Tillis Visibly Shrinks in Size Next to Burr

Yesterday, Senator Richard Burr stood side by side with would-be senator Thom Tillis and said that Federal Judge Max Cogburn, who declared Amendment One unconstitutional last week, was "the most qualified" for the job, which was why he voted to confirm him to the Federal bench.

For his part, wannabe senator Tillis had earlier condemned Burr's confirmation vote by implication, by saying this: "We're in a dangerous time in this country where the president has appointed liberal activist judges -- and Sen. [Kay] Hagan has endorsed them or confirmed them -- that are literally trying the legislate from the bench."

Blah, blah, blah. Mr. Wannabe speaking the company-approved word-salad about "liberal judges," while Dick Burr -- bless his heart! -- stands by his vote.

Must have made for an awkward moment in Cary yesterday.

Tea Party Advice We Wish Tillis Would Adopt

Brant Clifton, our favorite scenery-chewer on the far right who always finds plenty of fault with Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Thom Tillis, is out with some advice on how Mr. Tillis should get off defense and on offense against Sen. Kay Hagan:

Tillis also appears to be buying into Hagan’s war on women nonsense. He’s sending his wife out to make campaign appearances for him. He’s hauling in South Carolina Nikki Haley to Fayetteville this week. If he even tried to look and sound conservative, he could have attack-babes like Laura Ingraham and Sarah Palin out there rallying the troops for him. (But no, he’s getting Chris Christie.)

Well, he's "getting" Chris Christie into the state for a private fundraiser. If there are any firm plans to show Christie off to ordinary voters, it hasn't surfaced yet.

But by all means, yes, let's get some Republican female-brand furniture stripper like Laura Ingraham in to rigidify Mr. Tillis's anemic conservative credentials. And Sarah Palin. Oh, especially Sarah Palin! How could Tillis go wrong with the woman recently made famous by a dog-pile fracas that erupted at a snowmobilers party in Alaska? The quote I loved from that: "The party was peaceable until the Palins arrived."

Other advice from Clifton? Hammer Obamacare, sez he ... when every poll we've been seeing suggests strongly that the general voting public has moved on. Too, too many formerly uninsured Americans have now gotten some insurance coverage, to their considerable relief, so, yes again, by all means, Mr. Tillis, you should start harping all over again about how insurance coverage for all Americans is a dangerous idea. (Attacks on Obamacare had already pretty much disappeared from TV ads supporting Mr. Tillis, as though some people had a clue.)

We can feel Mr. Clifton's pain. After tens of millions of $$ expended to tout Thom Tillis and to attack Kay Hagan, millions by Karl Rove and other third-party interlopers, Tillis has zero traction ... largely because he's dragging around a very unpopular NC General Assembly as a major anchor on his hopes.

Say What? Thom Tillis Brings in Mitt Romney To Campaign For Him?

How bad must it be for NC House Speaker Thom Tillis and his quest to oust Kay Hagan?

Mitt Romney? Seriously?

The avatar of the 1%? The coiner of memorable sayings: "Corporations are people, my friend!" Or our favorite: "I like being able to fire people."

No, really, why Mitt Romney? Because fabulously rich people feel comfortable around him, and Thom Tillis really needs to raise a lot of money right now?

We do notice that the Mitt Romney appearance in Charlotte yesterday involved a private fundraiser and not a public rally. Who would want the most notorious political loser of the last cycle standing next to you on a public platform?

Thom Tillis and the Gambling Industry: Trying To Keep the Bloodhounds at Bay

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is investigating some $700,000 in campaign contributions to North Carolina politicians from the video sweepstakes (gambling) industry. "The biggest recipient was House Speaker Thom Tillis, who is seeking to unseat [Senator Kay] Hagan in November. Tillis received $127,000, followed by [Gov. Pat] McCrory and Senate leader Phil Berger [who received lesser but still substantial amounts]."

So what do Tillis and Berger do? They introduce legislation to take the State Bureau of Investigation away from Attorney General Roy Cooper and put it under the direct control of their patsy and yes-man, Gov. McCrory.

Yes, Virginia, that is a large and rancid rat you're smelling.

Rob Christensen writes, "Any hopes the [video sweepstakes] donors had of legalizing video gambling in the state again fell by the wayside because of scandal. The major donor from the industry was Chase Burns, an executive for an Internet sweepstakes company, who last year pleaded no contest in Florida to two criminal counts involving a lottery and forfeited $3.5 million in profits."

What's a little legalized bribery compared to all the harm this current Raleigh regime has done to education, the poor, our natural resources, etc.?

It just stinks.

A Poor Man Is Running for Senate

Will Stewart is running against Kay Hagan in the Democratic primary. He hasn't got a chance, naturally, but I like him. He reminds me of what Democrats are supposed to stand for.

Kay Hagan often doesn't. She reminds me most strongly of ... bankers, money-changers, skin-flints. She has voted in ways in the Senate that have made me howl at the wall. While she takes many positions that I find fault with, I cannot find fault with Will Stewart.

I have been on his website. He's been a carpenter. He's lived on the streets, and he still lives below the poverty line. He came up poor, but he's scrambled and survived. He speaks directly and plainly. He says that Hagan serves corporate interests, and he got that right.

“I’d bring a witness to the reality of living as a poor person in America,” Stewart told a reporter from the Raleigh N&O. He said he’d also be “a witness of the effects of Capitol Hill’s decisions. I’ve watched friends and neighbors get foreclosed while Wall Street gets a walking pass.”

I'm sorry he doesn't have a shot. Instead, we'll either get Corporate Tool # 1 or Corporate Tool # 2, and that doesn't strike me as healthy.

Kay Hagan Does Something Useful

The U.S. Senate is due to take up what amounts to emergency extension of federal jobless benefits today, and Sen. Kay Hagan has managed to get inserted into the proposed legislation an extension for North Carolina's jobless despite the Republican cruelty in Raleigh that cut them off last year.

(Background, from the N&O: "North Carolina lost its federal unemployment benefits last summer when the General Assembly reduced the amount of state benefits and the length of time that unemployed people can receive them. A federal regulation says that states cannot receive Emergency Unemployment Compensation money if they reduce state benefits.")

Hagan knows where to place the blame (as do we all!) -- squarely on the doorstep of the man running to replace her in the U.S. Senate, NC House Speaker Thom Tillis. Hagan said, “The General Assembly irresponsibly passed a bill that knowingly and willfully violated federal law and made North Carolina the only state to lose this critical federal assistance, and I’m doing everything possible to remedy the damage this law has done to struggling middle class families who were cut off from this crucial lifeline through no fault of their own."

Cool move, Senator Hagan!

And cue the Republican whining.

What the Dumb Do

Greg Brannon, the OB/GYN Cary doctor who's running in the 2014 Republican primary for U.S. Senate (for the privilege of challenging Kay Hagan in next year's General Election), has been outed for plagiarizing another plagiarizer. No kidding. He copied off Rand Paul, mainly from Paul's website and particularly his views on several Tea Party issues. Rand Paul, meanwhile, has always copied off others and shows no sign of tapering off.

Who goes looking to see if there are copied parts on candidate web pages? The News&Observer item cites no source. Who tipped the press about plagiarism on candidate Greg Brannon's website?

I betcha a dollar it was someone with Thom Tillis's campaign.

Tillis: "The Best People Are Coincidentally the People Who Give Me Big Bucks"

Virginia Foxx Steps Back From the Brink: No Senate Race For Her!

We received an e-mail from Madam Virginia Foxx this afternoon:

What she said
"The encouragement I've received to enter the race to become North Carolina's next United States Senator is truly humbling."

What she meant
Flattery, I've always said, is the sincerest form of self-deception.

.....

What she said
"But I already have the best job in North Carolina."

What she meant
Also, the best health insurance. But do you know that I invented the term "sham-paign"? Ha, ha, ha!

.....

What she said
"Representing the people of North Carolina's 5th Congressional District while working to encourage job growth, repeal ObamaCare, and return decision-making power in education back to our state is where my heart and focus lie."

What she meant
The heart dies, but the lie goes on forever.

.....

What she said
"North Carolina deserves a United States Senator who is committed to increasing freedom and also to reducing the size of Washington's footprint in our lives."

What she meant
My feet are cold ALL the time, and I probably should get that checked out.

.....

What she said
"Our conservative candidate for Senate will have my utmost support."

What she meant
Thom Tillis, you might ought to call your office.

Don't You Just Love the Smell of a Death Wish in the Morning?

Greg Brannon

RedState's Erick Erickson, a Tea Party bloviator who evidently eats nails for breakfast (with unskimmed milk) has compared NC House Speaker Thom Tillis's campaign for U.S. Senate to dog poo. Yes, I believe that's what he said, but judge for yourself:

"I can tell you I'd rather vote for the pile of brown goo on the side of the road in New Orleans than vote for that guy [Tillis] as a Republican in North Carolina. He is terrible. You do not want this person."

He said that at a Tea Party convention in New Orleans by way of introducing to the podium Mr. Tillis's chief rival for the job, Greg Brannon, an ob/gyn in Cary who's going to excite the women in this state into such a stampede for Kay Hagan as you've never seen.

That is if he can win a primary against Tillis -- not a good bet at the moment, but as we know, Republican primaries are wacko these days, and Greg Brannon is straight out of Wacko Central Casting. On the other hand, Thom Tillis hasn't, as they say, "gained any traction" in his own quest, which is indeed saying something, considering that Kay Hagan used to be ranked as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent running for reelection next year, and Mr. Tillis is so, you know, well groomed.

Me? I'm with Erick Erickson!

Is the NC Senate Trying To Drive a Stake Through Thom Tillis?

The unannounced appearance of major anti-abortion legislation in the NC Senate, tacked on to a NC House law prohibiting Sharia law, and done so on the eve of a national holiday when Thom Tillis's House is out of town sipping beverages and relaxing, gives one pause to reflect.

Does Senate President Doug Berger hate Thom Tillis, or what?

And, Tillis, bless his heart, is trying to run as some sort of mythical North Carolina Republican moderate for the U.S. Senate, against a female senator, no less, who just might decide to rally the women of the state against what can be billed as "Mr. Tillis's abortion law," if he decides to go along with the Senate.

Tillis is on the spot with this. So's Squishy McCrory, who said back during the campaign of 2012 that he would not sign any further restrictions on abortion in North Carolina. Of course, he will, should it get to his desk, but the real question today is What Will Tillis Do?

Ouch

Matt Phillippi, on the incipient Hagan/Tillis race in 2014 for the U.S. Senate:

...That’s why a Hagan/Tillis race just doesn’t interest me. It’s just two practiced political panderers fighting to see who gets to represent big business in the Senate, and just like a yacht race; when it comes down to it the winners are just a bunch of rich guys.

How Does the Tea Party Hate Thom Tillis? Let Us Count the Ways

Republican Speaker of the NC House, slickster Thom Tillis, had barely gotten his announcement for U.S. Senate out before he was being savaged by Tea Partiers, whose rage appears to have been building up for dangerous weeks.

Dr. Greg Brannon, a Tea Party fringe character, an OB/GYN doc in Cary and until Tillis announced the only declared Republican candidate to challenge incumbent Democrat Kay Hagen, said that Tillis was the "poster child for why I'm in this race," and we're pretty sure that by "poster child," he didn't mean anything good.

Brannon went on: "If Republicans in this state would rather be represented by a political insider, heavily influenced by special interests, who has taken liberal positions on legislation in the North Carolina State House, including ferry tolls, interstate toll HOT Lanes and the protection of telecommunication monopolies at the expense of smaller free market competitors, then Mr. Tillis has certainly proven he is willing to compromise on our core conservative principles to benefit his friends."

Ouch. Only real problem is that Dr. Brannon is not considered  a serious contender.

Tea Party blogger Brant Clifton piled on.

They surely do hate Thom Tillis.

The Slick One Begins His U.S. Senate Campaign

Thom Tillis, backed by a 501 (c) 4 group, began his Republican primary race yesterday. He's the Speaker of the NC House, first among the radicals, though he poses as a moderate. He's only one of several foam-flecked Republicans who want to take on Kay Hagan next year.

Some of Thom Tillis's greatest hits:

He called a sudden and unannounced 1 a.m. session of the NC House in 2011 to override a Perdue veto and then threw a public tantrum when the press called him out on this flagrant abuse of the system, labeling the Charlotte Observer "road kill."

He gave his chief of staff (and roommate) a $12,000 "parting gift" when the chief of staff was forced to resign for boinking a lobbyist.

Though he kept denying that he was behind the notorious anti-gay Amendment 1, he was the chief manipulator who got it into the state's constitution.

He told a partisan audience in Mars Hill that his budget plan for North Carolina was to "divide and conquer" the poor by shredding their safety net. Yeah, that's the ticket! Let's pit poor people against disabled people for the good of the state!

It was the Thom Tillis-engineered state budget that accelerated the crippling of public education in North Carolina.

He had Rev. William Barber, head of the NC NAACP, arrested and handcuffed when Barber dared to protest the radical agenda of the new Republican majority in the NC House. “When I have a respectful request I'll be happy to meet with people who treat my House with respect,” Tillis said. One protestor replied, “Your house? We're paying for it. It's our house."

Kay Hagan Gets Her First Official Republican Challenger

Dr. Greg Brannon, an OB/GYN in Cary, NC, has announced his intention of running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate next year. It's likely to be a crowded field, after Thom Tillis and Phil Berger (and who knows who else) get into it.

Dr. Brannon receives mixed reviews from women patients. While some women seem to think that his overt Christianity is just what they need, others lean the other way:

Avoid this practice. I was referred to Dr. Brannon by a friend. My first visit was fine. Dr. Brannon thinks he's funny so he's always cracking jokes and being silly, but it was tolerable. He had his staff give me some literature to read and I scheduled a second appointment. Dr. Brannon was rude, unprofessional, insulting and condescending. I asked the nurse a question and she looked frightened to answer. He ordered some tests and left the room abruptly. I told the nurse to not bother with it as I would not be returning there. I am SO glad I was not seeing him during a pregnancy. I would feel trapped with his Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde personality. Thankfully, I learned his true colors early on and didn't get caught up in the toxicity of that place. Please, please, do yourself (and your future baby) a favor and steer clear of this man with the serious God-complex.

Horrid experience-Find somewhere else. This Dr. is very rude and full of himself. I know it may be hard to believe just reading reviews, however take peoples word ( words ) for it and stay away!! I do not understand why some people find him to be energetic and confident and others say he is arrogant and rude. That is confusing to say the least. I have personally witnessed:

1. screaming at staff

2. making condescending remarks personally at me

3. belittling me

4. off color "jokes" ( and I use that term loosely)

5. Other small items I will not mention

Do your research,he cannot keep ANY Drs with him in his practice.. that in itself speaks VOLUMES

RUN-DONT WALK-AWAY FROM THIS PRACTICE. I regret being a patient at this office. Dr Brannon is so arrogant and non professional, he thinks hes some sort of comedian and treats his office staff very rude. I overheard serveral comments screamed to the staff just in the short time I was there. He obviously has trouble keeping Drs. in practice with him. I know his website screams Christianity, but I havent witnessed any huge amount of caring or consideration for fellow woman, in this instance.....

Source.

Gerrymandering Won't Save Gov. McCrory

Republicans everywhere, including that genius of understatement Joe Scarbrough, are touting gerrymandering as the only reason Republicans still control the U.S. House of Representatives.

We hope they'll keep strutting that stuff, because more voters need to understand just exactly what Art Pope's computer achieved in North Carolina, which is a prime example of the corrosive power-grab that The Gerrymander actually is.

We thank NC Policy Watch for pointing out that "the 13 Democratic candidates for Congress in North Carolina received 81,000 more votes in total than their 13 Republican challengers, even though only four Democrats won their seats."

Maybe the voters of North Carolina will allow that situation to continue indefinitely, to their own detriment, or maybe not.

But those planning to "take out" Sen. Kay Hagan in 2014 might take note that a Senate seat can't be gerrymandered, and Gov. Pat McCrory, already in thrall to the most extreme elements of his party, might also want to pay attention. As a voting whole, North Carolina hasn't shown that much genuine affection for the new Republican "brand," and McCrory's idiot grin may begin to wear thin when he starts signing all that extremist legislation coming out of Raleigh.

Thanks for That Clarification

"WE ARE THE 1%" reads the sign posted in the windows of the Chicago Board of Trade ... in response to Occupy Chicago, a ripple (one of hundreds of ripples across the country) emanating from Occupy Wall Street.

Well, you didn't expect the fat cats to walk humbly among the people, did you?

Meanwhile, NC Senator Kay Hagan has signed on to legislation (with John McCain) to ... wait for it ... slash corporate taxes on giant multi-nationals. We join the Progressive Pulse in being flummoxed. Baffled. Bewildered. Confounded. Discombobulated.

Really, Senator?

Senator Hagan Sided with the Bankers

On a major showdown over what fees the big banks can charge every time you swipe your debit card for a purchase, our own Democratic Senator Kay Hagan danced with who bought/brought her, the Big Banks.

And go figure this: Sen. Dick Burr voted with the other side.

According to The Hill, "The vote abruptly ended the biggest K Street battle of 2011, a debate that pitted banks and credit unions against a coalition of retailers and consumer-rights groups."

Birds of a feather and all that. Hagan worked for ten years as a vice president of NCNB, now known as Bank of America. Her loyalties seem to lean more toward that privileged class than toward consumers, which makes her not (alas) unique among Democrats in the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Dick Burr? We dunno, but we can thank him for his vote.

Sen. Hagan has a "Third Way"

Sen. Kay Hagan is honorary co-chair of the new-ish blue dog group, Third Way.

Third Way has THE PLAN for Democrats:

Give up on everything you've ever stood for, including Social Security and health care for all, and follow the Republicans into the abyss.

Tighten your friggin' belts, citizens, 'cause the Corporations/Banksters are feeling peckish (which is to say, "deprived" and "put upon").

Par-TAY! Let's all model ourselves on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

Here's an Idea, Sen. Hagan: Get Our Money Back From the Banksters Who Stole It!

Sen. Kay Hagan's banker genes reassert themselves.

News, North Carolina: "You little people are going to have to sacrifice even more to 'pay down the national debt,' because we corporatist Democrats will never ever call the billionaires who stole all the money and brought on the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression to account for their crimes."

Charge 'em, prosecute 'em, and get the money back.