NCDP CONTINUES
on controversial issues or simply
dismissed by GOP legislative leaders
who ignore him."
This risky, reactionary “Let’s Make
a Deal” mentality must be stopped,
which calls for a “Revival of
Democracy” in North Carolina with a
clarity of purpose.
Why?
For over a century progressive
policy under Democrats pushed for a
continual expansion of the franchise
or the right to vote. More members of
society were brought into the process
and access to the ballot box was
made easier and more inclusive.
Using the red herring of alleged
voter fraud the extreme-GOP
began pushing for ID’s to solve a
problem that did not exist in any
substantial form in North Carolina.
This movement became the “Trojan
Horse” for the zealots to push into
Raleigh and an abomination to
democracy that became law under
house bill 589 in 2013.
Although the ID issue has been
punted for implementation until
2016, the anti-democracy crowd
bequeathed the state a law that:
1) Eliminates pre-registration of teen
agers;
2) Slashes the early voting period by
seven days;
3) Eliminates same-day registration,
straight-ticket voting and out of
precinct voting;
4) Zaps (laughs at) the notion that
candidates should “man up” and
“stand by their ad” and allows for less
transparency of campaign financing;
5) Invites more partisans into the
polls (polling place itself), emboldens
“vigilante groups” to roam about and
challenge voters and allows for more
corporate funding in the process;
6) Eliminates public funding of
candidates and “tax check-off”
funding of political parties while
raising contribution limits to
campaigns and special interest
PACs.
7) Encourages the mass mailing of
absentee ballot requests.
Of course there is no need to spend
time and energy trying to discern
the motives of the reactionary “anti-
democracy” crowd and the “policy
speculators” whom they serve.
We merely need to turn to former
Buncombe County GOP precinct
chair and self-proclaimed “Rush
Limbaugh” of the Mountains, Don
Yelton, whose clarity and frank
statements last fall in his interview
on the Daily Show were refreshingly
transparen [