A stark reminder that the far-right still rules in Raleigh

Published April 24, 2015

By Chris Fitzsimon

by Chris Fitzsimon, NC Policy Watch and NC SPIN panelist, April 23, 2015.

Just when you think there’s a glimmer of hope that the flood of reactionary ideas in the General Assembly is finally slowing down and the abuse of the democratic process is waning comes a stark reminder otherwise, that folks running things in Raleigh are still far outside the mainstream of North Carolina and are willing to use almost any heavy-handed tactic to advance their far-right agenda.

The glimmer of hope came when a House committee narrowly defeated an attempt to roll back renewable energy standards that require utilities to generate a percentage of their power from renewable sources.

That common sense move came after heated debate and intense outside pressure from right-wing advocacy groups and think tanks that are now beside themselves that lawmakers again sided with environmentalists and the green energy industry that is creating thousands of jobs in the state.

But the moment of clear-headed thinking didn’t last long. Another House committee considered legislation to impose a 72-hour waiting period on women seeking an abortion and to put more restrictions and requirements on doctors who perform the legal procedure.

The current waiting period is 24 hours thanks to an anti-choice bill passed by the General Assembly in 2011.

An earlier version of this session’s bill would have also banned physicians at medical schools at UNC-CH and East Carolina from performing abortions and teaching medical students how to perform them.

That provision was removed after university officials said it would affect the schools’ accreditation, though bill sponsor Rep. Jacqueline Schaeffer told the News & Observer she remained committed to “addressing those issues.”

But the revised bill is certainly oppressive enough, forcing women to wait three days for a legal medical procedure and offensively assuming that women hadn’t already weighed all the consequences of their decision.

Rep. Tricia Cotham had it exactly right in a floor debate on the bill after sharing her personal story of a miscarriage, calling the longer waiting period a barrier for low-income women and an attempt to perpetuate shame as well as an example of politicians playing doctor.

During the floor debate, several lawmakers supporting the 72-hour waiting period mentioned the debate in the Health Committee and all the testimony from supporters of the legislation.

But only one opponent of the bill was allowed to speak, as committee chair Rep. Brian Brown repeatedly called on supporter after supporter of the legislation, ignoring doctors and other experts who had come to the committee meeting to explain the problems with the longer waiting period and new requirements on physicians who perform abortions.

Finally, after a half an hour of testimony from supporters of the new abortion restrictions, Brown abruptly called for a vote and the bill passed along party lines with committee members never hearing from medical professionals who had serious concerns about what the legislation actually means for patients and doctors.

The Republicans had the votes to easily pass the bill, but refused to allow committee members and the public to hear all the information about the ramifications of what they were considering.

The bill was then rushed onto the House Calendar, bypassing a judiciary committee to which it had also been referred for more thorough debate, and it passed the full House early Thursday afternoon.

It now goes to the Senate, a place where open debate is even less likely, and then on to Governor Pat McCrory, who promised in his 2012 campaign not to sign any further restrictions on access to abortion, a promise he broke by signing an anti-choice bill in 2013.

It was another frustrating day in a long line of frustrating days at the General Assembly, as Republican lawmakers once again showed that any notion of moderation was mistaken.

So don’t be fooled. The far-right still rules in Raleigh. And they rule with an iron ideological fist.

- See more at: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2015/04/23/a-stark-reminder-that-the-far-right-still-rules-in-raleigh/#sthash.nKwVJAhA.dpuf

April 24, 2015 at 9:02 am
Richard L Bunce says:

Chris, elections have consequences... they "rule" because they were elected by the States voters in their House and Senate districts. You will just have to get over that they are not Democrats.

April 24, 2015 at 10:14 am
Norm Kelly says:

So, demons RULED Raleigh for roughly 100 years. Did Chris EVER lament that there were too many demons in Raleigh? Did Chris ever lament that demons did what they wanted, with almost no ability of Republicans/the opposition to stop them? Did Chris ever lament about the wacky spending or taxing by the left?

So, voters CHOSE to throw out the leftists, CHOSE to try to change the direction of the state in what the MAJORITY believe would be not just the RIGHT direction, but also the proper direction. The majority of voters CHOSE to try to get state government back on proper footing, treat ALL residents fairly, equally, and as human beings. What's the response from the radical left? Lament! Cuz the state is no longer being run the way leftists want it to be? Cuz you are no longer in control? Too bad. To quote your fearless savior, 'elections have consequences'. Perhaps libs can do something questionable about gerrymandering and get themselves back in power. Then we can expect to hear laments from libs about how poorly their buddies are running Raleigh. I won't hold my breath. In the meantime, whine all you want. We'll still celebrate every little victory we get!

April 24, 2015 at 10:51 am
Norm Kelly says:

'the abuse of the democratic process'. I can't wait to read what a die-hard lib, darn near socialist, thinks Republicans are doing to abuse the democratic process. Fortunately he used the lower case 'd' on that word. Cuz the only thing I see being abused is the upper case 'Demoncratic' process. And the majority of voters are glad this is happening. Cuz the majority of those who bothered to vote CHOSE to have the Democrat process thwarted!

'willing to use almost any heavy-handed tactic to advance their far-right agenda'. Like when demons used every far-left tactic to advance their agenda. Remember when gerry was the friend of libs? Remember when libs wanted the state to get in the useless lottery system? Remember how they used every tactic they could to get it passed? Some of what they did 'bordered' on illegal, questionably stretched the rules they themselves had put in place. And didn't the lottery vote happen when a key Republican opponent was hospitalized? Talk about far-left shady tactics and far-left agenda at all costs!

Somehow I knew Chris was going to get around to the abortion issue. It's just surprising that it took so long into the post to get to the real issue. Abortion at all costs as far as libs are concerned. Libs will accept NO limitations or restrictions on abortion. Most libs, I expect including Chris, wish that the government would pay for every abortion. Libs choose to define the fetus as a tissue mass if the woman decides to kill it. Libs choose to define the fetus as a baby if the woman is involved in an auto accident that results in the death of the fetus. ANOTHER example of lib double standards that they expect thinking people NOT to question.

When I go to the mortgage broker/credit union/financial institution to refinance my house, I am required to sign the paperwork and return 3 days later to finalize the process. This is a CHOICE I AM MAKING of my own free will. Yet libs have managed to make it LAW that I am not allowed to finish the paperwork in 1 trip; I can't take time off from work just once to make a financial decision. Libs FORCE me to return to the financial institution 3 days later to make it official. Yet, a woman should be allowed to KILL A BABY with no limitations, no restrictions, and no planning. At least in the mind of true abortion supporters; those who call themselves 'pro-choice', which is simply a misnomer to make themselves feel good. Ask the average 'pro-choice' supporter, like Debbie Blabbermouth, and you will find that they believe abortion should be completely, totally unrestricted in ALL CASES! I can't make a financial decision for myself because libs are protecting me from myself, I MUST think about it for 3 days, yet I can kill a baby virtually instantly! What absurd bull dung! Are there ANY circumstances under which libs like Chris believe an abortion should NOT occur? Please name 1 instance when an abortion should be prevented. Just one! Any one!

The last time Republicans in the legislature changed abortion rules, libs responded the same way. What was that change? All abortion clinics had to conform to standard, normal operating room procedures and have qualified staff on hand for the procedure. And libs whined that this would force virtually all clinics to close, cuz they couldn't afford to do an operation following standard medical practices. My dentist has to have a qualified person on staff, a trained person, to administer a numbing agent before I can have a tooth pulled, but an abortionist should simply be allowed to exist with no restrictions. Is this really what libs are saying? No question of the medical background of the abortionist, just let them do their job? Really!?

'calling the longer waiting period a barrier for low-income women'. Yup. Once again, libs looking out for the little guy! What an absolute absurd and idi0t1c statement. But since it was blathered by a lib, no one dare question what it means! Why is it that PAYING for an abortion is not a barrier for low-income women, but waiting 3 days is a barrier to this same group? Did ANYONE bother asking the blatherer HOW these low-income women pay for an abortion even if they only have to wait 1 day? How does waiting 3 days make it MORE expensive and MORE of a barrier to kill a baby? Did this low-income woman THINK before having unprotected sex what the consequences might be? Did she think ahead about how she would raise the kid, or IF she wanted to raise a kid? Does the low-income woman have ANY responsibility in this situation? According to the religion of the left, the answer is obviously NO.

'The Republicans had the votes to easily pass the bill, but refused to allow committee members ...' to 'hear all the information'. Kinda sounds like many situations that were created when libs ruled Raleigh. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, we get the usual whining from libs. Imagine that. Told you whining was the default lib reaction. Was it really necessary to hear from opponents of this bill that creating a waiting period would prevent an abortion? That's the only problem with this bill. Some lib is concerned that an abortion just MIGHT not happen. Just because a life-and-death decision might be postponed for 3 days, libs are beside themselves. Yet it's libs that want to protect me from myself when refinancing my home! Does this make sense to anyone who is NOT a lib? Can't imagine it would.

'And they rule with an iron ideological fist.' As opposed to how demons ruled Raleigh just a few short years ago. Ruled so well that voters CHOSE to put them in the minority. Seems the only way libs can get themselves back in power again is to demonize EVERYTHING Republicans do. And it appears that 'everything' means absolutely everything as far as libs are concerned. The only praise-worthy pol appears to be a lib pol, regardless of how out-of-touch with reality that lib pol is!

Why do I bother reading the spewing of libs!? They are so frustrating, and so far left that it's hard to even see them! They are so committed to their religion, so committed to preventing any other religion/belief. You know, the religion of big government, all encompassing government, and unregulated, uncontrolled, free abortion for anyone at anytime. The religion that even says a female younger than 18 can get an abortion without parental permission, without ever notifying parents that the abortion happened. The religion that says a school can't let a child have an aspirin without parental consent or notification. Yet that same kid can be taken to an abortion clinic during school hours, by school staff, and parents are purposely left in the dark! That's a religion that's hard to accept or explain.

May 1, 2015 at 9:39 am
Charles H. Farley says:

I could not agree with Norm Kelly or Richard Bunce more!

Especially like Norm's use of the term "Demons" I will stop using

"Demorats" immediately. LOL