Resignations show that maybe there are boundaries for NC Republicans | Opinion

This editorial board and others observers had a question last week when two North Carolina Republicans embarrassed their party and their state with remarks on the NC House floor: Is this what the party has become?

On Thursday, at least, the answer was encouraging.

Republicans Jeff McNeely and Keith Kidwell stepped down from deputy whip positions earlier today in the Republican House Caucus, the News & Observer’s Dawn Bumgartner Vaughn reported. McNeely, a white legislator, interrupted Black colleague Abe Jones during a House debate to ask if he would have attended an Ivy League school had he not been “an athlete or a minority.” Kidwell made a remark about the “Church of Satan” that was overheard by a WRAL reporter while Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams spoke bravely about her own experience with abortion and faith in 2002.

The leadership changes were announced Thursday by House Majority Leader John Bell as “resignations,” but make no mistake - the dual announcement sent a message that Republican leaders, likely including House Speaker Tim Moore, were unhappy about the appalling behavior.

Good.

As we said last week, McNeely and Kidwell reflected a disturbing trend in which Republicans are saying the quiet parts out loud. “Gone is the sense of decorum that was once considered sacred inside legislative chambers. Gone are the boundaries — at least some of them — that caused people to think twice before saying something that others might consider shameful,” we wrote.

We applaud Moore and whoever else decided that, at least in North Carolina, there should be boundaries, and there should be decency, in how we treat others. We hope it’s a message everyone, including another NC Republican leader, hears clearly.

This story was originally published May 25, 2023 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Resignations show that maybe there are boundaries for NC Republicans | Opinion."