Democrat Hypocrisy in NC

North Carolina Republican leaders are blasting their Democratic colleagues after a supposedly bipartisan deal to repeal the state’s “bathroom bill” limiting LGBT protections collapsed Wednesday night, with every Senate Democrat balking in the end.

Both sides were pointing fingers in the aftermath of the unproductive special session, called specifically to consider repeal legislation for the law known as House Bill 2. The law omits gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from state anti-discrimination protections, bars local governments from passing broad non-discrimination ordinances covering them, and orders transgender people to use bathrooms and showers that align with their sex at birth.

“I’m disappointed that we have yet to remove the stain from the reputation of our great state that is around this country and around the world,” Democratic Gov.-elect Roy Cooper said.

But Republicans put the blame squarely on Democrats, noting that all 16 Senate Democrats voted against the repeal legislation in the end. Republicans in the Senate fell on both sides of the issue, with some voting to repeal and some voting against.

Senate leader Phil Berger, a Republican, blamed Cooper and his allies for sinking the effort. He issued a lengthy statement on Facebook and Twitter accusing Democrats of “hypocrisy” and accusing them of using the controversy for political gain.

“This should tell you all you need to know about Cooper and Senate Democrats’ motives,” he said. “They aren’t interested in moving past this issue or protecting the privacy and safety of North Carolina families. They’re brass-knuckled politicians who want to wage a nasty culture war with divisive issues, so they can keep filling their campaign coffers with cash from fringe liberal activists.”

GOP legislators who see themselves as business-friendly appeared shaken by a months-long backlash as major companies like BASF, IBM and Bank of America described HB2 as bad for business.

The compromise touted by both Cooper and outgoing GOP Gov. Pat McCrory called for Charlotte to do away with its own expanded antidiscrimination ordinance. In exchange, lawmakers would undo the LGBT law.

But some conservatives never wanted to repeal the law. And when the Senate bill went a step further and called for a months-long ban on cities passing similar ordinances, Democrats said Republicans were going back on their promise.

Cooper reportedly said GOP leaders “broke the deal” by adding the local ordinance moratorium.

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