NCGOP Responds to New York Times Editorial
In response to the editorial ‘The Decline of North Carolina’ published by the New York Times editorial board on July 9, 2013, newly elected Chairman Claude Pope of the North Carolina Republican Party submitted an open letter to the New York Times.
The pleasantly snide commentary is a welcome retort. While elected officials often have to “play nice”, especially the farther up the hierarchy they are, political party operatives enjoy the freedom to be more creative when either attacking the other side or defending their own. This type of response is a welcome change from the usually bland, if even existent at all, prose that we have seen in recent years. Hopefully the start of a trend, and one that will filter down to our local pond as well.
Here is the text of the open letter:
Thank you, New York Times. We southern hillbillies are always honored when the Old Gray Lady’s beacons of intelligence bestow their political wisdom from on high.
And why shouldn’t we be eager to heed your advice on critical legislative matters pending in the Tar Heel State?
After all, you’ve stood courageously against some of humanity’s most imminent threats – like soda. Does the thought of hiking taxes on North Carolina’s job creators make your Ivy League hearts flutter as fast as a new tax on Dr. Pepper? It must. Why else would you be so serious about leaving the unemployed stuck in poverty, instead of helping them climb out of it by creating new jobs?
You’re one of the world’s most ardent advocates of diversity and tolerance. Except the ideological kind, of course. Remember 1956? That’s the last time you endorsed a Republican presidential candidate.
That’s right: Carter, Dukakis, Mondale – all met your elite editorial standards. So it’s understandable you felt the need to traipse into this General Assembly’s business, with no mention of the Democrat disaster that preceded it.
If you had ever stepped foot in North Carolina, you’d know the carnage you describe is actually a massive rebuilding and clean-up effort. Your ideological soul mates sunk this state into a financial hole larger than your collective egos.
No wonder the liberals here swoon over your every word. What you oracles of knowledge lack in humility, you certainly make up for in fair-mindedness, and accuracy.
Although, your “demolition derby” of hyperbole did miss the mark on our legislative agenda. The voter ID laws we’re “rushing” through have actually been in the works since January. The convicted death row inmates you defend – those guilty of some of our state’s most egregious, violent crimes – already have an avenue to prove discrimination, one that doesn’t rely on faulty political science research.
What was it, exactly, about North Carolina that you found so “farsighted”? Was it double-digit unemployment? Horrendous dropout rates? Declining wages? The highest taxes in the Southeast?
And spend more money for better education, you say? How’s that working for your public schools, NYC? Still poorly-performing, and poverty stricken?
Oh, and thanks for all the revenue. The “grotesque” policies you decry are bringing North Carolina more residents from New York than any other state in the nation.
Thanks again, New York Times. We aspire one day to live in a state as progressive, clean and friendly as your city. And to live in a world as enlightened as your editorial board.
Mr. Pope’s response adds further credence to the notion we are legislated by bumpkins that are dumber than a box of rocks. Yet again, instead of defending the legislation borne of right-wing extremism and widely discredited as poor governance, at home and abroad, our representation responds with insulting half-truths and the all-too-predictable liberal bashing that comes from wing nuts with no ideas and no clue.
If this is the best he can do, the perception of North Carolina turning into an impoverished backwater controlled by simpletons has been strongly reinforced.
Zon you are the master of the insulting half truths- was surprised to see you posting today, I thought you would be too busy fellating the fat ass NAACP guy in an after action celebration of another Moron Monday.
What can I say, y’all make too easy a target to resist. Getting a infantile response from a wing nut is easier than attracting hogs to slop. Pun intended. Wassamatter, you couldn’t make it to Thankful Tuesday? Or is it that you couldn’t find it because the Progressives beat y’all to your own website? That’s some crowd y’all had, looked like about enough people to fit into a closet that’s already half full.
The Moron Monday crowd has three elements:
1. People with jobs who are fraudulently taking sick days.
2. People without jobs who are fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits and are required by law to be looking for work.
3. Clergy who should be tending to their local parishioners and who are violating their tax-exempt status by engaging in partisan political activity.
Yet another wing nut in denial. Is that you, Pat?
4. People “employed” by professional protesting organizations.
Maxi. What I see is the same #nutroots who were banging pots outside the Duke Lacrosse Team Apartment. They are as clueless about these issues as they were about that one but hey it makes them ‘feel’ better.
Maybe that Senator or Rep who is the Dentist can open up a free clinic in the building on Mondays and they can arrest and heavily fine the protestors under the Freedom to Access to Clinics Act.
I call them #MoronMondays. Ever see the nutroots slogans? They think words that make a 4 year old snicker is the height of wit. Check some out at Sister Toldja’s twitter.
Zon did you take communion on the tongue from the Rev Billy Barber?
Hey all, let’s try to keep some of the personal stuff at bay. I love a good debate, but we can do better than call people names or insinuate random acts upon them.
That said, Zon, Conservatives are routinely the recipients of snarky ridicule by the left. After all, that is part of the “Rule for Radicals” playbook.
In my view, what is happening here, is that the NY Times post was so flawed, so without merit, and so blatantly laughable, that the only proper response was exactly along the lines of what Claude undertook. Yes, it’s snarky. That’s the point.
What I’d like to know, despite your distaste for the tone in which the article was answered, is what about it is incorrect? What untruths are told that cause you to assume that we are the ones with no clue?
Frankly, it’s about damn time that the GOP got a little feisty. This isn’t high school debate club, there are real consequences to legislative actions. Conservatives lose too often because we play too nice. About time someone in leadership decided to jump in and mix it up a bit.
Thanks for your posts by the way. I like having a liberal here.
I don’t believe I used the word ‘untruths’, it was half-truths. As I see it, those are as follows:
His statement regarding the repeal of the racial justice act – Defendants have no other avenue to establish that their sentences were as a result of the color of their skin. If these defendants were not sentenced to death, at least in part, because of the color of their skin why are the overwhelming number of defendants on death row black and why are the majority of whites sentenced for capital crimes in jail for life.
His statement on unemployment is particularly egregious because his assertion that unemployment is going to magically go away because unemployment benefits are cut is beyond hyperbole.
His assertion of ‘a massive rebuilding effort’. What, exactly, has this legislature built? All I see them doing is tearing down: Education funding, women’s rights, workers rights, voters rights, stealing city’s property and so on. Help me understand what they are building unless you want to count their campaign coffers from the self-interested corporate donors or propping up pay-day lenders and gaming operations.
His derision of Carter, Dukakis and Mondale because he does not like their critique is irrelevant and infantile. As is bringing soda into the discussion. As my original post said, instead of countering their points with reasoned arguments he communicates like a belligerent schoolchild who’s only tool is infantile insults. Much like one of the responders to my post. And that response only further reinforces the notion of what the Times said in the first place. Partisans will disagree, recent polls do not.
PS. The literal definition of liberal is open-minded. The literal definition of conservative is close-minded. I’m not a political liberal, but definitely not close-minded. I guess I’m one of those RINO’s y’all keep talking about.
Zon makes it up as he goes along. The Classical definition of Liberal: capitalized : of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism; especially : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives
You will notice this is no longer entirely accurate and Liberals have become conservative – embracing no change and trying to keep things as they are. Climate change radicals are liberals and would keep things the same. The Moral Monday protesters are feeders at the trough and would keep their money flowing freely – wanting no change. Zon says repeatedly he doesn’t want voting laws to change and the list goes on. No do liberals want economic freedom, except from work – believing strongly in using government for transfer payments to themselves. SO it seems the liberals have become those who want no change and certainly no economic freedom and conservatives those who do want change and personal and economic freedom.
I guess Christian’s request to keep the personal stuff at bay only applies to ‘the liberal’.
Zon, my brown eyes cry for your pain.
have any of you ever met a Liberal who was open minded on Abortion? Welfare Reform? Taxes? Anything? I didn’t think so. You either toe the current party line or you’re ostracized.
I think Juan Williams found how opened minded they are at NPR.
The people who gather in Raleigh, NC each Monday to protest the Republican politicians who were duly elected to four year terms by the voters of North Carolina in November 2012 are part of various fringe elements who want to continue to rape the taxpayers of North Carolina in order to get mo’ free sheet for their clients, all of whom elected President Hussein Obama. The “Moron Monday” protests are all about the redistribution of economic wealth from middle-class people who actually work for a living to support their families to the Democrat Party base . . . and you know who THEY are, dont you?
Redistributing wealth from the middle class to huge corporations is much better. 63% of adults are unable to find/have a full time time job right now..do we know who THEY are is the question…and do we care.
I too, liked that Pat fought back. If only he would do the same to his own party who is selling our state to the highest bidder and is expanding, not decreasing, government intrusion in our lives, and decreasing, not increasing, local control. Pat talks a good game but the fact is the tail is wagging the dog and just like Tillis is peddling legislation and plum government jobs for money, Pat is peddling his soul and his beliefs to Tillis. If you can stand up to the NYT, Pat, you can stand up to the crooks in your own party. DO IT.