We’ve all seen the trend over the past few election cycles that organized labor has targeted North Carolina as fertile ground to expand its reach. In the past it has mainly been in support of Democratic candidates in the general election, but this year, organized labor is trying to manipulate the Democratic primary for Governor.
Earlier this year, the State Employees Association of NC (SEANC) took it’s lawsuit against State Treasurer Richard Moore public spending $30,000 on a series of newspaper ads mentioning their public records lawsuit against his office. There was little doubt the timing of the ads were politically motivated to throw mud on Treasurer Moore before the primary.
Now, the nation’s teacher’s union — the National Education Association (NEA) — has bought $360,000 of radio time over the next two weeks promoting Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue’s education credentials. (Download pdf of their expense filing here — Download nea_communication.pdf.) Dome has the full text of the ad here.
$360,000 on radio statewide is a huge ad buy for two weeks. Any media consultant will tell you that’s enough to pretty much blanket the state.
Oh, and how did the NEA pay for these ads? With the union dues of teachers. The funds came from their general fund, not from their political action committee. How many NEA members who support Richard Moore just had their dues confiscated from them and used without their input to support a candidate they do not agree with?
How many good, honest teachers joined the NEA because they thought it was the right thing to do in order to support their profession and now come to find out that money is coming straight out of their paychecks to influence elections?
If the unions are willing to spend this much in the Primary to get their preferred candidate, how many millions will they spend to advance their anti-business, socialist agenda in the general election?
Leave a Comment