Governor Josh Stein likely will seek common ground with Republicans in his inaugural speech Saturday.

Instead, I wish he’d punch them in the nose from the get-go and pummel them across the stage until he sits down.

I wish he’d say, “The greatest threat to North Carolina’s strength, growth and progress in the coming four years is a small gang of power-hungry politicians in the General Assembly who – thanks to the most extreme, partisan gerrymandering in America – have imposed an extreme, partisan agenda on our state that represents neither the will nor the wishes of the majority of the people of North Carolina.

“They have defunded our public schools and robbed our teachers of the resources they must have to educate our children for tomorrow’s world.

“Just last month, they hijacked a bill that was intended to help victims of Hurricane Helene and instead seized more power for themselves and took away constitutional powers from executive officers elected by the people of North Carolina.

“They have denied the reality of climate change that caused the disaster in Western North Carolina, and they block any action to forestall future environmental and economic disasters.

“They have slashed taxes for the rich and big corporations, at the expense of most North Carolinians.

“They have robbed tens of thousands of people of their sacred right to vote.

“They have robbed women of their right to a safe and healthy pregnancy.

“They get away with it because of two things:

“First, gerrymandering has shut down debate and taken away the people’s right to freely and fairly choose their elected representatives.

“Second, an epidemic of lies, misinformation, disinformation and simple lack of information keeps the people of North Carolina from knowing the truth about what’s going on in Raleigh.

“If the people knew, they wouldn’t stand for it.

“Today I say to those politicians: I will not let you get away with it. I will tell the truth to the people of North Carolina. I will fight you for the future of North Carolina.”

Now, I expect Governor Stein to set a more conciliatory tone in his speech, in keeping with inaugural tradition.

If I were writing his speech, I probably wouldn’t take my advice.

But even if he doesn’t say it Saturday, he can say it the next four years.