Short form: I need $10 from 100 kossacks (or the equivalent) to help Harry Taylor send Sue Myrick into retirement from Congress.
While I will of course have links (and video!) to introduce Harry Taylor to you, most of this diary will not be about Harry, but rather his opponent, who I believe can raise just as much money on his behalf as I ever could.
So I am giving her that opportunity. :)
With the help of ActBlue, YouTube and a lot of wonderful video help from my fellow North Carolinians, I am here to help Harry Taylor introduce Sue Myrick to her retirement from Congress.
And you are invited to participate in any way you can to help turn another district in North Carolina blue in November. (Waves to Larry Kissell people who I will see tomorrow morning.)
The Opponent: Who's Sue Myrick?
Usually a fundraiser is about selling the candidate, but I think in this instance seeing who you can help unseat is a worthy sales pitch.
I will endeavor to be respectful in tone. I will let others, including Representative Myrick herself, speak on the Congressperson's behalf.
She's the former mayor of Charlotte and the incumbent of the 9th Congressional District from the great state of North Carolina.
Her star rose with the Republican ascendancy, and now it's falling with the Bush-McCain decline.
And Harry Taylor is the person to help Sue Myrick pack her bags and come back home to Charlotte.
Why We Want Sue Myrick Back Home To Stay
It's a question of her choices: She chooses to support George W. Bush. She thinks John McCain will be a fine third term continuation of the course to (cough) victory. Alas for the Republicans, as Iraq becomes its own country again they are getting no thanks at all whether the war ends or not.
You'd think that would liberate them from prior foolishness; that they are free to do the right thing at last, with no political downside for finally voting in line with mainstream America's opposition to continuing the occupation.
If you were looking for Sue Myrick to do this right thing, keep looking.
It's a question of the issues: The good people of southern Mecklenberg and Gaston county want less cheering for waterboarding and roundups of Muslims, and more answers to questions on the economy - the mortgage crisis in particular. Charlotte is a banking town, but people live in houses and have jobs here, too. The big banks will be fine, in some fashion. The people who work for them, now that might be another story.
Let's make this clear: It is not a question of Sue Myrick's character or her talent. Through the Republican-dominated decades Sue Myrick's star rose and rose, first as mayor of Charlotte, then as Representative of the 9th CD from North Carolina. She has represented the times well.
But the times have changed.
The Republican age is drawing to a close, dozens of districts at a time. Conservative ideas are producing failing or false solutions on all fronts. The Republican brand is badly damaged. Being a lockstep Bush loyalist has lost three out of three special elections for Congress in 2008.
Let's make the coming election special for Sue Myrick, too.
Sue on the Issues
Normally I might defer from giving the Republicans free press, but in this case, I think Representative Bush supporter Myrick needs her opportunity to share her views on all subjects...
Note: All of the attached are matters that Sue Myrick is proud to showcase.
Myrick On Terrorism!
Watch out! Islamofascism!
Rep. Sue Myrick wants America to "wake up" and stop allowing terrorism to proliferate -- and if that means revoking the passport of a former U.S. president or examining the preaching of prison chaplains, that's what she's prepared to do.
...
Earlier this week, she called for President Jimmy Carter's passport to be revoked because he met with Hamas, a Palestinian group that the U.S. government says supports terrorism.
Yep, you read that right. Former President James E. Carter, carpenter, Navy veteran, the last successful bearer of peace to the Middle East...in league with terror.
Here, let you hear and see hear for yourself.
Myrick pushes for offshore drilling!
Note: This is a highly debatable issue in North Carolina, never mind the rest of the country. Of course, the 9th district is a bit farther inland (try 150 miles, minimum) so it's all good for Sue Myrick.
Rep. Sue Myrick is sponsoring a bill to search for oil and natural gas. So far, it has generated both support and opposition. "[The bill] very simply says we will use our own oil and natural gas by drilling off the outer continental shelf," said Myrick.
A Department of Interior study shows billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas are off the N.C. coast. Under the Deep Ocean Energy Resource Act proposed by Myrick, states could determine whether to allow drilling between 50-200 miles off their coasts.
'We are the only developed country in the world that does not drill off our coast," said Myrick, who feels the situation is even worse since China already drills 50 miles away from the Florida coastline. "We can't do it. China is. China already has our jobs, are we going to give them our oil too?"
That last bit about "China drilling offshore" has been roundly debunked. But weeks later, the error continues to be shouted to the world on behalf of George W Bush.
This might have some legs in the N.C. General Assembly, too but as this article suggests, offshore drilling in North Carolina would bring in relatively few dollars ($23 billion over 40 years) that would not start until at least 15 years from now. Further, all the offshore leaseholds have lapsed and new surveys would have to be conducted in order to find the fields thought to exist 50 miles offshore.
But Bush and McCain are for it, the Republicans are for it, so Sue Myrick is for it.
Here is Harry Taylor's response: It's a publicity stunt
What Myrick won’t say is that over 44 million acres of public lands are already under lease, and only 25% are actually being explored.
What Myrick won’t say is that due to already record drilling permits being granted over the last year, the availability of locations is far outstripping the oil and gas industry’s ability to drill.
What Myrick won’t say is that since it will take five to ten years before a single drop of oil will be pumped from her proposal; the price of gas won’t drop by one penny.
The problem isn’t that we don’t have enough places to drill now. The problem is that though we have only 3% of the world’s oil reserves, we use 25% of the world’s supply. And our addiction to oil is threatening our economic security, our national security and indeed our standard of living....
Go, Harry! Speaking truth to power.. and petroleum interests. :)
Did we mention Myrick's Anti-Jihad Caucus?
Well let's get that out there
I decided to start the caucus out of a deep frustration, because President Bush does not talk to the American people about the long-term threat of radical Islamofascism infiltration in America. Since 9/11, I've tried to get the president and several members of his administration to talk to the American people about the dangerous enemy that we're facing. I took them all the materials I could find about what we did during World War II that were used to unite the American people. Everyone I spoke to said, "We do not want to frighten the American people."
I waited for someone else to start to educate the people, however, it did not seem to be happening. At that point, I sought to become educated on the matter. What I have learned is quite disturbing. I decided that if members of Congress were informed, they would have an opportunity to educate people in their districts. So I started the caucus and brought in three other co-chairs -- Bud Cramer (D-Ala.), Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Jane Harman (D-Calif.).
We hope to start a dialogue with America. Until, and unless, we understand what we are fighting, we have no chance. We must inform the people, since it is evident they will have to protect their national sovereignty, because the government is not doing it.
This interview just gets better and better.
Illegal Immigration
I'm going to let the Representative speak for herself on this one
Something you will have trouble finding on Sue's website
If you use her onsite search, that is, is any mention of Iraq.
Now, that's just sad, because when I go to Google, I can search her website just fine and find:
this:
Regarding Iraq, Congresswoman Myrick says she opposes the idea of "time lines" and she considers it is "quite possible" that the U.S. military will need to be in Iraq for a "long time," just as it has been in Korea. At this point, she argues, U.S. troops are primarily trying to provide "backup and training" for Iraqi troops, although whether or not that strategy will work is unclear.
This is nice too...
Harry's comments on Iraq are now world famous:
In a different setting
The Close
Okay, obviously I have a lot to say on this topic. In the interests of full disclosure, yes, I am an unpaid fan of Harry Taylor's, looking to do my part here.
What I want you to do today is read this diary, share this diary, and visit my humble ActBlue fundraising page, and help me send Harry's campaign a $1,000 dose of support.
I hope you recognize what he is up against, an entrenched Bush Republican who is more concerned with conducting a witch hunt while one bank in her hometown (Wachovia) is in dire straits and Charlotte despite the veneer of a strong real estate market is experiencing the highest foreclosure rates in the state.
This is her home turf. And it is suffering while she plays Ann Coulter in Congress.
I say America deserves better. I say North Carolina deserves better. I say the Ninth District deserves better, and that's my sales pitch.
Help me raise a few thank-you dollars for Harry and help him retire this wonderful Republican and give her the retirement she deserves.
Thank you, and let's go get 'em. :)