TWO majority leaders? (NC's "conservative revolution" marches on) | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Publisher's note: Brant Clifton discusses the Jones Street politics, for the GOP majority, in his "bare knuckles" Conservative online publication known as The Daily Haymaker.

    The "honorables" on Jones Street are giving us quite an eye-opening preview of where things might be headed:

    House Republican leaders are considering creating two majority leader positions for the next legislative session in which they will command a supermajority.

    The move -- floated in an email to the caucus members today, including those newly elected Tuesday -- would divide the House GOP leader's responsibilities into a day-to-day floor leader and a bigger picture "development position" that will handle communications, professional development and campaign fundraising.

    The House GOP will meet Nov. 17 at the Brownstone hotel in Raleigh to vote on the plan -- which reflects the general consensus of the current Republican leadership.

    Ruth Samuelson, the current Republican whip, said the caucus is reworking its leadership structure to accommodate the larger workload. "The (majority leader) job has gotten so big," she said Wednesday.

    The addition of a majority could cost taxpayers more money. The party majority and minority leaders receive a $3,097 bonus on their lawmaker pay and an additional $1,284 in expenses each year.

    Republicans won 77 seats in Tuesday's election, a nine-vote gain that puts gives them the ability to override gubernatorial vetoes and control procedural maneuvers on the floor.

    The job is "so big"? How about practicing a little bit of that, um, "conservatism" stuff and getting the government's nose and claws OUT of a lot of stuff where it really doesn't need to be? NCGOP needs to be paying for fundraising.

    How is the workload " larger"? You guys HAD the majority during the last session. So, creating a new position -- which you know WILL come with more staff -- is the highest priority out there in the midst of all of this unemployment and recession stuff?