TEN THOUSAND turn out to protest GOP in Asheville, NC

[ProSense]

TEN THOUSAND turn out to protest GOP in Asheville, NC

by esby



You've heard of the Moral Monday protests in Raleigh, NC over the tyrannical control over the state legislature? Well since they the legislative session is over, the NAACP took it on the road to Asheville, NC (pop. 85,000). And those hippies turned out and did North Carolina proud.

With the legislative session over, this roving protest seems to be a popular idea. Asheville, the heart of North Carolina beer and one of the bluest parts of the state, was just aching to get involved. You can read more about it here:

Thousands Attend Mountain Moral Monday

There are plans for future protests in other cities (Charlotte is tentatively August 19) and it appears some smaller satellite protests are happening around the country.

Keep fighting, people.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/05/1229150/-TEN-THOUSAND-turn-out-to-protest-GOP-in-Asheville-NC

Wow!

[marions ghost]

1. Check out this GD thread on Mountain Moral Monday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023410936

[ProSense]

3. Thanks for the link. n/t

[marions ghost]

5. Thanks for your link

Daily Kos has really had some excellent articles on Moral Mondays.

[William769]

2. Now thats a great picture!

[marions ghost]

4. ...and from another angle...

[NCarolinawoman]

45. This photo covers a lot more territory than the original one posted.

Thank you!

[freshwest]

6. Much better than arguing with that bunch of mealy mouthed liars inside the capitol. Keep it up!

All of these should build toward the end of the month in D.C. It's the 50th anniversary of MLK's march in 1963:

"MARCH ON WASHINGTON" AUGUST 24th, 2013

http://election.democraticunderground.com/1017136780

[young_at_heart]

7. Pat McCrory lied about how he would govern

Now that he's the governor he has taken us back to the 19th century. For instance.... NC's new voting regulations:

The end of pre-registration for 16 & 17 year olds
A ban on paid voter registration drives
Elimination of same day voter registration
A provision allowing voters to be challenged by any registered voter of the county in which they vote rather than just their precinct
A week sliced off Early Voting
Elimination of straight party ticket voting
A provision making the state’s presidential primary date a function of the primary date in South Carolina
A provision calling for a study (rather than a mandate) of electronic candidate filing
An increase in the maximum campaign contribution to $5,000 (the limit will continue to increase every two years with the Consumer Price Index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics)
A provision weakening disclosure requirements for ”independent expenditure” committees
Authorization of vigilante poll observers, lots of them, with expanded range of interference
An expansion of the scope of who may examine registration records and challenge voters
A repeal of out-of-precinct voting
A repeal of the current mandate for high-school registration drives
Elimination of flexibility in opening early voting sites at different hours within a county
A provision making it more difficult to add satellite polling sites for the elderly or voters with disabilities
New limits on who can assist a voter adjudicated to be incompetent by court
The repeal of three public financing programs
The repeal of disclosure requirements under “candidate specific communications.”

Move aside Florida, North Carolina is now the new poster child for voter suppression. The Moral Monday movement in the state is now more important than ever. Maybe someday we’ll look back at this period as the turning point when the nation realized just how important the Voting Rights Act was and is.

[leftynyc]

8. If anyone ever tried to stop

me from voting, they would have had to call the police. I would climb over anyone I need to to cast my ballot.

[cliffordu]

18. Just thinking the same thing.

Curb stomping a bully might make my day.

[Scurrilous]

9. K & R

[limpyhobbler]

10. K&R

I like Moral Mondays. Very cool.

[Comrade Grumpy]

11. That state legislature has gone bat-shit crazy. In other words, Republican.

Just a horrid, horrid agenda.

[Warpy]

12. ASHEVILLE?

Ho-lee shit. The place sure must have changed since I was there. Of course, snoozing through the last couple of elections has had some pretty dire consequences in NC. The lege and the joke of a governor are riding roughshod over everybody but the Koch loyal teabaggers, and I suppose that was enough to wake 'em up. At last.

Let's hope it lasts through the first Tuesday in November, 2014 and beyond. However, I'm not all that hopeful.

However, it's nice to see that many people awake and angry now.

[Duval]

17. Many of us

didn't snooze. My husband and I were out there knocking on doors, signing up voters and manning the phones. Whew!! We're in our 70s, and we were so energized. Er, we also slept late in the mornings.

[marions ghost]

32. NOT snoozing --you forget, NC can never snooze

--being a 50-50 battleground state. No, people worked their butts off. And the Koch Klan didn't like the way so many MORE people were voting in the last couple of elections. So they gerrymandered the districts and now they are restricting voting as much as they possibly can, undoing all of the significant gains of the past decades of hard work.

Understand what's going on.

[Warpy]

43. I'm sure you and others worked very hard

but too many of the people you thought you'd talked into voting did snooze, which is why the crooked bastards won.

People in NC are now getting a really harsh lesson in what happens when they allow all those crooked preachers to determine elections by threatening their flocks with hellfire should they vote against the GOP while the majority gets complacent.

I sincerely hope they will stay awake through the first Tuesday in November 14.

[marions ghost]

62. There are other factors you are ignoring

This article goes into it briefly:

http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/what-went-wrong-for-north-carolinas-democrats/Content?oid=3186368

Nov 7, 2012

(snip)
"To some degree, this was baked in the cake with what went wrong in 2010," said Steven Greene, an associate political science professor at N.C. State University.

That's the year the GOP ranks, seizing on a rancid state economy and conservatives embittered from a 2008 drubbing, flushed the General Assembly with Republicans at a pivotal moment: Lawmakers were preparing to redraw the state's voting districts following new census figures, granting an all-important power to Republican majority conservatives.

There's little else for Democrats to blame, said John Davis, a longtime North Carolina political consultant from Raleigh. "There's a simple formula," Davis said. "Money plus maps equals a majority. That's about it." Davis is a popular speaker and trusted source for political reporters. He's also a realist. He prefers numbers, not sentiment, when he talks about elections.

He said Republicans' 2010 victory—which happened as a national census ensured newly drawn voting districts, coupled with the windfall of campaign donations that bolster incumbents—struck a mortal blow to this year's crop of Democrats."

(snip)

"Former House Speaker Joe Hackney, an Orange County Democrat, retired in 2012 after the GOP redrew House District 54 to include only Chatham and Lee counties—excluding Hackney's Orange County stronghold.

Hackney said Democrats enlisted strong candidates and leaned on high-quality consultants, but Republican cash and new voting districts gave the GOP a clear edge."
(more at link)

[Eddie Haskell]

13. Those hippies?

[WorseBeforeBetter]

25. Hippies, Occupiers, Democrats, Indies, Libertarians...

I've seen them all at Raleigh Moral Mondays. Pics have been posted of moderate GOPers showing up in Charlotte to protest McCrookie.

People are FED UP.

[toby jo]

14. This would leave weird Wednesday, freaky Friday, and shithead Saturday for righties.

Nice job.

[OneGrassRoot]

15. OMG, I love that...LOL. n/t

[WorseBeforeBetter]

26. The NC GOP hosted "Thankful Tuesday"...

Last edited Wed Aug 7, 2013, 10:08 AM - Edit history (1)

which was a bit of a bust, not surprisingly. And Republican lawmakers hosted a little reception for them, how sweet! One of our protesters, on the other hand, was called out onto a busy street by our asshole governor to be handed a plate of cookies, then left there to fend off traffic by herself.

Last I checked, Governor McCrookie's numbers had dropped 15 points; can't wait to see the next round of polling data.

[Peacetrain]

16. Can I get a witness!!!!

Just love that picture.. woo hoo

[Raffi Ella]

59. YAS!

[Dalai_1]

19. K&R n/t

[eridani]

20. Not seeing much coverage of this from the MSM for some reason n/t

[ProSense]

31. Strange, isn't it? n/t

[millennialmax]

21. Now THAT is a protest. Seems targeted and well-organized. eom

[Blue Owl]

22. What a beautiful day for the GOP to go straight to hell

n/t

[Historic NY]

23. Its growing.....soon they won't be able to arrest anyone except themselves.

[Scuba]

24. Thank you Moral Monday protesters!!!

[Old and In the Way]

27. 'Can you hear me now'?

[Or are you so politically tune deaf that we need 100,000 to get your attention? Maybe we need to carry arms to make our point. Seems like 50 people showing up for a teabagger rally get more attention from these legislators than the people who are rallying for progressive values. Just sayin....

[Cha]

28. Magnificent sight, ProSense.. Mahalo!

I use to live in Asheville, North Carolina with my two little kids and husband back in the 70s. Such a beautiful spot on Earth!

[LuvLoogie]

29. I don't think that picture shows anywhere near 10,000.

Perhaps Kos is including satellite protests as well.

[marions ghost]

33. 8-10 K is the official count apparently

http://www.carolinamercury.com/2013/08/thousands-attend-mountain-moral-monday-protests-spread-to-chicago-and-oakland/

August 6, 2013

"Asheville police estimate 8,000 to 10,000 people attended Mountain Moral Monday, the first in a series of regional Moral Monday demonstrations."

[silvershadow]

30. Did they get pepper-sprayed yet? nt

[boston bean]

34. That is fantastic! and I love how they use the word 'moral'.

may this movement spread far and wide.

[GalaxyHunter]

35. This site says around 5,000, But this is still great and got the issues out there!

Asheville police Sgt. Dave Romick estimated well more than 5,000 people attended the rally, which crowded Roger McGuire Green in Pack Square Park in front of City Hall.


ASHEVILLE — The Rev. William J. Barber II brought Moral Monday to the mountains, and the grass-roots political protest turned into one of the largest demonstrations here in recent memory.

“Instead of depressing us, they’ve made us determined to fight,” Barber said. “Instead of dividing us, they have united us.”



More at link. http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20130806/NEWS/308060023/Protest-packs-Asheville?gcheck=1

[Faryn Balyncd]

36. This is a BIG deal !!!

Thank you, Moral Monday!

[RiverLover]

37. More pics from Asheville's Moral Monday

My link isn't working here...

trying again...

https://plus.google.com/photos/111835026790803458495/albums/5908987030068962145

And if anyone is wondering, the state GOP is trying to hand over our water system to a county agency, leaving the door WIDE OPEN for privatization. And they don't want to pay the City of Asheville a dime for it, when there are outstanding bonds. Also, if you want to see a smaller but effective Koch-like takeover of govt by Big Money, google "Art Pope". He bought his way in and is now basically running the state of NC.

[marions ghost]

38. K&R great pix

[WorseBeforeBetter]

48. Love them...

and *ain't* this the truth:



This is what's so shocking to many, how mean-spirited and dangerous recent legislation is:



Thanks for sharing the pics!

[marions ghost]

60. I like that lady with the thumbs up...confidence.

[ancianita]

39. Love the pics, but if they were Occupy they'd probably be counted at around 1,000.

[DevonRex]

40. THIS is what we are here for! This is what we must do. Together.

Thank you so very much ProSense for reminding us why we're here.

[Left Coast2020]

41. So does this mean that NC could lose its Gov. in next election?

Appears that no one would miss him if that happens. Hope you can toss them all out.

Good luck to you.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

53. "Lose," reject, kick to the curb... YES.

Thanks, we're working on it.

[blkmusclmachine]

42. Too many of our elected "Democrats" will bi-partisan 98% of their self-proclaimed "differences" away

to the fascist, lunatic GOPee, without getting anything of appreciation in return. Really dispiriting.

1 Party, 2 Faces

[Doctor_J]

46. Does anyone think these protests are going to accomplish anything?

I must say I don't see the point. The Koch brothers and the rest of the American Taliban are laughing at these people

[marions ghost]

52. They're not laughing

--they're thinking of more diabolical ways to crush the movement of course, but they're not laughing.

One of the Occupy era slogans--"screw us and we multiply" seems to be operational at this point.
People in NC have had it with this abuse, and the same seems to be true in the other Tealiban occupied states.

The NC NAACP and roughly 150 other NC activist groups have a multi-pronged strategy:

Legal efforts/Litigation
Social Media/internet networking, education on the issues locally & nationally
Overcoming Voter suppression, GOTV 2014
Non-violent civil disobedience, persistent protests & challenges to legislators

--------------
This seems better than doing nothing. What would you suggest?

[WorseBeforeBetter]

55. Yes. Governor McCrookie's poll numbers...

dropped 15 points in just over a month. Moral Monday, Occupy, et al. are shining a bright NATIONWIDE light on the harmful policies of the NC GOP. It's not just "the left" that's disgusted; moderate GOPers aren't happy, and hopefully they'll take it to the polls in 2014 and 2016. Dems out-vote Rs in this state, but thanks to gerrymandered districts, Rs captured more seats. We need more votes.

NC has the 5th worst unemployment in the nation, and while I'm not a "job creator," I'd be hesitant to set up shop in a state that undoes DECADES of progress in a matter of MONTHS. Women's rights, the environment, shafting the unemployed, no Medicaid expansion, voter suppression, screwing public education, usurping local governments, a governor who doesn't read bills but signs them... the list goes on and on and on. McCrookie and his goons think low/no corporate taxes are going to save the day, but if state government is unstable (fucking nuts), will companies really move or stay in NC? He wants NC to be TX, but as a local columnist pointed out, unless NC discovers another Permian Basin, it ain't gonna happen.

NC Occupiers have been sounding the alarm since 2010, but they were poo-pooed and mocked. The NC NAACP has stepped up, in a VERY big way, and people are paying attention. The NC GOP may be laughing, but as MG points out above, they won't be laughing at the legal action against this state. With unemployment cuts, they're taking $80M/month out of the local economy; once they feel those effects, they may not be laughing, either. Shine the light.

Laugh away, assholes, I'm not sitting around like a good little citizen and *hoping* things get better in 2014 and 2016.

[Doctor_J]

57. And so if your criminal governor somehow gets run from office (only seems to happen to Dems)

you'll suddenly elect a liberal Dem? The Koch Brothers and Hate Radio will pick your next one too. (S)he'll be just as bad as this one.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

63. North Carolinians rejected McCrory in 2008.

His loss to Bev Perdue was narrow, but he still lost. Obama beat McCain by fewer than 14,000 votes. It's considered a swing state for a reason.

Perdue decided not to run in 2012. Shitty economy, high unemployment, anger over the ACA, and Democratic scandals helped put McCrookie in office. He was perceived as the long-term, moderate mayor of Charlotte and folks -- desperate for jobs -- thought he'd be good for the economy. He lied, and voters fell for it. If you look at straight-party votes in 2012, Dems outvoted Rs, but for the governor's race -- people broke with party and voted for McCrory over Walter Dalton.

I'm relatively new to this state, so I don't know the "degree of liberal" of each governor, but NC has elected more Democratic governors than Republican:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Governors_of_North_Carolina

With the right Democratic candidate, it will happen again in 2016. And if the economy is still in the crapper, Republicans will be CRUSHED.

[marions ghost]

64. Hope some of those "buyer's remorse" swing voters

finally got the picture this time...! (All is forgiven y'all. We all make tragic mistakes in life. This is not your granddaddy's Republican party). The RethugliCon ALEC party in NC is NOT working for the people. But people want to deny this, because then they have to face how bad it is.

Big wake-up call for those who don't pay attention and vote on erroneous assumptions. I'm hoping they feel burned & pissed off & unforgiving.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

65. Some on this board like to bust on DU for not being "the real world"...

and I'd have to agree. DUers don't rely on Corporate Media newsbunnies to keep them informed. I've asked Malleable Middle neighbors/coworkers about ALEC, Reinhart-Rogoff, austerity, the John Locke Foundation, Art Pope, etc. and they have NO CLUE. Although, Art Pope may be vaguely familiar because of his crap retail stores. Those on the far ends of the political spectrum know all this stuff.

There are right-wingers who would totally destroy this state rather than admit they are wrong, or vote for a Dem (a Teabagger neighbor being one). Many others seem to be feeling what you describe above, plus embarrassment. I went to a MM protest with a 60-something NC native who had NEVER been to a protest. She's embarrassed, sad, angry. I just hope there's a lot more like her, and they get their butts to the polls to vote these bastards out!

[marions ghost]

66. Yep true

these days to know what's really going on politically, you have to be doing all this research, fact-checking, googling, talking to those in the know. A lot of people don't have the time to make it a hobby and so--understandably--they have a very simplistic view of it all. And the PTB loves to keep people in this state of ignorance. The corporate media doesn't help and of course the scourge of right wing radio has done so much damage, rotting brains and hardening hearts. Some media outlets that are trying to translate it all for the over-committed and confused average American have had some success, such as The Ed Show--that definitely helped Obama. But there really isn't a clear way to address the problem of the barrage of scattershot news and opinion sources that leave so many in the dark these days, dangerously unaware.

Glad to hear about your "new protestor"--I think there are plenty like her and at least she's trying to do something about it. Admirable.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

67. Yeah, she was so cute.

Considering I lived in the DC area most of my life, never protesting is kinda foreign to me. And she ran into a teenage niece which was pretty awesome -- start 'em out young!

[marions ghost]

68. Very familiar with DC--

LOL, I know what you mean--one good friend I have there does protesting like it's a regular job.

thanks for bringing some of that DC energy to NC...

[WorseBeforeBetter]

69. LOL Sounds like my kinda friend!

You're welcome, but we all bring the energy! Southern Democrats are hardcore, and I love to see the "Local Agitator" signs at MM.

The NC NAACP has announced a Coastal Moral Monday on the 19th, and marches across the state on the 28th in honor of the 50th Anniversary March on Washington -- I posted threads in the NC forum. (Group. Whatever it's called!)

[marions ghost]

70. Thanks! Might as well put it here too:

Coastal Moral Monday
Manteo, NC
Monday, August 19, 2013
Roanoke Island Festival Park in downtown Manteo
For more info, email [e-mail]

--------

50TH ANNIVERSARY -- AUGUST 28 MARCHES IN NORTH CAROLINA:

http://www.naacpnc.org/

Taking the Dream Home!
Forward Together Movement Marches Across North Carolina
On the 50th Anniversary of March on Washington

Wednesday, August 28, 2013
5pm, across North Carolina!

On August 28th, the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, North Carolina will heed Dr. King's call at the end of his "I Have a Dream" speech to go home and organize! We will hold 13 simultaneous rallies across the state to bring to light the unconstitutional and immoral acts of the NC General Assembly and the influence their decisions have had on our local communities. We will rally in the 13 Congressional Districts and demand that our Congress People renew Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. We will lift our voices and say "Forward Together, Not One Step Back!

NC County Map

Locations of 13 rallies across the state:
1. Elizabeth City
2. Dunn
3. Greenville
4. Chapel Hill
5. Wilmington
6. Boone
7. Greensboro
8. Concord
9. Charlotte
10. Lincolnton
11. Sylva
12. Winston-Salem
13. Raleigh

**Specific locations will be announced soon.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

71. ^^^^8/19 and 8/28 MORAL MONDAY EVENTS IN NC^^^^

I'd like to see some *outside agitators* join in from surrounding states -- it's not that far of a drive!

[marions ghost]

72. It's a national issue

Sympathizers welcome.

[marions ghost]

61. Good points

Shine the Light

[arely staircase]

47. People Power nt

[dsc]

49. All the more impressive

since Asheville while a very blue city is surrounded by red for miles and miles. The Moral Monday protests in Raleigh drew on Raleigh (pop about 500,000), Durham (pop about 200,000 about 20 miles away), Chapel Hill (pop about 50,000 but very, very liberal and about 30 miles away), Carrboro (pop about 25,000 but insanely liberal and about 35 miles away). Asheville is at the outside about 100,000 and has no other big city within even a two hour drive.

[B Calm]

50. K&R

[SunSeeker]

51. Keep up the pressure, folks!

[blackspade]

54. +1000

Way to go NC progressives!

[G_j]

56. It just keeps growing

I guarantee the GOP are scared, as they expected to take a wrecking ball to NC without resistance.

[Raffi Ella]

58. !!!K&R

I am so proud of my fellow Southerners. Democratic Leadership needs to support us, get down South and help this grow.