North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory lost the election to his Democratic challenger Roy Cooper, but McCrory and the Republican-controlled state legislature have taken steps to weaken Cooper's administration before he takes office.
McCrory and his loyalists in the legislature have planted cherry bombs in the governor's mansion's toilets by passing legislation today that will reshape the board of elections and the local court system.
The law merges the State Board of Elections and State Ethics Commission into one board comprised equally of Democrats and Republicans. The previous state elections board law would have allowed Cooper to put a majority of Democrats on the panel.
The law would also make elections for appellate court judgeships officially partisan again.
State Republicans are also advancing legislation that would require Senate confirmation of Roy Cooper's cabinet nominees. I'm sure I don't need to spell out the implications of that.
At face value, this is a damnable, naked power grab that will stifle but may not necessarily cripple the next administration. It's also an incredible insult to the people of North Carolina.
Just like the infamous anti-transgender "bathroom bill" HB2 which contributed to McCrory's defeat, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed this legislation during a special session. Moreover, the special session was called under the pretense that it would be used to address the fallout of Hurricane Matthew.
They've obviously done far more than that. They called a special session to presumably help the people of North Carolina only to weaken the ultimate value of their votes.