In case you had forgotten how reprehensible North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is, he's here to remind you with a new ad championing his "papers please" public restroom law. McCrory doesn't mention HB2 by name—probably because it’s wildly unpopular in his state—but he assures us that he saved the state from those pushy interlopers who wanted to, ya know, use the bathroom. It's tagged—ahem—"The Truth About Privacy." Craig Jarvis brings us the script:
“You know, when we were raising average teacher pay, creating new jobs and cutting taxes, other folks were actually pushing to make our schools allow boys to use the girl's locker rooms and showers,” the Republican governor says in the ad. “Are we really talking about this? Does the desire to be politically correct outweigh our children's privacy and safety? Not on my watch. Our kids and teachers are my priority. This is North Carolina. Let's do what's right.”
And just in case you weren't clear about which part of that was "The Truth," the video alerts viewers that "The Truth" is being told with a chyron reading "The Truth" while McCrory relays his version of events about the pushy people who wanted to use the bathroom. Remember, HB2 was a lesson in government overreach launched in response to a city council ordinance that aimed to protect transgender individuals from discrimination in restrooms. McCrory and GOP lawmakers passed the ill-considered bill in less than 24 hours. A spokesperson for McCory’s Democratic challenger, Roy Cooper, issued a statement reminding us just how well that piece legislation has played:
“While ‘on his watch,’ North Carolina has lost the NBA All-Star Game, thousands of jobs, and hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue,” spokesman Jamal Little said. “... How can we fix this problem if we have a governor who won’t even acknowledge it exists?”
You can’t. Watch Pat McCrory’s “Truthiness” below.
