Upon entry to Pat McCrory’s website, you will find this 2008 Republican nominee for the governorship of North Carolina with an arm around his dog and a smile on his face.
McCrory is expected to run against current Democrat Governor Bev Perdue in a rematch of 2008. With Perdue at a low 40 percent approval rating even after a post-Irene seven-point jump, McCrory is an early favorite.
With the 2012 Democratic National Convention being held in Charlotte, what would be the consequences of a Republican governor, especially with a Republican party schizophrenically calling for smaller government while acting out the big-government fantasies of the far-right wing?
One of the scarier possibilities with would be a continuation of the right wing crusade against gay rights.
Despite the fact that there is already a law limiting marriage to a man and a woman in North Carolina, the Republican legislature has passed a bill for a May referendum vote to make this anti-gay legislation part of our constitution.
On the N.C. GOP website, this party recalls a history of being “freedom fighters.” With this bill, they look more like George Wallace screaming for segregation.
McCrory supported this constitutional amendment and, with him as governor, you can expect any anti-gay legislation to be signed quickly.
This vote, which is conveniently during the Republican presidential primaries, is even likely to help out the vote for far right candidates like Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann. You can thank in part our Republican legislature for giving these two candidates a better shot at the presidency.
When it comes to big business, welfare, or health care, “get government out of our lives” has been the motto of these far-right Republicans. Governor Rick Perry has even called Social Security unconstitutional in his book “Fed Up!”, but stopping two people from marrying should be put in more constitutions?
There is still more going on than just constitutional amendments. A new push by our Republican legislature slyly tries to do the same to young and minority voters as the suffrage amendment did so many years ago.
Recently, the N.C. legislature passed a law calling for photo ID when voting, which was vetoed by Governor Perdue.
To many it seems common sense. McCrory has even made it a central part of his campaign, but when looked into deeper, this voter ID law isn’t to prevent voter fraud, but rather a clever way to make sure fewer and fewer people are involved in the election process.
Voter ID laws would effectively disenfranchise the up to 12 percent of eligible voters who do not have government issued photo ID, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
Coincidentally, the percentages are even higher for seniors, people of color, people with disabilities, low-income voters, and students. That means there is a higher possibility if you vote here in North Carolina as a student your vote could be disenfranchised because of not having an up-to-date ID.
If McCrory wins it could also be dangerous for the re-election of President Obama. With the Democratic National Convention in North Carolina, Obama is hoping to win this swing state with a strong effort here. However, if Perdue performs poorly there is a huge possibility this 2008 blue state will turn red in 2012, and send a signal all across the county that Obama cannot win the swing states.