That Strange Media Double Standard Is On Display In North Carolina

By streiff | 1:00 PM on December 20, 2016

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.

Protestors gather outside of a press conference room during a special session at the North Carolina Legislature in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Lawmakers finalized a $201 million hurricane and wildfire relief package Wednesday, sought by Gov. Pat McCrory in a special session he called. But they didn't go home as fellow Republicans then called their own session to weigh legislation, some of which could threaten the incoming Democratic governor. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

In what can only be described as one of the most blatant cases of election stealing in American history, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory was defeated after some 94,000 votes were dumped by Durham after state-wide returns showed McCrory winning. These votes were overwhelmingly Democrat and gave the election to the incompetent and ethically suspect Attorney General, Roy Cooper. Funny how these late night ballot discoveries all work in the same direction, isn’t it?

Anyway, the state legislature decided to minimize the damage Cooper could inflict on the state by clipping his wings.

The bill McCrory signed on Friday merges the State Board of Elections and State Ethics Commission into one entity comprised equally of Democrats and Republicans. Previous state law would have allowed Cooper to put a majority of Democrats on the board, which sets the rules for the state’s notoriously burdensome balloting.

The measure also makes elections for appellate court judgeships partisan by requiring candidates to be listed on the ballot alongside their political party.

…

Protesters packed the halls of the General Assembly Friday as lawmakers voted on another bill that would require Senate confirmation for cabinet appointments…

To read the coverage you’d think there was a hostile coup d’etat underway in North Carolina to overthrow the results of a cooked election. Funny when the same thing happens to GOP governors it is reported with a yawn. Via Erick Erickson:

Back during the 1990’s and into the 2000’s Republicans were on the rise across the South. In Mississippi, voters put Republican Kirk Fordice in the Governor’s Mansion in 1992 after having Democrats going back to 1976. Democrats in the legislature promptly cut the incoming Governor’s powers.

Those powers were restored when Democrat Ronnie Musgrave got elected in 2000, but then restrained again when Haley Barbour became Governor.

Through it all, the national media never complained.

From 1875 to 1987, Democrats held a monopoly on Alabama’s state races. When Republican Guy Hunt got elected, the Democrats in the state legislature moved quickly to neuter him as best they could. In 2003, when Bob Riley got elected, Democrats did the same.

Through it all, the media never complained.

What the media is decrying as something untoward and evil is actually just politics. Elections have consequences. Cooper decided that winning by way of 94,000 questionable votes was completely justified. The state legislature, which, by the way, will remain in GOP control after Cooper takes office, decided they wanted to preserve power. There is nothing nefarious about what they did. If Cooper doesn’t like it, he can elect a Democrat majority in 2018 and change the laws back.