Summary of State Sen. Jeff Jackson's Remarks
In the final lecture of the Civil Conversation series, NC State Sen. Jeff Jackson(D) spoke to a gathering of 75 people in the American Legion Hall in Blowing Rock, NC, on Sunday, September 17.
Jackson commented that in the past six months he has attended multiple events similar to this one, all across North Carolina, that are not sponsored by a formal organization or party structure. “It is wonderful to see that amount of energy.” He sees concern both for our shared democracy and at a loss of shared decency. “This whole show is being run by women,” he added— to applause in the room.
He believes the Women’s March in January will be recognized as the most “significant political event of this year.” He recalled that his mother told him after the election of Donald Trump that “the women of this country won’t allow this to happen again.”
He acknowledged that many in the audience do not feel good about what is happening in politics—in Washington or Raleigh. But he said he wanted “to make a case for being optimistic.”
“There is a chance to completely reshape political legislation in a way that opens up bipartisanship,” he said. “My party is not going to capture the super majority,” he added, which means that the best possible scenario ahead is bipartisanship.
He reflected on the history of NC’s greatest political accomplishments—university, roads, community colleges—were all thanks to bipartisan collaboration. He thinks these accomplishments explain why NC has enjoyed economic success over the years because “progressives and conservative voices came together.”
“That cooperation is what set us apart, and it is what we lost in the past five years.” Now he regrets to see bad news about NC shows up frequently in the national press and on late night comedy.
He pointed out that the Republicans took over the NC legislature in 2010, a critical year due to the census, which gave them the opportunity to redistrict and they set the explicit goal to get more seats. 2 years later, those efforts paid off in a supermajority, which makes the Republicans all powerful in this state.
State Sen. Jackson condemned the similar, though less technologically advanced, versions of this set forth by Democratic majorities in the past. The technology has advanced now to the point that 90% of incumbents are invulnerable—they literally can do nothing to jeopardize their seats, he explained. And this in a 50-50 state—NC is truly a “purple” state.
In this context, the primary is the only election that matters. 10% of the state voted in the Republican primary.
“Those 10% deserve a place, they deserve a voice, yes,” State Sen. Jackson said. “But now they determine the debate for the other 90%.”
As a result, our state has already had to spend 10 million dollars to defend in court their legislative actions.
He stated that the recent court decision calling our districts unconstitutional means that now 80% of our seats are invulnerable (rather than 90%)—so still a small window, but more seats are in play.
To attain bipartisan representation in NC, State Sen. Jackson explained, we have to break the supermajority so that Governor Roy Cooper(D)’s veto is unlocked because right now, the Republican supermajority can override his veto every time. If the Democrats gain 3 seats in the House or 6 in the Senate, we will break the supermajority. It will bring a small measure of moderation to the NC legislature.
“Nothing else matters,” he stressed. “The power shifts back to the center. First, it will mean NC will say no to the extreme stuff that gets us in the news. That cost Charlotte $500 million.”
“Second, legislators will have some say over the budget. In the past 5 years, no Democrat has had a say over 1 penny of how your tax dollars are spent.”
State Sen. Jeff Jackson argued that we could make a significant difference for teachers, state employees, and early childhood education. “We could make a difference for millions of children in this state if we can unlock the veto.”
He reviewed research that showed that the current districts are measurably skewed—15 standard deviations away from the curve of a random assortment. Stopping gerrymandering could rest on a Supreme Court decision.
He stressed the research on the impact of early childhood education and that a small change in budgeting could make a huge difference.
“Lots of legislators are unaware of how many kids start school without having held a book, without a hug, without being able to name colors.”
He also mentioned that age birth to 8 is considered the “literacy bridge.” “This is a glimpse of the future.” As NC education is underfunded, fewer people will succeed in attaining even a high school diploma, which correlates with unemployment rates and juvenile offender rates.
“If we gain balance, in five years you’ll see improvements” in our educational and economic outcomes.
He also commented that automation is a tidal wave coming towards us, and we aren’t prepared. “1/3 of the jobs that exist today won’t exist in 20 years.” He says that manufacturing jobs that are returning to the U.S. are different from the past due to automation. “We have to be honest with people. We have to take worker training and apprenticeships to a higher level.” He believes community college in particular could become a resource to workers who need to adjust to changes in the job market.
“I think NC could become a national example of bipartisanship. We are one of the few true 50-50 states.” He said. “What if we were the first state to have a rational discussion on guns?”
“If we can stop gerrymandering and create a legislature that reflects the actual make-up of our state, this legislature will make you proud.”
In addition to the above remarks, he was asked about incumbents who claim that the legislature has helped education by raising teacher’s salaries. He said that a more accurate measure is that we are now 43rd in the nation in how much we spend on education. In particular, he is alarmed that teacher’s assistants were fired to pay for the raises, which meant larger class sizes, especially for the first through third grades which are so critical in terms of literacy attainment.
Another topic in the question/answer session was research that shows nurse-family partnerships have the strongest outcomes to aid long term success for children. He wishes that such research could be considered in prioritizing spending.
He also walked through the percentages of the NC budget—55 cents of every dollar spent is on education. The next 35 cents is on Medicaid, which cannot be adjusted or the state will lose matching federal funds. The next 10 cents cover courts and prisons. 5 cents for miscellaneous and parks. 5 cents for debts. Currently, the Republican supermajority most wants to provide a tax cut for the wealthy North Carolinians, and the only way to provide the tax cut to the wealthy is to cut education funding.
State Sen. Jackson was asked if it made a difference to call or write one’s legislators. He says it can help because if they do not hear anything, they will not engage more carefully in considering legislation. He said in-person meetings are most effective, and next is e-mail. Generic forms or emails or petitions are rarely effective.
He was asked about the influence on money on politics, especially due to the Citizens United, and he answered, “It is worse than you think.” In fact, he said the party structure is withering because candidates now work directly with large donors.
He also described how legislation is being written. Sometimes it works the way one might hope, such as a recent bill on foster homes. Other times, far too often, a one page bill will appear in committee and then at last minute be swapped for an 80 page bill on environmental deregulation with a half hour to debate ( and no time to read!). “There is no brake on the process—and the only possible brake is the veto,” he said.
He was asked if ALEC is an influence. He said yes. We are their testing ground. There is a tight relationship between ALEC and our legislative leaders, he said.
Learn more about the agenda and power of ALEC in these reports: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/us/alec-a-tax-exempt-group-mixes-legislators-and-lobbyists.html and https://www.thenation.com/article/alec-exposed-koch-connection/
Finally, he was asked which seats are most important to break the supermajority. He said that it would depend on the final district maps. Once they are finalized, he will let everyone know, and he suggested interested audience members follow him on facebook. He also said that the message of the Democratic Party in NC would be set by the Governor. The first focus is education, and the second is health care.
He closed by making a call for decency. We need to be reasonable, decent human beings, and we need to treat one another as such.