Tap-dancing toward an HB-2 sellout?

Snip20160418_1Are Raleigh’s ‘Mr. Conservative’ and his sugar daddy about to pull a number over on us?   The Magic 8-ball says ‘Quite Possibly.’

I did one heck of a spit-take a couple of weeks ago while watching NC Spin.  Grandpa Tom singled out John Hood and asked him about a new “working group” Little John is heading up.  All giggly and beside himself, Hood revealed that said “working group” is aimed at finding a “compromise” on the *dreadful* HB-2 law.  (*Boys bathrooms and girls bathrooms are simply draconian.*)

His partner in said “working group”? Former lieutenant governor Dennis Wicker !!!!!  (Insert ‘”horrified” emoji here.) 

Yessiree.  Raleigh’s ‘Mr. Conservative’ has joined forces with arguably the most viciously partisan Democrat out there today to “fix” HB-2.  (How can this possibly have a happy ending?) 

Now, let’s turn to McClatchy from a week or so ago:

Republican financier Art Pope, who is poised to co-head a group to find a bipartisan compromise on House Bill 2, said state leaders should take “a collective deep breath” on the issue.

“The LGBT community has legitimate issues. Those who have concerns about the privacy in the bathroom of women and children or men have legitimate issues as well,” Pope said in an interview last week on NPR’s “All Things Considered.”sellout

John Hood, president of Pope’s family foundation, and Pope are organizing the group working to find a solution, the Observer reported this week. Former Democratic Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker would head the effort with Pope, and former Republican Gov. Jim Martin would be the honorary chairman.

Hood and Pope say the idea grew out of discussions over how to find a way out of a situation that has resulted in economic losses, celebrity boycotts and dueling lawsuits between the state and the U.S. Justice Department.[…]

Hmmm.  I was always under the impression THAT is what we had an elected legislature for — to make policy decisions that govern the state.  I don’t remember voting to allow a small cadre of self-important pointy-head politicos to huddle in smoke-filled backrooms to, um, “decide” things for us. 

photo_69095_wide_large(For what it’s worth, Hood hinted on this week’s NC Spin that ”movement” on HB-2 is looking quite possible.)

Pope and Hood — it’s clear — believe it is very important for Pat McCrory to be re-elected to another term as governor.   If they stepped outside the Raleigh beltline a little more often, they might realize that HB-2 is THE ONLY THING keeping a lot of conservative voters from sitting out the governor’s race.  

Let’s face it, ol’ Pat hasn’t done a lot to distinguish himself from his predecessors.  He’s griped about budget cuts and tax reform.  Administration hiring decisions, appointments and policy decisions are quite often made in terms of WHO contributed HOW MUCH to a certain reelection campaign.

Ol’ Pat waffled around on fighting ObamaCare implementation, and has been a weak sister on battling Obama on amnesty for illegal aliens.  HB-2, and the stance Jones Street AND Blount Street have taken on it SO FAR, is the first thing in a looooong time to come along and excite the conservative base about the current inhabitant of that mansion on Blount Street.   Sabotaging the efforts behind HB-2, to appease Coli13ojfF.AuSt.156n Campbell and McClatchy, could very well cause November to blow up in the faces of the NCGOP.

Ronald Reagan and Jesse Helms — arguably the two most successful and influential Republicans ever in North Carolina — recognized the importance of reaching out to family values voters and keeping them as part of the team.

Hood and Pope and Wicker may be slick about this and wait until after the November vote to make their move.  Wicker and his cohorts in the Democrat Party will be happy.  Art, John and their Raleigh country club buddies will have some temporary satisfaction.  But the move will accelerate the coming crack-up of the NCGOP.

Pat McCrory and his team will have succeeded in doing to the NCGOP what they did to the Charlotte Republicans.