McCrory’s muddled HB2 comments show need for full explanation

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory doesn’t sit for many interviews these days, but on Sunday he was on NBC’s iconic program “Meet the Press” to respond to host Chuck Todd about the disastrous consequences of House Bill 2. McCrory was called on to the national stage to explain why he signed the so-called “bathroom bill,” thus setting in motion economic boycotts of the Tar Heel State and jeopardizing future business.

The governor’s appearance didn’t go well as he glossed over the consequences of HB2. The law requires people to use public restrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates. It also nullified local ordinances that would have expanded protections for the LGBT community.

The governor didn’t promise to reconsider the discrimination issues. Rather, he talked about the need for more discussion.

The governor still doesn’t seem to understand what the law does. He repeated his insistence that the government should not impose on businesses nondiscrimination policies regarding gender identity and sexual orientation, a stand that effectively sanctions discrimination against gay and transgender people.

Despite his 10-minute dance on “Meet the Press,” the governor keeps avoiding his obligation to explain to the public, through questions and answers from the media, why he allowed this law to go through. Instead, he has released videos in which he smiles about what he considers an overblown controversy and complains about the misunderstanding and hypocrisy of HB2’s opponents.

The McCrory re-election campaign repeated that theme immediately after the governor’s national TV appearance Sunday. McCrory’s campaign committee emailed a plea for contributions, saying the governor had just “defended North Carolina against the coordinated campaign of attacks and selective outrage from out-of-state special interests, the corporate elite and the national media.”

The governor’s failure to meet directly and at length with the North Carolina media is just making things worse. If the governor believes in HB2, if he goes along with its sponsors in the General Assembly, he should be forthright and stand up for his position, not obfuscate and dodge.

McCrory made a huge mistake in not vetoing HB2. One way to begin fixing the damage is to fully explain his thinking, respond to questions and describe what he’ll try to do about this law that is hurting North Carolina. It’s time for the governor to stop defending a legislative mistake and to start truly defending North Carolina.

This story was originally published April 18, 2016 at 7:26 PM with the headline "McCrory’s muddled HB2 comments show need for full explanation."