A civil concession

Phil Berger will step away as leader of the Senate without gnashing teeth.

It’s over. Phil Berger conceded to Sam Page after a random hand recount of 3% of the districts didn’t indicate the results would change. Sam Page will likely represent Rockingham and parts of Guilford County in the state Senate next year.

I appreciate that Berger conceded graciously and without drawing out the process. Involving the courts in every close election to disqualify voters is unseemly and undermines faith in our system. Senator Berger went through the process and is now stepping away.

I’ve had a grudging respect for Berger since he first became President Pro-Tem. As leader, he ran a tight ship. Over his fifteen years, the body has been plagued with very few scandals or improprieties. There was also very little grumbling or leaking coming from his caucus. That’s saying something and he gets credit.

I’m sure people will remind me that he’s got a bunch of former staffers who are leveraging their connections to him and his office. They are getting rich and their clients are getting access. Unfortunately, that’s how the system works. Nobody’s doing anything illegal, even if the business of governing is often unseemly.

I’ve been disappointed in Berger’s embrace of the right-wing populism that’s infected the Republican Party. It’s very hard to maintain respect for somebody who endorsed Mark Robinson knowing what he knew. It’s also disappointing to watch his embrace of Trump knowing what he knows about him, too. Of course, that applies to all of the Republicans who know better but have sold their pitiful souls to worship false idols. It’s not really a patriotic party anymore.

But back to Berger’s concession. If we’re ever going to get back to more normal politics, we need civility instead of threats and denials. Berger delivered. Governor Josh Stein did, too.

After Berger conceded, Stein put out a tweet saying, “I thank our election officials for ensuring that all votes were counted and that the people’s voice was heard. I congratulate Sheriff Page on his victory and commend Senator Berger for his service. While we didn’t always see eye to eye on the issues of the day, I appreciate Senator Berger’s deep love for North Carolina.”

That’s classy and acknowledges that we can agree to disagree while sharing some broader goals. Stein is playing his politics right, both for his own purposes and as a state leader. He’s getting back to a level of decorum that’s been missing at every level of government.

I’m probably not the best messenger here, since I’m not very civil. Still, I want to see our politics work. One of the first steps is restoring faith in our institutions. Berger’s concession and Stein thanking the board of elections is a start.