Governor Beverly Perdue

If they exhibited a fraction of this energy trying to fix our unemployment problem, we might not have one:

SenatorBerger 5:55pm via Twitter for iPhone Berger: "I want to state clearly, on the record, that I do NOT support suspending our next gubernatorial election." #ncga #ncpol

Here's the quote these dimwits are so wound up about:

Kudo's to Chris for calling him out:

As recently as the end of July, McCrory was saying that he was trying “to gauge the level of support and confidence in a potential McCrory campaign.” Those remarks came after news that McCrory’s unannounced campaign had raised just over a million dollars in the last year. That is a lot of money for a gauge.

Yeah, it is. And methinks the BoE needs to take a look at which account these checks are going into:

The light of responsibility shines in the darkness:

Perdue vetoed three more bills this afternoon, one that would limit environmental regulations, another on off-shore drilling and natural gas extraction from slate, and one that set requirements for Medicaid and Health Choice providers.

Perdue was bombarded by emails and telephone calls asking her to veto the regulatory and energy bills, but in her written statements she cited narrow, constitutional reasons.

This is probably a sign of the times, but these Vetoes caught me by surprise. I was afraid to even hope, and that's a damned sad place to be. Thanks for proving me wrong, Bev.

Doing the only responsible thing she could:

This budget will result in generational damage. It tears at the very fibers that make North Carolina strong – not only our schools, but also our communities, our environment, our public safety system and our ability to care for those who need us most.

The General Assembly may be satisfied with a state in reverse, but I am not. Therefore, I veto this bill.

Thank you, Bev. Whether they override or not, it was the right thing to do.

Blasting the GOP's cuts to education:

Too many of our school teachers are already buying classroom materials out of pocket, but the General Assembly wants to cut funding for school supplies by 42 percent.

They want to terminate tens of thousands of teacher assistants, K-12 teachers, university faculty, community college instructors and administrators at every level. They have taken aim at teachers who educate our gifted students, and our high-needs students - with no regard for the children they serve.

Veto, Veto, Veto. There's $630 million set aside for tax cuts and a 1 cent sales tax that could make all the difference in the world for teachers and students, but the GOP's not going to give those up without a fight. Win or lose, it's a fight that must happen.

There's ambition, and then there's blatant conquest:

The State Board of Education shall consist of the Lieutenant Governor, the Treasurer, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, three members appointed by the Governor, four members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and four members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

Yeah, that old Constitution is just a piece of paper, and if it says the Governor appoints eleven members (it does), then just tear it up and write another one!

This depends on what your definition of "liberal" is:

Governor Bev Perdue has been liberal with her use of the veto stamp this legislative session and now lawmakers want her to know they don't approve.

In a surprising turn of events, the Republican leadership attempted two veto overrides on Wednesday with mixed results.

They weren't "mixed results"; Republicans got their asses kicked in the House, so they tried to save face by passing a pointless Senate Veto override, which won't mean a damned thing if they can't fix their House problem.

Giving instructions to Democratic Legislators:

Hayes sent out news releases calling on four House members to join with Republicans to join the overrride. They are Reps. Dewey Hill of Whiteville, Timothy Spear of Creswell, William Brisson of Dublin and Frank McGuirt of Wingate. Brisson and Democratic Rep. Jim Crawford were the two Democrats who had voted with the Republicans to pass the bill.

You know, I've tried to be Mr. Pragmatic, and not be so critical of Democrats who jump off the Platform from time to time. But if you choose to side with the GOP Chairman instead of your Party's Governor, that "D" after your name is a sham.

Gary Pearce gets to the heart of the matter:

She could work with the Republicans to cut nearly $4 billion. The political goal there would be to show that she can get things done with the other party.

Or she could draw a line in the sand and fight. She could say that cutting $4 billion would cause too much damage to education and human services. She could propose extending the temporary sales tax – or even other tax increases – to make up part of the gap.

Whether it's a policy move with political ramifications or vice-versa, the budget proposal Governor Perdue submits to the Legislature should be a true representation of her vision for the state.

I just received this update from the Governor's office via e-mail:

Governor asks business leaders for ideas

Excepting the Governor's letterhead and Facebook/Twitter logos that aren't active links, that's all the text that was in the body of the e-mail. It's possible my e-mail system blocked other text, so I'll set aside my observation that giving me only a headline is ambiguous bordering on spooky.

My real PR advice is this: While it may be okay (or even recommended) that you seek feedback from various entities, stakeholders, etc., it's also not something you want to brag about too much. After a while, it takes on the aroma of incompetence: "Help! We've run out of ideas and are adrift in a sea of confusion!"