Respect His Authoritah

Michael Whatley

So if you're a registered Republican voter in North Carolina who's also not in love with Donald Trump -- I know there are at least six of you! -- your state GOP leadership wants to make sure you won't have choices on your Republican primary ballot in March. They intend to disappear Bill Weld and Joe Walsh. No lie.

News broke yesterday that NCGOP chair Michael Whatley submitted only the name of President Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican Primary ballot, ignoring the other Republicans who've announced -- Weld and Walsh (Mark Sanford already dropped out).

"Parties are required to submit a list of candidates to the State Board of Elections this week, including all 'candidates whose candidacy is generally advocated and recognized in the news media throughout the United States or in North Carolina.' ”

The Democrats submitted 15 names. The Libertarians, 16 (including the evergreen Vermin Supreme). But Mr. Whatley couldn't think of any other Republicans but Trump.

What's a ballot with only one choice when that "choice" is decreed by the bosses?

Yeah. Whatever Trump's got has spread to the little Trumps in states like North Carolina. It appears to be an incurable disease, immune to inoculation and resistant to antibiotics. Evacuation may be the only treatment ... like the three Republican county commissioners in Transylvania County who left the Republican Party en masse yesterday and re-registered as independents. Evacuation like that.

But Whatley actually doesn't have the final word. The State Board of Elections has the power to add names by majority vote of the board. They'll meet in January.