Per USA Today:

Barber blasted lawmakers during a press conference at Hopkins AME Zion Church earlier in the day, despite the raises for teachers.

“Lawmakers in the General Assembly made things bad last year and they have simply made things worse this year,” he said earlier in the day.

He took aim at the deep tax cuts for the rich and corporations, saying it will mean $5 billion less in revenue for the state. Barber noted that the state constitution says caring for the poor is among the government’s first priorities.

“Now they are robbing Paul to try to pay Paul,” he said. “In fact they are even robbing Jesus. They seem to think the North Carolina public and cannot add, subtract or read.”

I’m not sure exactly what that comment about robbing Jesus even means, not that it would matter to the movement that such demagoguery actually make sense. The comment fits the familiar rhetorical formula, which is light on substance, just say “moral” and “Jesus” and rail against Republicans. Leftists love the outrage even as they profess to want God out of politics, and media won’t question it because they fear the predictable accusations that would result.

It’s fair to wonder if the “Jesus” in question is the political Jesus they say “wouldn’t care for” their opponents and the Jesus whose most noteworthy accomplishment was setting up free healthcare clinics (it would be self-defeating to ponder upon that accomplishment and realize it was done voluntarily, but on a one-day basis, and before the government had him killed).

There was also the usual talk about “caring for the poor,” which per the rhetorical formula is euphemism for growing government, the movement’s true alpha and omega.

With respect to the poor, the movement, among other things: