Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

State of Conflict – North Carolina (Bill Moyers) and Moral March on Raleigh, Feb. 8th


If you haven’t seen this report from Bill Moyers, on what is going on in North Carolina, take some time out, look at it and pass it on.


“State of Conflict: North Carolina” offers a documentary report from a state that votes both blue and red and sometimes purple (Romney carried it by a whisker in 2012, Obama by an eyelash in 2008). Now, however, Republicans hold the governor’s mansion and both houses of the legislature and they are steering North Carolina far to the right: slashing taxes on corporations and the wealthy, providing vouchers to private schools, cutting unemployment benefits, refusing to expand Medicaid and rolling back electoral reforms, including voting rights.

You can read a full transcript of the program here.

Moyers warns:

Last summer, Pope succeeded, opening North Carolina’s highest court to the highest bidders.

Katie bar the door – except that no matter which door we’re talking about, Art Pope has the key to it. And possibly to the future.

Take the firepower of the rich, pour in heaps of dark money loosed by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, add generous doses of fervent ideology, and presto: the battle for American politics and governance is joined. And every state becomes North Carolina, including yours.

We can stop this.

Saturday, February 8th, 2014 people of good will and commitment to addressing injustice are gathering in Raleigh NC to raise their voices in protest.

This is one of the broadest based coalitions of progressive people being forged today.

People are heading to the march from all around North Carolina (bus info), and neighboring states.

I’ll be leaving from NYC early Friday morning in a bus caravan full of activists, organized by the Kairos Center / Poverty Initiative.

 photo MoralMarchonRaleigh_zps28ea067a.jpg

If you can’t go – you still can help.

You can give a donation.

You can organize a Moral Monday in your area.

Distribute flyers.

Most important – please spread the word. Pass the information on.

Follow Moral Monday on Twitter.

I doubt I’ll have internet access when I get down there Friday night, unless I can borrow someone’s smart phone, but I’ll have plenty to say when I get back Sunday.




Help us unite. Let’s all move forward together.


23 comments

  1. DeniseVelez

    Participated in a conference call last night with the organizers of the trip from NYC to NC. They not only filled up a large bus, but added two 16 passenger vans – so we will be a caravan.

  2. North Carolina is such a sad story. In 2008, they voted for Barack Obama and put Democrat Kay Hagan in the U.S. Senate. Progressives were pumped up. In 2012, they had one of the most incredible GOTV efforts and almost won the state for President Obama again. I think it must have scared the heck out of the oldtimers because it came right out of the (Carolina) blue. The backlash has been furious and unrelenting. They are scared to death because they know that the only way to stay in power is to disenfranchise everyone who is not them. They set themselves up for a battle royale, though, because they angered not just those oppressed but those who care deeply about those folks and, really, about everyone who is being denied their rights by teaparty state governments.

    When Wisconsin was teabagged in 2010, that came out of the blue for us because we had a history of bipartisanship and progressivism not too deep in our past. Statewide, we repudiated the teaparty in 2012 by re-electing the president and electing arguably the most liberal U.S. Senator in Wisconsin history. People here are feeling as though we can undo the worst part of 2010 by taking the governorship back and possibly the attorney general’s office.

    When we vote, we win. But we have to be allowed to vote and North Carolina, with its oppressive voting laws, is ground zero to tell the Roberts’ Court: you may be owned by the plutocrats but this is still our country.

    Good luck and safe travels, Dee! I can’t wait to hear about it.

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