TheWe may have to do a “do-over” in the North Carolina 9th Congressional District. It is alleged that – shock! – Republicans cheated in order to prevent black voters from casting their ballots. But the cheating goes far beyond the everyday voter suppression rampant in red states. It is alleged that those who wanted the Republican in the race to … Read More
Michael, the Hurricane
Unlike Florence, which seemed to take her sweet time coming to the mainlaind, Michael just kind of sprang up in the past few days. It was a tropical depression in the Gulf Of Mexico, and very quickly moved to a Category 3. Today, as it makes landfall, it is a Category 4. Here’s the latest: • The hurricane is expected … Read More
A Weakened Florence Hits The NC Coast
After lingering for days, Hurricane Florence hit the NC coast this morning. It had slowly been downgraded over the past two days, so it hit as a Category One. Still pretty serious. The real threat from Florence isn’t the wind; it’s the rain coupled with its slow speed. This morning, Wilmington got hit with heavy winds, knocking down trees and … Read More
Florence Update
Hmmmm. We might be okay where we are as it appears that it will turn southerly and go through South, rather than North, Carolina. We’ll still get rains though in the outer bands. That said, this tweet is disturbing if only because he’s right: You know what happens when 40” of rain hits shit lagoons holding waste for nine million … Read More
Storm’s a Comin’
Purge Cache (All Pages) The eye of Hurricane Florence this morning, which could hit the East Coast by Thursday or Friday pic.twitter.com/hWTRv4WlLX — Axios (@axios) September 10, 2018 Hurricane Florence strengthens fast on path for East Coast https://t.co/PClrQoHguz pic.twitter.com/h3NBVkyrM2 — CBS News (@CBSNews) September 10, 2018 #Florence isn’t just another hurricane. It is poised to become a major threat to … Read More
Once Again, The GOP-Led NC Legislature Gets Foiled By The Courts In Their Attempt To Gerrymander
Yesterday, a federal district court once again struck down North Carolina’s Republican-drawn congressional map as a partisan gerrymander in violation of the Constitution. This ruling reaffirmed the court’s January decision, which the Supreme Court vacated and told them to reconsider in June under a different legal theory of who has standing to sue. Indeed, while the Supreme Court said each district would have to be challenged individually … Read More
Updates On Cambridge Analytica
(1) Score one for the Democrats on the House Intel Committee The whistleblower who publicly revealed how Trump-affiliated data firm Cambridge Analytica used information mined from Facebook under false pretenses during the 2016 election cycle will give an interview to Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee as part of their investigation of Russian interference in the election, including possible ties … Read More
Three-Judge Panel Strikes Down NC Districts As Political Gerrymandering
This is a huge decision not only locally, but nationally. A federal court yesterday ruled that Republicans in North Carolina unconstitutionally gerrymandered congressional districts in 2016 to ensure Republican “domination of the state’s congressional delegation.” The three-judge panel struck down the map and ordered the state’s General Assembly to come up with a substitute by Jan. 24. The decision was … Read More
Interesting Poll Numbers From North Carolina — Trump Underwater
From PPP: PPP’s new North Carolina poll finds strong, bipartisan opposition to cuts the General Assembly has made to the budget of the North Carolina Department of Justice. Only 18% of voters support the 10 million dollars in cuts that have been made, to 60% who say they are opposed to them. This opposition is shared by independents (9/68), Democrats … Read More
The HB2 Repeal: Is It As Bad As Everyone Says?
Well, I find myself in the awkward position of disagreeing with friends, colleagues, and organizations that I respect (like the ACLU, of which I have been an active member for 24 years). That’s not fun. The issue? House Bill 142. For those living under a rock, HB142 is the bill passed by the North Carolina General Assembly and signed into … Read More
Former NC Governor Pat McCrory Needs Protection From Words
News & Observer: Does former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory need protection? Do all current and former public officials? At least one state senator thinks so. After a video was posted on Facebook Friday showing a group of people following McCrory during a trip to Washington, D.C., for inaugural weekend, chanting “Shame!” and calling him a bigot, Sen. Dan Bishop … Read More
NC Legislature Still At It
Despite protests, widespread criticism and a threat by the governor-elect to challenge in court any moves that he believes would unconstitutionally limit his power, the Republican-controlled North Carolina legislature is pushing through reforms that would severely limit the incoming Democratic governor’s power. It’s insane. One such measure, which passed the House, was that the GOP and the Democratic Party would alternate the … Read More
The Brazen NCGOP Power Grab
The lame-duck North Carolina legislature’s is engaging in a last-minute effort to weaken the office of the governor before Democrat Roy Cooper. Here’s one thing they are doing. Back in 2013, this same legislature dramatically increased the number of what are technically called “exempt positions” under the governor, giving newly elected Republican Gov. Pat McCrory significant new patronage power. The … Read More
Why McCrory Lost
Public Policy Polling looks at why Governor McCrory lost here in North Carolina in what was obviously a banner year for Republicans: What happened in the summer of 2013 to make McCrory so permanently unpopular? He allowed himself to be associated with a bunch of unpopular legislation, and progressives hit back HARD, in a way that really caught voters’ attention … Read More
North Carolina May Finally Have An Election Result
Sitting governor Pat McCrory (R-NC) refused to concede the election for NC governor, which ended three weeks ago. By the end of election day, current NC attorney general and Democratic challenger Roy Cooper was ahead by a little over 6,000. But the results still had to be counted and certified, down to the last one. If Cooper’s margin remained below … Read More