general assembly

Progress NC has joined with a number of other progressive groups to present a united front against the far right leadership in Raleigh that called for the January 5th post-midnight secret legislative session. We have created a website to explain what is happening in Raleigh, the events leading up to January 5th and the implications of the far right agenda for North Carolinians and their daily lives. Please visit the site and help us spread the word, especially to people who are not yet paying attention: www.outofcontrolnc.com. Thank you!

According to new polls conducted by Public Policy Polling for Progress North Carolina, two Cumberland County legislative seats could be very competitive this fall. (These polls are part of a series of surveys designed to answer the question: “Can progressives retake the NC General Assembly?”)

In Senate District 19, incumbent Republican Sen. Wesley Meredith trails potential Democratic challenger and NC House Rep. Diane Parfitt, 37%-40%. Download the complete results for Senate District 19.

In House District 45, a potential matchup between former Republican county commissioner Diane Wheatley and Democratic school board member Kim Fisher is also close. Wheatley leads Fisher, 38%-36%. Download the complete results for House District 45.

Last week, through my sister, I learned that a friend of hers in Raleigh had lost his little shepherd mutt named Mocha. Rick and Mocha are inseparable and his friends knew he'd never be the same if they couldn't find her. As the days unfolded, person after person joined in the search to bring Mocha home. They gave up their evenings after work to search for her and they spread the word on social media to keep an eye out for a shy, fearful dog unlikely to come to anyone who called her. A sighting of Mocha at a specific crossroads would be quickly posted to Facebook, sending people to their cars to canvas the area in hopes of finding one lost and hungry little dog. Soon, complete strangers were following the story and searching for Mocha. In the end, a miracle of sorts occurred.

Last week, through my sister, I learned that a friend of hers in Raleigh had lost his little shepherd mutt named Mocha. Rick and Mocha are inseparable and his friends knew he'd never be the same if they couldn't find her. As the days unfolded, person after person joined in the search to bring Mocha home. They gave up their evenings after work to search for her and they spread the word on social media to keep an eye out for a shy, fearful dog unlikely to come to anyone who called her. A sighting of Mocha at a specific crossroads would be quickly posted to Facebook, sending people to their cars to canvas the area in hopes of finding one lost and hungry little dog. Soon, complete strangers were following the story and searching for Mocha. In the end, a miracle of sorts occurred.

Can progressives take back control of North Carolina's General Assembly? Three new polls conducted by PPP for Progress NC pinpoint areas where vulnerable incumbents or open seats could open the door for progressive candidates to enter the race, including a poll showing that incumbent Jim Crawford (D-Granville) is vulnerable in the Democratic Primary. If you are thinking of running, or know someone thinking of running, stand by for more polling in other counties soon. More details on these three polls after the jump:

Here is a summary of what happened last night, originally posted at Progress NC. It is intended for people unfamiliar with legislative goings-on. Please make sure people not paying attention to politics read it so they understand what is going on in Raleigh using taxpayer dollars:

What happened in Raleigh last night proves that the leadership of the NC House is unworthy of serving the people of North Carolina.

January 5, 2012 will go down as a sad day for North Carolina -- it will be remembered as the day that leaders of our state government met in the dark of the night to elude public scrutiny and then shut down debate by their opposition in an attempt to ram their extremist agenda through our state house with as few people participating or watching as possible.

This is not democracy and it is not conduct becoming of our leaders. This is proof that they are unworthy to serve the people of North Carolina.

It looks like our State Legislators are back on the job after the holiday. It’s a little unclear what the agenda is, but the consensus seems to be Republican shenanigans. It looks like the Legislature wants to pass through several controversial bills and overrides in this rare mini-session, hoping to catch opponents off guard.

Last week four men chosen by the Mecklenburg County Commissioners to serve on a bi-partisan panel to study and recommend new voting district boundaries decided instead to undermine the process of which they’d agreed to be a part. Without notice to either the county commissioners or their fellow panel members they made a hasty trip to Raleigh to meet with the leadership of the North Carolina General Assembly. Within hours a bill to bypass the public process already underway was brought to a vote in both houses and passed. And just that quickly, the rights of the citizens of Mecklenburg, Buncombe, and Gilpin Counties were usurped, literally stolen from us for political gain. Whether you lean right, left or somewhere in the middle – where most of us surely are – this action was a direct attack on your democracy, promulgated for unabashed political gain and power. When questioned about the tactic a sitting commissioner responded, “It’s politics.”

cross-posted (in slightly edited form) at dKos

Per an editorial from Sunday's Charlotte Observer, there's reason for hope the Repubs won't gerrymander the hell out of the state after all. A proposal currently working its way through the legislature would eliminate most (if not all) of the partisan tinder from redistricting starting with the 2020s round. The bill would put the redistricting processin the hands of the legislative staff.

The House last week passed a proposal that would have legislative staff members, not elected legislators, draw the boundaries of congressional and legislative districts. It would take effect in 2021, the next time district lines are scheduled to be redrawn.

The legislation is modeled after the system in Iowa. Legislative staffers, sequestered from elected officials, draw maps and present them for an up-or-down vote by the House and Senate.

The proposal is viewable here. It would specifically ban redistricting to favor a party or incumbent. The bill passed pretty handily in the state house, and is currently in committee in the state senate.

Take a look at this video. It was put up at WFMY at 6:25PM and taken down before midnight. bunch of cowards. Found it at Montgomery County School System site:

http://www.montgomery.k12.nc.us/montgomerycounty/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=311447

Outstanding piece, and there will be calls for this guy's head. Write him at:

dale.ellis@montgomery.k12.nc.us

We need to run this guy for House.