GoFundMe page criticizes Burr and DeVos

A GoFundMe campaign criticizing Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., for his support of Betsy DeVos — President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education — has received over $6,300 in donations in five days, with the Senate voting on her confirmation Tuesday. 

The campaign, "Buy Senator Richard Burr's Vote," said Burr's office ignores constituents, called DeVos unqualified for the position of Secretary of Education and criticized the senator for accepting over $43,200 in campaign donations from DeVos. 

“Betsy DeVos gave $43,200 to Senator Richard Burr’s reelection campaign, and got a Cabinet seat in return,” the GoFundMe page reads. “Meanwhile, as many North Carolina citizens know first-hand, Burr consistently fails to answer constituent concerns.”

The campaign, created by state residents Eunice Chang and Lekha Shupeck, plans to donate any money raised to the Public School Forum of North Carolina, a nonpartisan group that advocates for public schools. 

Shupeck, a recent UNC Ph.D. recipient in history, said they created the campaign wanting to center on DeVos’ nomination.

“We really think that she is not going to be a good advocate for public schools,” she said.

Shupeck said she and Chang hoped to also emphasize the issue of campaign finance — and that DeVos' campaign contributions could lead to Burr's support and vote. 

“Meanwhile, at least hundreds, probably thousands of actual North Carolina citizens are calling his office every day to say that they do not think she is a good nominee, that she is not actually going to do good things for North Carolina public schools, and we get ignored," she said. 

Frank Baumgartner, a UNC political science professor, said for families like Devos' with billions or hundreds of millions of dollars, $43,200 is small change.

“There’s kind of a new level now of money in certain families or corporations, where there’s so much money that they’re giving to so many people that many elected officials can be seen to have some debt to them" he said. "And that’s really corrosive for our democracy." 

Baumgartner said the campaign won't likely affect Burr’s vote on DeVos’ confirmation and may offend him, causing him to stand his ground. However, he doesn’t believe this was the campaign’s true purpose.

“I think it’s about generating political heat, generating a political price to pay for all those senators,” he said.

Andrew Perrin, a UNC sociology professor, said protest movements often have to decide between using tactics that are well-understood and trying to be creative or innovative.

“Social movements are always trying to figure out how best to manage that distinction,” he said. “I think that what we know is that tactics that are creative and get a degree of buzz to them and get noticed, do tend to be relatively successful.”

Perrin said the tactic picks up on different pieces of the political climate.

“They’re bringing together resources from different parts of the political world, and that’s an interesting way for them to try to innovate,” he said.

@beccaheilman

state@dailytarheel.com