Rep. Garland Pierce (D-Scotland) addresses protestors during a special session at the North Carolina Legislature. CREDIT: AP Photo/Gerry Broome.
The Republican-controlled North Carolina legislature is not happy that voters last month chose a Democratic governor and a liberal majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court. And today, they could take advantage of an “emergency” legislative session to pass a series of bills that would minimize the impact of the voters’ choices by limiting the power of the other two branches of government.
This is from an earlier article on Think Progress, about the panicked coup attempt by NC repubs, who aren’t at all happy that Cooper won the election. In doing so, they have pulled out the dirty tricks playbook:
The Republican leaders of the North Carolina legislature called an emergency special session this week ostensibly to send funding to parts of the state devastated by Hurricane Matthew. Yet they used the opportunity to rush through a series of bills designed to limit the power of incoming Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who unseated Republican Pat McCrory by a narrow margin in November.
“It now seems to me the hurricane session was just a ruse to get us here,” Sen. Jane Smith (D-Columbus) complained.
Rev. Dr. William Barber, the president of the North Carolina NAACP, agreed, and called the move “an insult to the democratic values held by all people of goodwill in this state.”
“It is immoral, it is unconstitutional, and this illegal session is a direct attack on the people of North Carolina,” he said. “To convene in Raleigh under the pretext of a special session called by the Governor to provide relief to those affected by the hurricane and wildfires continues the worst of this extremist legislature’s legacy: making unjust laws to give more power to themselves, on the backs of those most vulnerable.”
There are now active protests taking place once again in North Carolina, where it just wasn’t enough for the voters to speak their mind and oust McCrory.
Via Think Progress.
I am completely freaking out right now.
My only hope is that with an incoming governor who is the current AG, and an incoming AG who’s a democrat, NC can take on the attempted coup maneuvers in court and win. But that won’t happen if the GOP packs the supreme court with two unelected extremist GOP judges in order to given themselves a majority. Fuck fuck fuck.
It’s been obvious for years now that conservatives hate democracy. The only shocking thing about this is how blatant it is.
Honestly, if this is how they feel about the democratic process, why don’t we just jail them in exactly the manner that would suit their style of “governance”?
There are now active protests taking place once again in North Carolina, where it just wasn’t enough for the voters to speak their mind and oust McCrory.
Fucking guillotine ’em. Enough already, NC.
Listening to Rev. Dr. Barber on the radio earlier, he says the GOP, this is their way of trying to ensure they can hang on a while longer despite Supreme Court ruling their prior power grabbing tactics unconstitutional and compelling a special election next year to contest all the illegitimately gained seats the GOP currently holds.
They won their seats because of fewer polling places in majority black districts this year, and last election as well. Blatantly racist gerrymandering and voter suppression. When the GOP gets taken to court, on this shit they lose. Cooper refused to defend HB2, and challenged them on their voting legislation, this is their way of saying fuck you, we’ll take the ship own with us. As Barber said, 58% want Medicaid expansion, 80% of Carolinians want living wage, but here we are with our legislature behaving as though winning stolen elections gives them a mandate.
I’m completely flabbergasted that such a thing is even possible. In Germany all representative must be given sufficient time to read a proposed law. Relevant groups must be heard on the matter. Yes, it means that things take time. It also means that such things are not possible and that laypeople don’t accidentally fuck things up big times.
Why dont Republicans rename the GOP to “American Fascist Party” and stop the pretence at valuing freedom and democracy?
In keeping with their ethos of always lying even when there is no point to it, the new name would be something like All-Americas Post-Racist Scientifically Rational Party of Evidence and Diplomacy, which the acronym LOGIC (Leading Our Greatness Into Compassion, or somesuch).
Umm who was it saying that the rule of Trump should just be accepted because that’s democracy and the protests are evil and unconstitutional and sore losing because Trump won, b*tches now shut up…?
Another classic case of doing one thing while shouting another.