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"Republican legislators, for years, have stood up and spoken up for free markets," writes veteran Republican consultant Carter Wrenn in his blog, Talking About Politics.

Right now, before, say, an orthopedic surgeon can do outpatient surgeries in his office instead of in a hospital, he has to get a permit called a ‘Certificate of Need’ from the state. And his chances of getting that certificate are slim to none.

In the world of Raleigh politics being appointed a Cabinet Secretary is somewhat akin to being a Grand Duke or a Marquis – you get power and respectability and folks you never heard of start singing your praises,'' writes veteran GOP consultant Carter Wrenn, in his blog, Talking About Politics.

But then, usually, just when a new Secretary is getting comfortably settled into his new office, other folks he never heard of start calling him a scoundrel.

Last week, in one day, the Democrats – who’ve been somnambulant since last November – suddenly came to life, erupted, and lit into two of Governor McCrory’s Cabinet Secretaries.

Secretary Kieran Shanahan did a stint on the Raleigh City Council before he was appointed to head the Department of Crime Control – so he’s seen rough and tumble politics. But last week, when the newspaper reported he was still practicing law part time, rough and tumble politics turned into elbow throwing and eye-gouging.

Over on BlueNC one Democrat blasted Shanahan for ‘moonlighting’ then another Democrat lamented that what was worse than Shanahan’s moonlighting was his not disclosing his clients, adding, “Maybe Shanahan has sweepstakes poker people for his clients, or beer wholesalers, or payday lenders.”

Next, over at Politics NC, Thomas Mills and the Democrats shifted their fire to Governor McCrory, asking the Governor what he thought of Secretary Shanahan’s wife running her lobbying business out of Shanahan’s law office. Mills wasn’t done. Next he pointed out the Governor had appointed Shanahan’s law partner to the Banking Commission and said, “Just think about it. The Secretary of Public safety, a Banking Commissioner and a politically plugged-in lobbying shop all under one roof! Hell, it’s a one-stop shop for special interests. What could possibly go wrong?”

The long knives were out.

A couple of days later, having lunch, I heard a Republican say to a Democrat sitting on the other side of the table, Couldn’t you all have left his wife out of it? Without missing a beat the Democrat looked up and shot back, How would you feel about Michele Obama lobbying – wouldn’t you want to see a list of her clients?

I reckon I’m done saying the Democrats have no fight left in them.

"The same day the Democrats tore into Crime Control Secretary Kieran Shanahan they also let fly at Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Aldana Wos,'' writes veteran Republican consultant Carter Wrenn in his blog, Talking About Politics.

"Now doctors are a complex group of highly intelligent people who labor under a singular handicap: They’ve mastered one incredibly complex subject (say, neurosurgery) no one else can fathom so naturally, after that, they figure whatever else comes along they’re more than a match for it – they can just put their ‘little grey cells’ to work and figure it out too. But neurosurgery is no preparation for politics.

Dr. Wos is an interesting lady – born in Warsaw, she earned her medical degree in Poland then practiced medicine in New York, married, moved to Greensboro, helped Liddy Dole and George Bush in their campaigns, and then President Bush appointed her Ambassador to Estonia.

"There’re a lot of clever politicians and smart politicians but there’re not many politicians with the courage to take a stand they know is unpopular," writes veteran Republican consultant Carter Wrenn on his blog, Talking About Politics.

The other day, baffled by the raft of tax reform plans floating around the State Legislature, I asked an economist to explain the virtues of ‘consumption taxes’ to me – and he did in a simple way even an economic illiterate like me can understand: He said, Income is good, investment is good, saving is good – so tax them less; spending (consumption) is not so good – so tax it more.

Senate Leader Phil Berger sees eye to eye with that economist and he means to reform North Carolina’s tax code to base it on ‘consumption taxes.’

Carter Wrenn, a Republican political consultant, muses on his blog, Talking About Politics, about Internet sweepstakes.

"Who’d have thought it was possible – the Internet sweepstakes poker parlor folks have offered ‘to put $500 million’ in the state treasury – if the legislators will just see the light and let them stay in business.

"Whoever heard of anybody volunteering to pay half a billion dollars in taxes? You have to wonder how much people in North Carolina are spending while sitting in Internet sweepstakes parlors? A billion? $2 billion? $5 billion?

"Last week Gary(Pearce) thoughtfully wrote a squib (below) urging people to visit young Thomas Mills’ new website PoliticsNC – so I did," writes Republican consultant Carter Wrenn in his blog Talking about politics. "And got a surprise. Young Mr. Mills was – genially – taking me to task for writing how the Democrats passing voter laws (over the years) to elect Democrats, had led to Republicans (once they had power) doing the same thing to elect Republicans, which, taken altogether, was a pretty good example of how one sin begets another – the political version of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth with no remorse anywhere."

Now, in a way, that sounds odd (after all, How could he know?) but as far as political theory goes he was standing on rock-solid ground. Demographics seldom lie.

Campaigns & Elections, a trade magazine for politicos, named the top "political influencers" in its latest edition. Ten from each state made it to the list.

Five Republicans and five Democrats, a mix of North Carolina lobbyists and campaign consultants, got the nod.

The five Republicans: John Davis of John Davis Consulting; Tom Fetzer, lobbyist and former Raleigh mayor and state GOP chairman; lobbyist Dana Simpson; political consultant Carter Wrenn; and political consultant Chris Sinclair. Davis is actually unaffiliated.

The five Democrats: Political consultant Brad Crone; consultant Mike Davis; strategist Scott Falmlen, a former state Democratic Party executive director; lobbyist Bruce Thompson; and Andrew Whalen, consultant for the Blue Dog Coalition and a former state Democratic Party executive director.

Veteran GOP strategist Carter Wrenn wonders why Congressman Walter Jones was recently thrown off the House Financial Services Committee, in his blog, Talking About Politics.

"When I read in the newspaper that the House Republican Leadership had given four Congressmen the boot, kicking them off their committees, for not loyally voting with the leadership I thought, Those guys must have been voting with the Democrats – but then I read one of the four Congressmen was Walter Jones the most conservative Congressman in North Carolina.

Congressman Jones routinely gets elected every two years, goes to Washington, keeps his promises, votes his conscience, is unfailingly polite and won in the