August 10, 2018—The Red Sox blew out the Yankees in a series sweep this past week, and the Atlanta Braves are creeping up on Philadelphia for first place again, this week.
It’s August in America, and politics, as well as baseball, are active.
In politics, the Special Election in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District just went down, and it foretold the field for the mid-terms, this Fall. The result? Too close to call in a heavily red district. The implication? Democrats have the edge this Fall, but we do not know whether the math will add up to enough for them to take the House away from the Republicans. In Thursday’s news, after all, Republicans are reported to be girding up for “a 90-day campaign of trench warfare” to keep control of the House, according to the Charlotte Observer (8/9/2018).
In North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District in and around Charlotte, the implication of Ohio’s special election is clear: a close race in a heavily Republican district, featuring a solid, electable, middle-of-the-road, Democratic candidate spells a tough fight until the end. At this point, the special election in Ohio signals a similar situation in North Carolina, where it could go either way, but we cannot predict a definite turnover from Red to Blue hands.
Meanwhile, the political grind continues in North Carolina politics. I am not prepared to go as far as the former governor, Republican Pat McCrory, did on his radio show on WBT-am. On this past Monday, August 6th, Pat McCrory said, “the deception going on in Raleigh is disheartening.” He was referring to the Democratic Governor’s, Roy Cooper’s, silence on the Chris Anglin candidacy for Supreme Court Justice. In that race, even the Charlotte Observer blames Anglin for “trying to game an election,” namely, by switching parties at the last minute and running as a Republican for the judgeship. There already is a Republican on the ballot, and Anglin is taking advantage of a bad law by the Republican legislature to pull this electoral trick on voters. In the editorial in the Observer (7/29/2018), the paper takes to task Governor Cooper and state Democratic leaders for remaining silent on the issue, and essentially, allowing it to happen, giving the appearance of complicity from the state Democratic party.
AIDS activists of the 1980s claimed that “silence = death.” Now, Pat McCrory argues on his radio show that, “silence = deception.” Perhaps, but I am unwilling to place any active role by Governor Cooper that would tend toward deception. I think, to lie, you have to say something. Saying nothing does not rise to the level of actual deception.
In fairness to the former Gov., Pat McCrory, he also denounces the Republican legislature for deception. He described their constitutional amendments, specifically the two that take power away from the current Governor and the executive branch in North Carolina, as “a clear power move by the Republicans” (8/6/2018). In the legislature, McCrory argues, the Republican leaders are simply trying to take away the Governor’s power, regardless of party. McCrory is against this move.
I agree with Governor Cooper and former Governor Pat McCrory. In this case, the Republicans are proposing bad constitutional amendments, which is a more active role. Again, I am not sure this qualifies as outright “deception,” but now I feel I am splitting hairs on language with Pat McCrory, current radio host.
Having said this, I still think that, with the exception of the two amendments that Governor Cooper is contesting, that the rest of the six constitutional referenda that Republican legislators in Raleigh are proposing, that these should be allowed to come to a vote on the ballot this November. In the interest of the balance of powers between the separate branches, the Legislature, Republican or otherwise, should be allowed to put new laws to a vote in a referendum. This is traditionally their purview, and not an abuse of power. The Republican legislators are just doing their jobs, here, from their perspective.
I disagree with the content of the amendments, and I will vote against them, but I do not have a problem with them putting new laws up for a vote, in general. The two that would take power away from the executive and give it to Republican legislators, those two are too much, however, and should not come to a vote this Fall.
Perhaps, the more important matter, aside from the mid-terms, is the beginning of the race for the pennant in baseball. There, I do not count out the Braves, but I am not sure anyone can really beat Boston this year.
—Nicholas Patti
Charlotte, NC
Nick Patti's Blog and Podcast 