Early voting starts in NC tomorrow. Please pitch in & help us beat some terrible incumbents in North Carolina!
Kennedy vs. Foxx (NC-05)
As the Winston-Salem Journal noted when they endorsed Democrat Billy Kennedy,
U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx ... has not achieved any great accomplishments for the residents of the 5th Congressional District.
Well, she just lost her most recent debate as well ...
As you may know, Virginia Foxx was the Representative who called Matthew Shepard's death a hoax. She's been a lackluster politician on her best days, and Blue America PAC is summing things up for voters in the 5th District:
Billy Kennedy is a fresh voice, even for a progressive Democrat. In his own words, from Daily Kos:
The choices facing us are stark. One option, the one I favor, is to free ourselves of both fossil fuels and the political influence bought with fossil fuel money.
We must invest in new technology and renewable energy because new American jobs depend on it. China has now jumped ahead to become the world's largest manufacturer of wind turbines and solar panels - they are adding 100,000 new jobs a year in renewable energy as a result.
...
We should be leading that revolution in sustainable energy. We are told that the "preproduction costs" for renewable energy projects are extremely high and that many commercial companies are reluctant to invest heavily in projects from which they may not see any profits for a decade. Government policies for renewables are shifting sands and a stark contrast to the solid, steady support fossil fuel lobbyist dollars have purchased over the years.
As you can hear from the applause during that debate, Kennedy is getting a hell of a response. Please help Billy fight Foxx today!
Marshall vs. Burr (NC-Sen)
As for Elaine Marshall's first debate, here's what one watcher on Huffington Post had to say:
On their first televised debate, North Carolina Democratic candidate for Senate, Elaine Marshall, blasted Republican Richard Burr and urged voters to throw him out of office. Burr smiled, stumbled and even supported new regulations on business as he reeled under the barrage of Marshall's pointed attacks. This race just got much more interesting.
Marshall slammed Burr on his spending hypocrisy. As I've noted before,
Richard Burr knows the main issue is jobs, but he helped move American jobs offshore. The Senator is running on fiscal responsibility, but voted for the wars and the tax cuts that keep digging us a deeper financial hole - $4 trillion in debt. He voted against the stimulus, and then touted projects that use stimulus funding. And his biggest supporters are two guys who supported Kay Hagan two years ago.
Elaine has been fighting this hypocrisy in her new ad, and she took it to Burr on the debate floor last night:
Elaine faces another debate this week, and her campaign is asking for our thoughts on what she should ask Burr. Not that she needs our help - Secretary Marshall's ads and performance on the campaign trail are changing the game. Please help Elaine today!
Bonus Debate: Price vs. Lawson (NC-04)
Finally, Rep. David Price (D-NC) stood up against challenger BJ Lawson - one of the few people who calls himself a libertarian ... and actually is. From a debate hosted by the Indy Weekly and other local media outlets:
Dang it, this won't embed on dKos
The much-anticipated Price-Lawson debate from Independent Weekly on Vimeo.
There's quite a bit for me to quote in Bull City Rising's live blog of the debate, but here's Lawson's libertarian view on campaign finance:
In view of the recent Citizens United decision, what new campaign finance laws are needed?
Lawson- Campaigns should be funded without limits, as long as there is disclosure as to who is funding them. The DISCLOSE act makes it harder for new political groups to compete with groups like the NRA or AARP.
Price- The Supreme Court's decision is atrocious. At the least, the money coming in to campaigns should be tracked. Price authored the "Stand by your Ad" act. He has tried to update it, but the filibuster in the Senate has stopped it. Can not believe that Lawson and his colleagues will not support disclosure. Until the law is changed, disclosure should be improved.
This race has tightened in recent weeks, but we can't send Lawson to congress. BlueNC has the skinny on what Lawson would do in Congress:
- End federal support for research through the National Science Foundation, National Institutes for Health, and other such federally-funded agencies. Instead, Lawson argues, research should be funded and conducted by corporations for their own benefit, and university research should be funded through private and corporate donations.
- End Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance, and require patients to directly pay for their health care out of pocket. The poor should be supported through philanthropy and not by government.
- Eliminate Social Security.
- End government regulation of businesses and Wall Street, and allow the unfettered pursuit of capitalism. This includes the drilling for oil and gas off the North Carolina coast without federal oversight and regulation.
- Abolish federal funding for all levels of education, including the UNC system.
He was defeated by a large margin when he ran against Price two years ago, but if Lawson wins this time, we're toast.
Fight Back, North Carolina!
At the Grassroots Farm Team, we're helping North Carolina Fight Back. Please chip in a couple of bucks so North Carolinians can sleep easier.
Sam Spencer
Executive Director
Grassroots Farm Team PAC