We invite the WDN to try again to explain its hyprocrisy | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer and simply asks that basic questions be answered.

   We accept the stated reason for splitting Beaufort County to be compliance with the VRA unless and until it can be shown, by something other than an assertion, to be otherwise.

    The WDN persists in its whining about Beaufort County's being split in the proposed House districting plan. We pointed out that the plan does so because of the requirements of the Voting Rights Act. But on Thursday (7-7-11) the WDN now shifts its position to say that the plan is bad because it puts much of Washington in with northern Pitt County so the minority voters in Washington would have an opportunity to elect a minority candidate of their choice while if Beaufort remains intact, they would have no, or much less of a chance to elect a minority. Thus, without being honest enough to come right out and say it, the WDN would discriminate against blacks in favor of keeping Beaufort represented by one House member.

    We would suggest, in the absence of a more rational explanation from the WDN, that this bias against black voters is a "real hypocrisy."

    The only rationale the WDN gives for not accepting the minority district is that it could be drawn somewhere else, perhaps in Pitt County, they suggest. True, but consider what that reasoning reveals.

    First, it takes a "Devil be damned" attitude toward black voters in Beaufort County. It ensures they will not be able to elect a black candidate.
North Carolina Congressional Redistricting, July 5, 2011
    Secondly, it is based on a basic premise that counties should not be split. Fine with us. The only problem is that it can't be done. Not if you're going to meet the one-person, one-vote requirement and comply with the Voting Rights Act also. True, you could ensure some counties' not being split, but then you'd have to decide by what criteria you picked those counties that would be split and those that would be given some kind of special treatment. Typical elitism playing out here. "Never mind what it does to others, just let me have my way." "Never mind if does not treat everyone equally, just as long as I get what I want." More hypocrisy. Real hypocrisy.

    Some may recall that North Carolina used to allocate one House member per county and the remaining 20 seats were allocated by population. But that resulted in the smallest- and least-populated counties having significantly more voting strength in Raleigh and it was ruled unconstitutional. Apparently the WDN would have us go back to that unfair system.

    Thirdly, consider the other argument the WDN gives for having only one district serve Beaufort. They suggest it would increase Beaufort's power in the General Assembly. Think about that. If Beaufort were kept entirely in one district, we would have one vote. If we were represented by two representatives we would have two representatives accountable to the people of Beaufort County.

    Now we must hasten to add that we are not naive enough to think that having two House representatives would double our power compared to one. Power in the legislature does not work that way. Actually, either one or two representatives would have more power if they were members of the majority party.

    But that does not bother the WDN. It supports Stan White's representing Beaufort County but as a minority freshman he has virtually no clout in the Senate. Just look at his legislative record so far. Sen. White had only two bills on which he was the primary sponsor to become law, and one of those was a local bill. And by the way, Sen. White represents all of more counties in the legislature than any other member. So how important is representing entire counties?

    So now, using the WDN's argument that "power" is the thing we need, wonder if they will now explain why they prefer a powerless senator rather than what Beaufort could have had were our senator a Republican? If they'll check their archives, they will find that Hood Richardson told them exactly that before the last election.

    The speciousness of the WDN's argument is further illustrated in their contention that "Stories on our news pages have demonstrated that it's not necessary for the Legislature to carve up Beaufort County to meet the dictates of new census tracts." That is merely an assertion. Yet they apparently expect us to believe it simply because they assert it. The truth is that is not the issue. Nobody that we know of has said the reason for splitting Beaufort County was to "meet the dictates of new census tracts." What those who drew the map said was that it was designed to meet the legal dictates of the Voting Rights Act. Certainly they could shield Beaufort from being divided. But would that meet the stated criteria for this map: That it be "fair and legal?" Of course not. For the WDN to carry their argument, they must show why Beaufort should be treated more favorably than any other county.

    And finally, the WDN says that unnamed "...very few people who are pushing this plan locally seem to be putting their own ideological convictions above the practical needs of their neighbors." Interestingly, we have heard of no local folks who are pushing this plan. Certainly not those of us at the Beaufort Observer. And we don't support the way they propose to draw the First Congressional District. Or the 12th or the 4th, for that matter. Check what that plan does to Wake, Harnett, Cumberland or northern Pitt Counties. Why has the WDN not stood up against those splits?

    So maybe we should make our position crystal clear to the WDN. We don't favor splitting counties if it can reasonably be avoided. But in this case we accept, unless and until someone can show otherwise, that the construction of District 9 is driven by compliance with the Voting Rights Act. And if the VRA is going to ensure the ability of minorities across the state (or at least in the counties to which Section V of the VRA applies) to elect candidates of their choice, then we don't think minorities in Beaufort should or could legally be discriminated against.

    It thus seems to us that the WDN has still not explained how it proposes to resolve that conundrum. How do we preserve the rights of minorities in Beaufort County and at the same time keep Beaufort in a single House district? We reject the elitist notion that the VRA should apply to Pitt County, or Wake County or any other county but not to Beaufort County.

    While we are making our position clear we would also add that we agree with the WDN that "...the reason for this proposed division must be a political one." As Rev. David Moore has already pointed out to the WDN, "what else is new?" Redistricting is political.

    Could a map be drawn that creates a VRA district without including minorities in Beaufort? Certainly. So what else is new? But the leadership in Raleigh that drew this map says they were trying to be fair and legal. It seems to us that the burden is on the WDN to show otherwise and that burden cannot be met by saying that Beaufort should be treated differently than any other county. To argue that is real hypocrisy. But there again, what else is new?