Nancy Shakir calls on Representatives Watt, Miller, Etheridge and Price to condemn this misguided mailer intended to scare Seniors into voting for Kissell, and set the record straight about the true impact of the healthcare reform bill.

According to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Healthcare reform bill that passed Congress will benefit Seniors and their families in the 8th District by:

• improving Medicare by providing free preventive and wellness care, as well as coordinated care for the District’s 94,000 Medicare recipients
• providing Medicare Part D beneficiaries with a $250 rebate this year which begins the process of permanently closing the doughnut hole coverage gap; as well as providing a 50% discount on brand name drugs in 2011
• covering 79,000 uninsured residents
• allowing 58,000 young adults to stay on their parents plan
• providing millions of dollars in funding for new community health centers

One in five constituents in Rep. Kissell’s district is currently without health insurance. “It is distressing enough that Rep. Kissell broke his promise to support healthcare reform and voted against it, but his fear mongering tactics to scare Seniors have gone too far. I am running to represent the needs of the people of the 8th District. Given the honor to serve, I will do so with dignity, integrity and respect.” said Nancy Shakir.

Contact: Gailya Paliga, NC NOW President., (919-539-7702)

The National Organization for Women (NOW) PAC and the North Carolina NOW PAC have made endorsements for candidates for the North Carolina Primary. Local chapters and members of the NOW PAC and the NC NOW PAC evaluated the candidates’ positions on issues affecting women in North Carolina. There will be additional endorsements for the general election.

NOW PAC

U. S. Senate: Secretary of State Elaine
Marshall

Nancy Shakir for US Congress -NC 08

NC NOW PAC

North Carolina Court of
Appeals

Elmore Seat: Leto
Copeley

Calabria Seat: Judge Jane
Gray

North Carolina
Senate

32 (Forsyth): Linda
Garrou

North Carolina
House

9 (Pitt): Marian
McLawhorn

33 (Wake): Rosa
Gill

45 (Cumberland): Rick
Glazier

58 (Guilford): Alma
Adams

101 (Mecklenburg): Beverly
Earle

Jan Allen
(919) 929-6274

Sunday March 21, 2010 Greg Frederick, Campaign Manager 704 650-6009

Nancy Shakir, Democratic Candidate for Congress, NC-08
responds to passage of healthcare reform and Rep. Kissell’s vote against healthcare reform

Historic healthcare reform passes the House by a vote of 219-212 despite Rep. Kissell’s NO vote.

Fayetteville, NC – Democratic Candidate for Congress Nancy Shakir congratulates the House for passing the healthcare reform package and President Obama for his leadership in guiding this historic legislation to passage.

Healthcare reform will:

* provide coverage to 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured
* protect consumers from insurance company abuses including denial for pre-existing conditions
and dropping customers when they get sick (rescission)
* close the doughnut hole for Seniors on Medicare Part D
* reduce long term healthcare costs and significantly reduce the federal deficit
* fund community health care centers in communities around the country including several new
centers in the 8th District

The healthcare reform bill will have immediate benefits for constituents in NC-08, and around the country. It will permit young adults up to age 26 to maintain coverage on their parent’s plans, stop the practice of rescission, eliminate lifetime insurance coverage limits, restrict annual coverage limits, and immediately eliminate pre-existing coverage denials for children. Small businesses will receive tax credits to provide insurance coverage, and the bill will begin to close the doughnut hole coverage gap for Seniors. The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) predicts $138 billion in deficit reduction in the first decade after passage.

“I am thrilled that healthcare reform has passed Congress, and congratulate the President and Democrats in Congress who worked so hard to make reform a reality for the American people. I am however, extremely disappointed by Rep. Kissell’s vote against healthcare reform. I was one of many volunteers who worked hard to elect Rep. Kissell, based on his promise to support healthcare reform and other key Democratic initiatives. One in five constituents in Rep. Kissell’s district is currently without health insurance; we deserve better” said Ms. Shakir. “I am running to represent the needs of these constituents and my community in NC-08. I will stand strong in support of the change we voted for with courage and fortitude.”

Candidates speak: Choose a leader who will represent your interests

by Nancy Shakir

I am a Democrat who is running for the United States Congress in the 8th District. Although it is somewhat unusual to challenge an incumbent, I believe you will understand why this challenge is crucial and necessary.

I am a mother and a grandmother. I retired as a high school teacher and as a district-wide supervisor. My work life has included being a laundry presser, a waitress, a house cleaner, a secretary – often holding down two and sometimes 2½ jobs. Although I eventually worked in city government, worked as a manager and later as a market recruiter for a major corporation, I also was director of a community-based program that provided preschool, after-school and senior citizens programs, a women’s and children’s clinic, as well as affordable housing. My life’s work has mostly been in service – one of the highest callings I believe you can have.

Too many ‘no’ votes
I am running against the incumbent Larry Kissell for the following reasons.

He voted “no” on legislation that would have allowed people to reorganize their finances and avoid foreclosure. He voted “no” when North Carolinians and Americans were facing the worst recession this country has seen since the Great Depression. His “no” vote was a “yes” vote for family despair and homelessness.

He voted “no” on cap-and-trade, a bill that could open doors for high-paying and living-wage “green collar” jobs – a bill that could open the doors for entrepreneurs and small businesses to grow.

He voted “no” for health care, claiming he was committed to helping seniors. The AARP, which represents 40 million seniors, supports health care reform as presented by the House and the Senate. The estimated cost to seniors to get the private Medicare Advantage out of the government Medicare program while saving billions over a 10-year period is about $1.67 a month over a 10-year period.

Under pressure, our representative may change his vote this time, but I ask you, do you want someone who has to be forced to represent your best interests?

I am not merely running against the incumbent because of his “no” votes.

I am running for the people. I am running to help create job growth – jobs that provide decent, living wages. We must support small-business owners, the backbone of our nation, so they are able to stay in business and be able to pay their employees wages that allow people to take care of their families and to live in dignity.

I am running to help create and support affordable, accessible and rigorous avenues of education from pre-school through technical and college education. North Carolina produces about 6,000 fewer teachers than it needs each year. Our country has fallen to No. 10 in the world for young people holding college degrees. We have got to do better.

I am running to assure that we have access to health care for all Americans.

I am running as a true Democrat and an independent thinker. I will not tell you I stand for one set of principles, then go to Washington and vote against my commitment to you. We need to make change now – before we spend years living with uncertainty.

We all know about the three parts of government – the legislative, the judicial and the executive. But let us not forget the fourth part – the most important part – the most powerful part of our democracy. We, the people.

Please go to my Web site, www.nancyshakir fornc08.com, and vote for Nancy Shakir in the primary May 4.

Nancy Shakir is a candidate for the 8th Congressional District. She is a Democrat.

“There’s going to be plenty of pressure,” said Norman Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. “If they’re one or two or three votes short, then I think he’s going to feel a lot of heat.”

To read more, visit the Charlotte Observer.

Submitted by cutter on Mon, 03/01/2010 – 7:41pm Heath Care Kissell Nancy Shakir NC08

“I am calling Congressman Kissell’s office tomorrow and telling him that if he does not vote to support Health Care reform, my vote in the Primary is going to his opponent Nancy Shakir. These are my reasons why. First if health care reform fails, the Republicans will take over both the House and Senate after this year’s election because the Democratic base will be thoroughly demoralized and will not turn-out. Kissell will be a second term back-bencher with no influence if he wins and if the Republican candidate wins he will just be another rabid radical conservative among many. If the Democrats hold the house and Kissell wins great. Iff he does not, well the Republican winner will be a first term Congressman from the minority party, capable of embarrassing us, but not much else.
The bottom line is, the only chance we have of holding onto the House is to pass health care reform. Call your Democratic Congressman and tell them to vote for the Senate bill.”

To read more, visit bluenc.com