The Party Line

12th District's History, Future Will Be Getting More Attention

Michael Bitzer — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:02:39 +0000

North Carolina’s 12^th Congressional District has a storied and controversial history and the likelihood is that the district will garner even more attention when a variety of events converge within the next few months.

With Congressman Mel Watt’s nomination to head the Federal Housing Financing Agency, an open-seat contest has already attracted considerable attention, especially from black Democratic candidates seeking to replace the 20-year veteran legislator.

Sanford's Win Shows Political 'Experts' Don't Know Voters

Michael Bitzer — Wed, 08 May 2013 21:10:11 +0000

As post-election commentaries pronounce a host of reasons why former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford won his congressional race Tuesday (the better candidate in political workmanship, the novice challenger, etc.),, we might want to view a more important component of his victory: The voters of South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

Watt's 'Liberal' Ranking Slides As Congress Gets More Partisan

Michael Bitzer — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:10:34 +0000

My most recent post was entitled With Nomination in Hand, Foxx Faces GOP Delay Machine. While several cabinet nominees have faced delaying tactics by the minority GOP conference in the U.S. Senate for reasons perhaps other than the nominee’s qualifications, this week’s other Charlotte nominee may face not just delay, but a possible denial of his appointment.

With Nomination In Hand, Foxx Faces GOP Delay Machine

Michael Bitzer — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:35:26 +0000

It was the worst-kept secret in Charlotte politics. Anthony Foxx’s nomination as the 17^th U.S. Secretary of Transportation is reality.

Coming a day before his 42^nd birthday, Mayor Foxx’s rise has been calculated since his first run to lead the Charlotte back in 2009, followed by overseeing a fairly successful Democratic National Convention.

Miranda And The Public Safety Exception

Michael Bitzer — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:42:02 +0000

With the situation in Boston having come to a close, the next phase of the case against the suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, will proceed into the judicial system. But before the courtroom proceedings have commenced, a debate began over the actions of law enforcement and the legal route for the suspect.

McCrory's First 100 Days

Michael Bitzer — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:25:57 +0000

Now that we have reached the first 100 days of Governor McCrory’s administration (the mythical standard of time to pass judgment, based on FDR’s break-neck pace of New Deal legislating), some early thoughts on how the unified Republican state government, especially the state’s chief executive, is doing.

A Look At High Court's Opinion-Crafting Process

Michael Bitzer — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 02:09:37 +0000

So now the briefs and oral arguments are filed in the same-sex marriage cases with the U.S. Supreme Court—now what?

Religion Resolution Aptly Introduced On April 1st

Michael Bitzer — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:07:39 +0000

As you may have heard by now, a joint resolution has been introduced into the North Carolina General Assembly that proclaims religious liberty, especially as it relates to a court case coming out of Rowan County.

The resolution goes through a number of points, which all deserve some explanation; first, the resolution begins:

GOP Has Long Way To Go In Appealing To Minorities

Michael Bitzer — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 21:15:01 +0000

In their rather blunt assessment of the debacle that was the 2012 election, the Republican National Committee came to a simple conclusion. It can’t continue down the same path and remain politically relevant.

A Legal Primer As High Court Decides Gay Marriage

Michael Bitzer — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:52:10 +0000

In his 18^th century tour of the new American republic, Alexis de Tocqueville commented that most controversies eventually arrive in court. Over its history, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld de Tocqueville’s observation in key battles, both political and social.

And the justices on the high court are preparing to confront a new set of controversies.