Dan Carter: North Carolina: America’s banana republic

For 50 years I have studied American politics and history with special emphasis upon the history of the South. I have seen the influence of money and racism and the duplicity, fraud and abuse of power that has often resulted. Here we are again.

Since the GOP 2010 redistricting, from 48 to 53 percent of North Carolinians have voted for Republican candidates. But thanks to that redistricting, the GOP has majorities of 62 percent in the N.C. House, 68 percent in the Senate and 77 percent in our congressional delegation.

Gerrymandering is not restricted to Republicans. But no other state has matched the ruthlessness with which a right-wing Republican Party in a “purple” state has used redistricting to almost total political domination.

The events of this past “special session” suggests that North Carolina is permanently under the control of the super-majority that legislates for the benefit of right-wing ideologues, opponents of public education, bigots, homophobes and millionaires.

The words of Lord Acton have seldom been more appropriate: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

This story was originally published December 30, 2016 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Dan Carter: North Carolina: America’s banana republic."