Democrats' protests futile until gerrymandering ends

Editorial by Wilmington Star-News, July 2, 2017.

North Carolina’s new budget was officially approved last week, but it was signed off on last November, when voters again gave Republicans veto-proof majorities in the General Assembly.

If anyone was surprised by the spending plan and tax cuts for corporations, they either are uninformed or fooling themselves.

We take issue with many parts of the budget (notably cuts that reek of political payback), and are pleased with some parts -- we are making progress on improving teacher pay. We favored Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan, but don’t believe the budget that passed is going to sink North Carolina into the Dark Ages.

We do hope that the GenX issue and resulting outcry will motivate Republicans to stop undermining the state’s vital role in environmental regulation. If they want to “drink the Kool-Aid” on the belief that the “marketplace” will ensure businesses won’t pollute our waterways, we worry they have been drinking straight from the Chemours discharge pipe.

These days, both sides of the aisle tend to scream their reactions to every political move. Since the Democrats wield little power in Raleigh, they are doing most of the screaming right now. Maybe political operatives believe that’s the best way to get out their message. But we question the wisdom -- and effectiveness -- of the state Democratic Party establishment and progressive groups spending resources and political capital feigning shock that a conservative-controlled legislature passed a conservative budget that’s full of ideas conservatives have been pushing for years.

While they have many legitimate criticisms, we fear Democratic leaders and activists simply are preaching to the choir. We’ve known since last November what was coming in June.

Those supermajorities, of course, are built on gerrymandered districts that the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed are unconstitutional. The Democrats have plenty of people on their side; the latest voter registration figures show 2,639,348 Democrats, 2,052,602 Republicans and 2,035,119 unaffiliated.

The top priority for Democrats -- and anyone who values representative democracy -- should be fighting for fair districts.

We understand why they are frustrated. But until fair districts are secured, Democrats might as well do all their shouting on Election Day -- that’s when the big issues get decided. Other than a smattering of smaller issues, the rest of the time is spent going through the motions.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/opinion/20170702/editorial-july-2-democrats-protests-futile-till-gerrymandering-ends