In 2016, shortly after Democrat Roy Cooper was elected governor of North Carolina, this editorial board urged him to “be loud” in voicing the moderate and progressive positions that propelled him to office. It was about all the new governor could do in the face of a Republican legislature with a veto-proof majority, but last November, that changed. Voters delivered Cooper a blue wave of friendly faces, giving him more power than any governor, Democrat or Republican, has had this decade.
Now, Cooper is once again navigating an issue critical to North Carolina — whether to accept federal dollars to expand Medicaid in the state. Our advice to the governor: Be louder.
Frustrated progressives would like Cooper to veto any budget that arrives at his desk without Medicaid expansion, but to this point the governor has been reluctant to take that stand. We agree with Cooper. We’re not fans of political ultimatums, nor holding legislative items hostage for the sake of another. It’s also a bad idea to place significant policy items in the budget instead of introducing them in separate bills that would be subject to proper debate.
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