Controversial Special Session Highlights Divide, But Statehouse Partisanship Is Not New

There's been a flurry of activity in the December session of the general assembly, which has introduced bills that would curtail Governor-elect Roy Cooper's power.

Democrats say the Republican-led legislature is acting unconstitutionally. But GOP leaders say they're creating bipartisan measures, and that Democrats have taken similar steps in the past.

WFDD's Sean Bueter talked to Catawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer to help contextualize this surprising week in Raleigh.

Interview Highlights

On the balance of power between North Carolina's branches of government:

It is very much a legislative supremacy state. We have a weak governor, even though the governor's authority and power has been increased over the past couple of decades. Basically, the state legislature runs the show in terms of state government. So I think we're seeing this play out as we political scientists would view a very strong legislative state and a fairly weak governor's power and authority.

On this session as a preview of the term to come:

The big question was how would a new Democratic governor work with a very solid super-majority Republican legislature. And folks, I think we're seeing the writing on the wall. The Republicans believe they can do anything and they will do anything because they simply have super-majority status. Their numbers are such that they could basically override any veto...if he [Cooper] rejected any piece of legislation.

So I think the Republicans basically saw now is the time to go ahead and get these things done, claw back some of the authority, some of the positions, some of the power that we had instilled, ironically, in the governor's position just a short four years ago under Pat McCrory.

But certainly partisanship is at the divide in this divided government. And I think this is, unfortunately, the signal that we're going to be looking at for at least the next four years.

On how North Carolinians might experience the results of this session:

Well I think for those folks who aren't the politics geeks like I am, they certainly won't feel it unless they view it through a partisan lens. From a partisan lens what one views is certainly tainted by that partisanship that folks feel.

I think for the average North Carolinian who may not necessarily be following all the palace intrigue that's going on in Raleigh, it really won't make a difference, but we may see some impact with things like the increase in classroom sizes.

On the history of party favoritism in the NCGA:

If you look at just what the Republicans did when Pat McCrory came in they expanded the number of at-will positions in the executive branch to 1,500, meaning that the governor, then Governor McCrory, had the ability to appoint his partisan loyalists to those positions. What they're doing now is scaling that from 1,500 down to 300. And in fact, invoking a constitutional provision that Governor-elect Cooper needs to submit his cabinet secretaries to Senate approval. That's in there, that hasn't been invoked before.

Democrats, about 30 years ago when a lieutenant governor on the Republican side was coming into office, they basically stripped the power of the lieutenant governor out of his purview.

So yes, what's good for the goose is good for the gander particularly in politics. But it makes for a very raucous session and certainly a lot of charges back and forth. And I think this will exemplify the kind of deep partisan divide that will be happening between the new legislature and the new governor come January.