I'm surprised I didn't smell this one, because the convening of our state's most ardent conservatives was apparently quite the to-do this weekend. I guess the wind must have been in my favor when Virginia Foxx headlined the NCGOP Annual Whining Session in the Triangle. Rob Christensen wrote the story,
a pretty good one for the News and Observer.
Across the South, there has been a rising GOP tide. But even though North Carolina votes Republican for president and the U.S. Senate, nearly a generation has elapsed since a Republican was elected governor -- Jim Martin in 1988. Full control of the legislature has eluded the GOP for a century. In no other Southern state have Democrats so dominated state politics.
"It is a travesty that North Carolina is controlled by the Democrats," said U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from Banner Elk, at a breakfast Saturday at the N.C. Conservative Leadership Conference.
A travesty? What the f*ck is that supposed to mean? It's bad enough that the assholes have destroyed our international reputation, our fiscal health, and the rule of law at the national level. Now they want to get their claws on North Carolina state government too?
That is why about 400 conservatives gathered Friday and Saturday at a hotel near Research Triangle Park to discuss ways, as the organizers put it, "to reclaim North Carolina." The conference brought together activists from across the state. They participated in workshops and heard speakers call for a crackdown on illegal immigration, cuts in state spending and taxes, a law to make English the official state language, a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and an end to taxpayer incentives to recruit businesses.
So much for the party of ideas. But I guess when you don't really give a shit about regular people anyway, this probably looks like a fine and dandy agenda. Straight from the lyin' lips of the Puppetmaster and his sidekick, Jack Hawke. (Sounds like a wrasslin' tag team, no?)
Hoping to use those issues -- and exploit the controversies surrounding Democratic House Speaker Jim Black -- conservatives seek to gain control of the legislature in November. Democrats have a 29-21 advantage in the Senate and a 63-57 edge in the House. But to do so, the Republicans must overcome some countervailing political winds. House Republicans remain bitterly divided by factional warfare, including an efforts by conservatives to oust Speaker Pro Tem Richard Morgan, the highest-ranking Republican in the legislature.
The Republicans must also deal with their own scandals in Washington, as well as an increasingly unpopular war in Iraq.
Can you say "Culture of Corruption?"
The organizer was Jack Hawke, a former state GOP chairman who now leads the Civitas Institute, a Raleigh-based conservative organization. Other sponsors beside Civitas include the John Locke Foundation, the N.C. Family Policy Council, the National Rifle Association and the state Christian Action League.
Shoot. The Puppetshow was playing right in my own back yard and I missed it. They even had George "Bushbot" Allen of Virginia, a likely GOP presidential candidate in 2008.
Although the conference was nonpartisan, an underlying theme was how conservatives, through the Republican Party, can better appeal to voters.
Nonpartisan? Come on News and Observer, WTF is that supposed to mean? Every asshole there was a certified wingnut. How can you call it nonpartisan?
For one thing, while Republicans have run candidates with star quality, such as Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr, for the Senate their candidates for governor have been less stellar.
If Dull and Burr are as good as it gets in North Carolina for the Repugs, it's no wonder they can't do squat in the legislature. But then, of course, they had to pay homage to the Number One Racist in Chief, Senator No, who is rumored to be nearly done with life on earth, and will soon be making his bed in hell.
"There has been a void in leadership in the conservative movement in North Carolina, especially since Sen. Helms retired," said former Raleigh Mayor Tom Fetzer. "We need a new generation of conservative leaders to come forward and accept the mantle." As if if to capture the old Jesse Helms magic, the conference held one panel discussion called "Helms' Principles" where former aides recalled anecdotes about the man who helped build the modern Republican Party.
So much for the party of ideas. Really BAD ideas.