What a difference a governor makes! Just a week or so ago, people were asking, “With veto proof majorities in the legislature, what can Roy Cooper do?” Well, yesterday he told us. He can try to expand Medicaid. He can call out Republicans who won’t repeal HB2. He can call on the legislature to raise teacher pay to the national average. In other words, he can set the Democratic agenda and establish the terms of the political debate in a year with special legislative elections. And he can put the GOP on the defensive from the start of his administration.
Cooper’s move to expand Medicaid is a ballsy political move. At the same time Congress is debating repealing Obamacare and realizing that they’re about to strip health care from millions of Americans, Cooper is offering health care coverage to more than 500,000 North Carolinians who don’t have it. Republican Governors like John Kasich of Ohio and Rick Snyder of Michigan are asking Congress to keep the Medicaid expansion.
Repealing Obamacare may sound good as a slogan but in reality it means bringing back pre-existing conditions and kicking people off the insurance they’ve gotten through the program. To complicate matters, the incoming Trump administration says that people who have gained insurance through the Affordable Care Act won’t lose it. That sounds a whole lot like “If you like your policy, you can keep it.”
For their part, GOP legislative leaders say Cooper’s move violates a law they passed in 2013 that bans the governor from expanding Medicaid. So, their message will be, “Cooper is violating laws.” What people will hear, though, is “The legislature wants to deny people health coverage.” Cooper says the law is unconstitutional because it restricts the governor’s constitutional authority to accept federal funds. Politically, it doesn’t matter. That argument is secondary to the basic one about providing health care.
Cooper’s also keeping the pressure on the GOP over HB2. The legislature reneged on their end of the agreement to repeal the law in a special session just before Christmas. Republicans claim Cooper scuttled the deal but that doesn’t matter. Voters don’t care about process arguments. The world knows the GOP legislature enacted HB2 and that they can repeal it. After all, they have veto-proof majorities in both houses of the General Assembly.
No matter how loud they scream, Republicans will get the blame for HB2 as long as it’s on the books. And Cooper will get the credit as soon as it’s repealed, because he got elected campaigning against it. The GOP should cut their losses and repeal the law as soon as possible. The credit Cooper gets now won’t be enough to ensure his re-election, but the fallout from HB2 could hurt Republicans in the special legislative elections this coming November.
Cooper’s call for raising teacher pay to the national average is an easily understood and widely popular position. Republicans like to claim they’ve given teachers raises, but Cooper frames the debate moving forward. If the GOP is not willing to make that commitment, they’ll have to explain why. It certainly worked for Democrats a decade or so ago. We’ll see if it works again.
Cooper is clearly no Pat McCrory. He has a firm grasp of state government and a willingness to push an agenda that McCrory lacked. The legislature has had four years dealing with a push over. They’ll now have to figure out how deal with a governor who clearly plans to make himself a force in Raleigh.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
Interesting thread .. NOT! You guys are so interested in proving the other guy is wrong. Stuff is what stuff is. Deal with it. Live in the past or build a future. You’re all intelligent yet acting like 8 year olds. And that goes up the chain the chain to DC. “Mine, mine!” “We won, you lost .. neener neener neener.” Get over yourselves.
The United States Government is in a state of extreme disorder and has been since the mid-term election of 2010. I likened that election to the shotgun repair of an aircraft by just pulling a bunch of suspect parts and plugging in a bunch of off-the-shelf parts (Tea Party candidates) without doing an ops check. Could fix it .. could crash it. Might do something in the middle, like making it unable to complete a mission. Middle won .. thankfully.
2016 was our time to really do a shakedown on how this thing is flying. And we elected as our test pilot Donald Trump. Actually an excellent choice if you know anything about test flights. He’s gonna fly this government to its limits. He’s already done the vertical take-off – always quite a spectacle!
So once Donald Trump finishes his time at the joystick, it’s going to be easy to find out what’s right and what’s wrong with this government. We’ve already learned quite a bit, wouldn’t we all agree? Let’s let the checks and balances do their jobs and stop quibbling like squirrels in the spring. Please.
Brat, It took you quite a while to find this thread, didn’t it? Have you been too busy trolling other moderate sites and spewing the right-wing propaganda? And why is it that you know-it-alls never use your own names, but instead choose names like Brat and provide pictures of your pets? Why, you should be proud to display your identities. Future generations might honor you. 🙂
1. The screen-name brat is know in certain circles, so I’m happy with it.
2. One comment makes me a troll? My, my ..
3. I’m a left-leaning Independent who voted for McGovern. And Cooper. And Hilary. And I’m on Roy’s email list.
4. Personal attacks? Tch, tch. No comment on content? SAD
(Sorry. It was just TOO hard to resist the SAD)
G’day
Brat or Name Brat, as the case may be,
1. I did not know that I was addressing a national celebrity. My bad.
2. You sure had me fooled that you were “a left-leaning Independent” with comments like “Middle won … thankfully” and “test pilot Donald Trump … excellent choice”. Maybe it’s just me, but that does not sound a lot like a left-leaner. You are definitely pushing the credibility limit when you claim to have voted for Hillary (check the spelling), which no one can verify. BTW, I am on Thom Tillis’ email list, but that does not make me a Republican. As I traveled around my district handing out materials, I often encountered people who proudly claimed that they were “independent”. But when I pursued the issue, most admitted that they had not and would not vote for anyone other than a Republican candidate. So, I think I will stick with my previous assessments and comments.
Hey, just checked you out a bit. Pretty bristle-y for a wannabe pol, but hey, whatever floats your boat. Found a common thread between you and me, though, believe it or not. Core belief. Ready? WARS ARE TO BE DECLARED BY CONGRESS. Yup, figured that one out in 1970 when my male classmates were trying to decide whether to register for the draft or move to Canada. I never thought anyone else would think of it. Its so simple. So, see? We have a shared simple core belief. But, to be honest, I had to stifle a guffaw when the article put quotation marks around your use of “tremendous.” Ouch! .. damn media ..
I applause our new governor. He, as he well knows, has a hard road ahead yet he has all it takes to impacl the Republicans who are an offenses to NC vxlues. The current Republicians have no values beyond their own special interest to remain a political power. what about the NC people needing jobs and income that their HB 2 has cost NCmillions of dollars and lost of jobs and income. They continue to think the people of NC are stupid. In short order, we will find out who is stupid and it will not be the food hearted people of NC.
The Democratic platform is about pro homosexuality, anti-gun, pro abortion, and pro-islam, political correctness, and hostile to our Christian heritage and 2nd Amendment, and is all about more regulation and police state mentality.
I am shocked that NC would elect a democrat governor. I have lived in and moved from 2 states controlled by the liberal progressive democratic platform, to the great state of North Carolina, thinking I was leaving that behind.
I am not condemning Governor before he has a chance , but am telling you from past experience, democrats consistently conform to a certain worldview and ideological mind set in how they view the Constitution, how they view our Judeao/Christian heritage, moral absolutes, history, the Bill Of Rights, abortion, globalism and generally seem antagonistic towards the values and ideals that have made this nation a nation of free people…a nation that has been a beacon of hope and opportunity and liberty the world over.
So, I will not be surprised if we see legislation while he is in office, that will be antagonistic to liberty, and laws that are More critical to the Christian faith. I hope I am wrong but time will tell.
I don’t know why you’re “shocked “. NC has elected many, many DemocratIC governors who have done a fantastic job governing this state.
Paul Non Patriot,
Comments such as yours remind me of Jesus’ comparing the multitudes of people to sheep. You swallow the right-wing propaganda hook, line, and sinker. Most of us Democrats own guns and attend Christian churches or synagogues. Roy Cooper is a deacon in a Baptist church. What religious duty does Pat McCrory perform? You claim to be Evangelical Christians, but you embrace the agenda hawked by Ayn Rand, an acknowledged atheist and proud adulteress, and you unashamedly vote for a godless man for President whose only values are self promotion and making money (when he is not groping women’s genitals).
Most of us Democrats do not advocate abortion of a developed fetus except in cases of rape, incest, and the mother’s life in danger. But where we differ from you is that we so not attempt to force our views on other people, especially by telling a woman what she can do with her own body. You, on the other hand, have been convinced by a bunch of ignoramuses that aborting a fertilized egg is MURDER, which justifies forcing others to conform to your views.
The really sad part of your political persuasion is that most of the leaders of your party do not give a spit about the values you claim to hold. They actually laugh behind your backs, as Karl Rove and his buddies did with “faith based initiatives” during the Doofus Bush administration. They just say what you want to hear in order to get you to vote for them, and then they rob the US Treasury to give tax breaks, credits, and cash payouts to rich people and corporations. Since the decision in Roe vs. Wade in 1972, they have held the legislative power of the federal Government on numerous occasions and have done nothing that they promised to you. Reagan hawked “small government” and reducing federal spending. But during his 8 years, he doubled the tax revenues collected by the federal government and tripled the national debt. Look it up. Now the Republicans are going to repeal the ACA, while keeping the parts that increase the costs of health insurance, and are going to make Mexico pay for a $35 billion wall along the US border. But the US taxpayer must fund it first. How gullible you people are..
BTW, Roy Cooper does not have the power to enact “legislation while he is in office, that will be antagonistic to liberty, and laws that are more critical to the Christian faith”. The charlatans you have placed in power in the NC Legislature make all of the state’s laws, and thanks to you and your buddies, they hold a veto-proof majority.
But you support a platform that is pro abortion, anti self defence, pro homosexual, and wants to fund the most depraved, racist organization…….planned parenthood.
I don’t know what Bible you are reading, and I wonder what kind of “christian” you are, as I don’t know any Christian (or southern Baptist) that would support the democratic platform
Please stop the whining about “forcing your beliefs on anyone else”!!!!! You sound too much like a liberal.
You say your a Christian, how about Jesus claim of being the only way to be saved (from hell)
” I am the way, the Truth and the life, no one comes to the father except by me”
Pushy enough for you???? Jesus was the mnost intolerant man that ever walked the earth, and yet you accused me of being intolerant and forcing things on you, when all I do is speak about Biblical principles?????
Do you think homosexuality is a sin????
Huh??? But you vote for and support a platform that IS pro abortion, all in the mame of “freedom of choice”, a platform that glorifies the homosexual lifestyle, and a platform that wants to use tax payers money to fund and support one of the most depraved and racist organizations…… Planned parenthood. I say this with authority because I have done a LOT of research.
Tell me, how can a spirit filled Christian support such a platform that blatantly and unapologetically supports such things????
And please stop with the:
“Most of us Democrats do not advocate abortion of a developed fetus except in cases of rape, incest, and the mother’s life in danger. But where we differ from you is that we so not attempt to force our views on other people, especially by telling a woman what she can do with her own body. You, on the other hand, have been convinced by a bunch of ignoramuses that aborting a fertilized egg is MURDER, which justifies forcing others to conform to your views”
The koolaide is working because you needs to research those abortion statistics more and see how many murders of unborn are for selfish convenience, due to not wanting to accept responsibility for sinful lifestyle.
And please spare me the “we so not attempt to force our views on other people”
Since you say you are christian, you know that Jesus said he was the only way to be saved Fromm hell????
I bet you are afraid to share that gospel as it would mean you are “forcimng your views on others”
Lol????? Wow! Your comments are troubling….”you unashamedly vote for a godless man for President whose only values are self promotion and making money (when he is not groping women’s genitals).”
Sooooooooo…Hilary was a better choice for the preservation of Godly and Constitutional principles??????
You are so blind its scary.
Paul Non Patriot,
Arguing with you is a total waste of time. Your thoughts are at best disorganized (you need 4 messages to write a single response), and all you do is repeat the same similes you have heard from religious nuts and right-wing demagogues like Ol’ Rush. If there is a community college in your area, you might check it out. If, alternatively, you want to live in a theocracy where the country is run on the basis of religious beliefs, you should try one of the Muslim countries. There is one small problem in that you will have to substitute the Koran for the Bible, but heck, that should not be difficult for a fundamentalist like you.
Your response is very revealing, thank you very much.
“BTW, Roy Cooper does not have the power to enact “legislation while he is in office, that will be antagonistic to liberty, and laws that are more critical to the Christian faith”. The charlatans you have placed in power in the NC Legislature make all of the state’s laws, and thanks to you and your buddies, they hold a veto-proof majority.”
That’s exactly what we were told in Connecticut, but governor Mallory must have missed the memos that governors don’t have power to enact legislation…..
What?????? Wow!!!!? Please enlighten me as to what religion influenced the founding of the Constitutional Republic?????
Have you read common sense, Federalist papers, Constitution, and are familiar with the founders writings, because your comments indicate you have not.
FYI, Jesus is the biggest biggot according to your world view.
Come back when you have something intelligent to say.
And I can tell you are highly educated. The founders who penned said documents DID IN FACT elude to and quote the Bible often.
You must have missed that while attending liberal university, with their revisionist history.
You don’t imply Jesus is a bigot, but when someone mirrors Biblical views on Morals, they are a bigot.
I am simply reflecting Biblical principles on certain moral issues, yet, I am deemed an intolerant bigot….how intolerant of you!!!!!!
We have here is a relativistic liberal who refuses to discuss real history or real truth, and is intolerant to beliefs that differ from theirs, yet I am sure considers himself/herself tolerant.
Ebrun,
Like most never-say-die Republicans, you are distorting the truth and you know it. We were never talking about supplemental insurance, which even a fool knows that the individual must mostly pay for. The Goverment picks up a part of that bill which includes certain medicines costs under Part D, passed by Doofus Bush for the benefit of drug companies but never separately funded by him and his cronies. I myself am under Part A. I do not have any supplemental insurance, and many other retirees do not. Your own source states that 87% of Part A funds come from “a 2.9% tax on earnings paid by employers and employees (1.45% each).” The rest comes from interest and miscellaneous sources, and not from the General Fund, as you would like to imply..
Here is what the US Government’s Medicare site says on the subject: https://www.medicare.gov/about-us/how-medicare-is-funded/medicare-funding.html
“How is Medicare funded?
… In 2011, Medicare covered 48.7 million people. Total expenditures in 2011 were $549.1 billion. This money comes from the Medicare Trust Funds.
Medicare Trust Funds: Medicare is paid for through 2 trust fund accounts held by the U.S. Treasury. These funds can only be used for Medicare.
Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund
How is it funded? Payroll taxes paid by most employees, employers, and people who are self-employed. Other sources, like income taxes paid on Social Security benefits, interest earned on the trust fund investments, and Medicare Part A premiums from people who aren’t eligible for premium-free Part A.
What does it pay for? Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) benefits, like inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facility care, home health care, and hospice care; Medicare Program administration, like costs for paying benefits, collecting Medicare taxes, and combating fraud and abuse.
The second Part B is Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Fund
How is it funded? Funds authorized by Congress; Premiums from people enrolled in Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance); and Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D); Other sources, like interest earned on the trust fund investments.
What does it pay for? Part B benefits; Part D; Medicare Program administration, like costs for paying benefits and for combating fraud and abuse.
It’s really sad that modern Americans don’t know their history anymore. I guess it isn’t taught in our schools as some prefer Creationism
The facts are that the Founders came from Europe , a land that was ruled by Monarchs.
Why?
Because Kings were always mentioned in the Bible , and Clerics therefore ruled that Kings were God’s choice. Thus , the Divine Rule of Kings.
I don’t think Washington and Jefferson cared much for Kings , or the religious doctrines that gave them Absolute Power to strip the people of their goods and freedoms.
Being that the 18th century was still rather backward, and the Founders themselves couldn’t predict the future , they spoke with the syntax that they lived in.
So , while they lived in a world defined by religion , they desired a new nation not RULED by that religion , or the DESPOTS who , by that religion , suppressed all freedoms ; expression , speech , movement , privacy , etc.
The USA was NOT founded as Christian nation , as such , because many different denominations existed in the various states , and Union could not exist if one was chosen over the other. State sponsorship of religion would have had to choose one or the other.
I get so tired at having to go over this again and again , and I’m tired now.
Carry on
The arguments against Medicaid expansion are not well thought out.
Without it , people just go to Emergency Rooms , and there is the main cause of the rise in health care premiums , do to rising costs at the hospital due to those who can’t pay.
Is the solution to ban those who can’t pay? That ain’t gonna happen. Not unless folks like Ebrun want untreated persons wandering the streets , spreading disease.
Also , McCrony’s refusal to address this led to small rural hospitals having to close , leading , of course , to more expense and untreated ailments.
We should move beyond Romneycare to a Single Payer. system. When costs start coming down as a result , the Right will be astonished , if they bother to admit it , which I seriously doubt.
Well said, Hawkeye. The problem is that right-wing people are not persuaded by logic and cling to their political positions with statements like “you have your facts and I have mine,” as if facts depend on one’s point of view. The only thing that will affect this mentation is their own suffering as a result of their voting. Perhaps that will happen under The Donald. I applaud Roy Cooper for his Medicaid expansion efforts, but I doubt that he will succeed. On the other hand, he will make it clear to those without coverage where the political parties stand on this issue.
‘What people will hear, though, is “The legislature wants to deny people health coverage.” ‘
Unfortunately, only informed, cognizant people will ‘hear’ this. That’s why progressives and democrats need to be shouting it from the rooftops! Its a form of fear (and regrettably what people respond to), but unlike Republican fear-mongering, its real.
Expansion of Medicaid in NC will mean that single,childless adults who do not work will get free, subsidized health care with a $3,000,000,000 price tag. Meanwhile, middle class working families are hit with higher health insurance premiums, deductibles and co-pays.
And Democrats wonder why they are losing working class voters.
Ebrun, Do you have medical insurance of any type? If so, how much does it cost you per month? Single? Family? Are your parents still alive? If so, are their medical bills being paid by that socialist program called Medicare? Do you know the yearly price tag for Medicare for the US?
Thomas Hill, while I can’t cite the exact cost of Medicare, I know that it and other entitlements make-up a huge portion of our federal budget and contribute substantially to America’s $20 TRILLION national debt. Anyone who is knowledgable of federal fiscal policy knows that, if not substantially reformed, Medicare will not be financially solvent within the next 20 years if not much sooner. It is not a question of the benevolent social policy or conservative spending restraint, it is an obvious mathematical fact.
Ebrun, You do not know what you are talking about and should not reference “mathematics” unless you know the relevant facts. Not one penny of the cost of Medicare has been paid from the general fund. Medicare is financed by FICA taxes paid by American workers and employers. There is a $2.75 trillion surplus in the Social Security Fund, which includes Medicare, and has been “borrowed” and spent by Congress on general appropriations, and now these crooks do not want to repay the debt they owe. Despite the “20 year” BS, the only category of the fund which is “in trouble” is the disability fund, which has been sucked dry by unemployed coal miners in West Virginia and eastern Kentucky. These poor unskilled people now face payback for voting Republican since the Republican Congress has recently ordered closing the loopholes they are using to obtain unwarranted disability payments. It is a sad situation, and desperate people are committing suicide. Look it up. If you don’t like the SS setup, blame your hero Reagan, who set it up with Tip O’Neill and passed the largest tax increase in modern times. BTW, you never answered my questions — a typical Republican tactic.
TH, me thinks you are in denial. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Medicare Hospital Fund is solvent to 2028. Now here’s a simple math problem for you—see if you can figure our on your own how many years there are between today and 2028.
Part B won’t be insolvent because the law requires Medicare taxes to be raised or services cut to cover Part B expenditures. So as the costs increase, so will Medicare taxes.
And BTW, I don’t post here to answer your questions. If you know the answer, post it. If you don’t, figure it out on your own.
Ebrun, You need to get your act together, You previously claimed that Medicare payouts “make-up a huge portion of our federal budget and contribute substantially to America’s $20 TRILLION national debt,” and .”if not substantially reformed, Medicare will not be financially solvent within the next 20 years if not much sooner”. Now after I showed you the facts, you agree that Medicare Part B is self-funded, does not impact the national debt, and will not be insolvent within the next 20 years. If you cannot see the contradiction in your statements, I cannot help you.. Neither will condescension and attempted insults extricate you from your previous uninformed claims. Incidentally, if your goal for participating in this blog is to “educate” the opponents of your right-wing agenda, you are not succeeding.
***I know that it and other entitlements make-up a huge portion of our federal budget and contribute substantially to America’s $20 TRILLION national debt***
Ebrun ,I get SO tired of having to repeat , over and over and over again :
MEDICARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY ARE NOT ENTITLEMENTS! BOTH ARE QUITE DIFFERENT FROM FOOD STAMPS
They are paid for by payroll tax deductions, which I am more than happy to pay.
Cut the crap!
Your selfish lack of concern , like all of you on the White Right , for your fellow Americans , is immoral by the doctrines of any religion.
You bring shame upon Christianity
Most SS recipients who live an average lifespan receive SS payments much greater than their contribution even when compound interest is considered. As it exists today, SS is a program for income redistribution from younger workers to elderly retirees. I don’t object to such a policy, but to pretend it’s not an legal entitlement is disingenuous and deceptive.
And, BTW, Christianity has nothing to do with it. But urging that dissenting views on this blog be silenced is undemocratic. I’ll let let you figure the religious implications of such intolerance.
Thomas Hill,. A simple Google search would set you straight, but you must have been drinking that leftist kool aide for too long. Below is an excerpt from the Kaiser Foundation, a liberal think tank that is a strong proponent of government-provided health care in the U.S.
How is Medicare Funded
“Medicare is funded primarily from three sources: general revenues (41%), payroll taxes (38%), and beneficiary premiums (13%) (Figure 6). Part A is financed primarily through a 2.9% tax on earnings paid by employers and employees (1.45% each) (accounting for 87% of Part A revenue).Jul 24, 2015”
The Facts on Medicare Spending and Financing | The Henry J. Kaiser …
kff.org/medicare/fact-sheet/medicare-spending-and-financing-fact-sheet/
Thomas, note that the largest source of Medicare funding is from GENERAL REVENUES paid into the U.S. Treasury, not payroll taxes taxes or beneficiary premiums.
I don’t except you to acknowledge your ignorance on this matter, but you should be more circumspect before citing egregious misinformation is future posts.
And, BTW ,I don’t post here to “educate” those on the far left. Far from it. Both I do take some pleasure in exposing the intolerance and hypocrisy of many of the liberals who post here, yourself included.
Ebrun , you posted a list of definitions of Entitlements. I don’t believe my previous post went through , so I’ll try again.
Where did that list come from ? Brietbart or Drudge? You gave no link or attribution.
My dictionary says , allow , give , authorize. But, Medicare and Social Security are EARNED , not given , as with ALMS.
You are wrong again.
Hawkeye, FYI, here is a textbook definition of government entitlement programs:
Entitlement Programs
Picture
Entitlement Programs of the federal government include Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Unemployment and Welfare Programs. Entitlement programs are rights granted to citizens and certain non-citizens by federal law. Entitlement programs can be broken into non-contributory and contributory programs. Non-contributory programs are free handouts – they equal “something for nothing”. Contributory programs must be earned – they equal “something for something”.
Non-contributory Programs – Welfare
Welfare Programs include 13 separate programs to fight poverty (see U.S. Welfare Programs) and the Medicaid Program which provides health care to low-income Americans. Welfare Programs and Medicaid are non-contributory, meaning recipients are entitled to the benefits even though they have made no contributions to the programs through taxes. Welfare Programs are targeted to low-income individuals and families. While the programs represent a legal right available to all Americans, the exercise of that right is fully dependent on the level of income of the individual of family. Only low-income Americans qualify for benefits.
Contributory Programs
Entitlement Programs also include Social Security, Medicare and Unemployment insurance. Social Security provides retirement and disability benefits, Medicare provides health care for elderly Americans and Unemployment Insurance provides benefits to working age adults out of work. All Americans and their employers must participate in the programs by paying payroll taxes as defined by federal law. While the programs are an entitlement available to all Americans in order to qualify for benefits recipients must have worked and made contributions to the programs by paying taxes.
Cost of Entitlement Programs
See Entitlement Spending Page
Home Safety Net Programs Welfare Reform
Your answer to those who do not share your political opinions, D.g., is to stifle others’ opinions? You must not have much confidence in the wisdom of your views. C’mon, chill out. It’s unhealthy to get all “stirred up.”
I’m not particularly fond of the restraints placed on local governments either…even some pro HB2 folks would find that objectionable…if they just knew about it
Thomas, spot on….Roy Cooper is taking the offensive. He will make a difference. We can sit here and quibble whether or not HB 2 is repealed, whether or not Medicaid will be expanded, etc. The key is what the Governor is doing and how he is doing it.
The point is that Governor Cooper is effectively using the Governorship as a “bully pulpit” to call the Repubs out and set up the fall elections. Now the Dems have to go out and find the candidates who can be elected, and if not control the legislature next year, at least be a force to be dealt with.
My vote in November for Roy Cooper was well spent.
Thomas, I don’t think Republicans will repeal HB2 because doing so will be a victory for Roy Cooper and a defeat for themselves. It will be an admission that the Republicans made a mistake in passing HB2. I’m confident that our Republicans are loath to admit their mistakes. I’m not sure they believe that HB2 was a mistake, anyway.