Lobbyists with Republican credentials are in hot demand among the various interest groups that want something from the NC General Assembly’s new GOP majority. The News & Observer and Associated Press have two stories describing who’s hiring whom and why. The Associated Press also has an initial overview of the campaign fundraising in the 2010 [...]
WRAL-TV has a lengthy news report tonight on the upcoming controversy about requiring NC voters to show a photo ID each time they vote. The viewer may think a legislative proposal has already been filed but the NC General Assembly doesn’t begin until January 26; the reference in the WRAL report is to a bill [...]
In the wake of the Tucson shootings, many people are again calling for measures to slow the rate of gun violence. As in the past, such calls will meet stiff opposition from one of the best funded and most powerful special interests in America: the National Rifle Association. The NRA spent about $18 million on [...]
The final campaign disclosure reports for North Carolina’s 2010 election cycle are rolling into the State Board of Elections this week (postmark deadline: Jan. 11), so hopefully we’ll see some detailed analysis by the media and others of who raised how much, from what special interests, etc. The Charlotte Observer is first out of the [...]
The Pope Civitas Institute is trumpeting a poll designed to help Republican lawmakers who want NC voters to show a government-issued photo ID each time they vote (except, oddly, for when they vote through the mail). The Pope Civitas poll says 83% of voters would approve a government ID requirement. And it claims that 99% [...]
Remember Tom DeLay, aka “The Hammer” – one of the most powerful men in Congress when George W. Bush was president? A judge sentenced the former US Representative from Texas to three years in prison for an elaborate scheme to funnel $190,000 in illegal corporate contributions into state elections. The money helped Republicans win a [...]
A new edition of Democracy NC's brochure featuring quotes and photographs of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is now available. It includes information about the upcoming H K on J assembly in Raleigh, the redistricting process affecting local and state political districts, the controversial proposal to require a photo ID for voting, and Dr. King's challenge [...]
The investment by Art Pope Inc. in NC General Assembly elections could begin to look like a buyout of the state legislature. Not only did Pope’s corporate money (from Roses department stores and his other enterprises) play a decisive role in Republican victories, he now has staff members from his wholly owned non-profits moving over [...]
Rep. Renee Ellmers, the Tea Party candidate who beat Bob Etheridge, was one of a host of Republican freshmen members of Congress who hosted a lavish fundraising event at a Washington hotel yesterday, just before being sworn in today. Major lobby groups were asked to give $50,000 for the event’s full “VIP package.” Fox News highlights [...]
Legislatures with Republican majorities around the country are chomping at the bit to pass new legislation of vital importance. What could this proposal be that has such urgency and broad appeal among GOP lawmakers? A plan for stimulating new jobs? An answer for balancing the state budget? No, the new legislation pretends it addresses the [...]