NCDP’s Response to Senator Berger’s Inflammatory Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 9,  2013

Contact: Clay Pittman – (919) 821-2777 (ext. 304)

Today, on the floor of the North Carolina General Assembly, Senate Leader Phil Berger said the following:

“For too many years, North Carolina tried to tax and spend its way to prosperity,” Berger said. “And for too many years, North Carolina lost jobs, lost businesses, failed to educate many of our children and struggled to compete.

“Our leaders had lost their way. And our state lost its place as the leader of the South, and the envy of the nation.”

North Carolina Democratic Party spokesman Clay Pittman issued the following response:

Senate Leader Phil Berger’s statement on the floor of the North Carolina General Assembly is disgraceful.  The Senator seems to be forgetting that it was the Democratic Party that built our Community College system and our University system into model programs for the rest of the country.  He has forgotten that it was Democratic leadership that has made North Carolina a consistently top-5 ranked state for business.  He has forgotten that it was the Democratic Party that built the Research Triangle Park, that recognized that Pre-K education is the most important asset a child can have, and that have always known that good jobs grow from a good education. 

Senator Berger also seems to have forgotten that his party has fought every step of the way to take us backwards.  Just last year, under his leadership, North Carolina Republicans slashed funding for our schools, put profits for special interests ahead of the health safety our citizens, and demonstrated blatant disregard for racial justice.   Senator Berger continued, saying “To my Republican colleagues, we must show our constituents, this state, and this country that there is a real difference between a Washington Republican and a North Carolina Republican.”   As the NCGOP looks to disenfranchise over 600,000 North Carolinians, it looks like the Senator may have a point.  While Washington Republicans have proven themselves more than capable of obstructing progress, the North Carolina Republican Party continues to show that they are eager to dismantle it entirely.

###