Is Randy Ramsey a RINO? | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Publisher's note: We are receiving a good many short missives suggesting that Randy Ramsey is a RINO, which is a most damning term among real Republicans. We make no assertion to such; however, many others, from Mr. Ramsey's home region, have made that claim, and that is most troubling.

   To counter these profound and rather robustly offered assertions, we, at BCN, offer whatever space that Candidate Ramsey and his supporters need to adequately refute these damning claims of Mr. Ramsey's disloyalty to the Conservative principles that guide real Republicans. We, at BCN, are here to help all who wish to express all polite and representative expression of the intrinsic principals that make us who we really are.

   What we know is that Randy Ramsey says he is a conservative Republican who stated in the News Times and Daily News, "I support candidates who best serve the interests of eastern North Carolina." We also know that the candidates Ramsey supports are the same ones that the NC Democrat Party supports like Beverly Perdue, Mike Easely, and Marc Basnight. As recent as July 2011, he donated $2,000 to the Perdue campaign, and prior to that providing free plane rides to Dumpling. With his donations, Ramsey supported Bev Perdue's vetoes of 15 bills passed by the Republican-led legislature as recently as July 2011. These bills include:

    * Voter ID (Restore Confidence in Government Act

    * Medical Malpractice (Medical Liability Reforms)

    * Off-Shore Drilling

    * Women's Right to Know Act

    * Protect Health Care Freedom

    * Regulatory Reform Act of 2011

    * No Dues Checkoff for School Employees

    * plus 9 other vetoes

    Ramsey's donations to Bev Perdue got him appointed to the NC State University Board of Trustees in June 2009. These are verifiable facts, unlike Ramsey's rhetoric in his television ads and his many mail ads that attempt to convince you he is a conservative. Only you can decide if the vetoes and pay-to-play appointment by the Ramsey-backed Perdue represent your values, but they don't represent the values of most true conservatives in Carteret, Craven and Pamlico counties. Vote in the upcoming primary for a true conservative candidate.