But maybe the most remarkable thing about the USS North Carolina is that over the course of the war, the Japanese claimed that they’d been able to sink her at least six times. But each and every time they thought that they’d finally bested one of the finest ships in the American fleet, they were wrong—despite numerous close calls, quick responses from her crew always kept her afloat, and by the time the war ended, the North Carolina had only lost ten men out of a crew of more than 2,000.
In a war against hatred, imperialism, and fascism, the USS North Carolina persevered and helped make the difference. It’s only fitting that she was christened to honor the Old North State.
See, the state of North Carolina has had a lot of close calls, too. There have been plenty of times when you could be forgiven for thinking that we were well and truly sunk—but quick thinking from visionary leaders was always able to turn us around. We’ve been fortunate to have Democrats like Jim Hunt and Terry Sanford at the helm of our ship of state to steer us away from Republican mismanagement and to lead us in making new investments in education, technology, finance, and all the other things that have made us an economic powerhouse.
Just like the USS North Carolina, we’ve been unsinkable, no matter the odds.
But here’s the thing about unsinkable ships (and states): nothing is unsinkable by design. Just ask the crew of the Titanic. Every time we have avoided disaster, it’s been because we had leaders at the helm who knew how to chart the right course, who believed in our people, who believed in the good that government could do and in what our state could become. Unsinkable is a choice we make, and if we aren’t careful, our state will make the wrong choice.
We’ve had different folks at the helm over the last fifteen years of Republican control in the General Assembly, and in that time, we’ve let the investments that made North Carolina great slip away. Much of our state has been left behind in the process, and the resulting divides have left us teetering on a precipice. We will either succumb to division and hatred or fight like hell and triumph against them—and it’s up to us which
That’s why it’s so important that we have the resources we need to get out to every part of North Carolina this year and make sure voters know that Democrats are the party with a real vision for governing, for investing in our communities, and for making our neighbors’ lives better. That’s why it’s so important that we continue to elect visionary leaders who will steer us away from the brink of disaster. Just because we’ve survived them before doesn’t mean the threats we face again and again are any less urgent.
The forces of hate, division, and fascism won’t go away on their own. We must combat them in every generation. We must persevere, just like the Battleship North Carolina. And we can only do it by standing together. John, can I count on you to stand with this campaign—and with the Democrats who are working to keep our ship of state unsinkable—by supporting us however you can today? Any contribution you can make helps.
