Will HB2 Be The Downfall of Governor Pat McCrory?

North Carolina GOP political whore, Pat McCrory

Karma can indeed be a bitch.  Ask North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory who nearly fell over himself to quickly sign anti-LGBT HB2 into law in order to prostitute himself to the Christofascist elements in the North Carolina GOP base.  Now, as he plummets in the polls - reportedly he is now 8% behind his Democrat challenger in the latest poll - McCrory told the New York Times that he suspected that the passage of the Charlotte ordinance targeted by HB2 had been orchestrated by Democrats and the Human Rights Campaign to Democrats an advantage in a tight governor’s race. Funny thing is that I saw no one holding a gun to McCrory's head as he happily signed HB2 into law, surrounded by right wing supporters.   Meanwhile, Charlotte lost another big convention today. Personally, I find a tawdry prostitute to be more virtuous than McCrory and similar Republicans who rush to pander to Christofascists and bigots.  A column in Huffington Post looks at whether or not McCrory assured his own defeat in November by signing HB2 into law.  Here are highlights:

It may too soon to tell, but so far North Carolina GOP governor Pat McCrory’s signing of a sweeping anti-LGBT law hasn’t been a great help to his re-election campaign. It would be ironic — and just desserts — if a cynical political move to save his campaign actually doomed it.

All winter McCrory was slightly ahead or tying with Democratic attorney general Roy Cooper in the polls, but since his signing of HB2 several weeks ago — and since the tremendous backlash across the country and around the world — Cooper now has a lead over McCrory by several percentage points in several polls. At the same time, a new poll shows that HB2 is deeply unpopular with the state’s electorate, with only 36% of North Carolina voters supporting it.

Again, it’s early. And polls of the gubernatorial race may have little to do with HB2, as there’s been a lot of dissatisfaction with McCrory for many other reasons, his approval numbers having plummeted. But it’s certainly better than if McCrory saw a boost in support while anti-LGBT conservatives and groups like Family Research Council and demagogues like Ted Cruz have been heralding this bigoted law.

With the daily barrage of media attention, McCrory’s re-election could fast become a referendum on HB2, and if he goes down it may be because progressive activists and Democrats took a far different approach than LGBT activists did in Houston last November, when voters rescinded the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.

Opponents had turned the Houston ordinance — which protected 15 classes of people against discrimination — into “ The Bathroom Ordinance,” via ugly but effective ads that, like McCrory and the North Carolina GOP legislators, claimed protecting transgender people would allow predators into women’s restrooms.

But in North Carolina, not only has the economic impact of the law’s passage been front and center every day, with powerful companies, major musicians like Bruce Springsteen and cities and states joining a boycott, but Democrats are committed to ads that focus on that devastating economic impact. One powerful ad already being deployed lays the economic harm to the state at McCrory’s feet.

At the same time, the pressure on McCrory has been intense, at the political level and literally on the ground, as activists this week have engaged in civil disobedience meant to bring more attention and underscore the passion people have about the harmful effects of the law.

It would seem that support for HB2 would need to be much higher than the current poll to help embattled McCrory in a great way, and this is only the beginning: As the backlash grows and more economic impact is felt, support for the law is only likely to decrease as voters believe McCrory has harmed the state.

[I]f McCrory loses the race, the optics of the anti-LGBT law, and the backlash against it, will be damaging to anti-LGBT conservatives. After the terrible defeat in Houston that gave anti-LGBT forces some wind at their sails, McCrory’s loss could deal a blow to anti-trans bathroom bills.

That’s why LGBT activists and allies must continue to do everything possible, including civil disobedience and forceful, uncompromising messaging to the public about how dangerous and detrimental these laws are to a state. If Houston taught us anything it’s that pleading for equality while hate-mongers put out lies is not a strategy.

I am in total agreement with the column's author.  I would also argue that HB2 and the economic harm it is bringing to North Carolina needs to be hung around the neck of every single Republican who voted for it.  Examples need to be made and voters need to become convinced that politicians who pander to Christofacists are a clear and present threat to economic well-being.  Indeed, they need to be voted out of office.