EDITORIAL PAGE
Sometimes you have to take a Minute and Laugh!
Editorial in the Greensboro News and Record Nov.12, 2009
Memo from the voters to the people who keep trying to inject partisan politics into City Council elections: Sit down and shut up. WRONG,WAIT UNTIL THE COUNCIL TRIES TO CHANGE THINGS!
This time the culprits were Democrats, who funded a mailer to endorse (sort of) candidates in the nonpartisan Greensboro City Council races. The splashy, red-white-and-blue mailer, paid for by the N.C. Democratic Party, declared: "Greensboro Democrats are Working for Our Future." It went on to list and picture all Democrats running for council, even in two district races in which Democrats opposed one another.
The Democrat party has been part of the push for non partisan elections from the beginning knowing full well that they intended to back Democrat candidates in these so called nonpartisan elections. This push was instigated because of the strength that GOP candidates had begun to show in the 1980’s. To claim they haven’t worked in these elections in the past is totally ridiculous! The Paper has known this fact for years. NOTICE: the Greensboro News and Record does not give any names of those in the Democrat Party who initiated this, only the Republican Me ( Marcus Kindley). Typical Character Assassination technique of the media!
Former Guilford County GOP Chairman Marcus Kindley, who tried to recruit a slate of Republican council candidates in 2003, was fit to be tied.
I didn’t try, I did recruit a slate. Only one individual who was registered as a Republican refused to participate. He told the News and Record that he did not want the endorsement of the Guilford GOP in his Editorial Board meeting. He lost.
In addition, in 2003 the News and Record pilloried me both publicly and privately over my stand as a Republican. Yet, when they were made aware by ME and others weeks before this election, of the democrat Party’s participation in having PAID mailers, PAID advertising and PAID workers at the polls they never uttered a peep.
Where, he asked, was the outrage now that Democrats were doing the tinkering? I called and emailed and received no response from this newspaper until this point in their editorial. They failed to point out what I said at the time
Apparently at the voting booth.
This is totally bogus in its premise. The reason for the outcome of this election is plain and simple VOTER turnout. Now let me give you a political lesson. Had just TWO precincts in East Greensboro had half the turnout that they did in 2008 the entire election would have been different. Look at Precinct G03 and G04. They had a turnout of only approx 16%; in 2008 it was an 84% turnout. Had these two precincts voted at half the turnout of 2008 the election the results would have been reversed. Here are the numbers. In G03 there are 1860 registered Democrats with 109 Republicans, and in G04 there are 1694 Democrats vs. 149 Republicans. Look at the slim margin of victory by Mr. Knight and you will see that this hyposthesis is correct. Facts are such nasty things.
As with other attempts to render partisan what isn't, this one was an abject failure. Every single candidate listed on the mailer lost, except in District 1 and District 2 , in which Democrats were the only choices, aside from write-ins.
Interesting little fact overlooked by the NEWS and Record.. THEY ENDORSED MANY OF THESE SAME CANDIDATES!!!!! CAN YOU SAY HYPOCRISY?! I CAN! Had voters followed the ENDORSEMENT OF THE Partisan News and Record ( how can you be non partisan and endorse candidates?) the Dems would have a majority on the council. So Following the logic of the News and Record.. VOTERS REJECTED THE GREENSBORO NEWS AND RECORD AND ITS EDITORIAL BOARD! WAY TO GO CITIZENS!!!!!!
For what it is worth, only two of the nine newly elected council members are Democrats, none of the three at-large members in a city that is majority-Democrat. See Above for the explanation of this Said local campaign strategist Bill Burckley, who has worked with Democrats and Republicans, and who organized a counter campaign with flyers and signs that said, "Just say NO to Partisan City Council Elections": "Stupid is as stupid does."
His ( Mr. Burckley , whom I respect as a Campaign Advisor) campaign had nothing to do with the outcome. PERIOD! It was all on turnout in east Greensboro which did not materialize. Leaders in this community have admitted they thought they had it made and did not turn out. After all THE NEWS AND RECORD ENDORSED MR KNIGHT”S OPPONENT AND SITTING DEMOCRT MAYOR, YVONNE JOHNSON, WHO BY THE WAY WAS ONE OF THE 43 NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCAT MAYORS WHO ENDORSED BARAK OBAMAM. ALONG WITH THE FORMER DEMOCRAT MAYOR KEITH HOLIDAY. HTTP://MY.BARACKOBAMA.COM/PAGE/COMMUNITY/POST/ZACHEDWARDS/GGCBRX
Even stupider, and more than a little bit awkward, was the cold shoulder the Democrats' mailer gave Nancy Vaughan, who is unaffiliated, but who is also married to a Democratic state senator, Don Vaughan. Why? If the paper thinks that these efforts by the Democrat Party was wrong then why this sentence? If we are dealing with a NON-PARTISAN race why does it matter. This should show you what we have to work with here. Total illogical.
This may have bruised both Vaughans' feelings, but it didn't hurt Nancy Vaughan at the polls. She went on to total more votes than anyone on the ballot, including Mayor-elect Bill Knight.
OK, NANCY WAS ONCE A REPUBLICAN MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL WHERE SHE MET HER HUSBAND STATE SENATOR ( A THAT TIME A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER) DON VAUGHN WHO IS A DEMOCRAT. THE NEWS AND RECORD EVEN DID A STORY ON THE LOVE AFFAIR BETWEEN THE REPUBLICAN AND THE DEMOCRAT..HUMM IT WASN’T NON PARTISAN THEN EITHER EH?. SO SHE CHANGED HER REGISTRATION TO UNAFFILIATED. THEREFORE, REPUBLICANS WHO REMEMBERED HER AS A REPUBLICAN VOTED FOR HER AND DEMOCRATS VOTED FOR HER BECAUSE SHE IS MARRIED TO THEIR STATE SENATOR.
Whether this partisan gambit hurt any of the listed candidates is not certain. SO THIS WHOLE EDITIORIAL IS NOT ABOUT FACTS JUST UNICORNS AND PIE IN THE SKY. Many factors separated the victors from the vanquished last week. But it definitely didn't help.
If there were some evidence that partisan races would result in better government, that would be another matter. There isn't. Exhibit A: The sharply partisan Guilford County commissioners, for whom party affiliation is not merely the most important thing; all too often it is the only thing. THEN WHY DOES THIS PAPER OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORT THE DEMOCRAT PARTY IN EDITORIALS, ENDORSEMENTS AND STORY BIAS?
Further, it would be highly unlikely, if not downright impossible, for someone like Nancy Vaughan to win as an unaffiliated candidate if the council race had been partisan. YOU MEAN SHE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE AND STAND FOR SOMETHING?
We'll say what we said when Republicans were trying to inject partisan politics into council races six years ago: Don't.
Leave well enough alone. Let these candidates run on the issues. IN THE ENDORSEMENTS OF THIS PAPER FEW ISSUES WERE CITED AS REASONS FOR ENDORSEMENT, ONLY TENURE AND BOWING TO THE WHIMS OF THE NEWS AND RECORD SEEM TO MATTER.
And let the new council govern on the issues, not on the contrived dictates of tribal politics.
ARE YOU GETTING YOUR OPINIONS FROM THIS PAPER?
Marcus Kindley
Proud Republican
WASHINGTON, Saturday Sept 12, 450 patriotic North Carolinians arrived in Washington DC to take part in the Taxpayers March on Washington!
We arrived around 9: 00 am. Nine buses, three from Wilmington NC, and 6 from the Piedmont NC, Belmont, Charlotte, Salisbury, Concord, Pinehurst, Greensboro, Burlington and Raleigh/Durham!
Doctors, Lawyers, College Professors, Nurses, Teachers, Business owners, Electricians, Carpenters, Republicans. Democrats and independents, citizens just like you from every walk of life.
Before leaving our bus we had a word of Prayer. What a wonderful moment when we all bowed our head, Prayed for our Country and asked God to help us focus on helping our Country in a way pleasing to him. Yes we believe in God and are not ashamed!
Unloading we picked up our North Carolina Flag, with ribbons streaming from the top denoting each individual bus in order for us to stay together, carried by Don Wendelken and his wife Linda, we moved onward to Freedom Park. We parked at 12th and Madison! I made everyone memorize where we were let off, as that is where we would be picked up.
At Freedom Park we found Thousands of people pouring in from every side. Thousands and thousands! We found our friends form Wilmington by the Huge N.C. Flag being carried by Joe Rumsey . Joe helped Shepard those three buses from Wilmington!
Here is a time lapse of the March
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoPud1TeubM&feature=player_embedded
Crowded together we slowly made our way forward as we were the fourth in line for the march down Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capitol. The Drums started, flags waved and we were off, an Hour early because the crowd was just too big to be held in that confined area.
We marched to the Capitol, hundreds of Thousands, A million Two million people, it took 3.5 hours for all those marching to arrive at the Capitol, People form every corner of this great nation, from every state, shouting “ Can you hear us now!” Can you hear us now!”
Speeches, music, fellowship of like minded Americans wanting out nation to come back to the Values of this Country, to the pride we have in our forefathers, to remember the sacrifices of our Fathers, brothers Sons and daughters for our Freedom. We are the greatest nation on earth and we have earned it with the blood of those who believed in liberty and freedom of all!!
We know that we will make our voices heard, our desires known and WE WILL HOLD THOSE ELECTED ACCOUNTABLE, you WORK for us!
Something I noticed throughout, no profanity, no trashing of the grounds (like the inauguration in Jan. 2009) everyone cooperating with the authorities, everyone proud of their country, proud of their fellow patriots, proud to be representing the thoughts and desires of their friends, family and communities around America!
As the afternoon moved forward we knew we had to leave. Speaking with each bus Captain, using radios provided by one of our riders, North Carolina Flags waved, our members rallied to us and we moved toward our buses. Yes, 450 people moved toward buses, contacted by cell phone to rendezvous at our drop off place, we arrived.
In minutes our busses were filled, those slower called on their cell phones by their bus captains, found loaded and moving outside the City.
We moved toward Fredericksburg where for Breakfast I had arranged for the Golden Corral to open one hour early to accommodate us. A buffet allowed us to eat and get back on the road much faster!
Loaded up, excited, exhausted we rode home watching “ The Patriot” with Mel Gibson about a man and his family thrown into the American Revolution reluctantly, but determined when the die was cast to win.
We have won this battle the war goes on, We will Win in 2010!!!!!!
I am proud to have Marched with each of you. We share a common Bond now, which cannot be broken or taken away….
Let us stand together… When our duty as citizens call upon us!!! Let us answer the Call!
Marcus Kindley
INFORMED VOTERS OF NORTH CAROLINA JOURNAL
Marcus Kindley
