NCDP Chair

As we move into the weekend meeting of the NCDP SEC, I wanted to share just a few final thoughts based on questions I have received.
Most of you know that I have already endorsed David Parker, and I even had the privilege of acting as a surrogate speaker a few weeks ago here in Raleigh.

LGBT Rights

The other day I received a call from a friend of mine. He said that he'd been told by a supporter of Bill Faison, that Faison was a stronger supporter of LGBT issues than David Parker.
My first response to that was, "that statement is crap," and went on to say exactly why. That evening I did some research, and here is what I found:
1. Bill was NOT endorsed by EqualityNC in 2010, even though just about every other Democrat from Raleigh to Greensboro was. If Bill is such a strong advocate for gay rights, why did he either not seek the endorsement, or if he sought it, why was he denied it?
2. An Independent Weekly article from 2005 may also give some insight:

In the interest of balance, I'm posting videos from two candidates here. I'd be happy to post something from Ms. Montgomery if anyone has it available.

Front paged by James

The State Executive Committee is the governing body of the North Carolina Democratic Party. The SEC:

• Elects the NCDP chair.
• Elects delegates to the DNC.
• Votes upon changes to the NCDP platform.
• Votes upon resolutions to inform (or censure) elected Democrats.
• Approve the Bylaws/Constitutions of State Auxiliaries.
• Receive and approve the NCDP budget each year.
• Consider petitions for alternative methods of organizing precincts.

The SEC is composed of people like you. There are over 600 members of the SEC. Below is a short guide on how you can seek election to the SEC.

General Advice

Learn and Prepare: Only run if you are interested and have the time to commit to it. Call your County Party and get informed on when and where the meetings will be held and what the responsibilties are. Ask any questions you might have.

This past week Scrutiny Hooligans highlighted the North Carolina Democratic Party Chair race between Bill Faison, David Parker, and Dannie Montgomery. The same questions were asked of each of the candidates, and their responses are republished there without changes. They are posted in the order they were received.

Bill Faison

David Parker

(Not everyone on BlueNC gets all of the NCDP Chair's race emails, so I'll post Parker's here, in full, as he sends them out. - Frank)

Subject: Parker Leads

I am pleased to announce that my campaign begins the weekend with 125 publicly pledged SEC votes-- five times the number that my closest opponent announced yesterday. We're heading into the final stretch with strong support, a strong plan, and the energy to begin changing the outlook for the North Carolina Democratic Party at the SEC meeting next Saturday.

My work with this team and my new friends around the state has been-- as it has been throughout my life in the Democratic Party-- a joy and a reason to work even harder toward our common goal: victory for Democrats in all 100 counties of this great state.

I got Faison's letter in the mail yesterday - got to the end of the letter - it sounds like he doesn't have a clue what worked and what didn't work in the 2010 election or in our state since the 2008 election cycle. It doesn't sound like someone running for office - it sounds like he's applying for a job at some big, soul-less corporation and doesn't want to stand out or make waves. Too bad - the NC Democratic Party needs someone to come on board and take names and kick some (ok, many) asses!

It sounds like one of Obama's "listening tours" - designed to give the appearance that they gave a damn but nothing really changed (for the good) as a result because there really is no way to know if: 1) they really were listening; and 2) there was no way to measure whether or not they did what they said they would do or hold them accountable if they didn't act in the way we wanted them to.

Have heard from several credible sources (SEC members) that Deborah Ross from Wake County is interested in running for NCDP Chair position and will resign her House seat and quit her day job if the Party also names her ED and pays her a salary.

I hear there is something in the POO that allows the chair to hire the ED, so it's not like the SEC or the Executive Council or even the Board would have to vote on it.

Well that certainly does raise the level of interest in the NCDP Chair job.

Democratic Candidates will begin filing to take back our State House and Senate and to keep the Governor’s office in less than 14 months. At stake is a better education for our children, a fairer society and a better quality of life for all of our citizens, not just a select few. We must take back the Legislature and keep a Democratic Governor in November of 2012. Failure would have devastating effects on our State for decades to come.

Today I announced that I am running for North Carolina Democratic Party Chair because now is not the time to sit on the sidelines. The stakes are too high for any of us to sit back and allow the Republicans to destroy the progress we have made.

I just happened to stumble across this video. Hopefully David won't mind me posting it here.