In positive news yesterday, (former) Governor Pat McCrory of North Carolina finally conceded the election of November 8th to his opponent, Democrat Roy Cooper. McCrory actually found the entirely reasonable results of the election questionable, which is curious considering the damage he rendered upon the state in just four short years. Let’s take a quick stroll down Resume Road.
On Restricting the Right to Vote: In August of this year, McCrory petitioned the Supreme Court to consider reinstating the state’s 2013 Voter ID law in time for last month’s election. In case there was any question about the evidence compelling such a law, let’s check in with the judge who wrote the opinion for the unanimous ruling this past July:
“The new provisions target African Americans with almost surgical precision” and impose cures for problems that did not exist,” Judge Diana Gribbon Motz wrote for the panel. “Thus the asserted justifications cannot and do not conceal the State’s true motivation.”
Here’s a clear illustration of that motivation.
The Bathroom Bill: In another case of conjuring a scratch in search of an itch, McCrory supported the infamous HB2 bill, which forbade the lads from entering the ladies’ restrooms. Disguised as a ‘privacy’ law, the population saw it for what it was – a crass attempt to further marginalize and humiliate cross-gendered citizens of the Tar Heel state. At last count, this bill had cost the state $400 million…
Duke Energy Coal Ash Spill: As Republican legislators are won to do, McCrory favored a ‘business-friendly’ environment for North Carolina. That’s corporate-speak for loose to little government interference in the way of corporate profit (safety and general well-being be damned). The way this works, as we’ve seen elsewhere, is the neighboring pulmo-Americans are likely to experience poisoned water , exploding factories/towns, or in this case, contamination of the Dan River with toxic sludge, courtesy of the $50 billion corporation’s ruptured pipe. He has been accused by his successor of misleading the public on contamination from the spill, and shielding the company from the full scope of its responsibility for fines and clean-up. If you guessed that McCrory’s employer for the 28 years leading to his run for governorship was Duke Energy, congratulations. You are now free to appraise the coincidence.
The concession was fine news, but it’s hard to understand how he felt justified to question the election results in the first place. If you kick a dog enough times, I believe eventually it will bite – if it’s not able to democratically exorcise you as its master at the ballot box.
UPDATE: for a more detailed analysis of McCrory’s defeat, including constituent support of his initiatives, check here.