We just wrapped up a live chat with Jeremy Kennedy of Protect All NC Families, to discuss the week-long fundraising blogswarm launched today. It’s a money bomb to fill the coffers for the home stretch — we need to get on the air to reach NC voters to stop the discriminatory Amendment One.

And you have responded – the campaign has raised nearly $25K $29K just from today’s efforts — $16.6K through the ActBlue page; about $3.8K from the Courage Campaign ActBlue page; and about $5K from phones and the Protect NC website with more coming in (5:28 PM ET: HRC just contacted us: $3800 is in the hopper from its e-blast) …

Here is the still-growing list of participating blogs and coverage of the money bomb:

* Americablog: This week, A Money Bomb to Help North Carolina Defeat Anti-gay Amendment 1
* Towleroad: Moneybomb: Help Defeat North Carolina’s ‘Amendment One’
* Daily Kos: This week: Netroots Money Bomb to oppose NC’s Amendment One. Scott Wooledge:

I don’t buy that North Carolinians are just too southern and can’t be reached and educated. These are pronouncements made by people who don’t live there and underestimate the North Carolina people and are more than a little condescending to the most progressive southern state, which broke for a guy named Barack Obama in 2008.

* Joe My God: LAUNCHED: NC Marriage Moneybomb
* Good As You: Six weeks to Protect NC Families #4marriageNC
* Prop 8 Trial Tracker: Why North Carolina is different–and important Jacob Combs:

Out of all the Southern states, North Carolina seems the most natural choice to reflect the growing support for marriage equality across the U.S. by bucking the tradition set by its neighbors and defeating a marriage ban.  A win for our side in North Carolina would show that the momentum for marriage equality truly is building, and that the coalition of voters from all walks of life that support the right to marry can make a difference and defeat an odious measure like Amendment One.

* Back 2 Stonewall: Help Save North Carolina’s LGBT Community From Discrimination and Bigotry! – Help Fight NC’s Amendment One!
* The Bilerico Project: North Carolina Amendment Recap & LiveChat at 3pm. Bil Browning:

The other side has launched their deceptive first web video. Meanwhile, Protect NC Families has launched videos from all five of the major statewide candidates in the NC Democratic Party opposing Amendment One. I’ll see everyone at 3pm Eastern to talk to Kennedy about the campaign so far and what’s in store for North Carolina. I’m honored to be a co-host and with Freedom to Marry ignoring the fight, it’s even more important for all of us to get heavily involved. They need our support now more than ever. If we can kill an amendment in the south, we’ll send a clear message that the days of using marriage equality as a wedge issue is over.

* The New Civil Rights Movement: Our North Carolina LGBT Friends And Families Need Your Help Right Now
* Dirt and Noise: City of Innovation in a Discriminating State
* Human Rights Campaign: Act Now: Help Defeat North Carolina’s Amendment One
* Truth Wins Out: Help Protect All North Carolina Families
* Coverage by Metro Weekly: Blogs Come Out Swinging to Help Defeat North Carolina Marriage Amendment

Early voting starts in NC on April 19, so we’re under the gun here, and I’m eternally grateful to my blogger friends for stepping up to help us in this state in 2012. President Obama won NC in 2008, and we’re seeing a strong ground presence here again (with multiple trips here to raise money, as you’d expect). His campaign considers NC a critical key to victory. And, yes, tthe campaign issued a statement saying the President specifically opposes Amendment One – which would ban same sex marriage AND civil unions. No matter where he stands on his slow-mo evolution marriage equality, he had already staked out a position in favor of civil unions, so he had no reason to avoid a public statement on the Amendment. He clearly didn’t think the base of support he needs would be threatened by such a statement — and neither should you.

Back to the work at hand — the Money Bomb.

Again, I can’t think my online peeps enough for all of your help — my blogger, Facebook and Twitter buddies have been great today, and Kate and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Our marriage — we tied the knot in Canada in 2004 — may not be recognized in North Carolina, but battle for recognition is for another day. We’ve dipped into our savings to fight Amendment One because we believe that stopping bad anti-gay efforts is just as important as battles for marriage equality. We can stop bigotry in the South, in the state that will host the Dem Convention this year. Thank you for believing, blogging and giving.

If you question whether there is broad support to defeat this, take a look at this development — John Hood, president and chairman of the John Locke Foundation, who found himself in the center of a maelstrom last week when the Meck Deck, an official blog of the Art Pope-funded organization, published an offensive post  with a racially-charged and homophobic image of President Obama (in drag with a bucket of KFC between his legs), that discussed the President’s opposition to the ballot initiative. The blogger in question,  Tara Servatius, was forced to resign and Hood tried to distance himself from the debacle.

Today Hood tried to put even more space between his foundation and his main financial backer, Art Pope, who has made his position clear on Amendment One by funding organizations and political campaigns that supported this bigoted amendment. He made this statement about A1:

I think amending North Carolina’s constitution to forbid gay and lesbian couples from receiving any future legal recognition, including civil unions, is unwise and unfair. In my opinion the real threat to marriage is not the prospect of gay people getting hitched. It is the reality of straight people too quickly resorting to divorce, or never getting hitched in the first place.

Make no mistake, this is as much about damage control for the JLF as Hoods personal view, but it does draw a line in the sand, and shows the increasingly defensive and contentious philosophical in-fighting in the NC conservative community — the social conservatives are feeling the heat as the business/country club conservatives don’t want to be tainted by the hate embodied by this Amendment. Republican U.S. Congresswoman Renee Elmers, elected in the Tea Party sweep of 2010, has also come out against the amendment, and other conservative voices, as you’ll see in a video below, are telling people to vote against it.

Art Pope, who sits on the board of his organizations and keeps them on a short leash, has a long trail of fomenting discrimination with his wallet. See the impact of his influence on Amendement One at Art Pope Exposed.

Below the fold, a full transcript (with embedded videos) of the live chat held today.

From today’s Cover It Live chat:

2:59
Joe Sudbay: Hello everyone. We’ll be starting shortly. There’s a lot happening on the NC campaign. Jeremy Kennedy will be able to give us all the latest

3:01
Jeremy Kennedy: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for joining us! Today has been very exciting- since we launched our money bomb at 9:30 am we have raised over $15K, from over 150 donors!

3:01
Comment From Scott Wooledge
Hello

3:02
Comment From Macky Alston
Hey there

3:02
Comment From Kahyara
hi

3:02
Jeremy Kennedy: I just talked to out pollster, Celinda Lake, who is very excited to join our blog call tonight. She reiterated the fact that with a fully funded campaign we absolutely have a shot to beat this amendment on May 8th!

3:02
Pam Spaulding: Hi Jeremy, thanks for joining us.

3:03
Bil Browning: Hey everyone! Thanks for agreeing to do this chat, Jeremy. Shout out to the other co-hosts too!

3:03
Comment From Kahyara
Okay what is Prop 8 about

3:03
Pam Spaulding: I want to thank each and every blog friend who has stepped up to help NC gay and lesbian couples — and all the families that will be hurt if this Amendment passes.

3:03
Comment From Lewie Wells
hello

3:04
nationhahn: We encourage you to tweet about this event using #firstinfight #nc and #amendment1

3:04
Jeremy Kennedy: The phones have been ringing off the hook all day– the $15K we have raised online does not account for the several thousand we have raised over the phone! We are off to a very strong start. Thanks so much to everyone for their support of our efforts here in NC!

3:04
Joe Sudbay: Kayhara: Prop 8 was a constitutional amendment in California that banned same-sex marriage. It’s been found unconstitutional.

3:04
Comment From Adam Bink
Hey Jeremy and all!

3:05
Comment From Mark
For those of us with limited resources for campaign donations, could you supply any reason why we should donate to NC rather than ME, MD, WA, or MN? The latter four states all seem to provide a good chance of victory. The non-Elon polling in North Carolina (that is, the firms that actually poll the question to be asked) gives a very different message, and unlike at least WA, ME, and MN, the polling suggests that a significant element of the Democratic base is actually pro-discrimination in NC. Given how expensive it is to advertise in NC, wouldn’t the movement as a whole be better off targeting its resources to states where the polls indicate a better chance of victory?

3:06
Comment From Jake Goodman
Hello all

3:07
Comment From Lewie Wells
yes, I was reading a FB post from a friend who has been facing approval of amendment 1 from what he thought was a close friend…. I loved his reply, her heterosexual marriage didnt effect him in any way, why should his marriage to his partner effect her? good point.

3:08
Comment From Lewie Wells
one note to remember on polling…… that the polls are done by people who have landline phones, most younger voters, who are sympathetic to our cause, only have cell phones, so dont let the polls keep you from donating to NC

3:08
Jeremy Kennedy: Thank you for your comment Mark. I would say that although polling does suggest that we have a tough fight on our hands, if you look deeper into the numbers we know that people do not understand what the amendment actually does. If we get the resources to get the message out that this amendment will close the door on expanding relationship recognitions to all NC couple, and takes healthcare benefits away from children, and puts domestic violence protections in jeopardy- a majority of North Carolinians are opposed to the amendment.

3:08
Clarknt67: Mark. I don’t like the juxtaposing that it’s those 4 against NC. BUT…. Some reasons to hope for NC is it’s a southern state, and a win there will resonate a lot more toward suggesting the national attitudes have changed.

Also, if you are hoping the Democrats adopt marriage equality into the platform, this being voted down, in the same state they are having the convention, 4 or 5 months before they make the decision, could really add heat to that decision. (Which is why it confuses me Freedom to Marry is not more onboard.)

ANd of course, you have 6 months to help with the other 4 fights.

3:09
Jeremy Kennedy: We must be able to do a large amount of paid communications to talk to voters- this includes TV, which as you said, is very expensive.

3:10
nationhahn: Mark, as Jeremy mentioned earlier, noted pollster Celinda Lake said a fully funded campaign in North Carolina can win. The recent Elon poll showed that an expanded and informed electorate would send the anti-LGBT amendment down in flames.

3:10
Jeremy Kennedy: North Carolina is the first fight of many this year. A victory in NC would set the momentum for all the states on the ballot in November.

3:11
AdamBink: Thanks for joining us everyone. Question for you, Jeremy: What kind of messaging does the campaign use to illustrate that Amendment One will not only hurt same-sex couples and their families, but also all North Carolinians? How can we make this about straight folks and about the state as a whole, businesses, etc.?

3:11
Comment From Jake Goodman
@Lewie’s comment about messaging: There is great research out there that says that, while that type of response is right on and logical, it doesn’t sway people who vote against LGBTQ equality for “moral” reasons. “Conflicted” people feel that they are voicing moral objections, and equality is not a “moral” response, and therefore not addressing the point, and proving to them that there is no moral argument for marriage equality.
3:11
Joe Sudbay: That’s a great point about momentum. We’ve seen a lot of momentum in NY, WA, MD and NH..but this is the first time there will be an election since Maine in Nov. of 2009

3:11
Pam Spaulding: Mark (and I am speaking as a NC resident and blogger, not for the campaign), President Barack Obama released a statement in opposition to Amendment One recently — one of the first state fights that he has done so for. If he thought there was no chance of us beating it (or alienating all these voters you suggest are for the Amendment), he wouldn’t have done so. Helping all LGBTs should not be a zero-sum game. The battle is closer than you suggest, and our major hurdle is informing people about the harms of the amendment, which is why we need those funds for this home stretch to get on the air.

3:12
Comment From Jake Goodman
There is a great study done called “My Mind Was Changed,” which (based on research) offers three moral frames to use in conversation when speaking to conflicted Christians, specifically.
3:13
Jeremy Kennedy: @Adam: it is absolutely true that this amendment does not only harm same-sex couple in NC. The amendment defines marriage between a man and a woman as the only legal domestic union recognized by the state. This means that ANY unmarried couple, regardless of gender will be put at risk.

3:14
Comment From Margaret
Jeremy, I just spoke to someone from the eastern part of the state who wasn’t even aware of the amendment. Will we be able to spread the word all over? Is there an attempt to get things printed in local papers for example? I understand we’ve hopefully got commercials in the works soon.

3:15
Jeremy Kennedy: The great news is that a majority of NC voters favor extending relationship recognitions, whether civil unions or domestic partnerships, to gay and lesbian couples.

3:15
nationhahn: One important note – John Hood, the leading NC conservative and head of our in state version of the Heritage Foundation, publicly condemned the amendment today: http://www.carolinajournal.com/jhdailyjournal/display_jhdailyjournal.html?id=8906

3:15
Bil Browning: We can see that trend nationwide too. The polling just keeps looking better for us and the numbers from NC are very encouraging.

3:15
Jeremy Kennedy: @Margaret: We are working on producing TV ads now. That is why it is so important to have the funding to buy the time.

3:15
AdamBink: Thanks, Jeremy. I would also add on the polling side: polls that poll specific amendment language are obviously critical. If in addition to that you showed me a poll that asked “do you want to ban civil unions and domestic partnerships and marriage for same-sex couples?” and 64% said yes, I would say we are in deep trouble. That’s not what happened, though, and the Elon poll shows if we can link a No vote with fairness and a Yes vote with homophobia, that’s what people will remember in the voting booth. That’s what they will tell their family and friends. Remember how many people walk into the voting booth with an intent to vote regardless of what they read on the screen. Our mission is to link what Yes and No mean.

3:16
Comment From R
Any clue on how Obama rationalizes coming out against NC’s amendment 1, but refusing to come out in favor of gay marriage?

3:16
Comment From Lewie Wells
theres a similar amendment in ohio, and lawyers there are using the loopholes in the language to overturn domestic violence convictions against women. This thing is so poorly written and vague that many woman and children are going to be harmed. In their attempt to limit same gender marriage, they were FAR too sweeping in the language of this thing.

3:16
Clarknt67: Jake, my understanding is Protect NC has a strong faith outreach coalition, maybe Jeremy & Nation could discuss that?

3:18
Pam Spaulding: Margaret, earlier this year, Jen Jones from the ProtectNC communications team, ran Race To the Ballot, literally running across the state to educate voters about the amendment. She hit many small towns east and west and you can learn more about that here: http://www.racetotheballot.com/

3:18
Clarknt67: Wow, I didn’t realize Hood was the head of the local Heritage Foundation (a very nasty conservative group, fyi). That’s huge. Will he be asked to resign by the national group?

3:18
Jeremy Kennedy: @Clark: absolutely. We have an innovative and aggressive faith outreach program. In fact, the NC Council of Churches has joined our Coalition. Our Faith Outreach Director has been working for months to put together a coalition of faith leaders across all denominations, with over 250 signed on as of now.

3:18
Comment From Jill Barkley
I’ve head that are consequences for victims of domestic violence if this amendment passes – how so?

3:19
Jeremy Kennedy: @Jill- when a similar amendment passed in Ohio, 27 cases of DV were overthrown by lower courts- the same thing could happen here.

3:19
Comment From JT
Will same-sex couples be featured in the TV ads, Jeremy? Having followed this campaign, I’m concerned about what some have suggested — that this campaign is putting people back in the closet.

3:19
Comment From Jake Goodman
Scott, that would be great, I would love to hear about Protect NC’s faith outreach coalition, which I know Ryan is heading up.

3:20
nationhahn: @Jill – more information on the domestic violence harms

http://nccadv.org/legislative_agenda.htm

3:20
Jeremy Kennedy: @JT: we are still putting together the ads, but we are working with several same sex couple who will be affected by the amendment.

3:20
Pam Spaulding: R: The President’s position is not in conflict (from his POV). He has not come out in favor of marriage equality, but has been in favor of civil unions. Amendment One even bans those. So politically, there was no reason, since he set that precedent, to be silent on Amendment One. That said, he’s now in a tough position re: his evolution on marriage equality because of the pressure to make it a plank in the Dem platform. With that in mind, they are two separate issues.

3:21
Comment From Jill Barkley
Yikes! Keep up the good work!

3:21
Jeremy Kennedy: @Jill- thanks so much for your support!

3:22 Pam Spaulding:
A public town hall stop in Bakersville, NC, provided an eye-opening, two-hour discussion during which citizens on both sides of the Amendment One debate came together for a night of conversations:

3:22
Comment From Margaret
I’d like to sneak in a big “thank you” to all of you working so diligently to defeat the amendment. :O

3:22
Comment From snt
why has NC orgs who are leading this campaign ignoring eastern nc.. while protectnc and equality nc in the west and college town Vote4marriage has been in the east getting them to vote for, so why are you ignoring eastern nc????

3:22
nationhahn: Thank you, Margaret!

3:22
Jeremy Kennedy: @Margaret- thank you so much!

3:23
Clarknt67: I think re: Obama and marriage equality, its best to be gracious for his announcement of explicit condemnation on the amendment, and not be seen attacking him on trip on the evolutionary scale. Being seen as attacking Obama all not help win over the voters that Protect NC needs to be in their camp.

3:23
nationhahn: @snt – we had 46 stops across the state with Race to the Ballot and we’ve held events throughout the East.

3:24
Jeremy Kennedy: @snt- we definitely know how important the east is in this fight! We are working with several local groups to reach out to the voters there. I would love to hear your ideas. I know that our campus outreach program is working very closely with students at ECU to put together events to get out the vote there.

3:24
Joe Sudbay: Jeremy, it’s pretty clear, based on all the activity today, that the LGBT blogosphere is delivering in a big way. and, it sure seems like you’ve got momentum. So, have the major LGBT groups and major LGBT donors been doing their part?

3:25
Pam Spaulding: The video is of a town hall in a conservative town in NC. The discussions have been civil and people of all political stripes went to learn about A1.

3:25
Comment From Dan
Jeremy and Coalition leaders, I applaud your inclusivity and uncompromising leadership. Do you see a role for military families in this effort? There are some military bases in the Tarheel state, I’m wondering how a military person might get involved?

3:25
Comment From snt
@nationhahn name the events, @kennedy the anti-gay folks have been all over the east..

3:25
Comment From Margaret
Regarding the east (and other areas?), if local papers and TV stations don’t report on the events, people can easily not know about them. Is there a way to try to get the issue discussed in the local papers? Editorials, letters to the editors, etc?

3:26
nationhahn: Please consider donating to defeat #amendment1. Our page is #1 on ActBlue for the day: https://secure.actblue.com/page/ncmoneybomb

3:27
Jeremy Kennedy: @Joe- honestly, the only major national org that has helped us is HRC. They have been with us from the beginning and has invested very heavily here- in both staff and financial resources! As far as national donors, I am disappointed with their engagement so far. I think many see NC as a lost cause and an effort not worth investing in…I would love to see them change their minds!

3:27
Comment From chris
I think a critical distinction need be made regarding the verbage “marriage” vs. other form of legally recognized union. I am hearing many people opposed to gays marrying, but feel it would be ok for them to have the same benefits etc. People don’t realize this amendment so broad/far reaching-

3:27
nationhahn: @Joe – Jeremy and I should note that the Courage Campaign sent an email for us today and Freedom to Marry has offered to send one tomorrow to their NC list.

3:27
Pam Spaulding: I think it’s also important to stress that many faith communities are participating – and Dr. Rev. William Barber of the NC NAACP has written a strong letter condemning Amendment One and urges North Carolinians to vote against it on May 8: http://goo.gl/Aj1cx A reminder: Early voting starts in NC on April 19, so we need your help to get on the air now: https://secure.actblue.com/page/ncmoneybomb

3:28
Comment From Paul
The polling on the ACTUAL language that will confront voters polls at 56% and a scant 36% for. Regardless of how much education you do, we know that voters changed their tune when they walk into the ballot box. Why not challenge the law legally instead?

3:28
Comment From Jen Jones
I was in the East for two weeks holding events and talks in Oxford, Drewry, Rocky Mount, Elizabeth City, Morehead City, Greenville, Fayetteville & Wilmington and will be heading back in the next couple of weeks for talks in Kitty Hawk, Greenville, Rocky Mount, Moore County, and more.

3:29
Jeremy Kennedy: @chris- absolutely! Regardless of whether this amendment passes or fails in NC, same sex marriage will still be illegal. But- if the amendment passes, the door will be closed on the state ever expanding other benefits and protections to same sex couples.

3:29
nationhahn: If you are on Daily Kos I would recommend, ahem, recommending Scott Wooledge’s blog http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/26/1077864/-This-week-Netroots-Money-Bomb-to-oppose-NC-s-Amendment-One

3:30
Pam Spaulding: “A vote on the same sex marriage amendment has nothing to do with your personal opinion on same sex marriage but everything to do with whether or not you believe discrimination should be codified and legalized constitutionally.” – Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, president of the North Carolina NAACP

3:30
Comment From Margaret
Thank you Jen!

3:30
Clarknt67: @Dan, I can tell you I have spoken to Outserve’s NC local chapter head, and they are interested in helping, to the best of their ability as active members (rules are less stringent for families, especially non-legally recognized families, so, that’s good to know). Their chapter is here. http://outservenc.org/

3:30
Joe Sudbay: Scott Wooledge gets under the skin of the haters. They went nuts over one of his earlier posts! http://gay.americablog.com/2012/03/another-indication-we-can-win-in-north.html

3:31
Jeremy Kennedy: @paul- the fight immediately in front of us is to not allow the amendment to ever pass. Polling is a snapshot in time…I believe that we still have time to get the message to voters that this amendment causes actual HARMS and does nt “protect” anyone.

3:32
AdamBink: Jeremy + Nation, can you give us a look at a day or week in the life of the campaign. Obviously today the focus is on fundraising. What kind of programs do you have going on the rest of the week? What will this week’s contributions be spent on in addition to getting first TV ads up?

3:33
Comment From JT
Jeremy, the emphasis of the “harms” of the amendment has been a constant theme from what ProtectNCFamilies has done, but why has the “harms” focus been entirely on straight couples? If only 37 percent of NCians want to ban all legal recognition for same-sex couples, why is this campaign not focusing on the real intent of this amendment: to harm same-sex couples and target the LGBT community?

3:33
Comment From snt
well jen those event must have been very low key since they weren’t on FB or PRONC website.

3:34
Comment From Jen Jones
Thank YOU @Margaret, we appreciate the support. We’ll need others like you to spread the word over the next several weeks about harms to all unmarried NC families.

3:34
Pam Spaulding: Chris, you’re right. The intent of the extremists in the NC Gen Assembly was to hurt gay and lesbian couples, to deny them ANY legal recognition. The fact that it is so poorly written that it ropes in and will affect hundreds of thousands of heterosexual couples was not on their minds at the time, and what we have is a ballot initiative that will create a legal morass for decades (or until the U.S. Supreme Court rules these bans are unconstitutional).

3:34
Jeremy Kennedy: @Adam: I want to highlight the 7 seven field offices across the state, which over 30 staff on the ground who are working hard everyday with several thousand volunteers. We are currently calling voters almost every night of the week. To date, we have made almost 50,000 calls.

3:34
Comment From TracyH
Is the Coalition going to this event in Wake Forest tomorrow, to get the inside scoop into the pro campaign? http://www.sebts.edu/news-resources/headlines/articles/Marriage%20Amendment%20Forum.aspx

3:35
nationhahn: We are at many events tracking the other side. Tonight we will be at Meredith College who is hosting a forum that Pam Spaulding is speaking at!

3:35
Pam Spaulding: Sorry Nation – I will not be able to make that Meridith panel.

3:36
Comment From TracyH
Sorry, I mean it’s Wednesday at 10am… with Paul Stam, Tami Fitzgerald, and others — re whether it is biblical and proper for Christians to seek to amend a state constitution in order to protect the institution of marriage. Does not appear to be balanced.

3:36
Jeremy Kennedy: @JT: we have made an attempt to make it clear that the harms from the amendment affect both straight and LGBT couples. We have found that because of the makeup of the electorate in May, we much use the broadest message to target those voters.

3:36
Joe Sudbay: just checked the actblue page. The total is $13,920 from 177 donors. Wow. And, you’re getting other donations from this money bomb, too, right?

3:36
Clarknt67: @JT, I would point you to the AZ amendment fight in 2006. It’s the little remembered one that our side actually did win. And part of why we won it was, because like NC Amendment, it was very broad, and threatened straight people’s relationships as well.

They narrowed the focus to just gay people and passed an amendment in 2008.

There is a sad reality that most of the voters are straight, and will care most about their own relationship and rights.

3:36
Jeremy Kennedy: Nice! Thanks so much to everyone!

3:37
Comment From Jen Jones
Don’t worry @PamSpaulding, we’ll be there. Join us at #A1debate

3:37
nationhahn: Right! We’ve received many thousands more in donations online and via the phone already. We’re entering those in over the rest of the day.

3:37
Pam Spaulding: JT: if you visit the Protect NC Families YouTube channel, there are a lot of videos opposing Amendment One that specifically address the harms to lesbian and gay couples. http://www.youtube.com/user/ProtectNCFamilies?feature=watch

3:38
Joe Sudbay: update: broke $14K!

3:38
Comment From chris
@JT I would think it’s kind of a fighting fire with fire. People who are ok with gays and the idea of gay marriage are not the target audience- need focus on the outliers- and message needs to be like a net

3:38
Comment From Thom Watson
FYI, I’ve posted about the moneybomb on Marriage Equality USA’s twitter feed and national FB page and will continue to do so throughout the week.

3:38
Comment From TracyH
How about doing a video on why conservatives are against amendment one?

3:39
nationhahn: Thank you, Thom!

3:39
Jeremy Kennedy: @Joe- we have raised an additional 5K from the phones and directly through our website! Making the total $19 K so far!

3:39
Jeremy Kennedy: @Thom- thank you!

3:39
nationhahn: The leading conservative attorney in the state recorded a video against the amendment, watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrNCGn0fz50&context=C4cb832dADvjVQa1PpcFOGPfTvbQdQc8_tF-j6BkuIC4zUQ4bF94Q=

3:39
Comment From Margaret
TracyH, I agree. Great idea.

3:40
nationhahn: Russell Robinson is also the chairman of the Board of Trustees at Duke University and literally wrote the book on corporate law in North Carolina!

3:40
Pam Spaulding: One pol running for NC Senate, Mike Woodard, specifically discusses the effect of Amendment One on same-sex couples as well as the impact on domestic violence laws.

3:40

3:40
nationhahn: Please keep spreading the word about the moneybomb! https://secure.actblue.com/page/ncmoneybomb

3:40
protectallNCfamilies: @TracyH, we have a great video from a conservative perspective from the grandson of the constitution drafter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrNCGn0fz50

3:42
AdamBink: We at Courage Campaign are proud to have our first page up in support of the campaign with $3,000 raised from 126 Courage members. https://secure.actblue.com/page/couragefornc This comes on top of the $14K from the moneybomb. Great job everyone!

3:42
Comment From TracyH
@protectallNCFamilies… great… will watch that. The Coalition is doing a great job getting endorsements against A1 and videos out there. I did a video on Saturday to give ppl hope that we can defeat A1 to give them motivation to volunteer to at least do reminder calls.

3:42
Jeremy Kennedy: @adam- thanks so much to you and the Courage Campaign!

3:42
nationhahn: Thank you, Adam! We are so excited by the support it has received from Courage Campaign members!

3:43
protectallNCfamilies: Thanks so much @AdamBink. Your work will make a huge difference in getting PANCF on the airwaves and educating North Carolinians all across the state.

3:43
Joe Sudbay: Chris Geidner has a great article up at Metro Weekly on the money bomb: http://www.metroweekly.com/poliglot/2012/03/blogs-come-out-swinging-to-hel.html

3:43
Comment From Margaret
I worry that so many of the great videos are stuck “preaching to the choir.” How best to get them in front of people who would never go to the protect website?

3:43
Clarknt67: If I may say, many of the questions asked demonstrate why Protect NC needs money.

They have already assembled the objections from people of faith, people of color, gay couples, military and conservatives and other constituencies the people are asking about.

Now, they need the money to make sure everyone in the state knows it.

3:43
Bil Browning: Speaking of HRC being the only national LGBT org to help out, they bought an ad on Bilerico today to support Protect All NC Families. They bought out the entire space for a week. It’s not much in the grand scheme of things, but they’re putting their money where their mouth is. Are they placing ads elsewhere to help the campaign?

3:44
nationhahn: @Margaret – we push the videos via earned media and email. We will also be purchasing online video time via YouTube and others.

3:44
Comment From TracyH
@AdamBink, nice! Thanks for the Courage Campaign’s support. Note that the Unitarian Universalist Associations’ Standing on the Side of Love campaign is another nat’l org who is supporting the Coalition.

3:44
Comment From Margaret
Thanks, nation.

3:44
Pam Spaulding: No word, Bil, of any ad on PHB.

3:45
Jeremy Kennedy: @Bil– I talked to them yesterday, and yes- they are placing ads in several places. I will follow up and find out where exactly. Just to put in perspective, to put a dollar figure on HRC and all of their help- it would be well over $150K at this point…

3:45
nationhahn: We have raised over $6,000 from our own website since the email went out as well.

3:45
Comment From Jake Goodman
I have to say, I am so impressed with all that Protect NC Families is doing!

3:46
nationhahn: Thank you, Jake!

3:46
Pam Spaulding: I also want to that James Protzman of BlueNC, who has generously donated and has been blogging HARD about A1, and the forces behind it: http://bluenc.com/moneybomb-stop-amendment-one-begins-today

3:46
Jeremy Kennedy: @Jake Thank you so much!

3:47
Clarknt67: I want to report that American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) expressed their intention to engage at the screening of “Bully” Tuesday night. I got that from Ted Olsen & David Boies’ mouths.

3:48
Comment From TracyH
@Clark, what do you mean to “engage” and where is Bully being screened?

3:48
Bil Browning: Thanks Nation. It’s good to see them investing in North Carolina. As someone from a red state, I doubt the other groups will bother with Indiana’s amendment either. While it doesn’t go to the ballot this year, it looks likely it will in 2013. I’ve heard rumblings the pols there like the idea of putting it on the primary ballot. Guess where they got THAT idea? Even more reason to squash NC’s amendment now!

3:48
Bil Browning: Whoops. Sorry. Jeremy. Not Nation.

3:49
nationhahn: Exactly, Bil! If we win in NC then we have the other side on the run. This is our moment.

3:49
Jeremy Kennedy: I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to everyone for joining us today! The momentum for our campaign is so exciting. In 6 weeks from tomorrow, I believe that we can give our opposition a real run for their money.

3:49
Joe Sudbay: thank you for joining us, Jeremy, Nation and Jen. Keep up the great work!

3:49
Clarknt67: David in particular I was speaking to, and he wasn’t specific on what their engagement would be, but expressed that AFER considered all the ballot measures an important component they would be helping with, including NC.

3:50
Joe Sudbay: The ActBlue page just hit 14380. Every time I refresh, there’s more!

3:50
Jeremy Kennedy: I really feel the key ingredient to all of this is being fully funded– so thank you for continuing to hit this home!

https://secure.actblue.com/page/ncmoneybomb

3:50
Clarknt67: Oops and Bully starts in select theaters on Friday. You can check their website if one is near you. http://thebullyproject.com/

3:51
Joe Sudbay: Thanks to my cohosts today: Pam, Scott, Adam, Bil…they’re all kicking butt on this one!

3:51
Jeremy Kennedy: To put things in perspective, most of the other states who lost these fights did not have the resources necessary to educate voters and to turn out the votes. We can be different here in NC- we are different.

3:51
Jeremy Kennedy: Thanks so much everyone!

3:51
nationhahn: Bye y’all. Thank you for everything! @protectNC #firstinfight on Twitter! The moneybomb is here: https://secure.actblue.com/page/ncmoneybomb

3:52
Bil Browning: Thanks so much for doing this, Jeremy. I’d like to echo Joe in thanking the co-hosts as well. Together, we can win this!

3:52
Comment From Margaret
Thank you all!

3:52
Clarknt67: thanks for joining us.

3:52
Jeremy Kennedy: Joe, Adam, Scott, Pam, Bill– could NOT do this without you. Many thanks!

3:52
AdamBink: Off we go!

3:52
Pam Spaulding: I chime in to agree with Jeremy – this is about getting on the air. Flyers, yard signs and person-to-person contact has been out there, but we all know the reach of a radio or TV ad reaches WAY more people in 30 seconds. Your help so far on this #moneybomb has been great!

3:52
Comment From TracyH
@Jeremy, can you talk about how many vol’s we need for the reminder calls starting 4/19 and the plan to recruit them? I want to add that to the video we just did with Eric Preston at UUFR.

3:53
Jeremy Kennedy: @Tracy– talk to Adam L. about this please.

3:54
Jeremy Kennedy: Goodbye everyone– I gotta get back on the p

3:54
Joe Sudbay: ok, everyone..signing off. Thanks again. Let’s go WIN!

3:54
Comment From TracyH
@Jeremy, ok great… will check my email… have one from him!

3:54
Jeremy Kennedy: signing off