N.C. Gov Thinks He Could Lose Job, Blames PC Culture for HB 2 Hate

With House Bill 2 under intense scrutiny, the signer of the controversial transphobic bill -- North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory -- lashed out at his critics and voiced concern he would lose his job.

Speaking Tuesday on The Big Show With John Boy and Billy, a radio program broadcast from Charlotte, McCrory didn't take responsibility for the negative response to his bill, which banned all LGBT protections in the state and barred transgender people from using facilities in government buildings that correspond with their gender identity. The Department of Justice just threatened to pull federal money from North Carolina if the state doesn't rescind the discriminatory law.

On the radio show, McCrory declined to take responsibility for the blowback and instead lamented his new pariah status.

"And now, sadly, in our nation if you have disagreement and you're on the wrong side of that disagreement, according to the thought police, you're dispensed of. You're exiled," he said. "I've even had some people call me, 'Please don't, governor, don't show up to this event because I have people who disagree with you and we don't want it.'"

McCrory is up for reelection in November, with Attorney General Roy Cooper -- a fierce critic of HB 2 who has refused to defend the law in court against a federal lawsuit -- as his opponent.

"Society is changing quickly, and anybody who gets in the way is in trouble," McCrory said on The Big Show. "And I might be in trouble. I might be looking for a side job over here."

McCrory denied Cooper's charge that HB 2 has embarrassed North Carolina, which has been hemorrhaging millions thanks to events and entertainers pulling out of the state.

"We haven't embarrassed North Carolina by talking about something logically," he said. "It's logic but it's not politically correct, apparently."

The governor also contented that Bruce Springsteen, one of the performers boycotting the Tar Heel State, canceled his Greensboro performance because he couldn't sell tickets. According to the Greensboro Coliseum, the show had sold 15,000 tickets and was about 100 tickets away from being sold out. McCrory also took umbrage with Fox News and Meet the Press, saying they presented him in a bad light when he was defending HB 2.