, is running for the state Senate seat being vacated by R.C. Soles Jr. at the end of this year.

One of Redwine’s potential adversaries, Southport veterinarian Bill Rabon, also attended the event.

Rabon is one of two Republicans who have announced they plan to seek the seat held by Soles, the state’s longest serving lawmaker. Bettie Fennell of Pender County, who ran unsuccessfully against Soles in 2008, has also announced plans to run. 

The Fayetteville Observer

 Meanwhile…

District Attorney Dewey Hudson of Clinton announced Tuesday he will run for the state Senate.

Hudson, a Democrat, is pursuing Senate District 10, which is being vacated by Charlie Albertson of Duplin County.

Republican Chris Humphrey, a county commissioner from Lenoir County, also is running for the seat.

Hudson is the elected district attorney for Sampson, Duplin, Jones and Onslow counties. Senate District 10 covers Sampson, Duplin and Lenoir counties.

The Fayetteville Observer

With older Democrats retiring left and right from the state senate, this is the best chance the GOP has had in a generation to retake the body. Let’s see how they screw it up this year.

While the ballots get filled up in southeast N.C., up in the Raleigh suburb of, um… Washington, N.C., a new candidate has entered the race for congress.

Frequent Republican candidate Greg Dority is planning to seek the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. David Price.

Dority, who lives in Washington, N.C., would be the third Republican who has said he is running for the seat. Frank Roche has previously announced his campaign and George Hutchins has loaned himself $5,000 for the race.

The N&O

::gets up, looks at map of the 4th congressional district::

Hmmm, it appears as if the 4th District encompasses western Wake County, eastern Chatham County, Durham County, and Orange County.

::Looks at map of North Carolina::

Hmmm, it appears as if Washington, N.C. is on the east coast.

::Sits down. Smokes apple-flavored hookah for a few minutes while scratching chin and thinking::

Hmmmm, it appears as if Mr. Dority does not live even close to the district he wants to represent. I wonder what the 4th District Republicans will say about that, considering that Frank Roche has been campaigning for about a year now.

State Rep. Margaret Dickson will step into Tony Rand’s shoes in the state Senate this month.

On Wednesday, an executive committee with four Democrats living in the Senate 19 District unanimously elected Dickson to fill Rand’s unexpired term.

Rand, 70, the former Senate majority leader, resigned Dec. 31 to become the state parole board chief. He spent most of the past 27 years in the Senate.

Dickson and Rand are Democrats who live in Fayetteville.

Dickson had only one competitor seeking Rand’s seat: David Boliek Jr., a Fayetteville lawyer.

The Fayetteville Observer

Lou Huddleston ran against her for state house in 2008. I don’t know if this senate seat will be vulnerable this year, but her house seat should be contested.

Dickson paid tribute to Rand.

“His service to the people of North Carolina will not be duplicated, and I wish him well,” she said.

Let us hope so.

[UPDATE]

Dickson will have to run in the November election to keep the seat. She may face a primary challenge from Dave Boliek, a Fayetteville defense lawyer. Boliek, who was a candidate for the party’s appointment, said he will decide by Sunday whether to run.

City Councilman Wesley Meredith, a Republican, stands ready to run against Dickson or Boliek in November. He said recently that he would have run regardless of whether Rand planned to stay.

On Thursday morning, City Councilwoman Val Applewhite announced her intention to win the Democratic Party’s endorsement for Dickson’s seat in the state House and run for its election. She faces former House member Bill Hurley for the appointment.

No Republican has announced intentions for that seat.

The F’ville Observer

Looks like Fayetteville will see some close races this year.

The one true swing congressional district in the state is the 8th, which stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville.

Freshman Democrat Larry Kissell is already facing a divided party because of his vote against the Democrats’ health care plan. Edge Republicans.

News & Observer

Rob Christensen is no more a gifted psychic than I am, but his logic does hold.  Swing districts in landslide years are considerably vulnerable to flipping seats.  As Kissell won in 2008 due to voter frustrations with Republicans, he may well lose in 2010 due to voter frustrations with Democrats.  He has also fractured the far left of his base over his health care vote, even though he made the right decision on that.  The race will definitely be one of the most competitive in the nation and the NRCC is going to put every resource they can into winning it back.

On a semi-related note, Christensen gives the edge to the GOP taking over the North Carolina State Senate for the first time since Reconstruction.  I wrote about this myself a few days ago.  As they say, great minds think alike.

The odds for a Republican take over of the North Carolina State Senate just got a lot better.  State Senator R.C. Soles (D-Tabor City), the longest serving in the Senate has announced that he will not seek reelection.  It’s not that surprising that he has chosen to retire.  Aside from being 75 years old, he has been plagued with two scandals, one that he molested a teen aged boy and he is facing a possible indictment for shooting someone in his home last August.

Republicans need to win six Senate seats to take over the body and Soles is another retirement that may make that possible.  The district has been trending towards the GOP and Soles opponent last year, Bettie Fennell, came considerably close to defeating him.  Soles’ retirement is in addition to a few other Democrat retirements who also represent Republican friendly districts.  Senator David Hoyle of Gastonia represents a heavily Republican leaning district that the GOP will almost certainly pick up.  Senator Julia Boseman of Wilmington who like Soles has been embroiled in personal conflicts has also decided not to run for reelection.  Her predecessor was a Republican.

Who controls the state legislature next year will be vital as he who has the power controls the redistricting after the Census is completed.

R.C. Soles Jr., a N.C. State Senator from Tabor City will be indicted by a grand jury. This was reported in the News and Observer today.

The grand jury wrote in its presentment that it had reason to believe that Soles had committed a crime:

Twelve or more grand jurors concur in finding probable cause to believe that R.C. Soles, Jr. committed the offense of Assault With a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury against Thomas Kyle Blackburn in Columbus County on or about August 23, 2009 by unlawfully, willfully and feloniously shooting Thomas Kyle Blackburn and inflicting serious injury.

Looks like we have another Democratic being taken to the woodshed. I wonder if Democrats will call for his resignation like they did the drunk Republican? Will they treat him the same as Rep. Wright?

See?  I knew this stuff was coming.

At least four state agencies bought expensive high-tech surveillance gear from a private security firm tied to Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand.

The powerful Fayetteville Democrat has served as board chairman for Raleigh-based Law Enforcement Associates Inc. since 2003.

The state bought at least $192,683 in equipment from LEA during the past five years, including a $2,695 jacket with a hidden camera for undercover stings. In some cases, the purchases were made without seeking competitive bids by agencies led by close associates of Rand who themselves owned LEA stock.

The News & Observer

Insider trading, now corporate favoritism.  Naturally, Rand pleads dumb.

“My God, I don’t have anything to do with sales,” Rand said. “I don’t have a clue about that. … But we are in the business of selling law enforcement equipment. That’s what we do. We sell to law enforcement agencies all across the country, and the federal government too.”

No, he never engaged in insider trading, which was revealed shortly after his unexpected, out of the blue Senate resignation.  He had absolutely no knowledge of these no-bid contracts his company was getting, also revealed shortly after his unexpected, out of the blue Senate resignation.  I’d like to know why we weren’t finding out about this stuff before he announced retirement.

I think for the hell of it, every lawmaker in North Carolina should start being investigated for ethics breaches and other forms of corruption.  There’s been plenty of it in recent years and I’ll bet there is more we don’t even know about going on right now.

When Tony Rand announced he was stepping down from the Senate he gave the reason that he was accepting a position as Chairman of the State Parole Board.  However, like others, I imagine, I couldn’t help to wonder if we’d be hearing about some nefarious activity shortly down the pike.  A seasoned politician like Rand doesn’t typically just step down in the middle of a term unless some kind of notoriety is heading in their direction.  This latest bit of news may be just that.

The former president of a publicly traded Raleigh company is accusing state Sen. Tony Rand of sharing insider information with other North Carolina politicians.

Paul Feldman, who says he was illegally fired from Law Enforcement Associates in August, made the claims in a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. He said that Rand, one of the state’s most powerful lawmakers, schemed to profit from insider trading and manipulating the value of the company’s stock.

The News & Observer

Now being as fair and impartial as we are here at CPO we’ll give Mr. Rand the benefit of the doubt.  Insider trading is hard to prove and the fact that several North Carolina politicians bought stock in LEA doesn’t necessarily point to them receiving insider information from Rand.  They may have invested in it because he is the board chairman and trusted his leadership of the company.

If, however, these accusations prove to be truthful it would be quite a shame that Rand didn’t learn from the sacrifices of one Ms Martha Stewart.

Martin Nesbitt isn’t known for toeing the party line. Over nearly three decades in the House and Senate, he has been a loyal lieutenant of some Democratic leaders and a thorn in the side of others.

But in his new job, the Asheville senator will try to keep 30 Senate Democrats speaking with one voice.

The new post is the highest a mountain legislator has risen to since Nesbitt was a top House budget writer in the early 1990s and perhaps since the days of the late House Speaker Liston Ramsey, of Madison County.

In the Senate’s No. 2 job — in recent years, one of the most powerful in the state — Nesbitt will take the lead in deciding what’s on Senate Democrats’ agenda headed into their most important election in a decade.

The Citizen-Times

Is there really going to be a difference? Tony Rand was a bloated, out-of-touch tax-raiser who contributed mightily to the declining livability of N.C.

Martin Nesbitt, based on his voting record, is also a bloated, out-of-touch tax-raiser who contributed mightily to the declining livability of N.C.

Then again, Tony Rand was a corrupt walrus who by all rights ought to have gone to prison for some of the crap he pulled. I suppse I can’t say that about Nesbitt.

          It looks like the head of the Wake County NCAE had a fit of anger before writing a email to her members. Who was she angry at when she decided to write the email in question? The voters perhaps. Perhaps she just has anger issues when she does not get her way. Granted this is just speculation on my part, but they are worth asking.

News and Observer

“They don’t care about children and it [is] now clear that they don’t care about teachers…WE HAVE [to] PLANT OUR FLAG IN THE SAND HERE AND NOW,” Lanane wrote.

          Wow, you should have heard the stuff she said before the election and before John Tedesco’s runoff. This shows her lack of judgement and fairness when people go to her organization seeking endorsements. Lanane, Sutton, and many others truly need to apologize to the voters in Wake County. If not I expect the 2010 N.C. Legislative races to get really nasty when those supporting Democrats chime in.

The North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation has released their annual business rankings.  The group rates each member of the general assembly in regards to how effective they were in fostering a strong business climate in the state.  The ranking are based off of various votes in the general assembly throughout the year.  Additionally, they take input from over 300 businesses across the state through a survey in which they rate members of the state government on their likelihood in supporting the interests of the business community.

Looking over the rankings, nothing stood out to me as surprising.  The break down fell as you would expect, with the Republicans in both the House and Senate at the top of the list and the Democrats down towards the bottom.  Traditionally, Republicans tend to support free economic policies that allow businesses to grow and thrive whereas Democrats tend to support big government policies that stifle economic growth.  Despite that however, it must be noted that the highest ranking member in the general assembly is a Democrat.  State Senator David Hoyle of Gastonia scored a 90.8.  He was also the only legislator to break 90.  He bucked the trend for his party which is not unexpected.  He has always been a fairly moderate member of the legislature and I have always approved of his job as a legislator.  In the State Senate, Republicans took the next 17 spots.  The lowest scoring member of the Senate was that senile old biddy Ellie Kinnaird (D-Carrboro).

In the House, it was the same trend.  Republicans are in the top half while the Democrats are mostly in the bottom half.  Thom Tillis (R-Cornelius) had the highest score of 89.6.  The highest scoring Democrat was Jim Crawford of Oxford who placed tenth with a score of 82.9.  Just like in the Senate, the bottom of the list was held up by the usual left wing extremists:  Pricey Harrison, Paul Leubke, etc., what you would expect.

It will be interesting to follow this report in coming years because I think North Carolina’s business climate is beginning to lose its luster.  Although, Forbes did rank the state as the fifth best for business this year, but in growth prospects it ranked 33.  Once the full effect of the recent billion dollar tax increase kicks in, I think it will be more noticeable.

The Civitas Institute has released its 2009 Conservative rankings and the result is that the North Carolina State Legislature isn’t all that conservative. Well, there’s a shocker. This is the state that constantly raises taxes, hands out corporate welfare, and allows dangerous criminals to appeal their death sentence based on their race.

The rankings rate each state representative and senator on a scale of 0 to 100, 0 being not conservative at all and 100 being about as conservative as you can get. Nobody made it into the 90s. The best scoring member was State Representative Dale Folwell (R-Winston-Salem) with an 89.8. The State Senate was truly pitiful with only one member scoring in the 70s or above. That would be Senator Andrew Brock (R-Mocksville) who got just a 70.

Knowing the electorate of the state, it is very clear to me that the elected officials are not a remotely close representation of the people they are allegedly representing. It shows a clear disconnect between the government and the people and reiterates, as I have pointed out many times, the laziness and complacency of the people who keep putting them back in office.

State Sen. Tony Rand, one of the most powerful political figures in the state, is leaving the Senate.

Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, will become chairman of the state Parole Board, Mark Johnson reports. He will resign before the end of the year.

“There comes a time when it’s time to go,” Rand said.

The News & Observer

His time to go was several years ago.  Tony Rand had his hands directly in steering North Carolina into being the highest taxed state in the southeastern U.S., the beginning of turning the state into a northeastern rust bucket.

There will now be a fight I’m sure among the Senate Democrats to claw their way up to the top and take over as Majority Leader.  That should be an interesting sight to behold.  What will also be on the radar is how hard the Republicans will fight to try and win this seat when the special election is called.  The GOP needs to win six Senate seats if they want to take it over in 2010 before redistricting takes place.  I don’t know how heavily Democrat this seat is, but if they can pick it up that will bring them closer to their goal.

There is speculation at Katy’s Conservative Corner as to whether or not Rand’s resignation has anything to do with the recent Easley trials, but according to the N&O he is stepping down to take a position as chairman of the State Parole Board.

MyNC.com

The Republican leader of the North Carolina Senate says state government seems “to have been caught off guard” by a court ruling that will mean the release of 20 violent convicts next week.

This is a law and order issue. The one complaint anyone can have is the lack of transparency. Then again every person has certain rights even if they are incarcerated. Can we at least demand some sort of supervision and counseling for these inmates?

North Carolina state Sen. Andrew Brock said wakeupamerica.com has bought time for the 30-second ad in Columbia, Greenville and Hilton Head Island for two weeks starting Monday.

The Mocksville, N.C., Republican, said the ads are needed to back up Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who shouted “You Lie!” at Obama as he pitched overhauling health care.

Asheville Citizen-Times

John W. Pope Civitas Institute

In a recent USA Today article summarizing how states balanced their budgets this summer, Vice President of the National Taxpayers Union Pete Sepp declared, “With a few exceptions, states have been able to avoid the doomsday projections that big tax hikes were on the way.”

Unfortunately, North Carolina was one of those “exceptions.”

Democrats like Chairman David Young always use the class warfare theme of taxing the rich. Except in this instance they raised the sales tax and created many new fees. And of course a higher sales tax has an ever increasing impact on the poor and middle class. The more money they take out of your pocket means less freedom for you and more power to the government.

I do hope everyone sees through the smoke and mirrors being put out by the North Carolina Democratic leadership. Even a newly appointed Democrat in House 33 has only towed the party line. She has not voted against any Democrat bill. One has to wonder how many Democrats below the leadership actually read the bills.

If you disagree with the last tens years remember that off year municipal and next year’s elections are your opportunity to throw off the yoke of a possible socialist agenda. I do not use that word lightly and I do not throw it around. I implore you to fight back against the tide.  I am truly afraid of what is happening to us locally and nationally.

Tamera Frank, a Yancey County social worker has announced her intentions to run against State Senator Joe Sam Queen (D-Waynesville).  Yancey is running on a platform of limited government, free speech, and gun rights.  She has stated that her time serving on the Yancey County Department of Social Services Board of Directors has given her the opportunity to openly fight corruption.  I believe the 47th District is one of the ones in which the Republicans have a special interest in their quest of trying to take over the State Senate next year.