North Carolina’s current gridlocked political landscape has the potential to come to a consensus, said State Rep. Ruth Samuelson, R-Mecklenburg, at a University forum Wednesday.
Samuelson discussed her first six months as the majority whip in the N.C. House of Representatives, using her experiences to help address the current stalemate in the state General Assemblies. The event was part of the speaker series “Gridlock: Can Our System Address America’s Big Problems?” sponsored by the Sanford School of Public Policy.
Clarity, consensus and courage are the necessary elements for a successful legislature, Samuelson said, noting that party-lines and lack of experience are preventing these values from flourishing.
“[Representatives] have things that they will not tell to the speaker or the leader—a third of them have never been [on such positions],” she said. “They have no trust among each other, even within the Republicans.”
Samuelson is the first female to hold the position of majority whip in the state House and began her career in political service in 1999. She later won a seat on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, after spending much of her professional life involved in community affairs.
Don Taylor, assistant professor of public policy and co-sponsor of the speaker series, said Samuelson has a unique perspective given her role as the first Republican majority whip in more than a century.
“The N.C. General Assembly is completely controlled... by the Republican Party for the first time since 1892,” Taylor wrote in an email Monday. “So it is interesting to hear her perspective.”
When the Republicans took control of the House in 2010, Samuelson was appointed majority whip because of her diverse professional and personal experiences, as well as her ability to bring people together—a talent she said was largely the result of her family’s influence.
Samuelson said her family played an important role in her decision to become involved in politics. Under her mother’s influence, Samuelson began to challenge the status quo by action, to give help to those who were in need and to listen to people holding different opinions with respect. Her father meanwhile encouraged her to ask questions and think critically.
During her speech, Samuelson emphasized comprehension and rational compromise as two steps in achieving what should be government’s goal—consensus. She added that in her experience as majority whip, she has often had to act as mediator between House members, attempting to understand both sides and encouraging respectful conversations.
“Although people understand the definitions of words others use, they do not understand what others mean,” she said. “When we have difficulty in language and cannot understand each other, how can consensus come?”
She noted, however, that the N.C. House will face this kind of conflict long into the future, though noted mediation can help negate any long-standing, negative effects.
After her speech, Samuelson answered various questions from the audience, including some regarding abortion and gay marriage. She noted that when answering difficult questions, state legislators have to pay attention to the unique circumstances in North Carolina and foresee the long-term consequences.
In response to a question regarding compromise between Republicans and Democrats, Samuelson said communicating with her mother, who is a liberal Democrat, serves as example of bipartisan compromise. Although their standings are not the same, there are a lot of values shared between Republicans and Democrats.
Harrison Gilbert, a second-year masters student at Sanford, said he was not satisfied with Samuelson’s political solutions.
“She tends to narrow broad political topics into technical issues,” Gilbert said, adding that she also brought unique perspectives as a female political leader.
Although he disagrees with her politically, first-year Sanford student Chris Marsicano said Samuelson was inspirational.
“With a respectful attitude, we can find that the gridlock is not entirely a gridlock,” Marsicano said.
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