Oliver Queen's blog

Crossposted on Daily Kos.

On a cold January day almost two years ago, I joined thousands of young Americans on the Capitol grounds as we heard our new President address the fears of our generation; "a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights."

Our generation wasn't taking it sitting down - we voted in record numbers in 2008. During the last presidential election, young Americans were energized, and a solid majority voted for change. We stood up to the tyranny of the word "impossible" and proved wrong everyone who doubted the possibility of an Obama Presidency. We cast votes for equality - equal dignity, equal opportunity, equal rights. We voted for prosperity, and we were not going to lower our sights.

Though many of the projects and foundations funded by Art Pope are upfront about their conservative bent, the North Carolina History Project (northcarolinahistory.org/) bills itself as "an edited, evolving, and free online encyclopedia of North Carolina that also includes commentaries, lesson plans, and a community calendar" and its website as "a special project of the John Locke Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan think tank in Raleigh, North Carolina." However, an extensive study of their work reveals that the NCHP champions subjects that fit into a conservative, anti-feminist worldview while glossing over the bigoted legacy of conservative icons such as Jesse Helms.

Some musings from the first early voter in North Carolina (at the very least, in Mecklenburg County). Please excuse the rambling that may have something to do with at third cup of coffee and intermittent TV interviews.

I'm sitting down at the Hal Marshall Annex in Charlotte, North Carolina, looking at three flags - the Star Spangled Banner, the North Carolina Flag, and the Mecklenburg County flag.

I've served the United States and North Carolina as a Presidential Elector, and I serve Mecklenburg County as a member of a Citizen's transit board. I serve all three when I vote. Right now, I think I'm the first voter in North Carolina.

With the defeat of Senator Lisa Murkowski in Alaska, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) is poised to become the top Republican on the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources at the start of the 112th Congress. There are many reasons why this development is troublesome, not the least of which is Senator Burr's irresponsible record on nuclear issues (which are under the committee's purview). In short, Burr was the brains behind a law that hindered American non-proliferation efforts and nuclear security. Because of this, Elaine Marshall needs your help retiring Richard Burr.

As y'all know, our Vice President was at the Carolina Inn last night.

Last night, I went to the DNC fundraiser at the Carolina Inn featuring our titular politician, so I'm bringing you the full report. I'm happy to return with some positive news: Joe Biden is doing a great job as Vice President of the United States.

Exactly 23 months ago today Joe Biden was announced as the veep nominee. On Kos, I made this prediction in a diary:

Denial: You live your life outside of politics. You ignore everything political, you reject that there might be a problem or you simply assume the government will take care of you or leave you alone. Or, you're politically minded but not a partisan.

North Carolina is tweeting from the highest mountains ... new PPP poll today:

Burr leads Marshall by just a single point, 43-42

For the first time, one of the Democratic candidates is statistically tied with Richard Burr. Go Elaine!

It's hard for me to support Elaine Marshall. Not because of any deficiencies in her as a candidate, but because many of my friends and family members voted for Cal on Tuesday. Incidentally, so did I. Many good friends of mine have put their entire lives into the Cunningham campaign over the past year in spite of bitter experiences within politics. Good candidates we supported lost races they shouldn't have; people like John Edwards & Mike Easley let all of us down. I respect the decision of anyone who can carry on in politics in this environment.

Furthermore, I know Cal has taken many shots over the past couple of months, and even if there is a bad egg or two in Cal's nest, I believe that Cal - personally - is above reproach. There's no indication that he's anything but a stellar guy, and I'm sure he would make a great Senator. The fact of the matter is that Cal's campaign turned out to be sound and fury, as the quote goes. Cal lost by 9 points. In all honesty, the only winner Tuesday night was Richard Burr.

These are random thoughts from last night that aren't in any order. They're mine alone, they're free-writing, and they are not the views of any party, PAC, or group.

I'm not North Carolina's most heralded political expert. I haven't written a book, I don't command five figures a month, and the one time I ran for office I lost (albeit by 150 votes). But I've done a lot of campaigning in NC. From upper Cleveland County (where our foothills start to become mountains), to the concrete jungle of Charlotte, to the affluent Lake Norman Suburbs, to the new urban landscapes of Chapel Hill and Davidson, I've staffed campaigns in almost every part of North Carolina. I've worked to pass transit initiatives; helped young, post-partisan leaders emerge across our state; and I've done some quixotic things (like trying to elect the Southeast's first LGBT Senator).

Feel free to take this with a grain of salt, but after the BlueNC radio chat with Gary Pearce, I found myself wondering: what on earth are the U.S. Senate candidates doing?