Leave it to a late-night TV host, Seth Meyers, to provide a perfect description of the abomination of leadership that has been North Carolina’s General Assembly over the past two weeks:
“It’s like losing a bet and paying it off with Monopoly money.”
In a naked exercise in self-interest, the majority-Republican legislature last week stripped an incoming governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, of many of the powers and resources of his GOP predecessor, Pat McCrory.
Congratulations on your victory, they said. Here’s your fake cash.
As for what the rest of us thought, they didn’t care. There’s been no shame in these games, which have made the state a national punch line.
Turns out, however, that we hadn’t seen anything yet. A surprise special session that was supposed to result in a bipartisan repeal of House Bill 2 fizzled in a fog of deception and mistrust.
McCrory had called for the session to repeal the notorious “bathroom bill,” which forces transgender individuals to use restrooms in government-owned buildings that correspond to the gender on their birth certificates. The law also prevents local governments from passing their own LGBT protections, strips them of their ability to raise minimum wages and makes it harder for anyone to sue for job discrimination in state courts.
After Charlotte’s City Council voided its LGBT-rights ordinance, which Republicans blamed for HB 2, the legislature was expected to follow suit by rescinding HB 2. But the day barely had dawned when some Republicans questioned whether Charlotte had rescinded its gay rights ordinance in total.
So the council held an emergency meeting hours later to revoke the ordinance in full. It also removed an earlier provision that voided the repeal of its ordinance if HB 2 was not rescinded by Dec. 31.
Arguably, the council conceded too much. But in the end, its efforts still weren’t enough.
A Senate bill for HB 2’s repeal suddenly contained an asterisk: Local ordinances that regulated employment practices, public accommodations or restroom access would be banned for six months.
In other words, many of the restrictions of HB 2 would remain, even if the law didn’t.
More monopoly bucks.
After the bill failed for lack of support among Republicans and Democrats, in an amazing feat of twisted logic, Senate leader Phil Berger huffed and puffed and blamed Charlotte. And Cooper, whom he said really didn’t want an HB 2 repeal. Isn’t that rich?
To recap: Charlotte partially repealed its ordinance on Monday. It repealed it again — completely — on Wednesday to allay GOP concerns.
And the deal’s demise is Charlotte’s fault?
The fact is, Republicans couldn’t agree on HB 2. They have super majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly and could have passed the repeal without one Democratic vote. But as the session wore on, more and more Republicans balked at the idea of killing HB 2.
“No economic, political or ideological pressure can convince me that what is wrong is right,” Lt. Gov. Dan Forest said in a written statement. Other Republicans tried to adjourn the session.
The fact is, Charlotte has been more than conciliatory. It delivered what it promised. The GOP did not. Now that the Charlotte council has revoked its ordinance unconditionally, so should the legislature with HB 2,which has cost the state’s economy tens of millions of dollars.
These lawmakers have hornswoggled North Carolinians long enough. They should kill HB 2 with no strings attached.
Or they shouldn’t bother to waste our time, money and fading hopes with special sessions that are anything but.
