We are now entering a new phase of legislative-executive branch relations in Raleigh. The technical term is train wreck.
Train wreck as in Washington-style politics; as in Wisconsin-style polarization; as in gridlock.
All the talk of bipartisan cooperation between Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue and the new Republican legislature turned out to be political posturing.
On Wednesday, Perdue vetoed two bills passed by the GOP legislature, and prepared to veto a third late Saturday. She seems to be just getting warmed up. She told supporters in Winston-Salem that she has a "quart jar of red ink" in her desk for more vetoes.
GOP legislative leaders, who once talked confidently about adopting a budget in June, enacted a bill Saturday that raised the option of not adopting a budget at all, having state government operate for the next year on a continuing resolution.
To make it hard for Perdue to veto the continuing resolution - which cuts state spending 13 percent - the legislature coupled it to the extension of unemployment benefits for 37,000 North Carolinians. Perdue vetoed it anyway.
There is plenty of blame to go around for the deteriorating situation.
Let's start with the Democrats.
The Republican legislative leadership has made good faith efforts to work with the Perdue administration and the legislative Democrats on some key issues, such as expanding the cap on how many charter schools are permitted to operate in the state. Democrats have shown little willingness to compromise.
Let's move on to the Republicans.
For the past several years of the recession, the Democrats who controlled the legislature made all the difficult decisions - making the budget cuts, freezing salaries and raising taxes. The Republican minority was content to sit on its hands and watch the Democrats take the political heat, and then use the Democrats' difficult decisions as ammunition in political campaigns.
The Democrats are now content to watch the Republicans make the difficult choices and pay the political price.
At the heart of the problem are strikingly different agendas. The Republican legislature was elected with what it believes to be a mandate from the voters to downsize state government, lower taxes and decrease regulation.
The Democrats believe they are protecting programs - colleges and universities, public schools, environmental policies - that have helped make North Carolina one of the nation's success stories. It is hard to reconcile those two worldviews.
Partisan lines have hardened. Republicans have taken on a more tea party flavor. The defeat of a number of moderate Democrats has moved the Democrats to the left.
In today's environment, it is increasingly difficult to work across party lines.
All of this suggests that we are headed toward a raucous spring and a long, hot summer on Jones Street.
Get the biggest news in your email or cellphone as it's happening. Sign up for breaking news alerts.
