Even Sen. Berger doesn’t buy the “something is better than nothing” talking point.

If Senator Berger actually believed the latest NC GOP budget talking point that “something” is better than “nothing” then he would have participated in bipartisan budget negotiations at any point in the last year.

While believing our students deserve our best, not merely “something,” public education supporters have rejected the NC GOP budget and in exchange Senator Berger and Speaker Moore have rejected a key democratic concept: compromise.

That leaves us with the same budget plan from the last fiscal year.

If Republicans in the NCGA truly believe “something is better than nothing,” they will allow their Democratic colleagues not just a few symbolic seats at the table, but a say in the budget so we can have the bipartisan budget negotiation voters expected to see after expressing the will of the people in 2018.

If Sen. Berger and Rep. Moore are serious when they say “something is better than nothing,” and believe it applies to them as well, they will present a new budget to Gov. Cooper and negotiate its details.

If none of that happens, NC GOP doesn’t actually believe “something is better than nothing.”