Where Tim Moore got his “pragmatic” reputation was always beyond me. Right-wingers celebrated him as a “true conservative” replacement of Tillis, that liberal warrior. To paraphrase Chuck McGrady (who was speaking in a different context), “what did they know, they’re just in the majority”?
For the record, Moore’s reactionary soul was never hidden. He helped put a stop to RFRA–fine, so did Phil Berger. Any other time a far-right proposal came up, Moore went right along. Gerrymandering? Check. Abortion restrictions? Sure. Ripping environmental policy apart? Same story. He even kept the gun bill alive, and I’d be shocked to see it fail.
Moore is unequivocally conservative. He is also cunning. Despite (or because of) his serpentine congeniality, he is a ruthless political operative. Had people forgotten he was Tillis’s Rules Chairman? About the most infamous midnight session, he had this to say: “Whenever the will of the majority is to pass legislation without delay, we should move forward…No time is better than the present.” That he’d use the “veto garage” this time should never have been in doubt.
Personality politics is an amazing thing. A warm demeanor can win over the media, regardless of one’s actual record. This is dangerous. The only way to discern a politician’s soul is to look at his record and listen to his statements. Anyone who did that should have seen that Moore is a hard-line ideologue and a remorseless parliamentary manipulator. His election was bad news from day one.
That bad news will keep on coming. We have a Speaker who possesses no regard for the public interest or governmental integrity. The only remaining question is how heavy the toll will be. I’m leaning toward pessimism.
Alexander Jones is an original contributor to PoliticsNC.
Realistically what the State House needs is at least a few more Democrats and then a Democratic governor in 2016 so when the governor vetoes something the veto actually stands a chance….isn’t the 60% breakdown like 72/48?….after 2014 had Paul Tine not had his identity crisis the breakdown in the House would have been 74/46…let’s just hope Roy Cooper ups his game and the state party gets it together over the next few months…
When Moore was elected Speaker, quite a few observers and wonks opined that he would/could be a moderating force within the NCGA GOP majority. Unfamiliar with the man and still not savvy in the ways, history, and personalities of NC politics (I have only been an NC’er for 9 years), I was willing to withhold judgment for a while and watch how things played outt under the new man with the House gavel.
I now agree with Alex. I haven’t seen Moore do anything but advance the social issue agenda and the harsh budget-cutting ways of his party. He, like McCrory, seems only to bow before Berger and the cabal of backward Republican ideologues that walk the legislative halls on Jones Street.