#ncga: Tim Moore, religious freedom, the NCGOP and NC’s “brand”

 

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So, the speaker of the NC House is concerned about how protecting people’s religious freedom will affect “our brand” in North Carolina. What is this “brand” that he speaks of? What is he soooo afraid of? The leftists screamed and howled about the marriage amendment to the state constitution. The sky did not fall. Their predictions of doom did not materialize.  So, they ran to a friendly federal judge to make up a reason to overturn the will of the people of our fair state. 

The left is running the same play with the debate over the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  It is sad — but necessary — that we have to affirm the fact that we are free to practice our religions without interference from the government.

It’s been three years since the marriage amendment passed.  People are still moving to North Carolina in droves.  McCrory and the legislature are still handing out bribes to relocating and expanding businesses.  The amendment didn’t harm us.  How will the passage of the RFRA do so?

RFRA gives average Americans some protection from being hounded out of business and into bankruptcy by Stalinist, Orwellian “human relations” commissions, committees or commisburrars over perceived slights against groups with most-favored status.  It gives you a basis to claim in state court that complying with heavy-handed demands — like catering a gay wedding or allowing drag queens into your ladies locker room — violates your firmly held moral or religious beliefs.  Bill Clinton and Chuck Schumer helped push the federal version through a Democrat Congress.  Nearly three dozen states already have similar laws on the books.  Why is the left so scared?  Stuff like this makes it harder for them to shove their authoritarian agenda down our throats. 

Is Moore talking about the GOP brand? He comes from a part of the state that has been Republican since Lincoln’s days.  They sided with the Union, and were Republican JUST BECAUSE.   Thanks to the philosophy and principles of people like Jesse Helms, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan it gradually became cool for conservative Democrats in the rest of the state to vote GOP.  The cute little elephant logo didn’t win people over.  The message did.  The Democrats were seen as the party of crime and the dirty hippies.  The GOP was seen as the refuge for the honest working person seeking a decent place to raise their family and earn an honest wage for an honest day’s work.  The difference was clear. The people saw it.  And the GOP benefited.

Jesse Helms, Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan are all dead now.  And apparently, the memory of what they did and stood thomhandsfor is fading fast too.  There is way too much talk about marketing the GOP like a consumer product as opposed to fighting the good fight for individualism and freedom.  “Our guys and gals” are busy talking about raising taxes a little less than Democrats did, spending a little less than Democrats did, regulating a little less than Democrats did, and not being as rude while ignoring the church people as the Democrats were. 

Our founding documents make it crystal clear that the government shall respect individual religious beliefs.  If Mr. Moore, Mr. McCrory, Mr. Burr and Mr. Tillis continue down the road of tossing these “church people” overboard, they’ll quickly return North Carolina to the days when the GOP’s representation was packed into one or two congressional districts in western North Carolina.  (The state House GOP caucus — at one time — could have met in a phone booth.)

There’s an old saying about dancing with who brought you to the party.  Conservatives worried about the erosion of individual freedoms and the trashing of our economy put Mr. Moore & co. in charge to get the ship back on course.  These are the folks who brought you to the dance.

It was never about “getting something done” or ”working across the aisle”.  It was about rolling back the mess that has been made in our state and national capitals.