Roy Cooper finds himself in a tough position, as do we all. The rifts in our society are quaking like they haven’t in fifty years. Citizens have to confront this crisis; elected officials, even more so. For the sake of his state—and his political viability—Cooper should modify his approach.
We face the prospect of severe social unrest. Events from coast to coast sowed the seed of militant action, which flowered last night in Durham. Copycat incidents seem likely, especially in Chapel Hill but perhaps even at the State Capitol. And what Durham resident David Graham calls the “backlash to the backlash” could encounter more reactionary retaliation. Racist groups and anarchist cells alike must be licking their chops.
In response to this, Cooper has followed his instincts. As a centrist with a lengthy record in law enforcement, he called for “better ways to remove these monuments.” He has a point, even if progressives have no patience for it. But triangulating expands the distance between the Progressive Left and political institutions, and makes chaotic direct action much more likely.
So Cooper needs to tack left. Charged with executing the laws, he should not and will not condone Durham-style tactics. But he needs to show maximum empathy for his base. The Trump presidency—and the events in Charlottesville—have profoundly radicalized them. They want their goals to have unequivocal support from elected leaders. Thus, a more palatable response would have been, “Let’s remove these monuments ASAP so it doesn’t come to this.”
It may seem crass to relate this to electoral politics, but that is important. A Republican governor would seek to “quell” protests in his party’s increasingly authoritarian mode. And Cooper is skating on thin ice. Coming after HB142, Cooper’s triangulation could significantly raise the odds of a primary challenge.
He can’t let that happen. It’s time to modify his playbook.
Alexander Jones is an original contributor to PoliticsNC.
This is going to be fun to watch. Confederate descendant groups were the third largest bloc that turned against McCrory (after the anti-toll roaders and the commercial fishing families). Now ol’ Roy gets to navigate that minefield.
Alex: You are right, the Governor needs “to modify his playbook.”
My impressions are that the Cooper administration is solid, rational, efficient, competent, open, and doing its best to protect the public interest against the backward, highly partisan, GOP legislature and its undemocratic leaders.
BUT, the Cooper administration is also: DULL, STAID, HAS LITTLE IMAGINATION, NO NEW PEOPLE, FEW NEW PROPOSALS AND LACKS ANY EXCITMENT. Competent but boring.
If the Governor and the Executive Office staff are reaching out to modify Governor Cooper’s playbook, I haven’t seen it–have you?
In 2020, for Governor Cooper to once again beat McCrory– who didn’t know how to run the Office of the Governor–it will take some new and courageous thinking and people,
But, it can and must be done soon.
Walt,
If Roy was as colorless a fellow as you say, he would not be executing his agenda against the muddy wall that is our legislature. A moderated public forum would go a long way towards providing a venue for the long-overdue discussions around these issues.
As passionate as I am about civil liberties, I clearly recognize the value of Roy Cooper’s staid and stoic approach to public discourse. Let repugnicans like Mark Meadows and Thom Tillis blow smoke and fire til the cows come home. At the end of the day they are little more than smoke and mirrors.
Touche` Churchill. My comments about Governor Cooper were written and published before he made his courageous and striking statement on North Carolina’s confederate memorials. Timing is everything, isn’t it? Our Governor has my full support on that moral and, yes, colorful, perhaps even unique, position for North Carolina politicians.
Note today what Senator Berger just said about the GOP legislature’s law requiring them to approve movement, modification and destruction of all of this state’s objects that revere and glorify the Southern States rebellion against the rest of this country. No room for compromise or “moderated public forum” there, would you say? Can you see what the legislature’s future agenda may look like if that happens? Gasp. The breathless, pathetic, strength-sapping pursuit of the insignificant! HB2 redux.
And, one immoderate comment about your post–please do not compare Roy Cooper with the likes of Mark Meadows and his band of congressional obstructionists. Like comparing Georg Washington with Robert E. Lee, n’est-ce pas? Didn’t some politician just do that?
My comments were intended to help our Governor by getting him (mostly his staff and advisors) to reach outside the Executive Office of the Governor to new people and ideas. I know something about this having served for six years as Executive Assistant to Michigan GOP George Romney. Our Executive Office staff soon discovered that not all of the good, interesting and exciting ideas and people resided solely in our Office of the Governor.
Governor Cooper will have to forcefully lead the Democratic party in the 2018 and 2020 elections. That will not be easy. He will need all the help he can get. That was my message. Peace.
Thanks for the reply Walt. Be it known that I would never lump our governor in with the likes of the aforementioned monsieurs. I was only referencing their use of inflammatory gas to scare people into believing them.
The descent of our state into attempts to restrict private expression and choice, voter supression, and consequence-free murder of protesters is shameful to me, an embarrasment for a place with one of the largest brain trusts (RTP) in the galaxy. My family goes back to 1642 in this state, and I hold our honor as a sacred thing. It is why I support Roy Cooper- he supports human dignity and the rule of sensible law. With any luck, the GOP will find leadership that doesn’t function solely through their lizard-brains. I miss the old Republicans, Sam Ervin and God help me- when Jesse Helms looks like a saint (ok, I don’t really believe that), you know it’s trouble. There is no discourse now, only diatribes. Roy is sane leadership with a coherent vision. Our legislature is a criminal cabal, no different than the current Assembly in Venezuela.