Activism

Cross-posted from Bloviations.

As promised, the text of my letters to Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr and Congressman Walter B. Jones, Jr.

Over the next month, North Carolina is the epicenter of US politics. And, amid the primary party, Traction, the state’s premier social network for progressive activism, is proud to present ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION II: Wrath of the SuperDelegates, Friday and Saturday, April 11—12, at The Trotter Building (410 W. Geer St.), across from Manbites Dog Theater, in Durham, NC. Doors open at 7 PM. Tickets are available for a suggested minimum donation of $10 at www.getTraction.org.

Very cool. Frontpaged by James.

The Eastern Caravan is complete; Jerry just returned the van to the rental place. Young Dems President Zack Hawkins put about 17 hours of driving into that van, so we got our money's worth out of it.

Here is a synopsis of what we encountered and achieved:

• 8/10, Lumberton: We sent groups out to most of the major neighborhoods of Lumberton to do a listening canvas. All over the city people talked about healthcare concerns, usually with other concern (education, housing, jobs) woven into their story. We got some of these responses on video. As we drove out the bank clock blinked 107... 4:05pm... 108.
• 8/10, Clinton: Despite lightening, hard rain, and what Ben Akroyd described as "tornado sky," we sent groups out to canvas middle income neighborhoods. Because of the intermittent storms, people invited us into their homes so they could register to vote. The rain brought the heat down.
• 8/11, Greenville: We assembled care packages with Give 2 The Troops. The Program Director repeatedly stressed the point "you can support the troops without supporting the war." We assembled over 50 boxes containing books, toiletries, dvds, and girl scout cookies. Read the article in the Reflector here.
• 8/11, Kinston: Ben and Tara Ilsley met a man who was forced to have some surgery. The surgery cost $74,000. To pay it off, he faithfully sends a check for $20 every week. He said he was 66 years old, and if he lives to be 110 he'll have finally paid off his "debt" (his word, not ours). He went on, "I never have considered myself poor, but I've always thought the government ought to do more for people in a worse shape than I am."

In which your friendly fake consultant asks for your help in gathering information about a real problem in your schools.

Outnumbered by Republicans, North Carolina's Watauga County Democratic Party swept the ticket in 2006. Watauga was the only 5th-district county where Roger Sharpe defeated incumbent Representative Virginia Foxx. The irony: Representative Foxx calls Watauga home.

County Chair Diane Tilson attributes her party's success to many things. But she is most proud, not of their victories at the polls, but of their efforts to improve their community. Click on the one-minute video below to hear her explain how she wants her party's actions to speak louder than words: