NC Republican Party Recap

Friends,  Man, what a week. Covington Catholic, more Democrats make it official, Venezuela in an uproar (file that one under socialism STILL doesn't work). The Pelosi/Schumer shutdown is temporarily over with a 3-week deal.  WHAT HAPPENED STORIES FROM THE NATION From the start of the Obama presidency to the present, the national media has been an unending stream of lost credibility (that's not to say there aren't some reporters, locally and nationally, who still do the right thing). A great example of this was this past weekend's March For Life and the Covington Catholic boys at the March. I even jumped to a conclusion on this one, and I was wrong. The media was too, and some outlets (looking at you NBC and CNN) are doubling down on their biased narrative. Kevin Williamson pulls no punches in this brutal piece. National Review Venezuela, once one of the more vibrant countries in South America, is now on the brink of revolution against the oppressive socialist policies of Maduro. This week, the Trump admin - along with numerous other allies - refused to recognize Maduro and supported opposition leader Juan Guaido. Not surprisingly, national Democrats haven't said a word. USA Today There are plenty of stories about votes to open the government. What isn't being covered is that House Republicans voted to pay furloughed workers despite the shutdown. All but 13 House Democrats said no. Townhall Most of y'all have heard of Act Blue. It's the Democrats' small-dollar fundraising juggernaut, and the platform is used by nearly every candidate, making donations seamless between candidates. Republicans have been working on their Act Red so to speak, and it appears that program is here. Politico STORIES FROM NC As previously mentioned, NC Democrats will surely push for expanding Medicaid via Obamacare in this long session. This presents a prime opportunity to not only explain why Medicaid expansion is bad idea, but examine in detail what some of the solutions are to help those less fortunate get medical care. The John Locke Foundation Speaking of Medicaid, single-payer is the Democrat litmus test for 2020. As Republicans, learn this issue inside and out: Why it's bad, the costs, what people endure in the system. If Democrats continue to push this far-left policy, Republicans can be the beneficiary. John Hood explains why. Carolina Journal Last week, a big story revealed Cooper wouldn't sign the MOU for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline unless Duke Energy bought more solar power. The General Assembly has hired private investigators to get to the bottom of this apparent pay-to-play deal, and Cooper has told DEQ employees not to speak with them. So much for transparency. WRAL This week is School Choice Week. North Carolina has been one of the national leaders of this movement, from charters to homeschool to the Opportunity Scholarship program. School choice support transcends the political spectrum, socioeconomic status, and race. New polling shows that parents want more of school choice, not less. The John Locke Foundation TRACKING YOUR REPRESENTATIVES CONGRESS Committee assignments STILL aren't out, although a few people have been named to some. You can find that list here. As previously mentioned, House Republicans used a motion to recommit to force House Democrats to vote on a bill that would pay furloughed workers despite the shutdown. How did NC's Representatives vote? H.J.Res. 31 Yea - Budd, Foxx, Holding, Hudson, McHenry, Meadows, Rouzer, Walker Nay - Adams, Butterfield, Price N/V - Jones The Senate also voted to reopen the government with funding for the wall and other border security measures. It takes 60 votes to invoke cloture (end debate) and vote on the bill. Burr and Tills both voted yea. Senate Democrats blocked it. Roll Call #9 - S.Amdt. 5 to H.R. 268 GENERAL ASSEMBLY The General Assembly comes back next week on the 30th to start the long session. Rest assured, we will be watching to inform you of the pertinent bills moving through committees and the political stunt bill Democrats are sure to file. The madness begins Wednesday. The House has filled out committee assignments. View them here.  Bad Bill Of The Week - This will be a one-time occurrence because of how bad the bill is, but we're going to jump from the NC General Assembly to the NY State Assembly. This week, they passed a ghoulish bill that would allow abortion up to birth because of how broadly defined some parameters of the bill are in the language. Disgraceful. A00021 UPCOMING EVENTS Numerous counties are having precinct meetings and scheduling county conventions. Please send these events to me and I'll put them up so everyone knows where and when these meetings are taking place. Let's get organized for 2019's municipals and 2020. Enjoy the weekend. Jeff Hauser