From: Rep. John M. Blust
To: Kenny Kidd
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 1:27 PM
Subject: Propaganda Piece

Your propaganda piece [in support of Rep. Richard Morgan] ignored some critical issues.  It made no mention of the fact that Morgan and Brubaker also helped pass Senate districts that your same sources say give an added advantage to the Democrats.  It made no mention of the venue provision Morgan helped pass that was designed to try to get sympathetic judges to decide the lawsuit which Morgan, Black and Basnight filed against the Republicans to have their maps upheld!  (Did you realize that those three bedfellows filed a lawsuit against Republicans right after they collaborated to pass redistricting plans, to try to beat Republicans to court?)  If Morgan is so intent on helping the Republicans as you allege, why would he join with Basnight and Black to prosecute legal action against Republicans?  You support Patrick Ballentine for governor.  Well, Morgan is plaintiff in a lawsuit in which Ballenine, Bill Cobey, and Party Chairman Ferrell Blount are defendants!  This is a lawsuit designed to help Marc Basnight and Jim Black retain their power in the legislature for the next eight years no matter how the voters vote!
Now for the House districts.  First of all, if the Morgan plan you praised was so good for Republicans (and it's interesting to note that you admit the plan was "drawn by our Republican Co-Speaker Richard Morgan"), why didn't the right honorable gentleman share this great plan with his Republican colleagues in the House ahead of time?  I talked to numerous Republican members the day of the Special Session and all claimed they had not seen the overall plan and knew none of its details.  Some who had shown sufficient loyalty to Morgan personally (as opposed to loyalty to Republican principles and loyalty to the voters in their home districts) were shown only their individual districts.
You made the claim "that is good government."  Is it good government for members of a legislature to receive a bill only 15 minutes before the session convenes in which that bill is to be adopted?  Is it good government to preclude the members who all represent the same number of North Carolinians from being able to thoroughly scrutinize a bill, debate that bill and offer amendments to that bill.  Is it good government for the people of North Carolina to be kept from being able to able to see what is being proposed for their communities all over the state.  Should Randolph County Commissioners, Asheboro City Councilmen, Archdale City councilmen, and all other local governments around the state, not be given a chance to comment about what is being proposed for their areas before a plan is voted on?  Should members vote for something that will last until the end of the decade and affect every community in the state without knowing the details of what they are voting on?  The bill was never even passed in committee - the treatment given every other bill!  It came directly to the floor, the question was called, and a quick vote was taken.  The fix was on.  Don't come back now and claim this was all good government!  Ask yourself why redistricting would be handled this way if everything is above board.
Your letter didn't address the peculiar timing of the redistricting session or explain the long delay in holding the session, a delay which has now caused a delay in the primary and greatly inconvenienced the voters and every citizen who might want to run for governor, Congress, council of state, state senate, state house, county commissioner, school board and any other offices all over this state.  Since you are a big fan of good government, please explain to me why the legislature waited until Thanksgiving week to take up redistricting.  The maps used for the 2002 elections were clearly marked "interim" and everyone knew all along the legislature would have to re-draw the legislative maps in 2003.  Why wait until late November when there would be no time for challenges or for Justice Department pre-clearance of a "good government" plan?  Why not take up the matter during the long session when there was ample time?  Why not follow the normal process?  Why wait until Thanksgiving week and call a snap session when many legislators may have made family plans?  Is that "good government?"
I received my notice of the session by e-mail on Sunday afternoon that we would go into session the next morning at 9:30 am.  I had to cancel appointments at the last minute.  Many other members I talked to that next day were treated the same way.  Of course, those who demonstrated loyalty to Morgan during the long session were given more advanced notice.  I hope you will ask yourself the questions I have posed for you.  Would someone who had drawn good maps for Republicans, as you have claimed, treat other Republicans like that?  And answer this question too - why is the drawing of districts the job of the Speaker and not the job of the whole House of Representatives?  I am from Guilford County, but I respect the people of Randolph too much to cut off Arlie Culp or Harold Brubaker from representing those good people.
Now for the question of whether the House maps are good for Republicans.  Republicans don't need to cheat to win.  All we need are fair, neutral, constitutional districts that respect political subdivisions and communities of interest.  The people will then elect a majority of Republicans based upon our optimistic vision of lower taxes, less regulation and individual initiative, a vision that leads to healthy job creation, versus the Democrat (and Morgan) record of higher taxes, runaway spending and job loss in this state.  The past election results show this to be true.  In 2002, Republican candidates for House seats won 54% of the vote to the Democrats 43%.  (Libertarians got 3%).  Yet the districts were such that Republicans won only 61 of 120 House seats.  (That completely refutes the Democrat/Morgan argument that a partisan Republican judge drew the interim maps used in 2002).  Republican candidates for Senate won 52% of the vote and won only 22 of 50 seats.  What Morgan and his allies have done is work with the Democrats to keep such a scenario viable throughout the decade - Republican votes, Democrat majorities.
If you will carefully read the NCFREE breakdown you mailed out, it only claims that the House plan you admit was drawn by Morgan, creates more leaning Republican House seats than the interim plan had - that's all it says.  I have already demonstrated that the interim plan was not a good plan for Republicans.  The analysis doesn't say the Morgan plan (and by the way it's really a Morgan/Black plan and don't think that Black is stupid enough to have all his House Democrats support a plan which relegates them to a minority) creates a set up under which Republicans will win a majority of the seats in the House - which several experts maintain would be the case if we had fair, neutral, constitutional districts.  A plan that follows the correct principles would result in Republicans being able to win around 70 seats.  (And don't take the press's position that the Republicans want to rig the districts!)  Republicans will win by doing what's right!  Winning 70 seats would be great for Republicans, but bad for Morgan personally.  If Republicans win big, Morgan loses his power.  So he is in the peculiar position of a player who does not want his own team to win (he would love a tie but in almost any endeavor, if you play for a tie, you will lose).  So any way you look at it, Morgan has helped the Democrats protect seats they would otherwise lose.  Again, don't also forget that he helped pass Basnight's gerrymander through the House and is suing Republicans in court to have it upheld.
Here's another reason why Republicans should not believe you when you assert that Morgan was trying to help the Republicans.  The analysis of the districts you mailed out assume that both parties will be recruiting candidates, training them and funding them in an attempt to win the "swing districts."  Morgan doesn't want Republicans to win more than 60 seats so that he can remain a co-speaker.  Republicans will not even be trying to win some of the seats that Republicans might be able to win, even under the bad for Republican Morgan plan.  Take, for instance, Dem Rep. Arthur Williams, who hold a swing seat under the district analysis you mailed out.  "Republican" Co-Speaker Morgan has appeared at an event honoring Arthur Williams which helped him raise money to retain his seat.  Why would a Republican Co-Speaker help a Democrat in a seat a Republican can win, help the Democrat raise money?  Local Republicans were beside themselves, but of course, those local Republicans, like those all over the state who oppose Morgan must be the tools of the "small handful of Republican legislators who did not get exactly what they wanted out of redistricting," which you cited in your letter.
Finally, let me rebut that last statement of yours I quoted.  I got all I could individually hope for out of redistricting, so I don't fit your description.  But you can't vote just for your own selfish interests on a matter which will determine whether Republicans can ever gain control of the legislature this entire decade.  If Republicans don't win legislative majorities, this state will never see the improvements we seek - it will never see "good government."  Redistricting was a team vote and obviously, we have some who want to claim a position on the team but want the team to lose!!  Coaches Krzyzewski, Sendek, Prosser, and Williams, and Panthers coach John Fox would all bench even their biggest stars if they had an attitude that put self-interest over team interest.  Even the most rabid, die hard fans would boo such a player.  It's time for a booing and a benching in the upcoming Republican primaries.
Morgan already has used you at the state convention to hand out his false literature - which attacked me, among others.  When it comes to advancing the Republican cause in the future, I am very forgiving.  I still believe, at heart, you want to do what is best for the team.  Kenny, I ask you, please, think this thing through and get on the right side!!  You'll feel good about yourself!!