SEANC pushes 3rd party signature drive

Submitted by scharrison on

They're apparently more serious than we thought:

Wearing matching "Bring Jobs to North Carolina" T-shirts, Donnell Smith of Fayetteville and Shelitia Brooks of Raeford told people they were trying to create better jobs and more affordable health care.

What they didn't say is they're also trying to throw 8th District Democratic Congressman Larry Kissell out of office.

But could they also be inadvertently helping to throw Tim D'Annunzio "in" office?

Comments

I imagine they will get a strong candidate

Submitted by loftT on

to run for that seat. It will be nothing if not interesting to watch what a well funded populist candidate can do to both other parties.

I can't bring myself to be against this initiative. The Democratic Party needs a nudge from the left and I welcome it in most any viable shape it comes in.

I'm of two minds on this

Submitted by scharrison on

I like to see energy like this from Liberals, I'd just rather see it happening in districts that lean Republican, instead of those that lean Democrat.

Ballot Access

Submitted by PackMan97 on

If they can help break down the horrible ballot access laws we have in NC, I'm all for it. My guess is the Democrats (if they keep control of the state) will react the same way the did last time when faced with a liberal third party, they'll raise the ballot access requirements even higher.

That said, I LOL every time I hear state employees complain about their insurance...it's a self funded and directed plan. The only thing BCBSNC does is administer the paperwork.

I take issue with two points here

Submitted by Haywood on

  1. The democrats actually lowered the bar for statewide recognition last cycle from 4% of the total amount of last year's gubernatorial vote to 2%. That's the only way the libertarians were finally able to get on the ballot in 2008. But the point remains that NC has extraordinarily tough ballot access laws, even still.
  2. There are so many issues with the state employees health insurance plan that I don't know where to start. But how about zero transparency in the bidding process and administration of the plan by BCBSNC, self-administration be damned. We are only now, after years of pressure, beginning to see the extent to which BCBS has been ripping off the state of North Carolina.

Democrats were made to by the courts

Submitted by TrueMeckDem on

The Democrats lowered the levels because they were threatened by the courts. The judge said that if they didn't, he would throw out all requirements.

NC still has the third toughest ballot access laws in the United States, only behind Oklahoma and Georgia. The laws in the US vary from some states only requiring a party to nominate candiates, to requiring as few as 500 signatures to Oklahoma requiring 100,000 signatures. Hell, in NC you have to petition to get your write in votes counted.

Ballot Access

Submitted by PackMan97 on

1. I was actually referring to the 60's or 70's when the Socialist Party was able to get ballot access and the Dems jacked up the requirements. True that they have lowered them, but it's still one of the harshest in the nation.

2. It sounds like you should be upset at the state, not BCBS. While I understand being upset at a con man taking advantage of the elderly with dementia, the leaders of our state are in control of a $30 billion annual budget. If they are getting taken, it's because they want to get taken. Your outrage is severely misplaced. Not that you can't be mad at BCBS, but your should have even more anger towards the state.

Dana Cope

Submitted by DrFrankLives on

I could support this, perhaps, and even believe it was a sincere effort, and not a vanity campaign, if Cope hadn't spent last year helping elect right wingers to the Wake County School Board.

"Man is free at the moment he wishes to be." -Voltaire

word

Submitted by Jerimee on

Has SEIU or SEANC commented on Cope's opposition to equal educational opportunities?

- - - - -
http://twitter.com/Jerimee

blah

Submitted by DrFrankLives on

blah

"Man is free at the moment he wishes to be." -Voltaire

Three Points About This NC First Article

Submitted by Haywood on

  1. As I've said before, SEANC is a conservative organization. It's tough to think that a union, let alone an SEIU affiliate, would be conservative, but it's true in North Carolina. This is especially unfortunate because NC's public employees need a strong progressive voice in this state. SEANC ain't it right now and this effort isn't helping. NC First is quickly turning into a boondoggle - even by Dana Cope's standards.
  2. 1 million of SEIU members' hard earned dollars have gone to this effort. One. Million. Dollars. In a time of unprecedented budget cuts and in a state where public employees lack the basic worker rights guaranteed to every private sector employee, don't you think those seven figures could have gone to better use? $1 million dollars... for what? Nothing. Anyone with even remote knowledge of NC Ballot Access Laws could have told them that this was a poor way to have their voices heard and their proposed timeline was unrealistic.
  3. By my read, this article makes the NC First effort seem, if anything, less serious. Dana Cope is already downplaying expectations for this operation. He even says as much in this very article.

"I am not sure we're going to make the threshold for 84,000 signatures," Cope said last week.

So, to recap:

  • One million dollars have been spent.
  • They failed to gather enough signatures.
  • NC First will not be a political party.
  • Zero candidates have been recruited.
  • No one is impressed.
  • SEANC has waged a counter-productive outright war on the Democratic Party.
  • The Democratic Party and leadership are obviously not happy about this and can only be even less inclined now to restore public employee's collective bargaining rights.
  • Since the NC legislature is the only body that can restore collective bargaining and the GOP sure ain't going to do it, SEANC has effectively killed the only possible opportunity for SEANC to achieve its #1 legislative goal and has nothing to show for it besides some t-shirts and putting a few college students to work.
  • Dana Cope has gotten his picture and name in the news a lot.

Right.

It's better than a protest vote for Republicans

Submitted by Carolina on

This is how things like this get started.
Veterans Rally Tuesday
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/17/1441510/veterans-rally-tuesday.html
Mecklenburg County Veterans Fight For Funding
http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Mecklenburg-County-Veterans-Want-Office-Saved-93957104.html

This is in a county with one of the highest percentage of Veterans in the country.
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/2003/rank_chart/r09_050.pdf

As Democrats we should be out in front on this.

This should have been done during the primary

Submitted by Todd on

to get a better Dem on the ballot. All this will serve to do in November is to help usher another awful Republican to Washington - see Ralph Nader, 2000, Florida.

At least Kissell and Shuler and McIntire vote for Pelosi for Speaker.