WorkingDem's blog

Cross-post by Irmaly on DKOS: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/30/1079150/-ASU-College-Republican...

It's pretty tough up here in the North Carolina mountains these days. We've made some damn fine progressive progress over the years, but like many other places in the United States, the Tea Party opened up shop here back in 2010 and slammed us in the local and state elections. They've hung around and finally opened up a Facebook page this February.

The local Republican Party is pretty much in shambles. The George Bush/Dick Cheney Administration killed the Party off as rural people finally decided they'd been had on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and their dead and buried kids had died for nothing but lies.

So the Tea Party came riding into town to save the day and rebrand the conservative image. Most of the local Tea Party members don't look anything like the rest of us here. The leaders are high-heeled women who wear pearls when they "garden" and impressive diamond jewelry to local public hearings. It's clear they've never put in a day's work in their lives. But, by god, they're determined to whip the rest of us into submission.

Which brings me to the debate forum between the Appalachian State University College Democrats and College Republicans this past Tuesday night.

Big things have happened recently with Billy Kennedy's Facebook group. There is an event in the works that looks, smells, and acts like an announcement tour.

From JESSE PRESNELL with the "Draft Committee"

UPDATE: Rumors of a Decision

Thanks again for helping us break our goal of 600 members by the 1st of January. Let’s push the draft effort over the top by getting 700 members by February 1. Please stay tuned. Rumor from the “Draft Billy Kennedy” committee is that he intends to make an official announcement of his intentions on February 8th. I’m hoping he will say yes! If you want to be involved, please let me know.

You can help by signing Billy's Facebook page today.

From Jesse Presnell (Billy Kennedy Campaign)

Thanks to all of your support, you have now put a new face on politics in Watauga County. The Watauga Democrat has published a FRONT PAGE article about your support. Here is an excerpt

"Old-school politics usually involved lots of backroom maneuvering of candidates, with a small party core deciding which candidates to put forth in coming elections.

That grooming process has been tossed out like punch-card ballots and train-whistle stops by Democrats who are lining up behind their favored candidate to take on incumbent Republican Virginia Foxx for the Fifth District U.S. Congressional seat next year.

A public campaign is underway called "Draft Billy Kennedy," with party faithful hoping to gently pressure Kennedy into entering the race. What makes the draft attempt different is that the momentum is gathering in the virtual world, driven by a younger pool of voters."

Received moments ago on Facebook!

Facebook Friends:

I have tracked the Draft Billy Kennedy group on Facebook and am deeply grateful for the attention and all the positive encouragement. I’ve been overwhelmed and honored by so many people asking me to run for the 5th district Congressional seat. Our district needs representation in Washington that is serious about the needs of people in our area, most especially jobs and future opportunities for ourselves and our children. In light of these hard times, it is not acceptable that our current legislator, Virginia Foxx, says “no” to every proposed solution while at the same time taking advantage of limited taxpayer dollars for her own needs. As for now, I am seriously considering my options. This is not something I can suddenly rush into without a lot of homework and planning, not to mention the support of my family and closest friends. I hope to have a concrete decision in the coming weeks and will certainly let all you good people know as soon as possible what my plans are. In the meantime, keep the faith that positive change can indeed come to our district.

Sincerely,

Billy Kennedy

It seems talk of a radio host have ignited Facebook and Twitter, a fellow by the name of Billy Kennedy. Has anyone heard about Billy? He seems to be an involved democrat. He has a Draft Billy Kennedy Facebook page.

The bio reads "Billy Kennedy is a local democrat from Watauga County with an extensive history and prominence in the community. Billy is the son of former Black Mountain mayor and Presbyterian minister Will Kennedy. His contributions include serving on/as: The Watauga County Democratic Party Executive Committee, The North Carolina State Democratic Party Executive Committee, a Precinct Chair in Watauga, an active campaigner for other candidates, and the host of “Watauga Talks” on WATA-AM." Sounds promising!