Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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DECEMBER 28 - JANUARY 3, 2016 UCW 17 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM What can Democrats look for Santa Claus to bring them this year? It has been a bleak holiday season so far. So maybe Santa could bring them something more than just lumps of coal that have already made their way into their stockings hung by their fireplaces with care. Lumps of coal like Donald Trump's Electoral College victory, the Republicans' retention of control in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and the N. C. Republican Party's preservation of veto-proof control in the state legislature. Last week Republicans even turned Democrat Roy Cooper's victory in the governor's race from a shining victory into a dark lump of coal. Although it does indeed look like a bleak season for Democrats, are there some good things to hang on to? Is there no end to the suffering? Optimistic, Bible-reading Democrats may remember that while St. Paul was suffering in prison, he was hearing painful reports of persecution, discord and false prophets in churches he had founded. Nevertheless, he wrote that such suffering could bring strength. If the suffering of Democrats leads to strength in future political contests, it will turn out to be something of a gift this season. Meanwhile, here are some other things North Carolina Democrats can celebrate: 1. Pride in the legacy of President Barack Obama. While not all of the overblown hopes and dreams of the 2008 election victory were fulfilled, Obama's legacy, over time, will prove to be a great asset for Democrats. Even now, as he approaches the end of his two terms, his popularity ratings are high. His dignity, modesty, self-deprecation, and other human qualities stand in contrast to the bluster of his successor. And his legacy will shine more brightly as time passes. 2. Not responsible for Trump. Democrats can be thankful that they will not have to take on the difficult or perhaps impossible task of explaining or justifying the actions of the new president whose bluster and misplaced self-confidence in his deal-making skills have already put the country in danger. 3. Not responsible for the damage to North Carolina caused by hasty and ill- conceived actions of the General Assembly. Democrats can insist that Republicans accept the responsibility for the consequences of these actions. Then Democrats can use the public's reaction to mobilize their base for the next election. 4. Not burdened with defending Hillary Clinton. Even the most enthusiastic Hillary supporters can feel some measure of relief that they will not have to spend the next four years fighting against efforts of the Republicans to "lock her up." 5. Time to plan and plant. For Democrats there is also a gift of time, a time for planning, for renewal, for preparation. Hurricane Hugo blew down 18 pecan trees that Pappy Lowry's great- grandfather had planted on the family farm near Great Falls, South Carolina. Lowry, who was dying of cancer, had 18 new seedlings planted in their places. Lowry, explained my minister Robert Dunham, was providing for the generations that would follow him the same way his great-grandfather's plantings had provided for him. Democrats, similarly, have a duty and privilege to replant the trees of public service that the hurricanes of recent elections and maneuvering have blown down, even though the fruit of their work may not mature in their lifetime. At a recent pre-Christmas gathering, our host gave each guest a bookmark with the line "Keep Calm and Carry On." The words came from a motivational poster used in Great Britain to help steady the public during the Second World War German bombing attacks. "Keep Calm and Carry On." Good advice for both Democrats and Republicans in every turbulent season. D.G. MARTIN, Host of UNC's Book Watch. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910.484.6200 History Can Teach Both Parties by JOHN HOOD Precisely four times in modern North Carolina history, voters have elected a new governor or lieutenant governor of one party and legislative majorities of the other party. In all four instances, the legislature stripped the newly elected executives of some power. In the first three instances — Republican Gov. Jim Holshouser's election in 1972, Republican Gov. Jim Martin's election in 1984, and Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Gardner's election in 1988 — it was a Democratic legislature who did the stripping. As Martin's biographer, I'm most familiar with his experience. Lawmakers limited his ability to staff agencies (including the State Board of Elections), subjected other appointments to constraints or confirmation, and withdrew gubernatorial control over state construction and administrative hearings, among other actions. In each case, Republicans cried foul. Democrats insisted they were simply carrying out North Carolina's longstanding preference for legislative supremacy. If you think I offer this history to justify the fourth instance in question — the recently concluded special session of the GOP-led General Assembly — then you are mistaken. While I think many provisions that lawmakers passed this month are either needed or at least have potential, they were major changes in the structure and operation of state government. They deserved more deliberation than a brief Christmastime session allowed. When you make policy through an orderly process of committee hearings, robust debate, and sufficient time for lots of people to weigh in, you increase both the quality of legislation and the credibility of legislators. Routinely, such a process uncovers drafting errors or unforeseen complications that can be addressed before passage. Admittedly, some of the changes were relatively straightforward. For example, I've argued for many years that we should either have partisan elections for appellate judges or adopt a federal-type system of gubernatorial appointment with legislative confirmation. The worst option is the "nonpartisan" system adopted by Democrats in 2002 after years of watching Republicans win judicial races. The subsequent elections continued to be partisan in all but name. Democrats simply figured they would win more of them if the labels were removed. It was a partisan scheme to deny voters information. Republican lawmakers reversed it for the 2016 elections for Court of Appeals but came up with a different scheme for the Supreme Court. That was a grave mistake, now corrected. But what about the creation of a new bipartisan elections and ethics board, or the changes to the administration of the Department of Public Instruction? There may be merit to these ideas. There may also be unanticipated consequences. Having been passed in haste, they should now be watched in more leisure and adjusted as needed during regular session. Here's something else North Carolina history can teach us: don't believe apocalyptic claims about an end to representative government. Incoming Gov. Roy Cooper, among others, knows better. He knows that he will have roughly the same hiring authority that other recent governors have had (albeit much less than Pat McCrory received). He knows that senators are unlikely to reject most of his Cabinet secretaries, and that if they did his other hires would essentially run the departments, anyway. After all, Holshouser and Martin weren't irrelevant governors. They got things done. Cooper — who proposed or enacted checks on governors of both parties during his service in the state legislature — still retains many formal and informal powers. He'll use them. One last thing. Democrats upset with the special session might have been more persuasive had they chosen a different rhetorical strategy. Every time they accused GOP lawmakers of "unprecedented" acts, of "contempt for democracy," of being "sore losers" and the like, all Republicans heard was hypocrisy. What happened in 2016 was different in detail, but not much in degree, from what happened in the past. A better argument would have been, "Yes, we Democrats went too far when we were in power. It often came back to bite us. Don't make the same mistake." I am all for breaking the cycle. That will greater trust and long-term thinking, from both sides. Keep Calm and Carry On by D.G. MARTIN JOHN HOOD, President of the John Locke Foundation. Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. Incoming N.C. Governor Roy Cooper President Barack Obama