Seeking new direction, NC Democratic Party in turmoil again

[octoberlib]

All state political parties are facing questions about their role in an era of big-dollar independent political organizations, but the problems North Carolina Democrats are confronting are more acute as they sit essentially powerless – having lost both the governor’s mansion and statehouse for the first time in more than a century.“We’ve never been in this situation,” said state party Chairman Randy Voller. “Part of the issue we are dealing with is nobody knows where the center of gravity is.”

Voller, 45, represents the activist flank of the Democratic Party and rejects the traditional role of a chairman as a figurehead fundraiser.

He moved his party’s stance further to the left, endorsing the “Moral Monday” protests that ended in mass arrests and pushing for legislation legalizing medical marijuana – positions that put elected officials in a tough spot.“I want to be out here pushing our values and let the chips fall as they may,” Voller said in a recent interview at party headquarters.

Longtime party officials wanted the chairman “to just raise money, spend money and stay as neutral as possible on all the issues because they don’t want to annoy any unaffiliated voters,” said Jesse Goslen, a party district chairman from Raleigh and Voller supporter. “I come from the wing of the party that thinks the party ought to stand for something.”


Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/03/07/4749675/seeking-new-direction-nc-democratic.html#storylink=cpy

[loudsue]

1. I had no idea we had this kind of activist leadership. To hear the local chairs, you'd think

democrats were supposed to sit down and shut up and be polite. Hell. Even Senator Kay Hagan has been bad-mouthing "obamacare", rather than pushing back against the koch-heads ads that run against her 24/7 on tv.

[octoberlib]

2. In the article it says that Hagan has distanced herself from the state party.

I agree with you on Obamacare. Instead of acting defensive, she should be emphasizing the positives.

[loudsue]

3. I posted before I read the whole article. Ya know...

it just seems like, all over the country, the democratic party is fighting against the corporatists for our very lives. AND for the welfare of our fellow citizens, though about 30% of them are fighting against us!

We can't give ground to the Kay Hagan branch of the democratic party, because THEY ARE THE CORPORATISTS. And THAT is the money they want in order to fight the corporatists on the other side of the aisle. How fucked up is THAT?

[octoberlib]

4. Very. Most party bosses have one objective and that is to win , at all costs.

I just think if we stand for something and present a better alternative instead of acting scared of offending people, we'll get more votes. We need to act like we have confidence. The Republicans seem to have unlimited funds and Democrats are always trying to keep up. Our system needs campaign finance reform badly.

[loudsue]

5. True that. n/t

[Eleanors38]

6. $ is the 2nd biggest problem. Standing for something is the 1st.

[octoberlib]

8. +1

[Eleanors38]

7. What's left of the left will fight first the Democratic Party Bureaus,

then MSM, then the Hard far right which will have in the near future the capability to bring the full force of military power to bear in quashing domestic dissent. They almost got this de jure with GWB's Unitary Presidency push, and the brief repeal of the Posse Comitatus Act (1874). They know what they are doing, and are bent on doing it. And there is no opposition.

[octoberlib]

9. With what's been going on in NC,

I swear, if there weren't federal laws the Republicans had to abide by, we' d have a corporate authoritarian form of government in this state.