Fred Barnes’ take on the tax reform deal announced yesterday can be found in here. Here are his thoughts on the politics of it.

The GOP landslide brought with it expectations for serious achievements, notably tax reform. The squabble over tax cuts threatened to dash those hopes.  It also created Republican unity to break down, at least temporarily.

The tax accord is likely to lessen fears of disunity.  Passage of an anti-abortion bill – now supported by Gov. McCrory – should keep social conservatives on board.

But if the Republican upsurge is to continue, the party will have to field a strong candidate against Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan in 2014.  Tillis has already announced and Berger said he will decide by the end of July.  “The opportunity to be a credible candidate for the Senate doesn’t come along very often,” Berger said in an interview. “I feel I’d be a strong candidate.”