GOP Virtue in the Age of Twitterman

Reverend Mark Harris’s first primary run in 2016 against incumbent Republican Representative Robert Pittenger failed, in part, because of his trouncing in absentee-by-mail voting. In a race where each of his rivals accrued at least 411 absentee-by-mail votes, Harris had just 195. He lost by 134 votes. That was before his campaign hired Leslie McCrae Dowless for the 2018 primary against Pittenger.

“I’m sure as he was planning his campaign this time, he probably calculated that he needed a strong grass-roots showing,” said Tami Fitzgerald, the executive director of the North Carolina Values Coalition, which supported the insurgent bids by Rev. Harris in both 2016 and 2018. “As far as I can tell, Mark definitely learned some things as he went through his first two campaigns, but he’s always been a good candidate as far as his appreciation for what’s right and what’s truthful and what’s virtuous.”

And all the people said, "Amen! And pass the collection plate."

Rev. Harris still ain't talking about election fraud.

A Rising Tide Can Sink Boats, Too

I'm going for another metaphor altogether: Republican retirements from the North Carolina General Assembly are beginning to pile up like cordwood before a hard winter, with more to come.

Most recent: Susan Martin of Wilson, a three-term member of Republican leadership in the NC House. Her redrawn district -- redrawn by the Republicans under court order -- became harder to win, they say, "more Democratic" (Carter Wrenn, quoted by Laura Leslie).

Martin had a near-death experience in her last reelection in 2016, beating her Democratic male opponent by a mere 163 votes. (What's going on with Martin in Wilson and Pitt counties?) So late 2017 turned out to look pretty good for announcing your retirement, if you were Susan Martin.

In the NC Senate, Cathy Dunn (Davidson) announced she wouldn't run again. Health, they say.

Laura Leslie mentioned others headed for the exits, some of them double-bunked with other Republicans by the most recent court-ordered redistricting, and some of them surprising retirements. Senator Ron Rabin of Harnett County is bowing out, after easily winning reelection in 2016. Wake County's Senator Chad Barefoot got "double-bunked" with Republican Senator John Alexander. Barefoot didn't want to be in a Republican primary in 2018. He opted out.

Barefoot was an active and successful legislator, at least until the courts threw out his redistricting laws for Wake County (and Wake County alone), redrawing lines on maps to make it possible for Republicans to reassert themselves on School Board and County Commission after losing control of both. Both his redistricting laws were ruled unconstitutional in the courts. Barefoot has a famous flying-wedge mother-in-law: Tami Fitzgerald, lobbyist for "Republican family values."

Senator Bill Cook of Beaufort County ... out the door, and careful not to let it hit him. He was double-bunked with an incumbent Democratic woman, with the district already trending decidedly Democratic.

Senator Tommy Tucker of Union County, who ran unopposed in the general elections of 2012, 2014, and 2016, will not run again. He's somewhat famous for a hot temper. But he'd risen to be the top Republican tax-policy writer in the General Assembly and had only served four terms. Did he see the distant water grow closer? Did he taste something metallic on the rising breeze?

Uh-Oh. There's a Disturbance in the Farce*

*Hattip: EH & GN

Last Friday, Renee Ellmers fired back at her conservative critics in a blog post on her official U.S. House website. Ellmers has been in trouble with the cray-cray crowd over her opposition to the Ban All Abortions After 20 Weeks bill that was supposed to have been passed on Jan. 22, to coincide with the Washington March for Life. Ellmers' opposition seems to have killed the bill at the last minute, and conservatives are pissed. Like, extremely.

So Ellmers took them on: "I am appalled by the abhorrent and childish behaviors from some of the leaders of the outside groups." We suppose she was referring to Tami Fitzgerald, head of the NC Values Coalition, among other paint-strippers on the right like tea-blogger Brant Clifton, who has made biting Ellmers' ankles a personal project practically since she was first elected.

Near the end of her blog post, Ellmers returned to the Tami Fitzgeralds and the Brant Cliftons of this world: "It’s unimaginable to me why some outside parties would seek to target strong, pro-life conservative women and men who are serving in Congress."

Yeah. Go figure.

Brace Yourself, People!

The Republican-dominated General Assembly of North Carolina reconvenes at noon today, and the trouble will start at approximately 12:01 p.m.

Expect a flurry of The Cray-Cray, starting with Rep. Skip Stam's artfully titled "Religious Freedom Restoration Act," which is really a license to discriminate against The Gay, if you feel so led by whatever god you're genuflecting to this week. It's no big secret that Stam's proposed law is meant "to ensure that private business owners have the right to refuse service to customers on the basis of their religious faith."

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2015/01/27/4509542_legislators-expected-to-attend.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

Stam has long been the leading jihadist for theocracy in the General Assembly, a hardliner on women's abortion rights, and he intends to be gay people's biggest nightmare as well as an Olympic generator of lawsuits and taxpayer-funded lawyer fees.

The N.C. Values Coalition, led by the helmet-haired Tami Fitzgerald, is holding a private "briefing" on the new legislation for lawmakers this afternoon. The public and the press ... don't even try to get in.

Not to be out-done, NC Senate dictator Phil Berger "said last fall that he plans legislation that would allow magistrates and registers of deeds to refuse to participate in same-sex marriages if it goes against their religious beliefs."

Because -- you dull-witted citizens out there! -- the biggest threat to North Carolina and the "problem" that outweighs every other issue facing us in 2015 is The Gay and the shuddering thought that they can now marry. And eat chicken-'n-dumplings in your sacred restaurant.

Interesting Smoke Signals Out of Raleigh

Breaking News: John Skvarla, the man Gov. McCrory put in charge of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and who then subsequently presided over Duke Energy's coal ash debacle, is OUT at DENR and will instead take over the Department of Commerce, because his industrial toadying will fit in better there. McCrory never fires anyone. He just shifts them around in various jobs, hoping one of them will draw less press scrutiny.

Skvarla, incidentally, believes that oil/gas are renewable resources (yikes), and he's a climate change skeptic. He'll fit right in with the Commerce Department!

Meanwhile, over at the Department of Health and Human Services, and after 18 months of waiting since the General Assembly passed a new abortion law mandating stringent new rules on abortion clinics, the new rules have been published, and ... meh. Apparently, no clinics will have to close because of them.

Helmet-headed moral scold Tami Fitzgerald is outraged about the laxness of the proposed new rules, so you can bet that the General Assembly will get another crack at blocking off choices open to women. Guaranteed: abortion and women's rights will again be making headlines in NC in 2015:

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ proposed regulations were formally published in the state register Monday. That begins a process of public comment before the final regulations are adopted. If 10 or more people object, which is common with a controversial set of rules, then the General Assembly will have to make a final determination, and the abortion debates would begin again in the House and Senate.

Makes one wonder, though, if this isn't another one of McCrory's gestures of moderation. He had promised as a candidate that he would do nothing to make abortion more difficult in NC. Then he up and obediently signed the General Assembly's extreme new law. Now his DHHS goes all wobbly over the new rules.

Skvarla out at DENR ... abortion clinics allowed to continue in service ... what's next?

Gov. McCrory Feels Miss Tami's Whip

This person, Tami Fitzgerald, head of the NC Values Coalition, chief anti-gay cheerleader, and enthusiastic demon-hunter, blistered Governor Pat McCrory because he said he would take no action to fight a Federal judge's overturning of North Carolina's anti-gay marriage amendment.

What She Said

“Where was the governor's concern for the defense of our Constitution when a rogue judge enjoined the marriage amendment that 61 percent of North Carolina voters passed?”

What She Meant

Closets are for furs and gay people. Look it up!

What She Said

 “It is a shame when our governor is more interested in expanding his executive power than he is in actually protecting and defending a real threat to our Constitution — the overreach of power by a federal judge who enjoined the marriage amendment and forced same-sex marriage on our state.”

What She Meant

If anyone is going to overreach her power, it's going to be me!

.....

Guess the Guv will be taking a plate of cookies to Tami Fitzgerald.

Blame Dick Burr and 95 Other Senators for Your "Activist Judge"

Tami Fitzgerald

Soon after Asheville Federal Judge declared Amendment One unconstitutional on Friday, 50s-throw-back Tami Fitzgerald of the NC Values Coalition issued a deliberately misleading statement attacking him as an "activist judge":

“Today over 60% of the voters in North Carolina are disheartened to learn that the actions of an activist judge who was appointed by Obama and confirmed by Kay Hagan could so easily override the will of the people, but we take heart in knowing that marriage – that defined by God – can never truly be redefined.

“This is why our US Senate election is so important. The US Senate is responsible for confirming federal judges, and we don’t want Kay Hagan to continue appointing activist liberal judges like Judge Cogburn.” – Tami Fitzgerald, NC Values Coalition

Fitzgerald blamed Kay Hagan (and, of course, "Obama") for this abomination of a Federal judge, but Seth Effron offered the truth on Politics North Carolina:

Here’s what [Republican Senator Dick] Burr said about Cogburn during his Nov. 17, 2010 confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee: “He is an excellent choice and I believe will be a great addition to the court. … He was admitted to the bar in 1976 and has made a name for himself, with a strong record in his legal career and in public service; an assistant U.S. attorney; a chief assistant U.S. attorney; magistrate judge; and, currently, a partner at Cogburn & Brazil. During his 12 years as a federal prosecutor, he was also the lead attorney on the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. As an assistant U.S. attorney, he was responsible for prosecuting murder cases, drug trafficking, voter fraud, among other federal crimes. … Out of all the qualifications that Max Cogburn brings to this nomination, let me say this. He is a good man and we need good individuals to serve on our bench. I highly recommend to the Committee that we move as expeditiously this nominee as we can.” ...

In the highly partisan environment in pre-2012 election Washington, his nomination was approved 96-0 on March 10, 2011. Support came from Republicans Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Jim DeMint, then a Republican from South Carolina.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Tami Fitzgerald.