The Case Against Sen. Richard Burr (R) - NC

North Carolina Senator Richard Burr is up for reelection in 2010.  Personally, I think it's critical for North Carolina, and the nation, that he be defeated.  Republicans in the Senate are, to be blunt, doing more damage to our ability to govern ourselves and address serious social and economic problems than the terrorists they are supposedly such experts at defeating.  Whether it's health care reform, dealing responsibly with our economic woes, or just not being evil they are doing everything in their power (lying, distorting, filibustering, etc.) to prevent any progress in improving the lives and livelihoods of working Americans.  For that reason alone, I'm opposed to any Republican winning any election. Following is a list of the most obvious reasons we need a new another Democratic Senator from NC in place of Burr:

1. He's part of the Republican health care reform roadblock. His website deliberately distorts the the current proposal as "government-run health care."
2. He favors a Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage.
3. He voted against the Lily Ledbetter Pay Act.
4. He supports the privatization of Social Security.
5. Reaction to the 2008 Banking Crisis was to panic and tell his wife to start withdrawing as much as possible from their bank. Personally undertaking a course of action that, if practiced by all, would have lead to a real run on banks, exacerbating the crisis and accelerating path to another Great Depression.
6. He is pro-life and supports the death penalty.  (Putting the "moron" back in "oxymoron".)
7. He voted against the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009.
8. He supports easing federal restrictions on purchase and possession of guns and legislation that would protect manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers of firearms from civil lawsuits by crime victims.
9. Last but by no means least: that bill to extend unemployment benefits that Bunning was holding up, 19 Republicans voted against it when it finally came to a vote.  One of them was Burr.  There are about 400,000 unemployed in NC.  Just sayin'.

Burr is probably the Republican in the most precarious position for reelection this year but recently he's been gaining over potential Democratic candidates in the polls.  (Carolinians, WTF?)

Elaine Marshall, NC's current Secretary of State, is the leading Democratic candidate.  Here's hoping whoever wins the Democratic primary, Marshall or any one of the others, can unseat Burr when the time comes.

All the information in this post is sourced from OpenSecrets.org, Wikipedia, WRAL.com, newsobserver.com, firedoglake.com, Project Vote Smart, & Burr's webpage.