How is it that Pricey Harrison, a freshman rep from Greensboro, is the second Democratic legislator to call for Jim Black to step aside? It's bad enough for the leadership of the party to be so craven, but where are the back-benchers and reformists?

Doug Clark has a round-up of sorry excuses by Black's defenders. "Are these guys reading from a script provided by Black himself? How could anyone say these things with a straight face?"

Comments

[drfranklives]

I'll be writing about this tonight, but I want to say this - the answer for why it is taking so long to throw Jim Black under the bus (and believe me, there is a great will to do just that) is that there is no clear answer to who will follow, and the likely suspects are not going to be in any way close to as good a Speaker, a Democrat, or a public servant as Speaker Black is, with all his faults.

[Britt Whitmire]

The reason the Democrats won't call Jim Black out are:

1) He gives Democratic candidates lots of money and controls where it's spent. So, if you have tough fight in your district, he can make like Mighty Mouse and come save the day. They love his money.

2) They're afraid he will smack them down is he survives. He has a fantastic memory and an insatiable appetite for payback. If you oppose him now, you could be saying goodbye to your plum committe assignment or bucks for your district down the road.

[Britt Whitmire]

above post:

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