GOP Sen. Richard Burr: HB2? Yeah, thumbs up!

Just after PayPal announced it had canceled a 400-job expansion in North Carolina due to its new discriminatory law, the state's Republican senator, Richard Burr, told BuzzFeed News he saw no economic downside to the new law. Oh, and he's also certain state lawmakers in the General Assembly really thought things through before passing HB2.

"I trust that they’ve looked at all the consequences from it. The truth is I still meet with more companies that are looking at North Carolina as a potential home for them. Our state offers things that other states don’t. Certainly PayPal didn’t see that as important enough.” When asked about the backlash in his home state and fractures within the party over the issue, he responded: “You don’t hear any existing businesses down there talking about leaving.”

Apparently, Burr isn't interested in any new businesses entering the state, the "existing" ones are just fine. Also good to see his supreme level of confidence in his GOP state counterparts as they dissolved into rampant finger pointing after PayPal bailed over a law that's creating complete legal chaos in the state.

In addition to the PayPal loss, the state's $5 billion High Point Market furniture exhibition has announced dozens of cancellations in the days since passage of HB2 and Braeburn Pharmaceuticals is reconsidering its $20 million project due to what it called "unjust legislation."

The campaign of Burr's Democratic challenger, Deborah Ross (who is Daily Kos endorsed), issued a statement saying Burr had "lost touch" with Tar Heel voters after spending more than 20 years in Washington.

“Only someone out of touch with the values and needs of hard working North Carolinians could 'insist' that HB2 isn't going to hurt our economy the same week we lost 400 good paying jobs and more than $20 million dollars a year in revenue as a direct result of the law.”

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