When Democrats Can’t Legislate, They Litigate

RALEIGH – It was only a matter of time. North Carolina Democrats and their Dear Leader Gov. Roy Cooper did everything they could do in a futile attempt to stop Republicans from offering the people of North Carolina a choice to amend their constitution. They also revealed themselves for the dirty tricksters they are with the ploy of Chris Anglin’s “Republican” filing in the Supreme Court race, only to have legislative leaders call them out and blow up their plans to manipulate elections.

So they must sit back and see what the people think about these issues? Not a chance. They’re going to court, of course, because when their woeful minority status keeps them from legislating, they turn to litigating to gunk up the works and extend their contrived narrative.

“North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and other opponents of legislative Republicans filed a flurry of late-hour lawsuits Monday to block referendums on constitutional amendments and to let a Supreme Court candidate disclose his party affiliation on ballots.

The lawsuits filed in state court against GOP legislative leaders mark yet another round of litigation in the power struggle pitting Cooper and his allies against the GOP-dominated General Assembly that began when Cooper was narrowly elected governor in late 2016.”

The Anglin Trick is pretty transparent, but one must not ignore the Democrats’ efforts to prevent the people of North Carolina from even having a vote on constitutional amendments by blocking them from ever appearing on the ballot.

While the election isn’t until November, the court cases bust be addressed as soon as possible so that the ballots themselves can actually be printed (by the State-sanctioned and overpriced monopoly Printelect). That means these three suits filed in Wake County must be decided.

Cooper is suing over amendments that take away appointment privileges from the governor, for judicial vacancies and myriad board and commissions, in much the same way that he has lashed out via lawsuit when the legislature reminds him who has the constitutional power. It is unclear how judges will interpret Cooper’s argument that essentially suggests the legislature cannot pass laws that change things within its constitutional purview.

But Cooper is not the only Leftist crying all the way to the court room.

“The North Carolina NAACP and Clean Air Carolina, an environmental group, sued to stop the two amendments Cooper is targeting, plus a third that would mandate photo identification to vote in person and a fourth that would lower the maximum income tax rate legislators could set from 10 percent to 7 percent.

The NAACP and Clean Air Carolina says referendums must be canceled because the current version of the legislature is “unconstitutionally constituted” through district maps found by federal courts to be illegal racial gerrymanders.

The General Assembly “is irredeemably tainted,” the groups’ lawyers wrote. “This illegal body may not be allowed to alter our state constitution in ways designed to further entrench its power at the expense of popular sovereignty.“”

First, someone should tell them that its the voters of North Carolina that actually alter the constitution, not the politicians themselves – they merely present the question.

It does make sense though that part of the legal offensive against these amendments would be led by professional race-baiters whose argument is that the whole legislature is illegitimate due to legally contested district maps.

A judge should give this argument about as much consideration as he or she would to a self-identified ‘sovereign citizen’ arguing they owe no taxes and have complete immunity because the government is illegitimate. That doesn’t usually go very well.

Their whole legal argument, in addition to being absurd, is ultimately insulting to every North Carolina voter.

“Berger spokesman Bill D’Elia said Cooper and Democratic activists “waited five weeks to file these absurd lawsuits, which assume that voters aren’t smart enough to understand the amendments being placed before them.””

The nearly unbelievable audacity of Chris Anglin may take the cake, though. He filed suit yesterday demanding to be listed as a “Republican” in his race for Supreme Court, despite his ploy being one of the most shameless tricks of partisan politics in recent memory.

“Republicans say the law is necessary to prevent candidates from masquerading being from another political party. Those who sued are “trying to mislead voters and nefariously sway the outcome of key elections,” Moore spokesman Joseph Kyzer said in an email.

Anglin said he’s not a Democratic plant in the race, but his campaign spokesman is well-connected in Democratic politics. His lawyer in Monday’s lawsuit tweeted out support for Earls in April.“

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck (and hires duck campaign managers, and duck lawyers, and gives duck talking points) – IT’S A DUCK. And the N.C. Democratic Party expects you, the voters, to just go along and agree that everything is how they say it is.

Maybe this isn’t so surprising from a political party that supports the idea that you “are” whatever you “feel” or “identify” as.

The Cooper, NAACP, and Anglin suits will move quickly. We’ll bring you updates on the issues as they progress.