I'm interested in who is progressive for real in NC's state legislature. After asking around and digging through some basic election issues reporting, here is what I have at the moment.
Do these people all qualify as progressives? Any examples of why? And ....Has anyone collected any info on any other progressives there might be so we can work to help them? It's easy to track federal level progressives, but it's not so easy to see at the state level, which in my mind is as important if not more important.
Here is the beginning of the list. Please comment and suggest adds, edits, etc...:
House
Paul Luebke (Durham)
Jennifer Weiss (Raleigh)
Susan Fisher (Asheville)
Pricey Harrison (Greensboro)
Rick Glazier (Fayetteville)
Verla Insko (Chapel Hill)
Joe Hackney.
Senate
Ellie Kinnaird (Chapel Hill)
Josh Stein (Raleigh)
Bill Purcell (Scotland)
Doug Berger (Franklin)
Martin Nesbitt (Asheville).
Comments
Good lists
I wouldn't argue with those lists -- except I'd put Joe Hackney at the top.
I object to this.
Someone I strongly suspect was this blogger (I won't name him) contacted me with the following personal email...
So I helped him out:
Look familiar?
I'm always happy to answer questions for my readers and listeners. I work for the public, and I take that seriously. But I don't much like supplying uncredited research for someone else's blog post. I have a day job, and if I'm going to take time out of it to do homework for a political blog, I'd like to know that upfront.
Laura Leslie
Laura Leslie
blogger/reporter for WRAL @NCCapitol
Former Barkeep of Isaac Hunter's Tavern
It does look familiar
I believe the author owes you (and maybe the rest of us) an apology, Laura. Whether he does or doesn't apologize, you have my apology as an admin here.
No problem....
It's not a mortal sin. Just a burr under ye old saddle.
Laura Leslie
blogger/reporter for WRAL @NCCapitol
Former Barkeep of Isaac Hunter's Tavern
if it's a burr under the saddle,
it's what Sister Geraldine (back in my 6th grade class at Jesus the Good Shepherd) would call a venial sin.
It's a young'un's mistake. Nothing malicious at work.
I take it back. - it WAS mortal.
if this blogger is the person I think he is, he worked as a journalist for ten years, according to his bio. So it wasn't that he didn't understand the principles of attribution and transparency. He just didn't give a crap.
Hey, Syd - comment?
Laura Leslie
blogger/reporter for WRAL @NCCapitol
Former Barkeep of Isaac Hunter's Tavern
Well, then.
Maybe he doesn't understand the concept of returning to answer comments on a blog post?
My sincere apologies.
My apologies, Laura. I should have mentioned that "asking around" included asking for your help/expertise. I never considered that it would be a problem, but I should have credited you none-the-less. mea maxima culpa.
Syd
(as for the delay, I've been traveling.)
Syd
Amen, Radiogirl
Amen, amen, amen.
Thanks, Laura
Handled with grace, as always.
While the source of the list is worth discussion for sure, the LENGTH of the list is what really bothers me. It may be time to fold the tent and move on.
Definition of progressive
I would argue that this list proves that the definition of progressive has been diluted to meaning little in the NC General Assembly.
How Josh Stein, Doug Berger or Martin Nesbitt could be considered progressives is beyond me. Populist in some sense maybe, but not progressives.
Our "progressive" leadership gave us a DNA upon arrest bill, regressive taxes, and draconian cuts to the poorest and most needy in HHS to name a few.
A few of these folks opposed some of the issues, but they danced a dance so that they would all pass.
No. Not progressive at all.
While it is certainly time to send the federal Democrats into the wilderness to find themselves, it may be time to do the same at the state level.
That's a fair criticism.
Several of these folks, particularly the three you list, would probably be better described as populists than progressives. They do, however, tend to lean progressive on most social issues.
Laura Leslie
blogger/reporter for WRAL @NCCapitol
Former Barkeep of Isaac Hunter's Tavern
Who is sponsoring the bills?
Source ncga.state.nc.us (the General Assembly's bill look up)
School Violence Prevention Act (Bullying Bill)
Senate Bill 526
House Bill 548
Healthy Youth Act (a move towards comprehensive sex ed)
Senate Bill 221
House Bill 88
Expanded Voter Owned Elections
Senate Bill 966
House Bill 586
Susie's Law (preventing animal cruelty)
Senate Bill 254
House Bill 1690
Dog Commercial Breeder Regulation (puppy mill regulation)
Senate Bill 460
House Bill 460
Sorry to throw out such a long post without a lot of comment yet. I wanted to compile a list of bills that were of particular interest to me of late (not all of which passed, or passed without some compromise) and see which names were popping up as sponsors and cosponsors the most frequently. I'm going to look through this list more when I get a chance and make further comment, but I wanted to go ahead and put it out there.
A word of caution on this...
The legislator who gets his or her name on a bill isn't always the one who came up with it or who pushed for it the hardest. Especially in the Senate, where legislation is sometimes handed down from leaders (on both sides) to "sponsors" who need something to run on come November.
Just sayin' - and I'll quit now. :)
Laura Leslie
blogger/reporter for WRAL @NCCapitol
Former Barkeep of Isaac Hunter's Tavern
Thanks, Laura
Your insight on this is valuable. Even the stuff we stole from you. :)
Good point
But the sponsor/cosponsor made for the easiest way to quickly generate a list of people involved in bills I am interested in. I suppose I could have looked up votes too, but even doing that list the way I did took a while. And that's why I used it to rate people who had already been suggested as possible progressives, rather than to generate new names of people who are progressives.
Since the only ones who ranked low on my list were:
Bill Purcell (Scotland) - 2 out of 5
Doug Berger (Franklin) - 1 out of 5
I've looked up how they voted on the bills they didn't sponsor just in case they weren't given a fair chance to sponsor.
I see Purcell voted Aye on Susie's Law & the Puppy Mill ban, and though I couldn't find any voting info for VOE expansion, it looks like Purcell voted for the VOE pilot. So it looks like Purcell still lines up really well even if he couldn't get his name on everything.
Doug Berger looks pretty good on everything except for voting in favor of puppy mills...wonder if the pork lobby got to him, or if there was some other reason? That pork lobby influence still really irks me. Having read in the N&O that they opposed it solely b/c if we let animal welfare groups protects dogs, then next thing you know there wont be enough meat to feed your family. Does anyone know if Doug Berger gave explanation for his vote?
Having 2 Bergers made looking this up a little more challenging at first =p
Thanks for the prompting to go the extra mile. On these particular issues, it looks like that whole original list of progressives/populists line up pretty well.
re Berger and Purcell
I can tell you that Purcell supported the anti-bullying legislation despite getting a TON of heat for that at home. He's a doctor, and he's unfailingly true to pretty progressive beliefs about what's best for kids' health and education. I'd say he's one of the most genuine Sanford Dems in the Senate.
Re D Berger - he's an odd character. But he's a big advocate of workers' rights, which is why I included him.
I'd be careful about reading too much into the puppy mill bill. After thorough misrepresentations by the Pork Lobby and the NRA, very few reps with farms or hunting industries in their districts were willing to risk supporting it, regardless of their personal convictions.
Laura Leslie
blogger/reporter for WRAL @NCCapitol
Former Barkeep of Isaac Hunter's Tavern
Yeah
I saw Purcell had even cosponsored it, and his votes lined up with me on all 5 issues that I looked up, so he gets major kudos in my book. I'm sad to hear being against bullying is something that generates major heat, but good on him for doing the right thing even under pressure.
As far as Berger and opposing the puppy mill ban goes, I'm not inclined to cut a lot of slack for succumbing to misrepresentation since part of the job is to wade through all that, but I am still willing to call someone who agrees with me on most issues most of the time a politcal ally, and 4 out of 5 ain't half bad.
How they score
Looking at that list of people, here is how they scored on the bills I looked up on how often they sponsored/cosponsored:
Senate
Ellie Kinnaird (Chapel Hill) - 4 out of 5
Josh Stein (Raleigh) - 4 out of 5
Bill Purcell (Scotland) - 2 out of 5
Doug Berger (Franklin) - 1 out of 5
Martin Nesbitt (Asheville) 4 out of 5
House
Paul Luebke (Durham) - 4 out of 5
Jennifer Weiss (Raleigh) - 4 out of 5
Susan Fisher (Asheville) - 4 out of 5
Pricey Harrison (Greensboro) - 5 out of 5
Rick Glazier (Fayetteville) - 5 out of 5
Verla Insko (Chapel Hill) - 4 out of 5
Joe Hackney
Most hit 4 or 5 out of 5, except for Purcell & Berger (assuming I made no errors counting).