Stop Whining
October 4, 2011 - by
The New Yorker article about Art Pope takes me back to the 1980s. Then, my fellow Democrats were whining about the money, power and evil influence of Jesse Helms’ Congressional Club. Now, they’re whining about the money, power and evil influence of Art Pope.
Stop whining. Get to work. Find our Art Pope.
Here’s a sampling of some fine whines from the article:
“The attacks just went on and on.”
“It’s getting to the point where, in politics, money is the most important thing.”
“The tone of this campaign was much uglier, and much more personal, than anything I’ve seen.” (Hello. Remember 1984?)
“For an individual to have so much power is frightening. The government of North Carolina is for sale.”
“It wasn’t an education; it was an onslaught. What he’s doing is buying elections.”
“Art Pope set out to buy power, and it’s working.”
“We’re just seeing the beginning of it all. Corporate money is taking over.”
But how much money are we talking about? The article cites an Institute for Southern Studies analysis of 22 legislative races that Pope targeted, of which Republicans won 18: “The total amount that Pope, his family, and groups backed by him spent on the twenty-two races was $2.2 million….”
That’s it? $2.2 million?
Do you mean to tell me Democrats can’t raise $2.2 million to protect democracy in North Carolina?
In fact, we’ve raised far more than that before – to win governor’s races and legislative races for years.
The best comment came from Mac McCorkle, a long-time Democratic consultant here: “The Democrats have become flabby and undisciplined. On our side, we really don’t have anyone like Art Pope. It’s a real problem.”
After getting our brains beat in during the 1980s, Democrats got serious about raising money and spending it wisely. As a result, we won elections through the 1990s and the last decade.
Once again, it’s time to stop whining and start winning.
Stop Whining
October 4, 2011/
The New Yorker article about Art Pope takes me back to the 1980s. Then, my fellow Democrats were whining about the money, power and evil influence of Jesse Helms’ Congressional Club. Now, they’re whining about the money, power and evil influence of Art Pope.
Stop whining. Get to work. Find our Art Pope.
Here’s a sampling of some fine whines from the article:
“The attacks just went on and on.”
“It’s getting to the point where, in politics, money is the most important thing.”
“The tone of this campaign was much uglier, and much more personal, than anything I’ve seen.” (Hello. Remember 1984?)
“For an individual to have so much power is frightening. The government of North Carolina is for sale.”
“It wasn’t an education; it was an onslaught. What he’s doing is buying elections.”
“Art Pope set out to buy power, and it’s working.”
“We’re just seeing the beginning of it all. Corporate money is taking over.”
But how much money are we talking about? The article cites an Institute for Southern Studies analysis of 22 legislative races that Pope targeted, of which Republicans won 18: “The total amount that Pope, his family, and groups backed by him spent on the twenty-two races was $2.2 million….”
That’s it? $2.2 million?
Do you mean to tell me Democrats can’t raise $2.2 million to protect democracy in North Carolina?
In fact, we’ve raised far more than that before – to win governor’s races and legislative races for years.
The best comment came from Mac McCorkle, a long-time Democratic consultant here: “The Democrats have become flabby and undisciplined. On our side, we really don’t have anyone like Art Pope. It’s a real problem.”
After getting our brains beat in during the 1980s, Democrats got serious about raising money and spending it wisely. As a result, we won elections through the 1990s and the last decade.
Once again, it’s time to stop whining and start winning.