MoveOn is sponsoring a “virtual march on Washington” today in support of health care reform. They’re aiming for a million contacts – you can call, fax, or e-mail – and as of 9 am they were up to more than 100,000.

If you’re a public option supporter, this is probably the best time yet to call Kay Hagan and let her know that you want her to sign the Bennett letter to indicate her support for passing a public option through reconciliation. (Use MoveOn’s portal, though – they’re keeping track of the number of contacts.) When I called this morning, the staffer who answered told me that Senator Hagan is considering signing, and reminded me that she’s supported he public option before.

And as for Heath Shuler? Well, you know, talking to him about health care reform is like talking to a brick wall. Read More→

from the Cornell University Collection of Political Americana, Cornell University Library

Every year, registered Democrats in almost all of North Carolina’s roughly 3000 precincts meet to discuss policy, elect officers (in off years), and, sometimes, figure out how to organize themselves. The county Democratic Party has set next Monday, March 1st as the date most Buncombe precincts will have their meetings, though there are a few exceptions (see here for a full list.)

After seven years of organizing precincts and precinct meetings, I have learned by experience (and sometimes painful experience) a lot about what precinct-level organizing can’t accomplish.

Want to make a difference in an election? It’s probably more effective to volunteer for individual campaigns. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of particular candidate, if they’re running a well-organized campaign, they will often help other worthy candidates on the ballot. Want to stay involved in meaningful action between elections? Groups like MoveOn and Organizing for America manage their volunteers better than the party as a whole, and certainly better than a precinct committee full of amateurs.

And yet there’s still something about precinct meetings that make them unique. Join a campaign, and it’s all about the candidate, and they and their staff call the shots. Even if you join grassroots groups like Organizing for America, your approach to an issue – the strategy you follow, and even sometimes the tactics you’re allowed to employ in your community – are largely determined by people a long way away who are unaccountable to you or your fellow members (except insofar as they’re sensitive to the feedback provided by rising or declining membership and donations).

Go to a precinct meeting, on the other hand, and it really is all about you. Read More→

Now that Cecil Bothwell (and H.K. Edgerton and the Stompers) have gotten us a little national exposure, I just want to point out that expunging the “supreme being” language from the state constitution would require either a) a constitutional convention, or b) a referendum. You only get a referendum if three-fifths of both the House and Senate vote in favor of one, however. You really only get a convention after some radical change in conditions, so we’re probably stuck with that provision for the foreseeable future.

North Carolina’s unconstitutional sodomy law, however, only needs majorities in the House and Senate – and the governor’s signature – to take its rightful place in the dustbin of history. A bill was introduced in this past session to repeal the law – Buncombe County’s own Susan Fisher cosponsored it – but it never made it out of committee. Really, since the committee it was assigned to never even took it up, you could say it never made it into committee.

I can’t tell which is stranger: That politicians should be so afraid of making it legal for consenting adults to do whatever they want in the privacy of their own homes, or that they should be so afraid of repealing any law that had already been found to be unconstitutional.

I dunno, but I’m guessing there just aren’t that many lawyers in the legislature.

Up or down on health care reform?

[U.S. Rep. Phil] Roe [R-TN] also said he does not think another Democrat whose district borders his, Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., of Western North Carolina, will vote for the bill.

I’m sure your doubts stem from your desire for a single-payer system. Or maybe you haven’t heard from enough of your constituents.

Is your number still (202) 225-6401? It is? Just checking.

UPDATE: 5:44pm and Shuler has apparently voted against the rules of debate, which means – since the anti-choice Stupak Amendment will be part of that debate – that even having the opportunity to deny insurance coverage for abortions to consumers buying health insurance on the new exchanges wasn’t enough to get his vote. Would a vote in favor of health care reform really have endangered him to that extent?

UPDATE: Shuler votes yes on the Stupak amendment, and no on final passage, though one hopes he received permission to vote no once it became clear that the bill would pass without him. (At least he didn’t vote for the Republican substitute.) Next time, Congressman, please write your own bill so we know exactly what you stand for. I guess, too, we’ll see how you vote once it comes back from conference.

"Common Sense in Government" wants to get out the vote? Really?

Ever wonder how to run a city council smear campaign? No? Ok, I’ll tell you anyway.

1) Get a few people together and get them to pledge to give you money if and when you form a political action committee.

2) Wait until the last minute to form that committee. (The state board of elections only requires that you file your paperwork within 10 days of forming your PAC, so you could conceivably raise and spend vast sums and never have to file anything until after the election! Neat!)

3) Put together a mailing full of anything you like. Make stuff up. Only the treasurer’s name will be on file anywhere, and folks can give up to $50 before they have to have their name associated with whatever fish wrap you send out. That’s democracy!

4) This is the important part. Be sure to time your mailing so the people you smear can’t respond in any effective way. The weekend before an election is especially good. Read More→

Saw this at the Progressive Pulse: the Progressive States Network — a fabulous organization that works to educate legislators and the public about progressive policy at the state level — has asked state legislators across the country to sign a letter supporting health care reform including a nationally-available public health insurance plan.

Two local legislators — Representatives Ray Rapp of Madison County and Asheville’s own Susan Fisher — signed on. No word yet on Reps. Bruce Goforth or Jane Whilden, or Sens. Nesbitt, Snow, Queen, or Apodaca.

Susan Fisher’s stance is no surprise for me: in August, a group of about 40 Buncombe Democratic precinct chairs and vice chairs wrote a letter to Heath Shuler endorsing the original version of HR 3200. I contacted several elected officials to see if they wanted to sign on as well, and Rep. Fisher was the only one-so far-to agree (if any others want to sign on, let me know). It’s great to see Ray Rapp on the list as well.

If you’re a constituent of any of the others, Progressive States Network is still taking signatures. You can go here to send a message to your state legislator asking them to sign.

Oh, and one other thing: we’ll see how this goes, but apparently one public option compromise being floated would allow states to opt out of a national plan. So there may be a good reason to get your local general assembly person on the record early.