Time to take responsibility

by | Feb 8, 2017 | Editor's Blog | 14 comments

When my younger brother was about three years old, he stuck his head between the railings on a stairway and got it stuck. My parents were out and our babysitter was in a bit of a panic. After what seemed like a few hours of pulling and pushing, somebody got the idea of putting cooking oil on his head and, sure enough, his head slipped through pickets. When my parents got home and heard the story, my mother asked my brother, “How in the world did you do that?” My brother promptly slid his now-ungreased head back through the pickets and said, “Like this.”

Republicans in the legislature remind me of my brother. In a move they thought would motivate their base and drive a wedge between voters and Democrats, they passed House Bill 2, a broadly discriminatory law that also strips power from local governments. The law backfired costing them the Governor’s Mansion and the Attorney General’s office while also scaring away businesses, entertainers, and sporting events.

The legislature had a way out but they botched it. In a deal with incoming Governor Roy Cooper in December, the Charlotte City Council rescinded their ordinance with the understanding that the General Assembly would repeal HB2. Instead, Republicans reneged on the deal and the law is still in place and still doing damage to the state. They had the grease but they still can’t get their head out from between the pickets.

Now, the NCAA says that it might put a moratorium on championship games in North Carolina for six years if the law is not repealed. Republicans responded by trying to pass the blame to Cooper, saying he needs to find a compromise Republicans can support. It’s a silly move. Cooper wasn’t governor when the law was passed and voters now know that the GOP passed and supported the bill. Cooper offered them the solution before and they rejected it. Besides, there are enough votes in the legislature to repeal the bill now; they just aren’t Republican votes. Now, the GOP needs to figure out how to get out of the mess on their own.

For the party that talks about personal responsibility, the GOP doesn’t like to take responsibility for their own actions. They’re looking for Democrats to bail them out. If Berger and Moore put up a clean repeal bill, Democrats will support it, otherwise it won’t happen. They own HB2 and they can either make good on their end of the bargain from December or hear about it until the next election.

14 Comments

  1. Apply Liberally

    First, it was pure-and-simple GOP hubris. For over three back-slapping years, super-majorities in the NCGA and a vice-grip on a yes-man in the Governor’s Mansion. “We can do whatever we want!”

    Then, to party conceit, the GOP added some mischief-making. “Let’s embarrass the Dem’s gubernatorial nominee-in-waiting and torpedo his chances in 2016!”

    But then, as businesses rejected HB2, took leave of the state, and called NC intolerant, and as the NBA and NCAA said “NO!” to the state as an event site, we initially saw Republicans lashing back at those critics, then GOP bewilderment, then doubtfulness, then worry, and then despair. “How do we get out of this HB2 mess?”

    Then, on election day, the GOP lost the governorship. The new gov-elect soon arranged a simple compromise, a straightforward tit-for-tat deal, to get HB2 repealed. But, that too failed, as the matter had transformed into one of GOP pride and vanity.

    Now, as things stand today, the “optics” remain the roadblock. The party will not dare have a HB2 repeal based so obviously on the yea votes of Democrats. “Why, such a repeal will be read as a Dem victory!” And that would simply be too much for GOP pride to handle.

    And so, it appears likely that NC citizen sports fans will have to suffer 6 more years without a major NCAA-sponsored sporting event held within the state.

    • Ebrun

      So liberals who post here believe the NCAA should dictate what legislation the NC General Assembly should pass? Which NC citizens had a vote or voice in selecting officials of the NCAA? Why should NC legislators submit to extortion from a national college sports organization? Losing some NCAA championship matches is a small price to pay for an independent legislature that will not give in to political pressure from national organizations or special interest groups promoting a leftist poetical agenda.

      • Rod

        To what leftist poet’s agenda are you referring?

      • Troy

        There it is!! There’s Dan Forest chapter and verse!!! Yeah Eb, I saw him on the news too. His response was just like yours.

        Yesirree, the NCAA can just go kiss it until the top dogs over at the Legislature want courtside tickets. But those “…independents…” in the legislature would never do such a thing, would they?

        • Ebrun

          Gosh, Troy. Didn’t realize my posts were so inspirational. Maybe I should send them straight on to Dan instead of posting here? But then, that would take all the fun out of eliciting the predicable, intolerant, over-the-top reactions by the hard left zealots who dominate this blog

      • JC Honeycutt

        Independent from whom? At least the NCAA brings entertainment and money to our state: I don’t see a lot of jobs or cash rolling in from bigots in response to your House Bill Number 2 to date. The point that is being made is this: actions have consequences. As for “a leftist poetical agenda”, how about this: “The GA Republicans airily/Pass laws that treat people unfairly../Their House Number Two/Is a big crock of poo:/Which they roll about in quite merrily.”

        • Ebrun

          Wow, JC, you sure know how to turn a phrase. LOL

  2. Stephen Lewis, Sr.

    It will be interesting to see how this plays out the Democrats in North Carolina and in the nation are going to have some good opportunities in the coming year I hope they use them wisely

  3. Thomas Hill

    Great story about your brother, Thomas, except for the analogy of the place where the Republicans have stuck their heads.

    • Laura Brooks

      I need a LIKE button for this comment.

  4. Randolph Voller

    The GOP leaders in the NCGA and their rank and file own this bill and its direct and indirect results.

    If North Carolina loses NCAA games for the next six years these “leaders” should resign for their legislative actions and/or inaction.

    They are purportedly the party of “bidness” and this law (HB 2) is not only morally wrong, but it is simply “bad for bidness” and on that account alone it should be cleanly repealed.

  5. D B

    Why is Gov. Cooper wanting tis bill passed? How is it different then the bill in December? Why was Gov. Cooper against that bill and now it must be passed now?

  6. Mr David B Scott

    Help me understand: The Republican controlled NCGA passed HB2 and, now, they insist that the Democrats must compromise in order to repeal it? Why should the Democrats have to do anything in order to eliminate this misguided bill? We had nothing to do with its existence. Am I missing something?

  7. Jay Ligon

    Good column, Thomas! The Republicans can’t get out of their own way.

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