As a mere one of the 2.7 million real Democrats in this state, I can't help but feel chagrined by BlueNc's latest front page diary that the "thousands" of PDNC members might no longer vote in Democratic primaries.
While it's no crickets chirping that they should leave, I do hope those angry souls will remember that if they leave the Mainstream Party, there will be no one left to vote for Senator Neal's re-election campaign, much less to carry Lt. Gov. Dan Besse back to another term of super Progressive Smugness.
Ha.
Ha.
HA!
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Here are the FDL Action health care reform highlights for Friday, November 13.
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When Lowell first contacted me to give an update on North Carolina’s congressional delegation he asked me to address whether North Carolina might choose to opt out of participating in programs set up through federal healthcare legislation. My first thought was, “this man doesn’t know the difference between North Carolina and South Carolina.” However, with the mood in my state and the look of the generic ballots coming out of Public Policy Polling, Democrats could lose our control of the state legislature next year and wind up looking more like South Carolina than we would like...politically speaking.
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If you've been following the announcements coming out about the healthcare debate over the past two days they have certainly included some mixed messages. A couple of days ago I received an email from PDA (Progressive Democrats of America) excited that Speaker Pelosi was going to allow a 20 minute floor debate on Rep. Weiner's single-payer amendment followed by an up-or-down vote. We were encouraged to put together action plans for our readers.
From the email:
Last night PDA got word from Congressman Weiner’s office that Speaker Pelosi is keeping her promise to allow the Weiner single-payer amendment full debate and vote on the floor of the House. This will happen on Friday or Saturday.
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The Charlotte Observer has the breaking story announcing Bill Belk's resignation from the bench.
Facing misconduct charges and possible removal by the N.C. Supreme Court, Belk submitted a letter of resignation late Friday.
He did not give a reason for his resignation.
In the letter, he wrote: “I am resigning my judgeship effective this afternoon, Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. I have enjoyed my friendship with you and my clerks, sheriffs, D.A.'s, attorneys and my fellow judges. Best of luck to all of you.
“P.S.,” he wrote, “I hope this doesn't cause an inconvenience on scheduling next week.”
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Late yesterday we got word that, though it had been shut out of all prior discussions on healthcare, single payer would be debated and given an up or down vote on the floor of the House. Today word comes down that Speaker Pelosi has pulled the vote.
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We aren't in the market for an appliance, but if you are this is the weekend to buy. There are a few rules, though. I grabbed this tidbit from the Asheville Citizen-Times:
The tax holiday applies to appliances including clothes washers, freezers, refrigerators, central air conditioners, room air conditioners, air-source heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers and programmable thermostats, Gov. Bev Perdue's office said.
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Tony Rand isn't out the door of the NC Senate chamber and folks are already lining up to fill his shoes as Senate Majority Leader. Martin Nesbitt from Buncombe County has thrown his hat in the ring. The folks from the eastern part of the state have been in power for so long it might be interesting to see what happens with a Majority Leader from the western part of the state.
David Boliek, a Fayetteville attorney has indicated an interest in Rand's Senate seat.
Until last night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was refusing to allow any amendments to H.R. 3962 - the newest healthcare bill to come out of the House. Now it appears that she will allow a full floor debate and vote on the single-payer or Medicare for all amendment. This should happen on Friday or Saturday.
Congressman Anthony Weiner authored the amendment and more than likely will lead the floor discussions for the Dems. It will be interesting to see where the votes fall on this amendment.
If we do an action plan at BlueNC tomorrow, I will link to it or simply bring it here too. Things are still up in the air a bit, so stay tuned.
Found at The Hill:
After a thorough review, the ethics committee found that Shuler’s actions “were not improper in any way and did not violate House Rules,” and has closed the matter without further action, Shuler said.
“Throughout my personal and professional life I have always held myself to the highest possible ethical standard,” Shuler said in a written statement. “I maintained that standard through all my interactions with the TVA relating to Blackberry Cove. I have never and will never attempt to use my office for personal gain and look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the people of Western North Carolina.”
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Laura Leslie at Isaac Hunter's Tavern has breaking news about Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand. Head on over to her place to get the whole story.
Yesterday, Charlotte voters rejected the more extreme conservative tea party candidates in favor of a more moderate Republican and three Democrats in Charlotte's City Council at-large race. They also chose a Democrat for mayor.
Put a different way - the folks supporting the Streetcar project won.
I'm especially happy to see David Howard win a spot on the Council. David is smart and has valuable experience with affordable housing. He's also simply a really great guy.
Susan Burgess returns as Mayor Pro Tem. She had huge support in almost every area of Charlotte. Her re-election was pretty much a given, but she's been in politics long enough to know that you don't take anything for granted. She was still out there working hard to put this one in the win column.
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Dr. Gail Summerskill has worked as an educator or an education administrator since the 1970s. She understands the needs of students at different grade levels and also knows that no one solution to the challenges we face in our schools is going to be the perfect solution for everyone.
Gail is running in District 1 which encompasses one of the fastest growing areas in Mecklenburg County. I had an opportunity to speak to Gail at length about her background and her vision for CMS.
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Last Thursday I had the great pleasure of attending the 80th Annual Mallard Creek Barbecue. I've written about the event before. It is a must-do on the political calendar in Mecklenburg County each year. The weather was beautiful and the cars lined up for miles to drive through to pick up their boxed lunches or to park and enjoy the gathering crowd.
Diners had a choice of two lines - political and not political. Most chose to walk through the political line. It's a tradition. Candidates and their supporters stand and shake hands and pass out campaign literature. Pictured at left is Charlotte's Mayor Pro Tem, Democratic National Committeewoman and Charlotte City Council At-Large candidate Susan Burgess. Susan should have no trouble at the polls on Tuesday
The event started back in 1929 when men of Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church held a meeting to decide how to raise money to pay for their new Sunday School building. A pig had been barbecued for the meeting and it was decided that later that year they would have a gathering of the church members and surrounding community and sell barbecue to raise money. Proceeds in the first year were about $89. A plate of barbecue and Brunswick Stew today costs $9.
The church is not located on the property where the event is held, but there are several structures, fields and a new well-lit baseball diamond. Throughout the year local community groups and boy scout troops hold meetings and other events there. I'm sure a large part of the building space is used to store all of the tables and chairs.
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