LGBTQ equality, nondiscrimination protections, justice—forget about all that ridiculousness, says North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory. Apparently, he didn't think much of a genius full-page ad in Monday's Raleigh News & Observer celebrating McCrory's 60th birthday with the tongue-in-cheek wish, "HB2 U, PAT."
Below the rainbow layered cake topped with a single candle, the text read, “But the real celebration will begin November 8th when North Carolina votes to move in a more progressive direction.”
McCrory had lot of thoughts about that when asked by a Fox News reporter, writes Zack Ford.
“I wish they would have saved their money and not spent it on a ridiculous political propaganda and maybe would’ve donated that money to a lot of the homeless people that we have right now that are flooded out of their homes over about a 600 square mile area of North Carolina [...] We’ve got a lot of people that are hurting right now. This is not a time for those types of foolish politics."
Oh, so clearly McCrory isn't doing anything so unseemly as running political ads during this critical period for his state.
Do you live in a state that will determine the presidential race and/or who controls the Senate? Get involved this weekend in crucial door-to-door canvasses and phone banks.
It’s unclear how much the McCrory campaign spent on Monday alone, or since Hurricane Matthew hit the state, but through early October, the campaign had spent an estimated $4.5 million on television ads alone. According to the Raleigh News & Observer’s advertising site, the newspaper birthday ad probably cost between $10,000 and $15,000.
Wow. Can't believe McCrory is pushing millions worth of "ridiculous political propaganda" and playing "foolish politics" while "people are hurting.” But that $10,000 ad advocating for LGBTQ equality was the real travesty.
The ad was paid for by Writers for a Progressive North Carolina. The group urged voters to support candidates who would repeal the transphobic HB2 law, promote public education, expand Medicaid, and protect the environment. Ridiculous.