April 4 was a huge day for USA and NC
Defector-to-GOP Tricia Cotham betrays her voters. Keep our eyes on the NC General Assembly!
April 4, 2023 was an historic news day that will take a while to metabolize!
Several items to keep on your radar:
Yesterday was the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., may he rest in power.
Twice-impeached, disgraced former President Donald Trump was arraigned in New York, making him defendant Trump. I say, throw all the indictments at him and keep him tied up with his criminal defense matters. Nothing is being done lightly in my opinion. And, we should be questionining why Garland’s DOJ has dragged their heels. I approve of Jack Smith. Wish he had been appointed as soon as Garland got into office. We are in a race agaist the clock here folks as 2024 election comes into sight. If Trump can somehow get re-elected he will make ALL this go away. Our national self-defense is too slow (See: January 6 insurrection, classified documents case with possible national security risks, espionage & monetizing our national secrets to Trump’s political donors or US foreign adversaries. Just typing that out makes me ill.)
In the most important election in the USA, the people of Wisconsin elected the progressive judge Janet Protasiewicz to their state Supreme Court, which can help protect voting rights and perhaps lead to better maps in one of the most gerrymandered states in the US. I for one am so happy to see that a state’s citizenry can be mobilized around a state Supreme Court race—the courts are a critical lever of power!
Brandon Johnson, a teacher’s union organizer, was elected mayor of Chicago, defeating a more conservative Democratic opponent.
Yesterday’s rumblings about NC Rep Tricia Cotham betraying her voters by defecting to the Republican Party has been confirmed. Cotham represents a strongly-Democratic district in Mecklenburg County/Charlotte metro. This news is starting to go national. [Was on NPR and The Daily Beans today and I expect will make it to MSNBC and CNN today.] I honestly think this is the next big political news story because it creates a Republican supermajority and is such a huge, craven betrayal. Please be sure to follow our excellent local political reporters: WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie, NC Policy Watch (now called NC Newsline ) and more. Post your favorite local sources in the comments please. I am not meaning to leave anyone out, I am just blogging as fast as I can this morning.
Keep an eye on the fact that the NC General Assembly is making more moves to strip the Governor of power and taking that power for themselves. They have done this to Governor Cooper and they are clearly trying to continue this an anticipation of the next Democratic Governor being elected. Major Republican power grab is in progress! They are pulling all the levers they can. See this WRAL @NCCapitol piece by Travis Fain:
Bill to shift appointments, power, from governor to legislature on a fast track
The measure is one of several advancing at the statehouse intended to shift more control of state government away from the governor's office.
Lots of news coverage heating up. I appreciated this from Paige Masten writing in the News & Observer: "Tricia Cotham once spoke of her abortion. Will she help NC Republicans restrict it? | Opinion"
Read more at: https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article273995020.html#storylink=cpy
That is a good point, Allison, I don't understand how it is allowed. I don't recommend that real Democrats try this underhanded tactic. The solution appears to be to recruit a primary challenger to run against her next year, and I will support Lillian's List to make that happen. Sadly, the NC GOP will be able to do a lot of damage before then.