Triad Conservative

UCC Lawsuit Contemptible

Let's face it.  The lawsuit filed by the United Church of Christ (UCC) and other parties to challenge North Carolina's marriage amendment is not particularly new or unique. 

We have seen, for many decades, the liberal mainline Protestant denominations (and contemporary Judaism) embracing heresies and promoting cultural decay.  In fact, it was the complete moral collapse of the liberal mainline church that had a powerful permissive effect on the Supreme Court that authored the notorious Roe vs. Wade decision.  The liberal mainline church--- quite powerful and influential at that time-- gave the green light, and the activist Burger court obliged.

The mainstream media was ecstatic this week when the UCC lawsuit was filed; and the usual voices in the local blogosphere and social media thought it was absolutely wonderful.

There is only one problem.  The lawsuit is bogus-- unless it is rescued and revived by an activist North Carolina judge.

Matthew Franck:

...(T)he religious liberty claims in (the lawsuit) are a frivolous waste of time for the federal district court in which it was filed.  In fact, the suit is based on such a laughably obvious misreading of the relevant North Carolina statute that we can say the lawyers filing it are either incompetent, or willing to tell outrageous falsehoods about the plain meaning of a statute....

It is notable that this trumped-up fakery is in the guise of a lawsuit for declaratory relief...

Franck refers to the legal claims made by the plaintiffs as "outlandish"; and he skewers their "transparently ridiculous humbug of a case".

The North Carolina Family Policy Council points out:

It is ironic (and no accident) that those seeking to redefine marriage are attempting to hijack a core argument against their efforts - that same-sex "marriage" poses a significant threat to religious freedom. In other countries (and states) where same-sex marriage is legal, religious freedom and free speech are under attack...

This latest lawsuit in North Carolina is just one more example of how far these groups and their allies are willing to go to undermine natural marriage, and how extreme their arguments and efforts have become.

Tami Fitzgerald of the North Carolina Values Coalition said the following:

(I)t’s both ironic and sad that an entire religious denomination and its clergy who purport holding to Christian teachings on marriage would look to the courts to justify their errant beliefs. These individuals are simply revisionists (who) distort the teaching of Scripture to justify sexual revolution, not marital sanctity.

My belief is that the United Church of Christ has utterly discredited itself, and compromised severely the Christian mission in which it ought to be engaged.  Unfortunately, this particular brand of mischief is not uncommon among the religious left. 

Scripture warns repeatedly-- in both the New and Old Testaments-- that false teachings would proliferate.  The false teachings of the liberal mainline Protestant denominations countenance the taking of innocent human life; and do grave harm to the natural family, which is the foundational unit of civilization.

Tillis Hit Piece Against Brannon

The mailbox contained a large postcard-style negative mailer piece against Greg Brannon funded by Thom Tillis' campaign.  It is problematic in a number of ways. 

The mailer claims Tillis is the "greatest fear" of the Democrats and liberal special interests.   Moreover, in large bold letters, it proclaims that Brannon is the "Democrats' Candidate of Choice."

These claims are delivered to us on the very same day we learn of the results of a recent Civitas poll.  Democrats were asked which Republican candidate they would prefer to be on the ballot in November.  18% said Tillis.  Only 11% said Brannon.

It appears more Dems want Tillis on the ballot than Brannon.

Here are the big questions.  How does Tillis recall all these pieces that have already been delivered?  And does he need to issue Brannon a public apology?

The Case Against Thom Tillis, Part 2

A couple of months ago, I had a post here that laid out the case against nominating Thom Tillis to be the GOP nominee against Kay Hagan.  I invite readers to review that post, and consider its contents.

Since then, more information has become available.  Once again, the Daily Haymaker has posted much of the original material although some information has also been available through other sources.  In any event, check out the following:

1. Thom Tillis sends a mailer to voters claiming that Greg Brannon had not paid his taxes, when he was merely late in sending payment.  And Tillis himself had been late paying his taxes!  It is not uncommon for very busy folks to allow things such as this to get lost in the shuffle.  But Tillis should have removed the plank from his own eye before sending the hit piece to voters.

2. During the recent televised debates, it was astonishing to see Tillis take so many policy positions, and express so many beliefs, that seemed just as conservative as his competitors including Brannon.  It was almost as if he was trying to assure they would not out-do him before the primary electorate.  But let's remember the lesson Richard Nixon taught-- run to the right during primary season, then back to the middle for the general election.  We can't listen to what Tillis says.  Instead, we need to rely on the manner in which he has behaved in the past. 

3. Readers should consider the objections to Tillis stated in a letter recently circulated by Rep. Robert Brawley.  He raises seven points of which voters should be aware.

4. Tillis' record of getting legislation passed in the North Carolina House has been touted.  Aside from his watering down certain legislation, we also need to be concerned about important issues that were not addressed by the North Carolina House.  One big issue is that state spending has not been cut.  Another is that the General Assembly has not dealt effectively with the issue of the state's unfunded liabilities.  And finally, the state legislature has done virtually nothing to reverse the breakdown of the nuclear family unit in the state of North Carolina.  These are three huge, overarching issues on which there has been virtual silence.  We need to look at what Tillis did not achieve.

5. The U.S Chamber of Commerce, which has all but sworn its intention to defeat the Tea Parties, endorsed Tillis.  What does this mean regarding its perception of where Tillis stands on the issues of most importance to the Tea Parties?  The Chamber endorsement also means that Tillis is much more likely to "go soft" on the matter of illegal immigration.

6. A prominent supporter of gay marriage within the Republican Party hosted a fundraiser for Tillis in New York City.

7. In addition, the Daily Haymaker reports that a group composed of billionaires and multi-billionaires in support of amnesty and gay marriage is supporting Tillis.

8. Tillis had a planted questioner at one of the recent televised debates.  The questioner asked about an issue related to gun rights.

9. Tillis favored controversial high occupancy toll lanes in the Charlotte area; and we now learn that a Spanish firm with a checkered history has been retained by the state to manage the project.

10. Tillis' documented conduct in connection with appointments to the UNC Board of Governors has been the subject of a complaint filed with the State Board of Elections.

11. A bit of audio has surfaced that reveals much about his leadership style, his support of toll roads, and his previous ambivalence (at best) regarding Common Core.

12.  The GOP establishment has maintained that Tillis is the most electable of the primary candidates.  If he were to run during the fall, he would be tarred with the entire output of the General Assembly over the last couple of years.  But in addition, the polling has not consistently shown that Tillis performs better against Kay Hagan than his opponents.  In fact, some polls have shown that he does worse than his opponents.

13. The tale of his initially running for office during the 2006 primary season to challenge a more conservative Republican incumbent is not pretty.

14. His campaign shared misleading material regarding his education.  His only higher education is an online college degree, whereas two of his opponents have legitimate, post-graduate doctor-level degrees-- i.e., Brannon and Harris.  One might ordinarily think that the candidate legitimized by the GOP national establishment would have a higher level of educational preparation.  But in Tillis' case, he actually has much less than Brannon and Harris.

Primary voters really need to scrutinize this particular candidate.  Tillis has many weaknesses that will be discussed to a much greater extent should he get the nomination.

We need a conviction conservative-- a constitutional conservative-- to defeat Kay Hagan and reverse the mess that has been created in Washington.

 

How Did the Superpac Manufacture the False Charge against Mark Walker?

Keep Conservatives United, the superpac assisting Phil Berger Jr., is run by Bob Harris.  The superpac manufactured a certain issue regarding congressional candidate Mark Walker.

But a quick glimpse at the superpac FEC filing reveals that the organization is based in Wake Forest, NC.  It has been funded by a relatively small handful of "heavy hitters", mostly from other parts of the state of North Carolina.

The issue of the excessive spending and the awful deficits generated by the Greensboro Coliseum has vexed Greensboro conservatives for years.  But one would not expect that folks from distant parts of North Carolina like Wake Forest would necessarily be conversant with this particular topic.

My question is how Mr. Harris became aware of the Coliseum deficit issue.  Who advised him that this was an issue to seize?  Was it from within the Berger campaign?  Was it someone from within the Guilford County GOP?  Was it a person who is politically attuned from within Guilford County-- perhaps another elected official? 

The big question is who originated this particular idea.  I may be wrong; but somehow, I have my doubts that it was Bob Harris.  I am not even sure whether Berger himself would have been sufficiently sensitized to the Coliseum deficit issue.  It would be interesting to know any discussions that took place prior to Harris running with this particular issue.

Zack Leans Toward "Reasonableness"

The following photograph was found on one of the local Facebook pages.  It features Greensboro City Councilman (and congressional candidate) Zack Matheny posing with Howard Coble.  Zack is leaning so far to the left he risks tipping over onto Howard's shoulder:

Careful, Zack.

A campaign mailer from Matheny's campaign arrived today.  It pronounces that "Zack is a REASONABLE Republican."

 

What is that supposed to mean?  Is he implying that his opponents are unreasonable because they are truly conservatives, whereas he is not?  Is he implying that some Republicans are unreasonable?  If so, who are they?  And why does he regard them as such?  I think the implication is pretty clear.  

He goes on to promise in the mailer: "Zack will NOT shut down the government."  This is clearly a guy who will be eager to compromise, and play in the sandbox well with the democratic socialists in Washington.  Some of us, of course, are quite familiar with his record in Greensboro.

He claims in the mailer that he balanced 6 city budgets.  All by himself.  And this claim is made even though North Carolina law requires that municipal budgets be balanced.  There is no other option under the law.

He also claims in the mailer that he "decreased property taxes".  Funny, but many of us thought our taxes are increasing because of the higher valuations imposed locally. 

I suppose we must have been hallucinating.  I suppose we were being unreasonable.

Greensboro Could Not Crack the 50 Safest Cities in NC

It was interesting to see that Safewise had an article online about the 50 safest cities in North Carolina.  Of course, Greensboro did not make the list.

It should be noted that a couple of larger cities-- Raleigh and Asheville-- were included among the top 50.

The Politically Virtuous City, of course, has higher priorities than public safety.

Antidote to Militant Secularism

The Hit Job on Mark Walker

Much has already been said elsewhere regarding the erroneous attack piece that has been circulated about congressional candidate Mark Walker. 

It is entirely unsurprising that false accusations would be made against Walker.  Why?  Because he is a genuinely good guy; and a truly nice fellow.  He exudes decency.  In our local political arena, he may be as close as we could possibly have to a candidate who has been nearly beyond reproach. 

This is the kind of man who is now the object of false accusations locally.  Imagine what they would do if he truly did something wrong.

Media Mischief with Senate Debates a Failure of NC Republican Party Leadership

It was all too predictable.  We saw all kinds of mischief and manipulation on the part of the mainstream media with both of the U.S. Senate debates this week.  It seems they couldn't restrain themselves.

Even a cursory review of the Carolina Plott Hound and Daily Haymaker websites reveals some great examples.

This situation is the responsibility of the state Republican Party.  Mr. Pope and Mr. Poole ought to explain why they feel it is beneficial for the state's mainstream television and print journalists to vet Republican primary candidates.  The national GOP intentionally has moved away from this kind of approach; but we are still seeing it employed here in North Carolina. 

This is a failure of party leadership.  The candidates probably felt they needed to participate in order to compete; but now they all probably feel a bit dirty by virtue of having made this choice. 

Republican primary voters deserve much better than this.

Unbiased Report on Greg Brannon