Butterfield Moves Up in New Congress
Nancy Pelosi has appointed G.K. Butterfield to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has the largest mandate of any committee in the House. In taking this position Butterfield stepped down from his seat on the Armed Services Committee, which is considered a lesser post, but one made locally important by the large presence of the military in North Carolina.
According to a report in the Durham Herald-Sun "Butterfield said the new committee assignment means he'll be in a strong position to help farmers with energy issues and advocate the use of alternative fuels."
This ambition should tie in nicely with the pending appointments of Mike McIntrye and Bob Etheridge as subcommittee chairs on the House Agricultural Committee. Since the Agricultural Committee has jurisdiction over biofuels legislation this will give North Carolina significant influence over the development of alternative energy policy in the next Congress.
It was also reported in the Daily Reflector that Majority Whip-elect James Clyburn's selection of Butterfield to be a Chief Deputy Whip was made official by the incoming Speaker. "I'm proud to be part of a leadership team that will work hard to move America in a new direction," Butterfield said, "Being a part of the majority leadership will also help me in bringing needed resources to eastern North Carolina."
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We didn't hear much from G.K. during the election
He didn't have opposition and he was respectful enough of those running to stay out of the limelight. I'm excited to see him getting this recognition. Maybe we need to learn a little more about him.
I do know he did not respond to an interview request from BlueNC. Maybe we need to do something about that.
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
He was my assignment....
I emailed the questionaire, I called his office and talked to his Admin Asst , even followed up with a phone call a week later. He never returned my call or the questionaire and she sounded a bit distressed when I asked if he would. She was very gracious about the whole thing, but I got the feeling he didn't think that we were worth his time. Maybe he has changed his mind....
No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.
Ken Willis
I'm sure you tried your best to get Butterfield's attention, and it's unfortunate that your e-mail and your phone call didn't get an appropriate response. My guess is that as far as the Congressman's office is concerned "BlueNC" will continue to be under the radar until it's perceived to be important in the 1st district.
I don't know where you live, Momoaizo, but if it isn't in the 1st district you're under something of a handicap. Representatives are all alike in this one regard - constituents are far more important than non-constituents.
Also, next time you call his office I'd get in touch with Ken Willis, his Communications Director, who can be reached at (202) 225-3101. "Blue NC" will have far more meaning for Ken than it will for anyone else on Butterfield's staff.
George, I live in Moore County, just like you
On Beulah Hill Church Road, just north of Pinehurst....I'm in the 54th and also have a blog at the Pilot, Progressive Discussion....sorry, thought you knew that. (Glad to meet you)
No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.
As an aside, this morning listening to NPR
they were talking about the power of the media. Said that contributions are bigger to disasters heavily covered by the media. Also, candidate's popularity is tied to the way they are featured in the media. MSM is powerful and know it, so do candidates. Blogs and the internet both are up-and-coming medium, but will only become popular, therefore influential, when the masses discover them.
No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.
North Carolina
may be the eye of a perfect storm for sanity around energy policy. We sit at the convergence of agribusiness, ethanol, wind, solar, etc., and the nation may finally have policymakers in charge who actually care about these issues. Purdue, for example, is all over these issues. That's the main reason I've jumped on her bandwagon. Having a governor and a Congress focused on the new energy economy instead of Mideast Oil will be a huge opportunity for our state.