LOD: Hearing Voices

NC House Speaker Thom Tillis deserves credit for his series of town hall meetings where he takes questions from the audience, including a sprinkling of dissenters. But his handlers apparently don’t want him exposed to an audience that is less overwhelmingly sympathetic to his message. Some voices are good, others are just not welcome, even in the People’s House. Tillis’ office was behind the order by police to remove a group of quiet demonstrators from the second floor of the General Assembly last Thursday; they invoked a little-known rule to achieve their censorship. But NC Policy Watch found this video to show that the rule was not used to kick out a similar crowd of Tea Party supporters on the second floor, talking with Speaker Tillis. Policy Watch calls it “Tillis’ double standard.” The News & Observer story about Thursday points out that a gaggle of Time Warner Cable executives were hovering around the Speaker’s office shortly before the demonstrators arrived, a normal sight. Voices of corporate special interests have long received favorable treatment in Raleigh. But that’s not to say we should not keep speaking up, organizing and demonstrating. An article in Yes! magazine, which highlights failed leadership from both Democrats and Republicans, profiles how broad-based grassroots action can beat the corporate giants: ““The government’s rejection of the AT&T/T-Mobile deal is an important reminder that the little guy can win in Washington.”