State senator stages pretend coup via social media

Maybe you already know the story: When Sen. Jeff Jackson, D-Mecklenburg, showed up for work at the state Legislative Building in Raleigh Tuesday morning, he didn't have much company because snow had blanketed the middle of the state.

"Due to inclement weather, I appear to be the only non-security person in the General Assembly this morning. I feel like I should hurry up and pass Medicaid expansion," tweeted Jackson, a 32-year-old former prosecutor from Charlotte.

That's more or less what Jackson did, at least in his imagination and on his Twitter and Facebook accounts. Jackson said he instituted nonpartisan redistricting, reversed a state law taking control of Charlotte's airport away from the city, expanded broadband Internet access to rural North Carolina, among other changes that generally would, if they happened in reality, move the state onto a more liberal path.

At one point, Jackson wrote that he ended a filibuster on child care subsidies because he needed a drink of water.

The humorous stunt earned Jackson praise from people who share his progressive views or who appreciate deft use of social media, and notice from people who comment on the state's political scene and had little else to chatter about Tuesday because of the weather. He was cited on the Rachel Maddow Show and written about by news and gossip website BuzzFeed, among others.

There was a little pushback from at least one conservative. "Jeff Jackson is a nice fella. But the Left's celebration of his solo act yesterday was pathetically telling," tweeted John Hood, president of the John William Pope Foundation.

Admirers, on Twitter at least, were more numerous.

"If there was a fantasy legislation league, I bet @JeffJacksonNC would be a wicked popular pick," one wrote.

"I have a new hero in @JeffJacksonNC. Happy things were getting done for my state yesterday!" another said.

There actually were a few other senators around Tuesday, including Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, and Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, from the mountains. A handful met for a pro forma but official session lasting two minutes and 38 seconds that Apodaca presided over in the absence of Lt. Gov. Dan Forest.

That provided Apodaca with an opportunity to crack a joke of his own. Apodaca said the adjournment resolution for the session was "seconded by the hardest-working Senator Jeff Jackson."

Follow the links below if you want to read more about Jackson's temporary coup. Or, search for the @JeffJacksonNC handle or #JustOneLegislator hashtag on Twitter.