

North Carolina

Farewell to purple

A state turns solidly Republican

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Readers' comments



What does Republican even mean? Even most Democrats in North Carolina are conservative, god-fearing, gay-and-science-hating, unabashed sports-and-military-industrial-complex hero worshipers. Democratic leaders have been destroyed by corruption and incompetence. Time will tell with Republicans in charge.

In truth, Republican means Crip. Democrat means Blood. Two sides of the same corrupt coin. Unity of party is not found in informed decisions on relevant issues, but in unity of common hate.

Nick DiCo

By this logic four years ago you should have wrote about how the state was solidly blue, after sweeping elections by Democrats. In fact if you know anything about th history of NC both parties have had governing opportunities and have turns in dominating the scene. The state is still the most purple in the south, more than VA, and I would bet on that continuing after this overreach by the GOP. They will suffer th same fate as Dems did in their overreach in 2010.

Wat Tyler

The NC government is the best money can buy. In the post Citizens United world, big money in small local elections can buy a democracy.

If you want to understand how this happened, Google "Art Pope". You will be amazed.

Jim (70 year old lifetime Tarheel who is sick at heart)


"Senate Republicans also want to abolish the state’s personal and corporate income taxes. To close the revenue gap they would raise the sales tax from 6.75% to 8.05%, quadruple the currently-lower tax on groceries from 2% to 8.05% and quintuple the tax on property transactions."

And who would this impact the most? That's right, those who are less well off, in particular those who are truly the most vulnerable in North Carolina.

Is this their idea of helping the poor? By punishing them so much that they will then be motivated to improve their lot? Its like kicking a guy who's fallen down so that he will get up.


A gross misread of North Carolina's political landscape. The ill tobacco fed eastern portion of the state has long been the political power in Raleigh, but has been in a state of denial about its decline over the past fifty years. This is where stereotypical blue blood democrats have been bred, but scandal and ineptitude brought their decade long control of the government to and end. Charlotte has grown massively in recent years and recently became the second largest banking center in the US, passing San Francisco. It is decidedly republican because of its strong banking core and conservative disposition, but Pat McCrory's nonpartisan and business-driven style of governing is a perfect embodiment of its forward looking and innovative attitude, despite its political leanings, and Charlotte (long a pariah in Raleigh) will gain considerable political clout with their mayor of 14 years in the governor's seat. The new center for Democratic power comes from the state's youth, inspired by the incredible public universities. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is uniquely southern and liberal, with strong political activism across the board. Democrats lost power in the state government because of the divide in the democratic party and the party's new commitment to social liberalism. Historically blue dog democrat Eastern North Carolinians support republican socially conservative policies such as Amendment One, an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as between a man and woman, but Charlotte showed off its well educated populace by voting against the amendment, defining itself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal. As liberal ideals spread from the growing university system (one of the best in the world) and Charlotte diversifies from banking, the democrats will enjoy growing support and the republican party will be forced to modernize as their opponents have, probably led by a driven and malleable Pat McCrory

abu tayyi

The Economist, once "liberal" in the European sense, now "liberal" in the American sense, takes umbrage with NC's shift to the right. Inevitable, perhaps, after a century with no or shared power by Republicans, an unemployment rate over 9% under a weak, scorned governor who never left the elementary school classroom, and scandal upon demo scandal. The critics of the GOP apparently would have the unemployed continue to draw more per week than those working for minimum wage, as they would have the legislature buy into the pig-in-a-poke that is obamaCare (to the tune of untold multi-millions of dollars down the road). It will take tough decisions to turn this state around, decisions critics are simply unwilling to stomach. As for me, my Tar Heel state flag flies proudly on my porch; my US flag is in mothballs now.


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