Link-of-the-Day – Page 30 – Democracy North Carolina

LOD: MoJo on Dirty Money

The first issue of 2012 from Mother Jones has a series of articles dissecting the secretive, seductive direct money that is crippling our entire society. It includes a roadmap for "How to Buy An Elections" and one story ("Occupied Washington") you can readily access, but the other juicy material requires you to sign in. Worth the connection.

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:31-05:00 December 28th, 2011|Citizens United Case, Disclosure, Link-of-the-Day, Lobbying, Money in Politics, Pay to Play, Voter-Owned Elections|0 Comments

LOD: Justice Vetos SC’s ID Law

The US Justice Department refused to approve South Carolina’s strict photo ID requirement for voters, saying the evidence indicated that African Americans registered to vote in the state are 20% more likely not to have one of the required forms of ID than white voters. Federal approval or “pre-clearance” is required for election changes in [...]

By Bob Hall| 2011-12-27T10:09:22-05:00 December 27th, 2011|Civic Engagement, Link-of-the-Day, Voting Rights|0 Comments

LOD: Mr. Jones v. Citizens United

Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr., Republican member of Congress from eastern North Carolina, is again stepping up to sponsor legislation to reign in the power of big money in politics. In 2010, he co-sponsored the Fair Elections Now Act, which would provide a much-needed alternative path for candidates to finance their campaigns. Yesterday, he’s joined [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:33-05:00 December 21st, 2011|Citizens United Case, FENA, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Voter-Owned Elections, Voting Rights|1 Comment

LOD: Attack of the Super PACs

Aren’t you glad you don’t live in Iowa? Get ready: attack ads and over-the-top hype will soon be coming into your home in unbelievable quantities. In the past week, new creatures known as Super PACs have spent nearly $2.7 million, mostly on TV ads for and against various Republican presidential candidates. Because Super PACs are [...]

By Bob Hall| 2011-12-19T18:35:56-05:00 December 19th, 2011|Citizens United Case, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics|0 Comments

LOD: Gender Bender

If the men on the US Supreme Court say that corporations are people, are you surprised that the biggest corporations look just like them? The Citizens United ruling makes perfect sense from the perspective of the good ole boy club. A new study says women hold less than one sixth of the seats on the [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:33-05:00 December 16th, 2011|Citizens United Case, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Voting Rights|0 Comments

LOD: Pope Teach-In Videos

The “Art Pope Exposed” teach-in went off without a hitch on Tuesday, except for the traffic jams, video difficulties, and a few Popers in the audience (their camera seemed to work fine). More than 250 people (100 in person, the rest via web streaming) participated in the event that ended with a rump workshop about [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:33-05:00 December 15th, 2011|Civic Engagement, Ethics, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Pay to Play, Voting Rights|0 Comments

LOD: More Against Voter IDs

Facing South has a splendid entry today about the continuing drama over imposing harsh photo ID laws on voters. It begins by noting that US Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to deliver a landmark speech today declaring that the federal government will become a more active player by fulfilling its responsibility to protect voting [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:33-05:00 December 13th, 2011|Civic Engagement, Link-of-the-Day, Voting Rights|0 Comments

LOD: Art Pope Teach-In

Have you heard about tomorrow’s teach-in about Art Pope - North Carolina’s 40 million dollar man? He told the newspaper he might show up himself and express himself, not just be the subject or object; Art Pope is a verb! There’s still time for you to say you’re coming to “Art Pope Exposed.” The teach-in happens at 7 PM [...]

By Bob Hall| 2011-12-12T18:27:47-05:00 December 12th, 2011|Citizens United Case, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Voting Rights|1 Comment

LOD: Good Ol’ Boys to Cash Cows

The transition from “good ol’ boy” politics to money-dominated politics is a story best told from the South, and who can tell it better than Fritz Hollings, the former South Carolina governor who represented his state in the US Senate from 1967 to 2005. His column in the Charleston, SC newspaper gives a special window [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:33-05:00 December 9th, 2011|Ethics, Link-of-the-Day, Lobbying, Money in Politics|0 Comments

LOD: Resolved, For and Against

Citizens in Rowan County gave their county commissioners an earful for wasting time with a resolution calling for photo IDs in local elections. The town council in nearby East Spencer echoed the dissent by adopting a resolution that said, the “Voter ID bill would cause more problems with widespread voter disenfranchisement than it could possibly [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:33-05:00 December 7th, 2011|Citizens United Case, Civic Engagement, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Voting Rights|0 Comments