North Carolina is arguably a purple state. Obama 2008, Romney 2012. Most of the state nowadays is solidly red thanks to gerrymandering. That means that, despite this political landscape, the population is not solidly red. In fact, according to voter registration in the state, Democrats outnumber Republicans and in many counties "unaffiliated" voters count a full third of all voters if not more. The state has been a "toss-up" for the past few elections. North Carolina is an interesting political animal plain and simple.
Now here comes an interesting tidbit from the news world of North Carolina.
Taylor Batten, the Editorial Page Editor of The Charlotte Observer invited the readers to ask honest questions on Honesty Day, April 30, and promised honest answers. One of the readers, David Fry, took up on this opportunity and sent in his question.
To: observer editors
Question? Why do you support such a liberal agenda?
Remember you're supposed to answer honestly.
Batten does not take the bait. He could have easily started a heated argument against the conservative agenda and/or Fry, given a reactionary answer, made snide comments, etc. Rather, he gives one of the coolest responses that anyone would come across and does so with great compassion and grace.
Read his response below.
We believe that everyone is created equal.
We believe that children should not bear responsibility for the sins of their parents.
We believe that prevention is a heck of a lot cheaper than a cure.
We believe people should not be treated as lesser citizens, with fewer rights, because of whom they love
[. . . ]
We believe discrimination is wrong in every instance.
[. . . ]
We believe that police officers should act professionally, under incredibly difficult circumstances, regardless of a suspect's race.
We believe taxes should be kept as low as possible while still providing a sound safety net for the neediest, a robust education for all, decent health care for the elderly and the destitute, and other basics.
We believe politicians of any party should keep their promises, avoid the appearance of personal gain from the public trust, and look out for the general welfare, not that of any one special interest.
[. . . ]
We believe there are peace-loving Muslims.
[. . . ]
We believe in the separation of church and state.
[. . . ]
We believe if you're a fan of a politician solely because he has a 'D' or an 'R' after his name, then you're not paying attention.
We believe we have only one planet, and we should protect it for our grandchildren.
Batten is unapologetic to the end.
If that earns us the label "liberal" in your eyes, Mr. Fry, so be it. We approach the issues of the day with an open mind and guided by those principles, not by blind devotion to any political party. And that's the honest truth.
Read the full editorial here.