What's the deal with the simultaneous political suicide of all these southern governors?

[lagomorph777]

Pat McCrory (NC) - signed an anti-LGBT bill
Phil Bryant (MS) - signed an anti-LGBT bill
Robert Bentley (AL) - had an affair with an employee

I mean, I appreciate the opportunity for Dems this opens up, but WTF?

[Arugula Latte]

1. Is it suicide, though? The dipshits of those states keep electing these type of cretins.

Note to potential alerters: I'm not saying everyone in these states is a dipshit. But there are enough dipshits to keep electing rightwing loons.

[mnhtnbb]

9. Yes, in the case of McCrory and NC, it is political suicide.

He was only elected because the Dems weren't able to bring forward a decent candidate with name recognition
when Bev Perdue decided--on very little notice-- not to run for re-election.

Enter McCrory, who had previously run for Governor and was viewed as a moderate Republican who had
been Mayor of Charlotte.

Huh. Not after Art Pope got hold of him.

He's toast. Roy Cooper has a lot of respect--and name recognition-- in NC.
And HB 2 has created a lot more visibility for him.

[JustAnotherGen]

2. They believe they are doing the right thing

At least in the first two examples - and they are probably thinking they will be rewarded for it.

[DebbieCDC]

3. They're playing to their base

End of discussion.

They know what will get them re-elected in the reddest of red states. They have no incentive to do otherwise. Gawd will forgive them and the gay will be banished. Win-win in the deep south.

[lagomorph777]

4. And their economies will continue to suffer

Oh, well. More economy for the rest of us, I suppose.

[KeepItReal]

5. Piyush "Bobby" Jindal (LA) - took Louisiana from surplus to $1.6 Billion deficit

AND made an anti-LGBTQ "Religious Freedom" executive order (to be rescinded by the new Democratic Governor).

[lagomorph777]

6. So "Religious Freedom" is the Orwellian term for

"You are free to adhere to any religion as long as it's the state-sponsored brand of anti-LGBT hatred."

[sharp_stick]

7. That's pretty much it

I'd love to see the support a Muslim cafe owner would have if he tried to stop xtians from coming in.

[MisterP]

10. it's a sort of "theological engineering"--the oillionaires who bankrolled the late-70s

Baptist Coup basically put interests and the state above the churches, making them total tools of capital

[Initech]

8. That's what the South does best. Cheat on their wives and discriminate against LGBT people.

It's the circle of shit and it screws us all! Tell me again why our political system favors these dipshits?

[craigmatic]

11. These aren't pick up opportunities. Bentley is term limited anyway and the other 2 are playing to

their base.

[lagomorph777]

12. How 'bout down-ticket?

Demotivating moderates (and motivating Dems) will hurt the GOP in swing districts.

[craigmatic]

14. I can honestly say it won't matter in AL I've never seen as many confederate flags as I've seen

there recently. NC maybe but that's a pretty big maybe.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

13. Bentley is really the only one at risk of "political suicide" at the moment

It's too early to see what will happen with McCrory and Bryant, though of the two of them I would bet that McCrory is going to be hit hardest over the law he just signed.