North Carolina Senator Phil Berger caused quite a stir with his “Petition to Stop Obamacare.” The media was quick to point out that Berger uses misleading and discredited information to rally opposition to Obamacare in North Carolina. Progressives called foul, criticizing Berger in blogs and social media posts.
But the question nobody asked is, why did he launch the petition in the first place? The petition is not addressed to anybody. It’s not a call to action. And the bill he references has already passed.
Petitions like these usually have two purposes: to appeal to the base and to build a database email addresses of people who will become low-dollar donors. Berger doesn’t likely care what the press or progressives say. He’s targeting the hardcore partisans who make up the majority of Republican primary voters. Berger’s petition looks a lot less like opposition to Obamacare than the beginnings of a statewide new media campaign.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
0 Comments