Stein could be the future of #NCPOL

by | Jul 7, 2017 | Politics | 7 comments

For better or worse, politics never ends. Parties are always on the lookout for a new leader, a new hope. And Democrats have one at the Justice Department. Attorney General Stein gives every impression of being a great leader.

A Chapel Hill native, he has a finely attuned sense of the state’s voters. He calibrated his campaign to excite core, urban support while attracting cultural conservatives. Running against an odious bigot, he took a vigorous anti-HB2 stand. This position was popular throughout much of the state. But he also made clear that violent crime was a problem and he intended to solve it. And his earlier career was marked by a hostility to video poker corporations–which offend evangelical sensibilities while exacting a heavy toll from the poor.

Stein’s political adroitness is accompanied by a hardheaded determination. After taking office, he came out swinging for his values. One couldn’t go anywhere without seeing him stump for opioid relief. At the same time, he fought the Trump administration on the travel ban, student-loan abuses and other outrages. His next step: To continue his long-standing fight against the nuisance of telemarketing.

Which leads to another strength: His warrior’s temperament. While compromising when prudent, Stein knows what he believes and he fights hard. He doesn’t shrink from fights that matter. When Boss Berger dropped the hammer, Stein didn’t flinch. This served as a sharp rebuke to someone who’d like  dictate everything.

Stein will do a fine job in the Attorney General’s office. His next moves are up to him. But it appears that he has a bright future indeed.

7 Comments

  1. Thomas Hill

    Why is it that only lawyers seem to qualify as future party leaders? We rush to gather behind them, and when they shift with the political winds, as they are taught to do and as Barack Obama did once he was in the White House, we become disenchanted. Why not a younger Bernie Sanders, who has shown his mettle in standing up for causes independently of what is popular at the time?

  2. SID BAKER

    I have had the pleasure to know Josh Stein for several years and I have always admired his tenacity, astuteness, and unwavering support for issues that transcends socioeconomic lines. His character and demeanor sets him apart from other politicians. He has a heart and passion for those who are less fortunate—and unfortunately that seems to be the exception in Raleigh nowadays.

  3. Bob Gilbert

    I remember standing with Josh working at the polls in ’08. He is a true American , a true patriot and is a great example of what a real Democrat can do and be. Thank you Atty Gen’l Stein. You have our continued support and thank you for all you have done for the state to stand up to bigotry and hate, and for the underserved.

  4. A.D. Reed

    I’d love to see a follow-up with more information, more details about what he’s done. I know the broad outlines, including the big fight going on about the $10M funding cut (Berger’s revenge for Stein’s cojones in standing up to him?), but would value more specifics.

    BTW, when I saw the headline, I thought “Jill Stein” followed by “god forbid.” 🙂

    • Alex Jones

      I’m surprised Jill Stein hasn’t said mental illness is an invention of the pharmaceutical companies.

  5. Gailya Paliga

    Excellent article about NC’s Attorney General Josh Stein. I hope he goes far.

    “Stein’s political adroitness is accompanied by a hardheaded determination. After taking office, he came out swinging for his values.”

  6. Jay Ligon

    North Carolina is lucky to have Josh Stein in any public office. He is a good man, an ethical prosecutor and a fine lawyer. We need more like him.

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