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archived: 25 - 31 Mar, 2007 Back Next UPDATED: March 29, 2007 NC UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE One statistic is compelling: North Carolina ranks 10th nationally in the percentage of people without health insurance. These statistics are damning: "Although one might presume that most people are uninsured because they have no job, this is not the case in North Carolina," [Dr. Daniel ] Gitterman said. The number of uninsured and underinsured are steadily climbing in the state. Of the uninsured, 78 percent are full-time workers; 50 percent of the uninsured are either employed or have a family member employed by a small business. For children, the statistics are deadly. Jonathan Oberlander, associate professor of social medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill, authored the following commentary in 2006: If North Carolina wants to make progress on health reform and expand access to affordable insurance for its citizens, the state has no choice but to take the lead itself. Doing nothing only assures that North Carolina will confront a much greater problem down the road. What can the state do about the uninsured? There is one obvious starting point for health care reform: covering all children. There are currently 264,000 North Carolina children under the age of 18 without health insurance. Whatever their political differences, can't our legislators agree that every child should have comprehensive health insurance? Extending health coverage to all children will not solve the uninsured problem and should not be the end point for health reform. We must also pursue policies that make affordable coverage available to low-income working adults and small businesses. But expanding children's health insurance is a promising place for reform to start. Covering children is relatively cheap and represents an investment in the state's future. Research shows that uninsured children are less likely than insured children to have a regular source of medical care, less likely to receive preventive services and more likely to go without needed care. For example, children with asthma who are covered by public insurance have better health outcomes and require fewer hospitalizations than uninsured children with the same condition. "Leave no child behind" is a familiar refrain in public policy, yet in health care we have been doing exactly that. Covering children is not only the right thing to do, it's also smart politics. The politician who champions this issue is likely to find a public ready to rally to his or her side. And those who oppose reform will have to explain to voters why guaranteeing our children access to medical care should not be a state priority. Democrats in the North Carolina General Assembly are moving to provide universal health care for North Carolina Children. The Task Force for a Healthier North Carolina, originally announced by Lt. Governor Beverly Purdue, has finalized a legislative proposal to provide health insurance for North Carolina children: If approved by the General Assembly, the bill would provide health insurance for thousands of children in the state who are currently not covered. "There would be co-pays and there would be deductions, so it would look like a private insurance program, but it would be supplemented by the state and premiums would be charged on a sliding fee scale," said Olson Huff, of Action for Children North Carolina. The program would cost the state an estimated $21 million a year. Progressive Democrats in North Carolina should be preparing to help push this legislative package into law. It is a good step towards universal health care in North Carolina. SENATE ‘08 A TPJ reader posed this excellent question: I saw your note about the absence of a senate candidate in NC to oppose Dole. What are your thoughts about the possibility of success for someone like a Ned Lamont or a Larry Kissell? I'm not considering running, but I've been asked for advice by someone who is considering ... can't tell you the name at the moment - you probably never heard of the person anyway. Your advice / comments? The current situation is surprising as North Carolina Democrats have not recruited a candidate at this stage to challenge Senator Dole. A recent squib in The Hill (emphasis added), a TPJ favorite, notes North Carolina as one of the last states without a “first tier” candidate in a State where the Republican incumbent is considered vulnerable:
Two other vulnerable Republican senators — Norm Coleman
(Minn.) and John Sununu (N.H.) — are drawing multiple opponents, and
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) will likely get a challenge from Rep.
Tom Allen (D-Maine). But Smith has yet to draw nearly as much
interest from prospective challengers. Democrats will recall that State Party Chairman Jerry Meek, attracting some national publicity, called for suggestions as to who he should recruit to run. Hey, everyone. The 2008 elections have already begun. And, already, I need your help. It's not clear at this point that Elizabeth Dole will actually run for re-election. She's been widely criticized for her performance as Chair of the NRSC; she's shown that she has little to no interest in what happens to North Carolina or its citizens; and, let's face it, her performance on the pre-election episode of "Meet the Press" was painful to watch. But, even if she does run, we can beat her. So, who should I recruit to take her on? Don't limit yourselves to politicians. Are there good businesspeople or community leaders out there who share our vision and can win? I'm looking forward to your thoughts. Chairman Meek has not yet publicly announced who is getting “the call.” Most recently, rumors still abound that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has not abandoned its efforts to recruit Gov. Easley, who continues to disclaim any interest in running. Rep. Etheridge is also being actively solicited, but he has been rather mute on the subject. Other prominent Democrats on the “talk list” are Attorney General Roy Cooper, Lt. Governor Perdue and Richard Moore. The obstacles to fielding a “top tier” candidate are primarily twofold in TPJ’s estimation: incumbency and money. Challenging any incumbent in a statewide race, particularly a candidate with little statewide name recognition, is daunting absent special circumstances. Erskine Bowles is the most recent demonstration of that reality. Highly qualified, popular and well funded, Bowles did not come particularly close to victory; Sen. Dole winning 54% to 45%. While most recent polls suggest that Sen. Dole is not a particularly strong incumbent, she would be considered the front runner against any known challenger other than Gov. Easley. Money is a major obstacle. At a recent meeting of North Carolina Democratic bloggers, Rep. Brad Miller, who is frequently mentioned as a potential contender, clearly framed the problem. His most recent Congressional victory left his campaign organization financially depleted and commitments of 20 million dollars would be needed for him to consider engaging Sen. Dole. There are few North Carolina politicians who can garner commitments of that magnitude against an incumbent. Public perceptions change however. In contrast to the political environment in 2002 when Sen. Dole was elected, a majority of North Carolinians disapprove of Bush’s performance in office and Sen. Dole remains a “loyal Bushie.” Two recent votes demonstrate her fealty; the minimum wage and Bush’s escalation of the war in Iraq. The vast majority of North Carolinians supported an increase in the minimum wage and an expanding number of North Carolinians disapprove of Bush’s involvement in the Iraqi civil war. Remaining a “loyal Bushie” may hold her Republican base in North Carolina, but it does threaten Sen. Dole’s general standing with Independents, a political block that the eventual winner will have to capture. Can a relative political “unknown” like Larry Kissell make a successful bid against Sen. Dole? Certainly, it can happen. The economy is “cooling,” the war in Iraq drags into its fifth year with no end in sight and most North Carolinians believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction. The current political climate portends a 2008 election cycle that could reap as much change as the 2006 election cycle. If that is the political environment that emerges, the possibilities of defeating Sen. Dole increase; but absent a “first tier” candidate who is adequately funded, the probabilities cut against such a challenge. TPJ’s advice remains relatively simple – Democrats must create the environment in which our Party can win. That translates into a simple objective, change the minds of North Carolinians, one at a time and register new voters. The 2008 election is being won or lost today. For example, there are 750,000 unregistered young North Carolinians. The substantial majority of those young citizens would tend to support Democratic Party candidates and even if just half of those citizens register and vote, Sen. Dole will be the next casualty. Since 2003, TPJ has issued a clarion call for Democrats to be about the business of voter registration. The call to register voters today remains as compelling as at any time in our Party’s history. We again note the daunting paradox that is emerging; Bush is now one of the most unpopular Presidents in the history of the United States, Democrats control both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly; in 2006, Democrats increased the number of county commissions within their control and the number of Democratic County Commissioners, yet, the percentage of Democratic registered voters continues to decline. IF Democrats could alter that trend, defeating Sen. Dole is possible. IF Democrats continue on their present course, progressive Democrats will continue to bemoan what might have been. There is no immediate glory in the daily business of talking with citizens or registering voters. But, the reality is that the 2008 elections in North Carolina will be won by the Party who demonstrates the most commitment and dedication. Which Party that will be lies in our hands. _____________________________________________ UPDATED: March 25, 2007 SAME DAY VOTER REGISTRATION House Bill 91: In-Person Voting and Registration at One-Stop Sites (otherwise known as "Same Day Registration") passed the North Carolina State House Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform Committee on a vote of 10-5. Nine Democrats (Ross, Goodwin, Luebke, Bryant, Church, Michaux, Harrison, Fisher, Martin) and ONLY ONE Republican (Justice) voted YES. Five Republicans voted NO (Stam, Lewis, Starnes, Kiser, Current). The committee meeting today was preceded by a very good press conference this morning sponsored by the SDR Coalition. Lynice Williams, Rep. Deb Ross, Sen. Larry Shaw, Melissa Price, Wake Co. Elections Director John Gilbert, Minnesota state Rep. John Lesch, and DEMOS Democracy Director Regina Eaton joined other coalition members at the podium and gave convincing testimony as to why we need same day registration in North Carolina. HB 91 will now go to the House floor for vote. Contact your Representative and ask them to support HB 91. You can email your Representative by clicking on this hyperlink: Then click on the name of your Representative and click on their email address. Write a personal note asking for their support. Experience suggests that writing “canned” or “blanketing” emails to Representatives outside your District has little impact. Make your communication your own. HB 91 provides “same day voter registration” by simply extending the period a citizen may register and vote through the date of one stop voting that is currently provided by law. Any citizen entitled to vote can present themselves at a one stop voting site; register to vote and then vote an absentee ballot, making the vote subject to verification of the voter’s eligibility to vote within two days, or the voter may register and return on another day to vote. You may read the bill at this hyperlink:
AN ACT To Provide For
In‑Person Registration And If you have any questions you can contact SDR Coalition Coordinator Octavia Rainey at NC Fair Share (919) 786-7474. REPUBLICAN VOTER SUPPRESSION One of the issues being addressed in the Congressional investigation of Bush’s firing of Federal prosecutors is the alleged failure of those prosecutors to pursue “voter fraud” cases. “Voter fraud” is a long standing mantra of the Republicans. Republicans essentially believe that Democrats unlawfully register thousands of voters who are not lawfully qualified to vote and illegally case votes. This report summarizes the Republican response by Federal prosecutors once they captured the Executive Branch: Under President Bush, the Justice Department has backed laws that narrow minority voting rights and pressed U.S. attorneys to investigate voter fraud - policies that critics say have been intended to suppress Democratic votes. Bush, his deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, and other Republican political advisers have highlighted voting rights issues and what Rove has called the "growing problem" of election fraud by Democrats since Bush took power in the tumultuous election of 2000, a race ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Since 2005, McClatchy Newspapers has found, Bush has appointed at least three U.S. attorneys who had worked in the Justice Department's civil rights division when it was rolling back longstanding voting-rights policies aimed at protecting predominantly poor, minority voters. As one observer has correctly noted: But an epidemic of fraudulent voters has become a favorite fairy tale of the Republican Party, a made-up monster they've planted under voters' beds that will jump out and scare us into endorsing voter ID laws. They invent stories about droves of people stealing driver's licenses or passports so they can sneak into the booth to cast an illegal ballot. GOP leaders have intimidated voters of color, unfairly purged voter rolls and set up unconstitutional barriers to the ballot box -- all in the name of cleaning up "voter fraud." This unfortunate campaign has further eroded the GOP's credibility among voters of color, who see this for what it is: an effort to block black and brown voters, who tend to support Democrats, from the ballot box. And it may prove more costly still to the Republican Party. The obsession with so-called voter fraud helped fuel the dismissal of federal prosecutors -- an ugly purge that has set up the possibility of a constitutional crisis. As a two term member of the Gaston County Board of Elections during the 1990’s, I experienced firsthand the Republican paranoia and determination to restrict voter rights. In Gaston County, the Republican County Party leadership was convinced that Democrats were registering and voting large numbers of minority voters. In particular, there was one precinct which was majority black in voter registration and voter turnout. Rather predictably during each election cycle, Republicans received only a handful of votes in any election. The precinct in question was so predominantly Democratic that Republicans were unable to recruit, as they are required to do, anyone from the Precinct to serve as a Precinct Official, much less recruit poll workers, who are to be divided between the parties as nearly as practical. In 1996, the Republican member of the Board of Elections announced at a Board meeting that the Republican Party intended to erect a video camera across from the polling place and film everyone who entered and exited the poll. No other poll in Gaston County would be videotaped. While filming voters entering a polling place as proposed by Gaston County Republicans is not unlawful, the very fact of doing so in one precinct out of over 40 precincts in Gaston County, would have a chilling effect and was obviously directed exclusively at black citizens. The Gaston County Board fashioned a compromise. The County Board agreed to hire any Republican recommended by the Republican Party and place that individual, into the Precinct as a poll worker even though not a resident of the Precinct, as required by law. Precinct Officials within the Precinct graciously agreed. While not entirely certain as to what the Republican poll worker reported to the Gaston County Republican leadership following the election; no allegations of voter fraud surfaced. Republican Party candidates received the handful of votes traditional within the Precinct. Gaston County Republicans never suggested videotaping any Precinct thereafter. In North Carolina, Democrats and Republicans staff the election process across the State. While no system is perfect, election officials have an outstanding bipartisan tradition of delivering fair and accurate elections in North Carolina. Yet, over the years, Legislative Democrats have accepted the siren song of the Republicans. North Carolina, as many other states, has adopted increasingly stringent requirements for registering to vote. Why? As one former Republican prosecutor observes: Despite the GOP concerns, Bud Cummins, the Republican-appointed U.S. attorney in Arkansas who was fired, said he had "serious doubts" that any U.S. attorney was failing to aggressively pursue voter fraud. "What they're responding to is party chairmen and activists who from the beginning of time go around paranoid that the other party is stealing the election," Cummins said. "It sounds like to me that they were merely responding to a lot of general carping from the party, who had higher expectations once the Republican appointees filled these posts that there would be a lot of voting fraud investigations. Their expectations were unrealistic." Griffin, the interim U.S. attorney in Arkansas who's replaced Cummins, was a Rove protege and a former Republican National Committee research director. He was accused of being part of an attempt to wipe likely Democratic voters off the rolls in Florida in 2004 if they were homeless or military personnel. Griffin couldn't be reached for comment. Democrats should not be fooled at what underlies Republican policy.
Last Update: 03/31/2007 |
