Dan McCready Will Make A Really Terrible Member Of Congress-- But If You Live In NC-09 You Should Probably Vote For Him Anyway

2 dangerous fascists-- Mark Harris and the Pig Man

One of the lesser-of-two-evils races to watch tomorrow is in North Carolina's 9th district, which stretches from Fayetteville to Charlotte and follows the South Carolina border from the Lumberton area into the suburbs south of Charlotte. It's a very red district, with a PVI of R+8 and where Trump beat Hillary 54.4% to 42.8%. It's been over 5 decades since a Democrat represented the area in Congress. But what makes it notable this cycle is that Republican primary voters threw out their mainstream conservative congressman, Robert Pittenger, for a fire-breathing extremist, Mark Harris a Satin-inspired "pastor," who preaches old fashioned misogyny, anti-Semitism, homophobia, hatred and bigotry. In the May 8th primary Harris edged Pittenger 17,302 (48.5%) to 16,474 (46.2%). Meanwhile a very right-wing Democrat, Dan McCready, backed by the Blue Dogs and DCCC, beat a progressive. Were McCready to make it into Congress, he'd be one of the worst Democrats imaginable-- just as Harris would be one of the worst Republicans imaginable. So there you go.

Both candidates say God wants them to win and that they will serve God if they are elected. McCready is a military nut and says he hates politicians. He's one of the least authentic of the DCCC recruits of candidates manufactured out of human sewage this cycle. And yet... Harris is even worse.



As of the October 17 FEC reporting deadline, McCready had raised $4,552,674 and Harris had raised $1,841,836 but outside spending was even bigger. Over $4 million in negative ads had been hurled against Harris and $2.5 million against McCready. The DCCC, Pelosi's SuperPAC, VoteVets and Tom Steyer were all spending hugely to elect the Blue Dog.

You might think there aren't any Jews in this district, but you'd be wrong. Fayetteville has a synagogue and Charlotte has at least half a dozen. And yesterday the Jewish Daily Forward focussed on the NC-09 race... or at least on one aspect of it. The headline, based on a report from CNN: GOP Candidate: No Peace In Israel Until Jews Convert To Christianity. "Mark Harris who served as a Baptist pastor in Charlotte until resigning last year to run for office, recounted in 2011 his visit to the Holy Land," wrote Aiden Pink.

“You cannot be in that land, as powerful and as moving as it is, without realizing the incredible tension that is constantly in that land between the Palestinians and the Jews,” Harris said. “There will never be peace in Jerusalem until the day comes that every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Harris went on to say that no Jewish or Muslim resident of Jerusalem would find peace unless they accepted Jesus Christ.

“Jesus, when he went into Jerusalem, said, ‘I am the vine. I am the true vine,’ and until those that are called in Islam realize that and until those that are called in Judaism realize that, for that matter, until those that are caught in the religion of Christianity and are missing the personal relationship with Jesus Christ, realize that, there’ll never be peace in their soul or peace in their city,” he said.

CNN also found multiple other instances of Harris making Islamophobic remarks. One November 2010 sermon called Islam Satanic and “the great counterfeit of our generation… That’s why we’ve got to be so careful of political leaders who somehow just like to speak of it as one of the great world religions. Ladies and gentlemen, it is not.”

A more-read newspaper in the district, the Charlotte Observer endorsed McCready. They wrote that McCready has failed "to take clear stands on some straightforward policy questions. Whether that’s his inexperience or a deliberate strategy in a Republican-leaning district, it is not a good look" but they're backed him anyway based on what they perceive as his "character," "intelligence" and "his life-long commitment to others." Everyone loves a Marine.

He says he would seek out bipartisanship, and there’s little reason to doubt him, especially given the conservative district he would represent. In a deeply polarized Washington, there’s probably only so much he can do on that front, but it would certainly be more than voters would get from Harris, who has said he would be deeply ensconced in the far right end of the House.

Harris still says being gay is a sin and a choice. He also believes the earth is less than 10,000 years old and thinks women should submit to their husbands. McCready says those views are out of step with this district and with this century. We agree. Our faith incorporates a broader and more holistic interpretation of the Bible, and we worry that Harris’s rejection of science and his views on women would translate into misguided public policy.

We agree with McCready over Harris on many issues. McCready backs sensible gun laws that Harris doesn’t. He opposes the Trump tax cuts that Harris supports and that are fueling the federal deficit. He supports having people who make more than $1 million a year pay Social Security tax on their full income to help secure that program’s future. Harris has said he would shut down the federal government if the budget was not to his liking.

McCready and Harris are both a bit green, but McCready has far more potential to effectively represent the 9th, and to help change the tone in Congress, than Harris. We recommend McCready.