14 Comments

My favorite part of being in North Carolina lead by Cooper is when he forced masks on everyone only after his daughter had her wedding. That extra weekend saved so many lives.

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Today, many folks are driven by what some have termed selective empathy. They only see issues that affect them. labels like Democrat or Republican matter mostly on ballots. More unaffiliated voters may be indicative of the fact more people recognize flaws in both parties and focus on individuals instead.

But the fact remains, North Carolina is in theory a red state but elects Democrats for Governor, Attorney General, and other posts.

This may be attributed to gerrymandering, which many believe has minimal impact on statewide elections. But statewide Trump won a majority. The obvious solution is some republicans voted for a democratic governor but could not bring themselves to vote for a democratic president. On the other hand, it may illustrate the effect of the unaffiliated voter.

I prefer the notion that folks are starting to vote for candidates that are more likely to have a direct effect on some aspect of their immediate lives. This is selective empathy in all its glory. The overall health of the democracy is of little concern. It’s me and only me of importance.

The statement, I have mine and the hell with rest of you, is illustrative of the underlying force behind selective empathy.

A president is isolated from their immediate world, whereas a Governor is in their face on a day-to-day bases. Some folks will pay closer attention to the qualifications of governor than president as that individual will have more of an impact on their lives. This is evident from the way republicans rejected a flawed individual like Robinson but voted for a far more flawed candidate like Trump.

If I am correct, it will be only a matter time before these folks will come to realize the negative affect Trump will have on their personal existence. He is a flawed, highly transactional individual who thinks like they do.

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Where is your story about how Stein and Cooper kept money for themselves instead if helping council of state races. God you are the apitamy of why democrats lost because you ignore the room.

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Thomas Mills is a racist who has peddle white politicians who never show up for black and brown communities. He has stood beside people who have been proven racist and always thinks he is right. He is what is wrong with political people and why we continue to lose races.

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https://www.wunc.org/politics/2024-11-13/campaign-donation-democrat-north-carolina-2024-election

Maybe if Cooper was not a racist when it came to money for candidates. If him or Wiley Nikel are nominee we lose the state period. Why do you keep acting like these democrats are not racist. So tired of people like you. Because of people like you democrats lose we lost state house and senate races as well as council of state races because of Cooper and Stein and Morgan Jackson are racist money laundering men.

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I've never heard of Nickel and Roy Cooper has my vote for any office he runs for! And, I am so sick of hearing about political campaigns. None for state offices should be started before 6 months prior to the elections (primaries). No Federal campaign should begin prior to one year before the election. Focus in a determined amount of time would be better.

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Straight out of the park on the topic and about Cooper. Now I'm going to digress because I've been pent up. I relocated to Moore County, early 2014, with the sole/soul reason to assist parents when specialized medical was needed for a parent. (Saga here. Full of holy hardship and abiding love). Not my point. Just a reference to how I landed where I did. In 2016, I sent out memo to a sibling to leave her California dream and move back home to NC. She did with Godspeed. At the time I am still naive about some enclaves of Moore County. My sibling who leaves CA lands in Pinehurst. I'm still in Southern Pines in 2017 when 4th of July rolls around. She's still acclimating a bit and says, "Come over; we'll go to the Pinehurst July 4th parade." I think, OK, although I'm not big on public displays. Anyway P. McCrory has by then been NC governor since 2013. I will not review how I felt about his stint up to that point. Let's just say as a career educator, I do not think much of this oily politician. And I know Cooper is a candidate I like a lot. So we're at the July 4th parade in Pinehurst. Imagine lots of tricked out golf carts, Mercedes looking baby carriages, and fancy canines. I'm just there taking it in. Then a shiny red custom corvette convertible, festooned with McCrory banners passes by. Without the first thought I yell out from parade sidelines, "Four more months and he's gone." Or something to that effect. I wasn't thinking. Complete impulse. And I did not yell in anger. I simply channeled teacher voice. Next thing I knew the woman in front of me turns and gets in my face and scream, "I don't appreciate my children hearing your rhetoric!" And then her stature compromised, bald husband leaped from his golf cart and was coming toward me. My sister nudged and says, "Let's go." Now some years have passed. I better grasp a lot of things. I'm happy. Content without trappings. And forever grateful for a politician of integrity such as Roy Cooper. And as is stated in this post, may Cooper enjoy some time. May I live to see him in another political post because for heaven's sake, we need more leaders--male and female--like him.

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Totally agree. Give us a break. We are reeling from the election results and the continuous announcements of nutjobs Trump thinks should lead our government. Who can possibly deal with an internecine battle at the moment? Not to mention that frankly we need Tillis to focus on his day job right now. And does Wiley have any idea of how to frame a campaign in this environment? Let’s take a breath.

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Bullseye, Thomas. Completely agree And democrats must agree on a unified message that includes the economy, public health and public safety.

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I’m so grateful for Governor Cooper. When/if he decides to run, it will be at a time of his own choosing.

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Wiley is no fool. He'll read the waters. If Roy runs, I suspect that Wiley won't compete against him. But remember, Roy is already 67. The means if he becomes a Senator, he'll be 75 after his 1st term.

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Oh, to have a Democratic senator from North Carolina who actually makes it to a second term. In the 40 years I've lived here, I can't recall a Democrat winning a Senate seat and getting reelected to a second term.

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I don’t see a downside to Wiley - or any other Democrat running for any office in 2026 - launching early. Trump is creating opportunities for Democrats to differentiate our party from his extremism and we should telling our story immediately. The campaign game has changed. We should be asking voters “Is this what you voted for” every time Trump makes news. There’s no time for our Party elites to rearrange the deck chairs. The ship is sinking and only Democrats can save it.

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Absolutely agree 100%.

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