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skates like Eck
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North Carolina Republicans’ Legislative Coup Is an Attack on Democracy
http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/..._legislative_coup_an_attack_on_democracy.html
At the request of McCrory, GOP legislative leaders convened a special session this week to approve $200 million of disaster recovery aid for Hurricane Matthew and wildfires. There had been rumors for weeks Republicans would use the time to pack the state Supreme Court with GOP appointees, but that never came to fruition.
But as the special session for hurricane relief aid was coming to a close Wednesday, GOP lawmakers suddenly convened another immediately on top of it. They wouldn't say what it was for until the bills that would curtail Cooper’s power dropped.
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...th-carolina-right-now/?utm_term=.595716112d9d
According to the state constitution, the state House Speaker and Senate President can themselves call a super-extra-special session of the legislature, upon the petition of two thirds of legislators. Which petition (dated last Monday!) the GOP super-majority produced immediately after gaveling the Governor’s session to a close.
morrow’s extra-special-super-dooper session of the General Assembly begins at 9 AM. Preceding it at 8:30 AM will be several committee meetings (all controlled by Republicans), including the committees on Election Law, Appointments, and Redistricting. During those half-hour sessions the committees will ‘consider’ bills submitted by members, and refer them to the House and Senate for votes.
Word on the street is that the bills to be brought up for a vote will strip incoming governor Roy Cooper (D) of many of his executive powers, importantly including the power to appoint members of the Board of Elections and directors of executive branch departments.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/14/1611148/-North-Carolina-GOP-s-coup-d-tat-starts-tomorrow
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/201...t-democracy-to-usher-in-a-new-era-of-Jim-Crow
As we noted at the outset, there’s no precedent for this power grab in modern U.S. history. But the GOP’s behavior is strongly reminiscent of the reactionary backlash to North Carolina’s populist flourishing in the mid-1890s, when a coalition of white progressives and black voters briefly took power. White supremacists violently overthrew the multi-racial local government of the city of Wilmington in an 1898 coup d’état. The state legislature soon followed up with a raft of measures that prevented African Americans from voting, a bondage they were not released from until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
Republicans are fighting to usher in a new era of Jim Crow, and what we are witnessing now in North Carolina is simply a bid to overturn democracy itself.
http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/nc-legislature-launches-special-session
This is an unprecedented power grab. Republicans claim they're just putting the power back where the state constitution meant it to be -- with the legislature. But if that was the case, they wouldn't be aiming at the election boards, Board of Education, and more.
According to WTVD, Democrats are calling the special session unconstitutional.
(Formal protest by Democrats)
GOP Sen. Tommy Tucker says the bill would take partisanship out of administering elections, but Democratic Sen. Floyd McKissick says the legislation is an attempt to deny the governor power he currently has.
Protesters of plans by Republicans in the North Carolina legislature to reduce upcoming Democratic influence in state government have been removed from the Senate gallery after repeated disruptions during floor debate.
Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, the Senate's presiding officer, ordered the gallery above the floor be cleared Thursday afternoon after what he considered multiple disturbances.
Many spectators had laughed when a Republican made a comment about legislation that would merge the state's elections and ethics boards into a panel evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. Without the change Democratic Gov.-elect Roy Cooper would soon appoint a majority of Democrats to the state elections board.
http://www.blueridgenow.com/news/20161215/gop-backed-bills-aimed-at-limiting-coopers-power-advance
http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/..._legislative_coup_an_attack_on_democracy.html
At the request of McCrory, GOP legislative leaders convened a special session this week to approve $200 million of disaster recovery aid for Hurricane Matthew and wildfires. There had been rumors for weeks Republicans would use the time to pack the state Supreme Court with GOP appointees, but that never came to fruition.
But as the special session for hurricane relief aid was coming to a close Wednesday, GOP lawmakers suddenly convened another immediately on top of it. They wouldn't say what it was for until the bills that would curtail Cooper’s power dropped.
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...th-carolina-right-now/?utm_term=.595716112d9d
According to the state constitution, the state House Speaker and Senate President can themselves call a super-extra-special session of the legislature, upon the petition of two thirds of legislators. Which petition (dated last Monday!) the GOP super-majority produced immediately after gaveling the Governor’s session to a close.
morrow’s extra-special-super-dooper session of the General Assembly begins at 9 AM. Preceding it at 8:30 AM will be several committee meetings (all controlled by Republicans), including the committees on Election Law, Appointments, and Redistricting. During those half-hour sessions the committees will ‘consider’ bills submitted by members, and refer them to the House and Senate for votes.
Word on the street is that the bills to be brought up for a vote will strip incoming governor Roy Cooper (D) of many of his executive powers, importantly including the power to appoint members of the Board of Elections and directors of executive branch departments.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/14/1611148/-North-Carolina-GOP-s-coup-d-tat-starts-tomorrow
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/201...t-democracy-to-usher-in-a-new-era-of-Jim-Crow
As we noted at the outset, there’s no precedent for this power grab in modern U.S. history. But the GOP’s behavior is strongly reminiscent of the reactionary backlash to North Carolina’s populist flourishing in the mid-1890s, when a coalition of white progressives and black voters briefly took power. White supremacists violently overthrew the multi-racial local government of the city of Wilmington in an 1898 coup d’état. The state legislature soon followed up with a raft of measures that prevented African Americans from voting, a bondage they were not released from until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
Republicans are fighting to usher in a new era of Jim Crow, and what we are witnessing now in North Carolina is simply a bid to overturn democracy itself.
http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/nc-legislature-launches-special-session
This is an unprecedented power grab. Republicans claim they're just putting the power back where the state constitution meant it to be -- with the legislature. But if that was the case, they wouldn't be aiming at the election boards, Board of Education, and more.
According to WTVD, Democrats are calling the special session unconstitutional.
(Formal protest by Democrats)
GOP Sen. Tommy Tucker says the bill would take partisanship out of administering elections, but Democratic Sen. Floyd McKissick says the legislation is an attempt to deny the governor power he currently has.
Protesters of plans by Republicans in the North Carolina legislature to reduce upcoming Democratic influence in state government have been removed from the Senate gallery after repeated disruptions during floor debate.
Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, the Senate's presiding officer, ordered the gallery above the floor be cleared Thursday afternoon after what he considered multiple disturbances.
Many spectators had laughed when a Republican made a comment about legislation that would merge the state's elections and ethics boards into a panel evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. Without the change Democratic Gov.-elect Roy Cooper would soon appoint a majority of Democrats to the state elections board.
http://www.blueridgenow.com/news/20161215/gop-backed-bills-aimed-at-limiting-coopers-power-advance
