Dreams vs. Reality

You  can dream, but make sure there’s a reality to the vision you seek. Understand that there will be obstacles. There will be setbacks. And if you let it, the world will hold you back. But if you allow yourself to see the reality of it all AND THEN allow yourself to dream, you can achieve anything you can want. Anything.

It’s crazy how much you can be aware of something, but there comes certain times where life reinforces what you already know to make sure that you never forget it. And I can honestly say that this is what my internship with Democracy NC is doing.

Alannah, Robert, and I have been attending meetings, board breakfasts, and Board Meetings. We’ve even presented at one. We’ve got commitments from 5 Board of Directors with the Apartment association to let us come into their communities in the fall and encourage their residents to vote, provide them with Voter Guides, and offer them rides to the polls. Alannah and I had seven minutes to make our spill. And not being biased or anything, but Alannah and I did our thing. Especially with what we were up against. We had a rough day, especially poor Robert. But we made it through. Things are going really well, but it’s certainly been a learning experience. 

We’re still working like crazy to put together our SGA event in July. It’s NO WHERE near easy, but it’ll be worth it. Therefore, we’re still pushing.

Phone banking is getting easier. I’m starting not to mind it. It’s interesting how differently everyone acts. It’s definitely entertaining. Even more entertaining is the calorie counting of Alannah and Robert. Every morning this is how we start our day. After every lunch, this is how we come back together. Before we start phone banking after our evening snack, we calorie count. I wish you guys could hear them.

Tomorrow is Voter-Owned Elections’ Lobby Day. We’re leaving from Charlotte at 6:30am. This should be a fun trip. I’m hoping to learn a lot since I’ve never been.

I’ll fill you in how it goes next blog. But until then…

Much love, peace, & happiness <3

Erica

A Holy Union

Today marks the mid-third week for the Durham Team as we endeavor to make some political waves from the Triangle.  It is a great victory to have the opportunity to take the responsibilities from three separate positions (DemSum Intern, NCCU SGA Political Action Director and Debate Producer) and converge them into one.

Thus far, I’m beginning to adapt to the culture of DemNC, realizing that while VOE is the overall goal, there is and has always been careful attention paid to progressive victories in other arenas.  As we attend meetings at BluePrint NC and other progressive groups, Democracy NC is consistently hailed as the model “C3″ for political grassroots progress.  Though, achievements with VOE are in the minority of praises.  This works excellent for the Durham Team, in that we shall continue to work with constituents to get a bill this session in Raleigh that expands Council of State VOE and (hopefully) local election VOE leverage, yet we can also focus on the ’10 Election Season, marrying the civic goals of DemNC with the political action steps at NC Central, in a holy union.

Now that we found the niche to put it all together, this union should last far beyond 9 weeks in the summer…even if the stipends don’t

J. Alan Blackmon

“On Base”

“As college students, we must understand that we don’t just sleep and study in Charlotte. We need to understand that we are a part of what makes our city so diverse and unique.”

                    - Brent D. Garrison, Executive Vice President 2010-2011

                    Johnson and Wales University, Charlotte Campus SGA

…and there it is. After Alannah and I contacted the six college/university Student Government Associations in Charlotte, North Carolina, that was my favorite response we received. Not only did that catch my attention, but it held me. It reminded me of poetry. Those two sentences painted the bigger picture of a Get Out To Vote effort, painted a bigger picture than just meeting requirements and timelines. I am realizing how much Alannah and I’s Can You Hear Us Now? Get Out To Vote effort can be empowering to Charlotte’s college students. It will bring the college community together, demolish the lines of division that exist.

See, I don’t know what it was about last week, but it was definitely a good week. All SGA’s in the Charlotte are showed some type of interest. And honestly, I’m surprised, but pleased. And phone banking? Last week it wasn’t bad at all. I think Alannah and I whined so hard that when it was finally time to do it, it wasn’t bad at all! Quick even. It was like three hours was nothing!

Sometimes it’s so hard to work hours and hours straight and not see any of the work that you’ve done. I’m glad last week wasn’t one of those weeks though. Our packets to send out to each college/university is almost done. We’ve had constant communication with each Student Government. Arranged to register incoming freshmen at JCSU’s Freshmen Ortientation. Helped new naturalized citizens with registering to vote. Met with Jennifer Roberts, Chairman of the County Commission. 

And even though we’re working our butts off, I’ll admit that I’m having a lot of fun at the same time. Like Alannah said, our choir is hiliarious. With her, Robert, and my tunes going 24/7, it always gives good laughs. And the stories that Robert always makes sure that he finds time to tell us, lets just say I’m going to have a WHOLE lot of memories to take with me after this summer.

Welp. Had to take a moment out to blog. Back to work I go. Be back in a few days. Hopefully I’ve kept you entertained until then.

Much love, peace, & happiness <3

Erica

Greenville 1st Week

The first week of Dem NC for Pitt County was very interesting. We are very fortunate to have Shaunee as our field organizer. She is awesome at what she does. Tuesday started off with us finding our office and immediately starting to plan how to decorate. We brought in plants (affectionately named Clementine & Fern) , posters, office supplies and of course snacks. Our first day on the job also meant our first day of phone banking, which went pretty good. I had a couples of mistake one including Shaunee and I having a moment of confusion and I ended up hanging up on a voicemail. I called them back though. Throughout the week we had many one-on-ones with very interesting citizens. We met Ms. Pat Seibert in Washington on the waterfront. With a storm fast approaching we decided against good judgment to sit out by the water and meet.  And sure enough one by one then hundreds by hundreds by hundreds the raindrops came. We rushed to a nearby café where we were soaked some more until decided to go in and have lunch. Ms. Pat is a Dem NC Board Secretary and a committed activist in Washington NC. She fittingly was wearing a “Stop bitching and Start a Revolution” t-shirt, right away I knew we would all get along great. We spoke of her past in activism and organizing in Eastern NC. Ms. Seibert also gave us advice about Lobby Day and how to interact with our lovely legislators. She was a great person to meet and had much wisdom to share. Also last week we meet Mr. John Comer, a representative of People of Faith against the Death Penalty, he was advocating reducing the death penalty and eventually doing away with it all together. We had a “heated” conversation outside about the conditions and the way politics is affecting the minority citizens here. It wasn’t exactly “heated” it was just 98.9 degrees outside and we, excluding Shaunee, were literally melting under the sun. But overall it was a very good meeting and we made a promising contact. We also met Pastor Coles who is heavily involved in the Greenville community, his organization Church Outreach Network deals with homelessness and resolving issues plaguing Pitt County by  reaching citizens through the help of Christ.

Overall the first week was a great start to the summer. We are still just as busy this week and enjoying each other’s company along the way     

                            Go Dem NC Summer 2010! Greenville Team Rocks!

 

-Joyce

1/3 of Greenville Dem NC Summer 2010   

And the Work Begins!

And the work begins…!

Democracy Summer is no joke! But don’t get me wrong… it’s fun!

The first day of the internship was ridiculously crazy. We came in at 1pm since it was a phone banking day (which Alannah & were completely dreading!) and we got straight to work (or at least we tried to!). Alannah and I set down with Robert to figure out what was going to be our big event for the summer. After about an hour of brainstorming we came up with an idea that we absolutely love!

The goal is to unify the Charlotte college community to increase the youth voter turnout for the state elections this November. In order to achieve this, we have contacted Student Government Associations at Johnson C. Smith University, Davidson College, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College, Queens University, and Johnson and Wales University. Since I’m the SGA President at JCSU, it’s definitely helped me with contacting the SGA boards.

So the next step that day… phone banking.

I don’t know what was wrong with the computers, but it took forever to pull up our phone list and get a system going. When we felt that we could FINALLY start, Robert accidently unplugged the computers. Imagine our faces! Then when it was time to make the first phone call, Alannah got hung up on! Right then and there we realized that phone banking was not going to be our favorite aspect of this internship!

The rest of the week flew by. Phone banking. One on ones. Planning. Emailing. Phone calls. Research. We’ve been busy, but Alannah and I are truly enjoying it.

My favorite part of the week? Realizing that I’m going in the right direction on this LONG journey to my dreams.

Well last week the work began… And now it continues.

Signing out and until next time!

Much love, peace, & happiness <3

Erica

The More They Take

The inalienable rights of man may not be a zero-sum game, but lately it seems like the more rights we citizens have to share with corporations, the more they have and the less we keep. A recent report by the National Institute on Money in State Politics highlights the increased threat that campaign donations pose to our democracy, exacerbated by the supreme court’s recent decision that the amendment protecting freedom of speech and press also extends to unlimited, anonymous campaign contributions. Specifically, the report throws into sharp relief the difference between the viability of candidates running behind just a platform and those running behind a platform and the mighty bulwark of fund raising and incumbency. It’s no surprise that candidates have gotten so caught up in the money chase that they only stop to listen to their constituents when they’re positive it could mean their job if they don’t. The study also notes that in states with partial or complete public financing programs, non-incumbent candidates with no monetary advantage had a higher chance of winning than in states with no public financing programs. Here in the old north state, our legislature has made it clear that ethics and campaign finance reform are not priorities for them, an attitude far too common in our elected officials. Is it the vorpal sword to campaign corruption’s Jabberwock? No, but right now voter-owned elections are the best chance for the people of this country to make their interests more important than the interests of the Fortune 500.

Why we need to fight complacency:

Every time I think we’ve finally fought off the barbarians at the gate, some arrow comes flying over the barricades from a totally new direction to remind me that when it comes to democracy someone had better be paying attention every moment of every day — because there’s always someone looking to jam the system for their benefit. The latest attack comes courtesy of some partisan jockeying masquerading as nonpartisan benevolence over in Kingston, where they’re clearly putting more than vinegar into the barbecue these days. From Democracy NC’s Link-of-the-Day:

Kinston, North Carolina, may be ground zero for the next challenge of the Voting Rights Act that reaches the U.S. Supreme Court.

Several voters and prospective candidates in the city filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice for refusing to pre-clear a change in the method Kinston uses to elect its city council, from partisan to nonpartisan. The lead plaintiff is former Republican House member and current House candidate Steve LaRoque. Voters overwhelming passed a ballot measure in November 2008 to make the change, with African-American voters in apparent support. Blacks are the majority of registered voters in the city, but are not typically the majority of voters in the municipal elections. Using its power under the Voting Rights Act, the Justice Department denied the shift to nonpartisan elections, saying the “effect will be strictly racial.” It turns out the shift as proposed would also eliminate the primary, where black candidates often gain position to win the general election; the two-stage election would be replaced with a single, nonpartisan plurality election. It’s a complicated case, with multiple complicating factors, but it has the backing of national rightwing litigators determined to gut the Voting Rights Act.

“Whoever has the most toys wins.”

“Whoever has the most toys wins.”

I used to laugh (albeit pityingly) at this slogan whenever I saw it on tee shirts during my NYC days boom days in the late 80’s and early 90’s. It was mildly funny then. It’s not so funny when the Supreme Court makes it official.

It is now okay for companies to spend unlimited amounts of money supporting or attacking candidates (see here for what I’m talking about). And, of course, since shareholders are so willing to give up their profits for the public good, I just know these companies will be spending their money on behalf of candidates who are truly looking out for the little guy, who want to make sure we don’t go bankrupt when faced with hospital bills… who want to make sure the air we breathe doesn’t give our kid asthma… who think it would be nice if insurance rates didn’t end up costing more than what we insured  in the first place… who want to head off the next profit-crazy, risk-be-damned collapse of Wall Street

Or maybe not. Personally, I’m seeing a flotilla of swift boats heading straight for us, their gun sights trained on democracy.  This ruling all but guarantees that the voices of people like you and me will be drowned out by the sound of money pouring forth from special interests with a very vested interest in candidates who are willing to promote their profit-friendly “public” policies.

I’ll be honest with you: I don’t have a lot of money to buy commercials and create faux documentaries that promote my candidates or leave their opposition  in shreds.  I pretty much have my vote and that’s it. I wonder if I’ll even be able to use my vote now, or if my candidate choices will be limited to people backed by special interests who are more than happy to make good on the investment these special interests have made. These are not the kind of people I want representing me, period, and I don’t like holding my nose with one hand while I pull the voting lever with the other. I don’t know many people that do. That’s why turn-out rates are in the toilet and young voters are disillusioned with the system. This ruling is only going to make that trend worse.

Ever since the Citizens United decision, I have been searching for something I can do to fight back. A constitutional amendment to differentiate between the rights of individuals and the rights of corporations seems like a long process and I’m not one for delayed gratification. (It took over 70 years to win women the right to vote and I think the ERA is still out there floating around somewhere.) I suppose we could place money limits on very specific classes of donors, like government contractors, but that’s really going at it brick by brick when what we really need is a wall. So, for now, I’m going to do what I should have done starting a decade ago:  I am going to ask my friends, one-by-one, to finally take the time to learn about and support more Voter-Owned Elections in North Carolina. I’ve seen them work. I’ve seen candidates using a VOE program go up against candidates with deep pockets and win. I’ve seen good people elected through them. Now, more than ever, I am going to support Voter-Owned elections as one of our only hopes for continuing to find and elect true public servants – you know, men and women who actually want to represent and serve the public good (an approach to power that  five Supreme Court justices could really use a good dose of).

– Katy Munger

A Victory for Democracy

We must win this fight, not with well-paid lobbyists and slick ads, but with grassroots supporters like you and lots of hard work. That’s how we won before and it’s why we need your help now!

Last week, Democracy NC sent out an email alert to our Advocates with the message above in it, hoping people would take action to keep a bill to expand Voter-Owned Elections to more Council of State offices alive in the NC Senate. Within days, 250 people had sent emails to their General Assembly reps in support of the bill and almost 150 more had called to express their support for VOE. Democracy Summer interns helped tremendously in this effort by phone banking to alert supporters that it was time to take action.

Whether this will be enough to combat the well-funded efforts of the organized opposition remains to be seen. Opposition is based not on the actual bill but on a misleading ideological agenda that opposes all new programs requiring funding.  Opposition leaders are using the highly inaccurate but effective scare tactic of “they are using your tax dollars” as a motivator to rally opposition — an objection that ignores the facts. This bill would be funded NOT by tax dollars, but by small yearly fees imposed on those who do business with each Council of State agency. This is an approach that would raise enough each year to more than pay for the program and that has been used in New Mexico with great success. They’re not telling people that, of course. And maybe they don’t even realize it themselves. Lord knows it’s harder to educate people than it is to scare them, but we are definitely going to keep trying.

Regardless of the outcome, it is heartening to see so many people acknowledging that our current campaign system is broken and then taking time out of their very busy lives to do something about it. This battle will, indeed, be won, phone call by phone call, letter by letter, just as the fight for the Council of State pilot program was won. But I think we’ve already had one victory of sorts we can be proud of: motivating almost 400 people to take part in democracy 1) takes dedication and hard work, and 2) is great for democracy in and of itself. Well done to all of you who helped!

Brian’s Verbal Diarrhea

It happens to all of us eventually…  a slip of the tongue, a mixing up of one or two letters, a brief lapse of concentration and out it comes… a parapraxis (the dreaded Freudian slip)!

This week, while explaining how Voter Owned Elections will work in the town’s local races, Brian told our Chapel Hill Town Hall audience (as well as ALL of the folks watching on TV from home) that, “Once a candidates collects a minimum number qualifying contributions, he or she will get the runs for the rest of their campaign.” Um, yeah, Brian. If that doesn’t convince candidates to opt into the program, nothing will!

Obviously, Brian mean to say “funds” but also had the word “run,” as in “run for office” in his mind and out came the… well, you get it.

This slip caught me so off guard that I laughed out loud, perhaps the greatest compromise of my professionalism since the staff holiday party. I’m just EXTREMELY glad Jonathan wasn’t with us in Chapel Hill that night, because it would have been “That’s the WORST!” all over again!

Several people in the audience struggled (and failed) to suppress their giggles,  including one older woman who almost fell out of her seat trying to hold back a cackle. Way to connect with the older generation, Brian!

Luckily, Brian recovered quickly, despite his own chuckle at his mistake, and went on to give a great presentation.

Durham team: Thanks for another GREAT week!