Gov. Pat's "kinder and gentler" & bipartisan new budget director | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: Brant Clifton reports the business of North Carolina, in these times with the Republican's in charge, in his "bare knuckles" Conservative online publication known as The Daily Haymaker.

    They're dancing in the streets in Carrboro. The Great Satan — Art Pope — is stepping away from his state government role. There is a new feeling of hope and optimism around the drum circles these days.

    The drive-bys are cooing over McCrory's pick to replace Pope -- Lee H. Roberts of Raleigh. Pope was a staunch Republican who has generously backed conservative causes. Roberts is Unaffiliated, and is the son of liberal political journalists and commentators Cokie and Steven Roberts. The nominee's uncle, Tommy Boggs, is a renowned DC-based Democrat attorney / lobbyist and all-around dealmaker. The nominee's grandfather, Hale Boggs, was a Democrat congressman from Louisiana who served as majority leader. His grandmother, Lindy Boggs, also served in the US House as a Democrat.

    I am not going to hold a Democrat heritage against the guy. (I've got loads of it in my family tree.) But this guy has played footsy with the Democrat Party in recent years. He maxed out to the McCrory campaign in 2012. But he also gave $1000 to our unopposed Democrat attorney general Roy Cooper. In 2010, Roberts gave $2,400 to Kentucky attorney general Jack Conway (D) who — at the time — was running for the US Senate against a guy named Rand Paul. (He also gave Conway $1,200 in 2009.)

    We've learned that the News & Observer loves the Roberts pick. His wife WORKS for the N&O. (Drive-by love appears to be very important and quite desirable to our fair young governor.) love

    So, we've now got a very non-ideological guy – just like Gov. Pat — crunching numbers for the governor's team. The way our state government works – the position is pretty much beholden to the whims of the honorables on Jones Street. Those guys can basically take the guy's budget proposal, tear it up into little pieces, and force-feed it to him.

    In 2012 we picked up an incredible opportunity to remake state government. Yet, this administration seems quite keen on collecting folks who play on both sides of the fence and retaining retreads from prior Democrat administrations. .