Cooper Breaks Record for Vetoes as Clueless Dems Blame Republican Legislature

RALEIGH – Governor Roy Cooper is the best. No, really; Cooper is the #1 governor we’ve ever had here in North Carolina when it comes to the number of vetoes he’s handed down. It’s not just that he’s vetoed more than any other governor, but that he’s vetoed more legislation than ALL PRIOR GOVERNORS COMBINED.

Now that is quite a feat. During the first half of his first term, Cooper’s vetoes were an exercise in futility, as Republican super-majorities in the General Assembly consistently rendered him impotent with veto overrides. However, ever since losing that super-majority, North Carolina has been under the thumb of Cooper and his veto pen.

From Carolina Journal:

“[…] With the past three vetoes stamped over the past three weeks, Cooper’s total comes to 57 vetoes, and the session isn’t over.

The next closest was Democrat Gov. Bev Perdue, with 20 vetoes during her tenure from 2009 to 2013. Her predecessor, Mike Easley, vetoed nine bills from 2001 to 2009. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed six bills from 2013 to 2017;  Democrat Jim Hunt didn’t use the veto stamp after voters granted him that power during his second term.

With his veto count headed toward 60, the likelihood Cooper will veto any legislation that doesn’t fall within his political spectrum has changed the lawmaking and political strategy for elected officials on both sides of the aisle. […]”

Basically, Cooper has leveraged his veto pen using the cohesive Democrat minority as a fulcrum of support to deny any bill the Democrat governor doesn’t like. That ends up being quite a lot of bills, as the Republicans have not shied away from passing priority legislation. Frustrating though it may be, on a partisan basis, that’s how the system of checks and balances is supposed to work.

The funny part, though, is that Democrats seem to think that Cooper has slapped down so many bills because….the House Speaker and Senate Leader are….tyrants?

Kings Berger and Moore have produced more veto-worthy legislation than any other #NCGA in NC history. #ncpol https://t.co/4P6qbkd68X pic.twitter.com/td1uJxnLit

— NC House Democrats (@NCHouseDems) July 12, 2021

This is so laughable because even their attempt at trolling Republicans wreaks of projection. No one in their right mind, paying even a little bit of attention over the last year or more, would conclude that Republicans have been behaving like unaccountable tyrants.

King Roy infamously rejected the Counsel of State whenever he sought to lockdown the state, or mask our kids, or shutter businesses and restrict your movements.

Those tyrants in the General Assembly? They did the dastardly things like, try to reopen schools, try to unmask our kids, challenge the governor’s abuse of executive authority, and return surplus tax revenues to taxpayers.

And Cooper vetoed and vetoed some more.