All I Want for Christmas

This month I straighten out the political world with my Christmas wishes for pending news headlines.

Nelda Holder, photo by Tim Barnwell
Nelda Holder
Photo: Tim Barnwell
Legislative News by Nelda Holder –

I am announcing my very own First Annual Christmas Wish Headline List as a political columnist for The Urban News.

Sure, it’s indulgent. But ’tis the season for indulgence, right? And fantasy. And happy endings. Like Christmas movies. (’Fess up—you do watch them!)

But before I whisper these wishes to you, let me give you a brief overview of the hot political news of the month, which was this state’s big (BIG) appearance before the US Supreme Court in the much-ballyhooed Moore v. Harper redistricting powers case. It did, after all, take over the news shows and gobble up press space for weeks, in no small part because of the well-known political theorists and organizations that jumped on the archaically controversial bandwagon.

Here’s how it went.

State Legislative building, Raleigh, NC.North Carolina was very much in the news in the days leading up to December 7, when a labyrinthine argument involving our election law, its correct legal review, and the status of its Supreme Court went before the Supreme Court of the nation—with blockbuster attention.

The Moore v. Harper case (“Moore” being the Speaker of the NC House of Representatives; “Harper” being NC citizen Rebecca Harper, one of several participants in the “Harper, et al.” assemblage of state citizens who sued) was an attempt to have the NC General Assembly’s redistricting maps for Congress and the state legislature—drawn under tight Republican control—declared to be unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering.

The NC Supreme Court struck down the new maps this past February for just that reason, setting off a redistricting challenge that has now become snarled in the current US Supreme Court’s docket and in the nation’s philosophical psyche. Moore’s challenge brought national attention, and the case has become a pivotal action that could either advance a discredited conservative theory regarding federal elections or hand this state a vote of confidence in its own NC Supreme Court’s interpretation.

I cannot really do the countervailing arguments justice in this column. What I can do is give you several pertinent references if you want to read more nuanced coverage of our recent day with the Supremes (see headline #1). [See also “McKissick Says”] Let me simply say that—in my opinion—watching our NC speaker of the House jump into this fray with the obvious intent of advancing a radical, and even long-discredited, political theory has been … a disappointment.

Here are a few articles that shed a varied prism of light on the labyrinth:

Moore v. Harper (formerly Harper v. Hall),” The American Redistricting Project, December 7, 2022

“Opinion: This is the most mischaracterized Supreme Court case in recent memory,” Jason Willick, The Washington Post, December 8, 2022

“The Supreme Court’s Most Conservative Justices Got Outplayed on Wednesday,” Mark Joseph Stern, Slate.com, December 7, 2022

“Supreme Court hears NC case on elections, with big implications for 2024 and beyond,” Will Doran and Danielle Battaglia, The News & Observer, December 7, 2022

The Omnibus Christmas Wish Headline List

And now, back to the fun of making up political-columnist wishes for Christmas.

The trick here lies in the word “political.” So I get to straighten out the political world (something I’ve been longing to do) with my Christmas wishes for pending news headlines. I’m going to start with the subject that’s currently burning up the news stations, news blogs, and newspapers, to say nothing of political junkie conversations (plus the first third of this column!).

Christmas Headline #1

Supremes Rule in Favor of Harper

“Harper” has such a nice ring to it for the season we’re in, after all! But more seriously, this wish is to see the US Supreme Court, which just heard oral arguments in the barn-burning Moore v. Harper case, return a verdict against Speaker of the (NC) House Roy Moore.

Moore’s argument is that the NC Supreme Court should not be allowed to exercise oversight on potentially gerrymandered Congressional district maps—such as happened in the most recent Congressional election. Instead, he would have redistricting left solely in the hands of the legislators with no oversight from the state’s judiciary. This is far bigger than just the state of North Carolina in its implications, and I’m not likely to know if this wish comes true until sometime into 2023.

Christmas Headline #2

General Assembly Pays Leandro Money in Full

Now, if I get this wish I will lose probably the most written-about topic in these monthly columns. But I’m willing to give that up! After all, it’s only been 20-plus years since the Leandro v. State filing, culminating in the 1997 ruling by the NC Supreme Court in favor of providing every child in the state with a sound, basic education. Two little words: “every” and “child.” Simple enough. But the money and plan required to develop a more equalized system of education has been repeatedly held up in the legislature.

The plan is currently snarled in a dispute regarding disbursement of moneys from the state, even after a court order for a $785 million disbursement to rectify current underfunding of the plan. My wish is for the announcement of payment IN FULL … immediately.

Christmas Headline #3:

Health Care Extended to More Than Half a Million Citizens

North Carolina is one of 12 states that have not taken advantage of a Medicaid government healthcare expansion offer that would give insurance coverage to nearly 600,000 more North Carolinians (a program extended to the states under “Obamacare”).

There was serious hope this expansion was going to happen in 2022, but despite separate bills passed in the House and Senate, a meeting of the minds never happened—snarled by, in part, by a push to tie the legislation to Certificate of Need (CON) reform in the state. Surely these grown men and women coming to Raleigh to do the people’s business can find a way to get this business done!

Christmas Headline #4

State Surprises Leaders With Awards

Despite any political wrangling or rancor having to do with the governing and governor of this state, this wish is to see special honor and maybe some really nice award headed to the Governor’s Mansion, to be presented to Gov. Roy Cooper for his overall care for this state of mine/ours, but particularly for the concern, common sense, dedication, forthrightness, and leadership he displayed throughout the state’s extreme Covid period.

Specifically, he is praised for weekly Covid press conferences—where we hung onto every word and prayed. This wish is a double wish, actually. Cooper’s empathy, knowledge, and leadership was echoed and amplified by his incredibly knowledgeable right-hand-woman, (former) Secretary of Health & Human Services at that crucial time, Dr. Mandy Cohen. Thank you!

Christmas Headline #5

NC Named Most Environmentally Innovative State

This one is a fantasy worthy of the good old “Christmas miracle” juice. There are small examples of how this could work, but to achieve it on a statewide level means a lot of people are going to have to work together in ways they never expected or intended. But it’s time to amp up the environmental successes that dot the governmental and private landscapes and take a big leap into the future.

It’s a beautiful state that is so worthy of our attention and common preservation. We can start by making this a priority at every level of government, and throughout the leadership of our corporations and other industries. And just as importantly, in every household and small business in the state.

Included in this wish is a good, healthy review of state laws and the fine print that ties the hands of local governments striving to make environmental progress. Think, for example, of tree canopy protection and other environmental considerations that may be held under state authority instead of local control. All this—according to my wish—will be revamped in favor of the most effective environmental protections available.

Pipe Dreams for a Winter’s Night

Wishing can be a healthy way to spend time. We’re smack in the middle of Wish Season, after all, and most of us are taking stock of just what might make us happier … improve our life … spread joy. Wishes generally toss bits of happiness and magic into the air, causing a realignment of our priorities. So feel free to wish away—or borrow some of mine. And see if you can toss them farther and wider, to cover as many of the more than 500 miles that North Carolina spans, from its unique Outer Banks to its mountainous western edge.

I was born in the center of this state—Wake County—in 1944, when there were about 3-½ million people spread across the Tar Heel map. Now there are more than triple that number of residents—over 10-½ million. Roughly half were not born here, but now we’re all in this together. So I’ll make one more wish.

I wish, and hope, that enough of these 10-million-plus people can actually revolutionize our politics and get to the heart of caring for and tending this irreplaceable land. These lifeblood rivers. These famous pillars of higher education with which we are blessed. The bounty of native plants and animals that must be allowed room to live. The clean industries that lead the way towards our environmental preservation. The air we breathe. The water that blesses us. And the hearts of all the people who live here.

Merry Christmas to you all. (Or, in my native Carolina dialect, y’all.) May the new year that arrives soon grace you with spirit and love, and a healthy sprinkling of tenacity.

 


Nelda Holder is the author of The Thirteenth Juror – Ferguson: A Personal Look at the Grand Jury Transcripts.