Jeff Messer is the host of a daily radio talk show on Asheville’s WPEK (880-AM, The Revolution) that airs from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. This column features posts from his daily blog.

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The following was posted on May 16:

North Carolina likes to make history. It just happens that this time around, the history we are making is one of assured loss at a massive cost, as well as being on the embarrassing side of history.

On May 9, we had a chance to get out from under this mess surrounding HB2 and the hate and discrimination baked into it by dishonest and divisive politicians and their out-of-state funders like ALEC and the Koch brothers. 

The U.S. Department of Justice gave North Carolina until the end of the business day May 9 to remove the anti-LGBT aspects of HB2 that involved the bathroom part.

Now, I am, by no means, willing to help the North Carolina GOP find a life preserver amid the chaos of this sinking ship, but I have to say that I am perplexed by its lack of willingness to take advantage of this incredible offer from the Obama administration. 

They could have looked like right-wing heroes, who could use it as a re-election issue. They could have called themselves victims of the U.S. government, who were holding their morality hostage.

The fear of losing federal funding should lead them to want to accept the offer, right? Then complain that they had to do it to keep North Carolina functioning, but are angry over having to capitulate to the big, bad Obama administration.

As well, this would have allowed them to keep the rest of HB2 intact, which, to my thinking, is what they were after all along.

They just used the ignorance and paranoia of the masses who support their divisive politics already to only focus on the bathroom part, while ignoring the real government overreach from the state level, imposing iron-fisted rule on local control.

They could have vilified the Obama Leftist agenda, and still kept the rest of the bill in place.

No one will ever accuse them of being smart.

Instead, the NCGOP has filed counter suits to the United States government suits that claim that North Carolina is violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964, among others.

Now, that makes North Carolina the first such state to have this leveled against them since, well ... you’d have to dig up George Wallace to find the next nearest comparison, if that tells you anything.

And here’s the thing: We know how that turned out. We know how this will turn out. Come on. Don’t we?

North Carolina will lose. Of course, it will. And the people in charge know that they will eventually lose. How could they not? Which makes me wonder (and should be a red flag to all of you) if they have ulterior motives in keeping this fight going. 

And we should question why the NCGOP  would knowingly chose to suffer such losses in economic productivity — and in loss of reputation? What gains are worth that cost? And why are they so eager and willing to do it?

Next time you think about, or talk about HB2, think about those things. And, perhaps pose those questions to those who may not be thinking it through past the edge of the bathroom’s door.