July 26, 2007 10:43 PM UTC

Interview, Larry Kissell-working class hero-candidate for most targeted house race in the country

• 3 Comments
• by: wade norris

Larry Kissell, as some of you know, lost by the closest margin of any congressional race for 2006. What I learned when talking to him is just how much I admire his courage and his story.
Kissell was a factory worker for 26 years in central North Carolina. After the numerous job losses due to Free Trade Agreements like NAFTA and GATT, Kissell left his career and transitioned into teaching at the local high school. He was one of the fortunate ones in his community.
Many of his neighbors lost their jobs in the factory overnight seeing them outsourced to foreign countries. Many have found work, but the jobs are lower paying, with reduced or no benefits, and sometimes are combinations of 2 or 3 part-time jobs.

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Larry Kissell, as some of you know, lost by the closest margin of any congressional race for 2006. What I learned when talking to him is just how much I admire his courage and his story.
Kissell was a factory worker for 26 years in central North Carolina. After the numerous job losses due to Free Trade Agreements like NAFTA and GATT, Kissell left his career and transitioned into teaching at the local high school. He was one of the fortunate ones in his community.
Many of his neighbors lost their jobs in the factory overnight seeing them outsourced to foreign countries. Many have found work, but the jobs are lower paying, with reduced or no benefits, and sometimes are combinations of 2 or 3 part-time jobs.
Larry saw these things happening and his community folding up around him. He was motivated and encourage by friends, family and his school to do something, so he did. He challenged incumbent Robin Hayes for CD-8, NC.
Robin Hayes is particularly of interest to me, because after promising not to vote for CAFTA, he ‘flip-flopped’ at the midnight hour to cast the deciding vote for this job slashing trade agreement. (Marilyn Musgrave of CD-4 CO, was another midnight hour supporter of CAFTA much to the chagrin of her own constituents who are farmers in the sugar beet industry. She is also heavily targeted, but that issue and the CAFTA 15 are another story)

Larry Kissell reminded me in this interview of what the founders of our country envisioned. People running for office to represent their community

  Part 1

Part 2

Another issue was funding, and unfortunately the DCCC didn’t support him as much as they could have last time, so he was outspent 3 to 1, and a pittance would have delivered the additional 337 votes that he lost by.
The DCCC has assured us that won’t happen again as they have made
CD-8 the most targeted seat for 2008.
Watch out Mr. Hayes, there is a working class hero who has risen; he has his community behind him, and they have their sites on you.
My thanks to Zeke Creech for connecting me to this story, Steve Hudson, Kissell’s communications director, and to Coffee Court in historic Carthage, NC.
www.larrykissell.com

Know any other working class heroes?
send comments to wade@ultimatepolitics.net
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