AUTHOR: DARIEN FLOWERS
The 2012 election is over. No more advertisements or messages from the candidates on Pandora. The votes have been tallied and the elections certified. From President through dogcatcher, the American people have spoken and selected who they want representing them in government. While many are touting the result of the 2012 election as a triumph of the Democratic Party and liberalism across the country, Republicans should be rejoicing given the outcomes in North Carolina. With these victories, I predict that North Carolina will not only come to the forefront as an example of success within the GOP, but also increase its stature as a player in national politics.
Voters put a Republican in the Executive Mansion for the first time in 20 years and extended the party's advantage to a supermajority in both houses of the General Assembly. Furthermore, they kept control of the state’s Supreme Court, in effect clinching the political trifecta. The current political landscape presents an unprecedented opportunity for N.C. Republicans. Governor Pat McCrory has stated he plans to institute a “climate of customer service” in the state capital. Starting from his cabinet and moving down throughout his administration, McCrory has assembled at team that is ready and able to tackle North Carolina’s toughest problems. Those problems include healthcare, which will be addressed by Aldona Wos, and the state’s finances, which will be addressed by the hard-charging Art Pope. While specifics have yet to come from the governor regarding policies, indications from McCrory’s campaign foretell a generous selection of the GOP’s greatest hits, from elimination of the Death Tax and reduction of corporate income rates to pursuing an “All-of-the-Above” energy plan. These are just some of the many things that North Carolinians should expect from their newly minted governor.
While setting a policy agenda comes from the Governor, the execution of that vision happens in the state legislature, and Pat McCrory has a friend in the General Assembly. Under the leadership of Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate President Pro-Tempore Phil Berger, the legislature is promising to move quickly starting day one with a new wave of long-needed reforms for the Tar Heel state.
Lawmakers will convene soon to elect chamber leaders and work through other formalities now that Republicans have expanded their majorities in both the House and Senate. With a governor from the same political party, Republican leaders plan to plow new ground and revisit issues they could not get past House Democrats or former Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue last session.
Legislative leaders are preparing for a fast start. Senate leader Phil Berger has already put members on notice that they should expect to be ready to begin committee meetings and to move bills when they get back in session at the end of this month. He said newcomers – who account for nearly a third of the 170 legislators – have a few weeks before the session starts to get acclimated. It sounds like the legislative rookies will be expected to become veterans in a short amount of time.
In the House, Speaker Tillis has appointed committee chairmen and announced committee assignments. Tillis has said he wants efficiency and a pace akin to the 2011 session. Republicans in 2011 boasted they had the shortest “long session” since 1973, at 87 days. I expect they will try to match or beat that record during 2013.
The GOP was able to maintain its control of the state’s high court with the reelection of Justice Paul Newby. This is a key piece in the puzzle of governance for North Carolina. Justice Newby’s majority vote on the court gives Republicans the final seal of approval on their regulatory reforms that will come from the governor’s office and legislative building. Newby will give the GOP an additional advantage when the State inevitably engages in its unofficial pass time, legal battles over redistricting.
It is this political brain trust that will provide the leadership for a new day in North Carolina. These proven leaders have been selected and empowered by their constituents to steer North Carolina out of the depths of failed policies and emerge as the shinning city on a hill. The people of North Carolina are counting on them to bring common-sense solutions to complex problems. While the tenure of McCrory, Tillus, Berger and Newby remains unwritten, their chapter in the history of the State of North Carolina promises to be a great one.