Attention Detroit automakers:

The Michigan lottery is up to $146 million.

Just thought you guys might be interested in seeing how the majority of hard-working Americans attempt to finance their "bail out".

two weeks later...

My, but it has been a while.

I'll go ahead and apologize in advance for any typos. I (ironically) broke my "W" key a couple of weeks ago, and while it still works, it takes some effort to use, and sometimes it gets skipped over.

So... how bout that election?

I guess to say that I was surprised about anything would be false. I knew, whether I admitted it or not, that any Republican candidate would have an uphill battle to fight this year. But I really let myself get my hopes up about the North Carolina gubernatorial race. After all of the debates, the interviews, and the endorsements, I was just sure that anyone who had been paying attention to the candidates -- not the parties -- would be voting for Pat McCrory.

I was almost right. Madeline Shoemaker, the grassroots coordinator for the McCrory campaign did the math and found out that McCrory received 1,115,861 votes from non-straight ticket voters, whereas Beverly Perdue only received 857,546. Perdue, who distanced herself as much as possible from Barack Obama during the campaign should be falling all over herself to thank him for that win.

I've always been against straight-ticket voting. This is not something that I am suddenly against this year because of this particular election. I have never voted straight-ticket, and I have never suggested that anyone vote straight-ticket. It encourages uninformed voting, which is something else that I am very much against.

There's no doubt that there was a lot of that going on during this election. Every polling place I went to had Obama workers handing out little yellow cards with instructions on "How the vote for change". Step one was to vote for Barack Obama, step two was to vote straight ticket Democrat, and step three was to vote for a list of liberal judges (as those races are "non-partisan").

Voting straight-ticket Democrat in North Carolina is NOT voting fo change at the state level. Our Democratic governors have done a great job over the years of running our state into the ground. Pat McCrory was change.

The presidential election was Obama's before he even won the primary. Whichever candidate had won the Democratic primary was going to be our next president. We can thank George W. Bush and the rest of the big-government Republicans for that one. As much as I hate to admit it when the far-right is right, the Obama victory should (theoretically) promote change in the Republican Party. The idea of another Ronald Reagan isn't that exciting, but perhaps it's time for a Barry Goldwater?

Likewise, I was going to be happy regardless of who won our Senate race. Elizabeth Dole deserved to lose. Sure, she was going to be another GOP vote in the Senate, but she was nothing more than an opportunist when it came to running in North Carolina. Kay Hagan's victory will give the NC GOP a chance to put a real North Carolinian up against her in 2014.

But Pat McCrory was a victim of bad Republicans and uninformed voting. He ran a positive campaign about the issues, and North Carolinians showed that it pays to go negative (or hire Andy Griffith). I was at the election night party in Charlotte, and aside from the actual act of conceding itself, the most heartbreaking aspect was in Pat McCrory's concession speech when he brought up his positive campaign and appeared to realize, in front of our very eyes, that perhaps refusing to run attack ads had hurt him.

I know that at times I fall back on the Republican cliche attack system (such as the "Respect your president?" sign from the last post), but in all honesty I'm not that person. There are much more important things in politics than party politics. I want North Carolina and the United States to move forward and succeed -- I would never want for things to go horribly wrong just so the person from the other party will look bad or be impeached/voted out of office. I believe that both Barack Obama and Bev Perdue have our country's best interests in mind, which is why they worked so hard to get elected. We simply have different ideas of how to move our country/state forward.

If things really are better off four years from now, I will be the first to admit it. I want to see economic growth, but not at the expense of our country's brightest minds. I will not blindly support a Republican in 2012 simply for the fact that he or she is a Republican. I will look at who I feel will continue to move our country in the right direction. If Bev Perdue is the better candidate, then she will be able to count on my support. Let's face it, if the gubernatorial election had come down to Perdue vs. Fred Smith (McCrory's major opponent in the primary), I very likely would have voted for Libertarian Mike Munger.

I will respect Barack Obama as my president, and I will respect Bev Perdue as my governor. But I will also be watching them closely to make sure that they are not taking advantage of their positions -- just as I do with any leader, regardless of their party.

And you best believe I'll be leading the revolution if ever one is necessary.

because it's been that kind of day week

Bev Perdue -- already looking at wallpaper patterns for the governor's mansion?

This morning, both gubernatorial candidates Bev Perdue and Pat McCrory appeared on the Brad & Britt show on FM Talk 101.1 WZTK in NC.

The main difference between the two interviews? Pat McCrory actually told people why they should vote for him and asked for their vote, while Bev Perdue made several statements letting us know that she expects to be coronated on November 4th rather than elected.

One guy called to talk about vouchers and his problem with the Durham County school system, and her answer was that he should come visit her once she is governor so they can talk about the problem in that system. No answers, just an assumption that she will be governor.

And even if that were a valid response, does that guy really expect her to give him the time of day once she takes office?

Perdue's attack ads about garbage are... garbage.

Well what do you know…

Bev Perdue has been running negative ads against Pat McCrory that accuse him of wanting to let New Jersey and New York dump their trash in North Carolina. Her reason for running this ad? A $1000 contribution made to Pat McCrory from “an individual connected to a North Carolina waste management company”. Because of this single contribution, Perdue has concluded that Pat McCrory must be in the back pocket of “Big Garbage”, and has run numerous ads about this very issue.

Interestingly enough, it seems Bev Perdue is being quite hypocritical in this respect. Perdue recently received a $4000 contribution from Tonio Burgos of New Jersey, the owner of a lobbying firm that represents Sims Hugo Neu, a company which has been planning to build a landfill in Brunswick County.

Huh.

You know, this isn’t even about the issue of allowing landfills in North Carolina. I personally think that such an issue should be left up to the communities they affect. If the people of Brunswick County think that it would be best for their local economy to build a landfill, then what business is it of mine in Guilford County? Likewise, why does is this Raleigh’s business? Why should Brunswick County forgo what they think may be a lucrative contract because Big Brother in Raleigh has decided to limit what businesses are allowed in our state?

That’s not even what this argument is about. Perdue is not attacking McCrory’s views on the issue, she’s attacking the fact that he accepted $1000 from someone connected to NC waste management. And yet, she is the candidate who accepted four times that amount from someone in New Jersey with a fiscal interest in North Carolina’s waste management system.

As SNL’s Amy Poehler would say – “REALLY, Bev Perdue? Do you REALLY want to make that argument? Huh!”

New McCrory ad highlights major newspaper endorsements

I saw this new ad for gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory this morning while getting ready for work. Ironically, it aired right after one of Bev Perdue's negative ads which accuses McCrory of being a "danger" to North Carolina.

I personally love the fact that McCrory has been able to do so well in this race regardless of the negative ads that Perdue runs against him, and he has somehow managed to not sink to her level in the advertising game. This most recent ad, like all of his others, highlights his strong points without attacking his opponent -- a stark contrast to all of Perdue's ads, which solely target McCrory rather than provide any good reason to elect her to our highest office.

education issues in the final debate

I wasn't aware that the 4-day work week was an issue, but apparently it is, and Perdue is against it. She doesn't think it will work in NC, but she wants to do as much business as possible online.

McCrory is also against it, but he wants to change the culture of arrogance where no one dares question the state government's decisions.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

McCrory thinks that letting DC tell us how to run our local schools is wrong. Communities, principals, and teachers need to have more control over education, not bureaucrats.

SCHOOL VOUCHERS

McCrory -- on a limited basis, especially for special needs children, need a choice

Perdue -- "the only person on the platform standing between the people and vouchers". Is that supposed to be a good thing? This is why I don't want our health care to be socialized -- look at how powerless we are in the education system!

Energy, illegal immigrants, gas tax

Best part of the debate so far -- Perdue was telling us why she is qualified to handle water shortages in NC by saying that she has handled this most recent shortage. Munger just called her out by stating that she has been Lt. Gov. for 8 years and we have had many shortages, and he asked why she hasn't done anything earlier. The whole room just burst into applause.

THE GAS TAX

Bev Perdue states that the tax is so high, and that's why she supports "a freeze on gasoline". She wants us to come up with a different way of financing roads in NC instead of the gas tax, but she doesn't give an example.

McCrory says the gas tax is too high, but he would rather cut the income tax before cutting the gas tax, as that will affect many more people. He also thinks the Highway Trust Fund has been abused and wants to stop that in the state legislature.

SHOULD NC COLLEGE ADMIT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

Perdue would rather discuss the gas tax.

McCrory doesn't want illegals to attend our universities, those slots should be left open for NC residents, especially since our university system has been strained (esp. during hard economic times).

Munger thinks we should admit them, because apparently illegals that don't go to college get into drugs. Ehhh....

ENERGY

McCrory believes in off-shore drilling and natural gas. The number one issue is jobs, and those should be created through our energy policy.

Perdue refuses to address off-shore drilling because Congress has repealed the moratorium, and therefore it doesn't matter what she thnks. McCrory rebuted and pointed out that the states will still have some control over whether this is drilling off the coast of NC -- Perdue just doesn't want to have to take a stance.

Health care -- illegal immigration

The current question is the affordability of health care. McCrory wants to institute as many incentives as possible for small businesses to give health care to employees. He wants to do this by offering tax credits for health care and also reducing the mandates in NC which make our health insurance some of the highest in the nation. He also wants tort reform to protect doctor's and nurses from lawsuits which raise the cost of health insurance.

Democrat Perdue wants to push prevention to lower cost. She believes that the mandates are critical to health insurance in NC. She wants to work together to make sure that "everyone gets a chance to see a doctor" -- but doesn't quite explain herself.

McCrory attempted to tell us that he doesn't know where she is getting her data, but said he's "used to it" :)

The question now is about illegal immigrants. Munger just wants to make it easier to be legal.

Perdue just accused McCrory of using "undocumented workers" in Charlotte, and urges that everyone needs to "play by the rules" when it comes to illegal immigration.

McCrory responds and states that the "net cost of illegal immigrants" is greater than any gain, and it is imperitive to stop illegal immigration.

Live blogging the LAST gubernatorial debate

I'm blogging the final gubernatorial debate at Dilworth Grille in Charlotte, NC. Thanks to a bad internet connection, I've missed the first 15 minutes, but hopefully not too much. For the first time in this election season, Pat McCrory, Bev Perdue, and Mike Munger are all debating each other on the same stage at the same time (Perdue has skipped the last two debates, while Munger was invited to and attended both).

While screaming at my internet connection, I've witnessed Bev Perdue flub over several lines while delivering her usual talking points. Pat McCrory, on the other hand, has successfully showed the audience that he has the experience to lead the state, as seen most recently by his meeting with the head of Wells Fargo, which has recently announced it's plan to buy Charlotte's own Wachovia.

They just asked a question about what should change in regards to the income tax and corporate taxes in NC, and Perdue is talking about how she handled Hurrican Floyd. I'm really not sure that was part of the question, but that was her answer.

McCrory basically addressed Perdue's answer and explained that she is part of the wasteful spending that has helped raise NC's taxes. When he becomes governor, he wants to get rid of the secretive wasteful spending in order to help lower all taxes, which as Munger pointed out, are some of the highest in America.

Three down, one to go

Unlike my favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and my football team, the Carolina Panthers, at least my choice for the next governor of North Carolina enjoyed a successful weekend marked by three major newspaper endorsements:

The Winston Salem Journal (10/12/08) -- "North Carolina enjoys a gubernatorial election this year with three candidates who would make good governors. The Journal thinks that Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory is the best qualified of the three to be a very good governor...

"The Journal was especially impressed with McCrory's promises to rethink our transportation needs and make long-range plans to meet them. He also impresses us with promised policies of an open office, thus allowing the public to see how its government operates."

The Greensboro News & Record (10/12/08) -- "Pat McCrory's stump speeches and debate performances make a good case for his candidacy. But his record as the longest-serving mayor of North Carolina's largest city makes an even better one. McCrory, 51, a Republican who grew up in Jamestown, has won seven consecutive terms as Charlotte's mayor.

"You don't receive that many votes of confidence without doing something right.

"In a city, which unlike Greensboro, holds partisan elections for its leaders, McCrory has worked effectively across party lines to get things done on a majority-Democratic city council. Also unlike Greensboro, where the mayor is merely one of nine equals, Charlotte's mayor wields veto power to go with the title...

"McCrory's skills and experience are best suited to provide what Raleigh needs most right now: a broad view, a clear plan and an ambitious vision."

Charlotte Observor, 10/05/08 -- "N.C. voters face a difficult choice for governor on Nov. 4. We recommend a vote for Republican Pat McCrory. We believe McCrory's experience, approach to government, outsider perspective and willingness to take a stand make him a better choice than Democrat Bev Perdue.

"McCrory would bring an urgently needed energy to the office. While we don't agree with him on every issue, he knows where he stands on most aspects of state government and why he stands there. He's too sure, sometimes, that his position is right, but that certitude is preferable to Perdue's tendency to base her stands on what she believes is politically expedient.

"As Charlotte mayor for 13 years, McCrory, 51, has shown steady leadership. He has presided over a prosperous age for the city driven in large part by people and factors that had little to do with him. But he has generally kept city government clean and helped make Charlotte a place where people want to live, and one which has attracted thousands of newcomers."

Easley throws away $250,000 in taxpayer money -- Perdue complains debate stories "not fair"

State's jet purchase dropped

State officials are scrambling to recover a $250,000 down payment after canceling an order for a new $9 million jet.

Gov. Mike Easley on Wednesday ordered the N.C. Department of Commerce to scrub the deal after reporters asked about the Cessna Citation jet, called the Encore+. The reversal came during a week in which Easley told agencies to prepare for a 3 percent budget cut.

"A plane is not necessary," said Easley spokeswoman Sherry Johnson. "It's not going to be purchased in this economy."

[...]

"If it was wrong when the media found about it, it was wrong before the media found out about it," said Jack Hawke, senior adviser to Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, the GOP candidate for governor. "It's part of the culture of secrecy that covers up these things and wastes taxpayer dollars."

---

I don't think I need to even COMMENT on that story.

---

Perdue protests debate story

Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue says she has debated plenty.

The Democratic nominee for governor criticized an N&O/Charlotte Observer story Wednesday on how U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole has largely avoided debates and how Perdue is skipping the only live statewide televised debates.

"It took me almost three or four minutes to get to the part that said, 'Oh by the way, she's done four [debates],' " Perdue said during a meeting with the N&O editorial board Wednesday. "'She's done one every month. She's doing one next week.'"

Perdue and McCrory have faced off in four debates that were televised in individual TV markets, such as Raleigh, which sometimes were picked up by stations elsewhere in the state.

Perdue said that five debates, counting one next week in Charlotte, is more than any governor's race in history. She said the article wasn't fair, but added: "I'm a grownup. Things don't need to be fair."

---

Really? Then why go running to the editorial board to complain that the News & Observor is reporting the truth? Grown-ups realize that there are consequences to their actions. Bev Perdue wants to avoid interviewing for the state's highest executive position, and she expects everyone to overlook her absence.

Guess what, Bev? We've put up with 8 years of that kind of government, and we're sick of it.

Transparency in North Carolina government

As I write this, gubernatorial candidates Republican Pat McCrory and Libertarian Mike Munger are participating in their second televised debate without Democrat Bev Perdue. It's fairly obvious that the moderator has chosen questions on topics that McCrory and Munger disagree upon (as opposed to the last debate, where they agreed much more than they disagreed), but it's clear that BOTH candidates agree we need more transparency in North Carolina state government.

During one of the first segments, Munger announced that the state of North Carolina recently sought to buy a private jet, only to nix their plans once the media got wind of the deal.

Just a few moments ago, McCrory pointed out that Bev Perdue was scheduled to attend a fundraiser hosted by a controversial Board of Transportation member, and only canceled once the media found out about it.

It seems that Bev Perdue is more like Governor Mike "Tax-Hike" Easley than she would like people to believe.

Polls looking up for Pat McCrory

McCrory leads in Rasmussen poll

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory has edged ahead of Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue in the gubernatorial race with less than five weeks until the election, according to a new WRAL News poll.

Polling firm Rasmussen Reports surveyed 700 likely voters statewide Tuesday and found that McCrory, the Republican candidate, holds a 50 to 46 percent lead over Perdue, the Democratic candidate...

The only segments of voters where Perdue holds a lead, according to the poll, are those under age 30, unmarried voters and those making either less than $20,000 or between $60,000 and $75,000 a year.
-----

So basically, the only voters who are voting for Perdue are people who are already planning to vote straight-ticket Democrat. I wonder if they would be so gung-ho to vote for her if they knew how reluctant she is to have anything at all to do with the party's presidential nominee, Barack Obama.

With friends like that, who needs political opponents?

What Richard Moore Says

It seems the Republican Governors Association (NOT the McCrory campaign) has re-posted a website that the Richard Moore camp put out during the primaries. Richard Moore was Bev Perdue's Democratic opponent in the primary earlier this year, and their attack ads against each other were infamous on local television stations.

The site, originally WhichBeverlyIsIt.com, is not written by Republicans who want to see Pat McCrory in office -- it's written by Democrats who DIDN'T want to see Bev Perdue in office. Of course, the original site has been removed, since it's not kosher to go against your own party these days (Joe Lieberman, anyone?), but the facts are still there.

Interesting stuff. I'd be interested in how Richard Moore feels about this.

For everything else, there's Mastercard

White sheet -- $4 at Walmart

Spray paint -- $3 at Walmart

Fine for compromising the structural integrity of your yuppie apartment complex -- $15


Having a top-floor apartment right across the street from an Obama/Biden rally and letting Obama know that not everyone in this hippie-infested city thinks he's "The One" -- PRICELESS

They're both losing -- moderator wins

So I've been watching the debate with a bunch of Republicans, and we've been having quite the ball. We've been trying to keep up with a list of drinking games, but there's way too many of them (everytime a candidate says "$700 billion",

At this point, I have to nix the live blogging, because we're having way too much fun, and I'm being a bore with the blogging. I'll be back tomorrow with an analysis of the debate.

ALSO look for me on CNN tomorrow. Obama is doing a rally in Greensboro, and Matt's apartment is visable from the rally site. We're getting up early and making anti-Obama signs to hang from his balcony :)

Obama and McCain on taxes and health care

Tax-rates and businesses -- John McCain is talking about how businesses don't flourish with higher tax rates, and "the worst thing we can do is raise taxes".

Obama is promising that 95% of the American people will get a tax cut. He's not mentioning the fact that we will see a price increase in products effected by the tax increase. He's accusing McCain of not giving ordinary Americans a tax break. Obama says that McCain's tax credit will actually tax benefits, even though we're getting a tax break for health insurance.

Mccain says that Obama is "walking the walk and talking the talk." He isn't voting for what he says he believes in.

Live presidential debate

I'll be live-blogging tonight's presidential debate from downtown Greensboro, NC at the CityView apartments. I'm at a debate watch party where we will be playing drinking games such as drinking everytime McCain says "My friends" or Obama says "change", so please forgive any typos.

Can I just say, first reaction, I love this moderator. Anyone that's going to make the candidates ACTUALLY answer a question, I love.

Also, Obama has GOT to stop saying "Main Street". We get it. You're for the common man. Wooo...

New drinking game, drink everytime Obama says "uhhhh". We may be dead by the end of this debate.

Obama is talking about salaries for police officers. Why is that a federal problem? McCain says that we have a long way to go, and we need to look at the regulatory agencies that weren't doing there jobs... but he has faith in the American workers... "Our best days are ahead of us"? What does that mean?

Why Bev Perdue really doesn't want to debate

Did anyone catch the gubernatorial debate last night between Pat McCrory and Mike Munger (Libertarian) on UNC-TV? I think this is the first time I've ever witnessed a "debate" between a Republican and a Libertarian candidate with no Democratic candidate.

I say "debate" because McCrory and Munger tended to agree on many of the issues, with the major exception being the death penalty (and Munger seemed extremely excited to have found an issue on which they disagreed so strongly).

One of the major issues on which the two candidates agreed? Democrat Bev Perdue should have been there. She was invited, and she declined to attend. Why?

I personally think there are two answers to that. One is, of course, the obvious -- she's just not a good debater. I'm not being mean, I'm not attacking her -- but that woman can't debate. According to political consultant Gary Pearce, "letting Bev Perdue debate five times amounts to political malfeasance."

The other reason? Perdue is better off with the majority of North Carolina not knowing her views.

The national Democratic Party would like for most Americans believe that North Carolina is an all-around red state that is only recently turning blue with the advent of Obama and Hagan, but we here in North Carolina know that Democrats have had a hold on this state for over a hundred years, and Republicans are only recently beginning to take over many state offices. The driving force behind this monopoly are the numerous "Southern Democrats" that still vote Democrat, not yet realizing that today's Republicans are much more like the Southern Democrats they used to vote for than today's Democrats. As North Carolinians slowly but surely realize that they should be voting Republican in state elections as well as national, the Democrats are losing ground.

Beverly Perdue, like the rest of today's Democratic Party, thinks the government knows how to spend your money better than you do. There will undoubtedly be many people voting on November 4 that don't know that about her -- and she will be better off for everyone of those people that doesn't see her debate.

The last thing Bev Perdue wants -- and the rest of the North Carolina Democratic Party, for that matter -- is for the citizens of North Carolina to know what she really stands for. She says that she's for transparent government, but she's already hiding from the people of North Carolina, and she hasn't even been elected yet.

Hilarious statement from Democratic Governors Association

Nathan Daschle, the exectutive director of the Democratic Governors Association (a group that does their best to insure Democratic governors are elected across the country) did an interview with David Mixner this weekend about this most competitive gubernatorial races in the country.

According to Mr. Daschale, NC is among the top three most competitive races in the country. And how does the DGA introduce their candidate, Bev Perdue, to an outsider that knows nothing about North Carolina politics? Surely he would outline her experience, or important issues in her platform, right?

"Bev Perdue is running a positive campaign about her vision for the state of North Carolina. Her opponent, Republican Pat McCrory, is well-funded, well-organized, and receiving enormous outside support from National Republicans."

I'm sorry, it's so rude, but I snorted out loud when I read that. My cubicle neighbors appreciated that.

I have seen one -- ONE -- "positive" advertisement out of the Bev Perdue campaign in the past three months. It's the one that's currently running right now, because the polls are showing that her attacks on Pat McCrory (calling him a "real danger to the middle class") weren't going over too well. It seems the people of NC preferred the candidate that didn't sling mud in a pathetic attempt to win an election.

I would refer to this as the pot calling the kettle black, but that would infer that McCrory has participated in any of the name-calling that Perdue has attempted to rope him into, and he just hasn't. He's a lot nicer about this whole thing than I would be able to be.

Bev Perdue and Pat McCrory debate on education

Two days ago, when I informed my co-workers that I would be skipping the first few hours of work on Friday for a gubernatorial forum on public schools, most people just nodded politely. One woman, with a bit of a sneer, said, “Why do you care about public schools? You don’t even have any children.” I smiled sweetly and informed her that ironically, although I have no children, I helped pay for their education, and therefore have an interest in how the schools are run. She didn’t say too much after that.

What I witnessed at the SAS campus in Cary yesterday morning were two intelligent people with two fundamentally different opinions on how to run North Carolina’s education system. I have to give Bev Perdue some credit – this is the best I’ve seen her in any of the debates. Don’t read too much into that statement. She bombed the last two debates, making such embarrassing gaffes as telling us that including vocational training for mechanics, electricians, or plumbers in our high school was lowering our expectations for our children.

I noticed that Perdue didn’t make that same mistake during this debate, but I also noticed that her argument against Pat McCrory’s vocational training in high school proposal was rather empty. Could it be that her only reason for disagreeing with McCrory’s plan is that she thinks people who work with their hands are second-class citizens? If that’s not it, she didn’t give this blogger a reason to think otherwise.

Both candidates seemed fairly relaxed, and perhaps that was what made the biggest difference for Perdue. In the other debates, she has seemed nervous, uptight, and almost jittery, and maybe that’s due to the fact that she’s a one-issue candidate. She knows her education platform, and there’s no denying that, even for someone as pro-McCrory as myself. However, the question remains – which candidate has the best plan to reform the North Carolina public school system?


PERDUE'S PLAN

Bev Perdue has been pretty open about her plan to raise teacher salaries across the board and work on offering free community college tuition to high school graduates. When asked how North Carolina would pay for free community college tuition, Perdue responded that we would pay for it “the way we’ve always paid for education in North Carolina.” She did not elaborate further, so the assumption there is that our taxes will be raised to cover the cost.

Perdue stated that she is pleased with the current system of testing children and basing teacher raises on the outcome of the test results, but perhaps it is time to review the current testing system and also judge student performance on other diagnostics.

When asked if she had a plan to lower the dropout rate, Perdue stated that the key to keep kids in school is beginning education earlier (pre-K) and focusing on diagnostic assessments to make sure every kid remains on grade level. She stated that giving every child the opportunity to go to college would also lower the dropout rate. She also told us that she would stress the importance of education to parents and remind them that their kid will not just be competing with Americans, but with kids from China.


MCCRORY'S PLAN

Pat McCrory laid out his plan that the key to lowering the dropout rate is to offer more options for students. “Not every child in North Carolina wants nor needs a four-year college degree” has been one of his talking points since the primaries, and during this debate, he referred to the idea that all kids need a four-year degree as “elitism”.

He stressed his desire to match education policy with job openings, and said that we need more representation from the business community on the state board of education. Along those same lines, McCrory thinks that we should treat our schools like a business, and therefore pay teachers as the market would – since we have a great need for science and math teachers, people willing to teach math and science should demand a high salary, as should teachers willing to work in schools in lower-income areas.

He also stressed letting the local government have more of a say in their schools, whether how long a school year should last, or how a school bond could be best spent in their community (construction, technology, programs, etc.).


COMPARISON

Local involvement

Both candidates have valid opinions on how to change the NC school system, but only one truly appeals to the best interests of the community and the future of North Carolina. Pat McCrory’s common sense approach to letting the local government have more of a say in their schools is a plan that I’ve been hearing citizens espouse for years. If we don’t think the federal government should be able to judge all schools the same across the nation, why do we think the state government should be able to judge all schools the same across the state? Different areas have different education needs. Conversely, Perdue states “that responsibility rests with the governor”. She seems to have this idea that she will be able to visit every school system in the state and will be able to determine how to best education their kids in one meeting.

Education & Economy

McCrory’s plan to get the business leaders involved is another plan with great potential. As I told my co-worker, we are all paying for the public schools, so we all have an interest in how they work. North Carolina’s economy relies on our future workers, and business leaders would best be able to determine what future skills our children will need to find a job when they graduate. McCrory looks at education as a team effort between the private and public sectors – Perdue sees it as a competitive “every man for himself” system, as witnessed by her remark that our children will be forced to compete against each other as well as children across the world.

Drop-out rate

Finally, Bev Perdue’s plan to lower the drop out rate by making sure students stay on grade level just doesn’t hold water in the real world. High schoolers don’t always drop out because they just aren’t good at school. I had several friends in high school who were very intelligent and made good grades, but quit because they didn’t have any desire to go to college. They preferred to quite school at 16 and go directly into the workforce, usually construction of some sort. McCrory understands that not all kids need that four year degree and that our workforce always needs skilled workers, and he offers hope for those students who don’t have any interest in higher education.

Both candidates stressed using “common sense” in our education policy, but only one actually illustrated how to do so. I think Pat McCrory’s common sense education policy will lower the drop-out rate and make North Carolina’s public school system one of the most effective in the nation. Bev Perdue's ideas just represent more of the same -- centralized control over the education system, unrealistic testing expectations for students, and higher taxes for NC citizens. As someone with a real interest in our state's education system, I know who I'll be voting for. How about you?

"Saving" Bristol Palin?

This is sick.

Saving Bristol

Basically, this guy (Doug Stanhope, real name?)is attempting to raise $25,000 "so that [Bristol Palin] can abort [her] child and move out of that draconian home."

My favorite part of the page is where he tells us how excited he is to have been the father of an aborted child. "I was once in a similar situation where I'd accidentally impregnated a girl and she had to make that same fateful decision that now faces you... We made the right choice and rather than end up bitter rivals in court battles over custody or support, we are great friends who high-five over our decision and have all the free time and disposable income that young mothers never know."

I'm aware that this is likely someone's poor attempt at a joke, but that crosses the line, even to a pro-choicer such as myself. An abortion is not something that you turn into an internet phenom or that you "high five" over. The decision to have an abortion should never be taken lightly, and it is attitudes such as this that push people even further to the right of this issue.

I'm glad to see that the potential father was able to effectively remove himself from such a situation, but I doubt this pinhead has any clue what kind of a toll the abortion may have had mentally on the mother. Nor do I think he cares too much, so long as he has his money.

Bev Perdue causes gas panic in Charlotte

Dear Bev,

As a pro-McCrory blogger, I would just like to take this moment to thank you for your interview yesterday on WBT Radio in Charlotte. Reading the transcript of your interview has made my weekend.

For those of you that missed it, I've provided a partial transcript (read: the best part) of Beverly Perdue's interview with Al Gardner:

**********

Beverly Perdue: “… this is a temporary price gouge, because that’s what it is, folks trying to get the most money they can get out of the limited capacity.”

Al Gardner: “You bet… just 30 seconds left. Who should do what about that?”

Beverly Perdue: “I think we all need to get out and get our, uh, get our gas tanks as full as they’ll let us do it during in the next 24 or 48 hours. And then we continue to watch what happens in the Gulf. Then, then the whole question becomes on Sunday to assess the damage. And from there we know what we have to do; I mean the country has this, we all know this, uh supply, this emergency supply that they can let go and this would be a time that the president and the Congress should have to authorize us using…”

Al Gardner: “But very quickly, Lt. Governor Perdue, if we’re urging everybody to go out and fill their tank right now in the next 24 hours wouldn’t that by definition create a panic?

Beverly Perdue: “Oh, oh I don’t mean that at all, and I didn’t mean to imply that. What I would do is to be very cautious about it not to overreact – if you need gas get some, but there is no need for anybody to rush right out because this is not going to be long term. Uh, the country has this supply that they’ve kept in waiting for this so I, uh, the truckers here, the folks who are on the road, find gas available, but what I was trying to say is don’t be concerned that you’re not going to be able to find it somewhere. It’s that there is still is a supply in this country; it’s not like last night while we were asleep somebody sucked all the oil out of the tanks all over the country. But it has been raised a buck and it’s really hard.”

**********

Uhh, which is it Bev?? Are we supposed to panic and fill up the gas tank of every vehicle we own, or are we supposed to be cautious and not overreact?

Yeah, that's the kind of leadership we need.

In contrast, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory made the following statement yesterday in regards to the potential gas crisis:

“Due to the reduced flow of gas supplies out of the Gulf Coast, the City of Charlotte has implemented a conservation plan for the city fleet of vehicles to curtail the use of non-essential vehicles this weekend. I encourage all citizens to also implement a fuel conservation plan to conserve fuel over the weekend and remain calm until the full impact of Hurricane Ike on the nation’s gas supply can be determined.”

How refreshing. And the Democrats think Republicans don't want change.

McCrory and Perdue clash on lottery -- and closing statements

Another question from a web-watcher -- Why do teachers always get a higher pay raise than other state employees?

Bev Perdue attributes that to the fact that we are short on teachers, and we have to work harder to keep good teachers. She's touting her endorsement by the teacher's UNION, for some reason.

Pat McCrory "want to say for the record that I have not been endorsed by the unions". He says that you can't base additional benefits and pay on how badly they are needed -- doesn't want to be selective and offer 20 year retirement to some employees and 15 years to others.

The candidates have been asked if there is anything they would change about the lottery. McCrory says that he would not pay the directors as much as they are making, they are making way more than any other state employee. He would completely re-vamp where the lottery dollars go since there is a huge discrepancy in where the money goes in the state. Apparently, Bev is for status quo :-X

Closing remarks:

Perdue says she has the experience and capacity to move NC forward, to help schools, help healthcare, will continue to work for NC -- one size does not fit all. Her work on military has been "fabulous".

McCrory says he is running for governor because he wants to change the culture of state government -- less corruption, wants to fix criminal justice system, create jobs, keep jobs here, let people trust state government and break the power elite. North Carolina government deserves a strong leader and he has the leadership skills and wants to take that leadership to the rest of the state.

McCrory and Perdue clash on attack ads

The moderator is now talking about third party ads. The first one they're watching is the ad by the Alliance for North Carolina (which I have posted in this blog) attacking Pat McCrory.

McCrory tells us that the ad is right in that he is opposed to free college tuition -- passes the truth test "by about 1/3". McCrory has never run a negative ad, neither in the primary, nor in the general election. McCrory is quoting an ad by Perdue back during the primary calling for positive campaigning and pointing out that she attacks him -- calls him a "threat to the middle class".

Now they're showing the ad by the Republican Governor's Association against Bev Perdue (I'll have to post that later) calling her "Status Quo Bev". Perdue is ignoring the ad and telling McCrory that she is against "negative personal attacks", not the ones she is airing now, apparently (it's not personal to call someone "a real danger"). Perdue is now telling us that she has "broken every status quo" she knows by being a female and running for office.

When pressed to see if McCrory will ask the RGA to pull the "status quo" ad, he says the are forbidden from communicating with the RGA and called the ad "silly". He does ask that Perdue pull the ad calling him a "real danger to the middle class". She refuses to do so, because "that's not a negative ad". She now apparently has a new one that says McCrory is "too extreme" for North Carolina.

Moderator is asking Perdue what she would have done differently in the Easley adminitration -- she's pretty much just saying that she is not a part of the Easley administration. She wants to be more "hands on" than Easley is, and "there are things that I really, really would do differently". What does that mean, Bev?

McCrory and Perdue clash on illegal immigration

I had some technical difficulties for a minute, but I'm back.

There is a viewer question on how to support funding for "creative industries".

Bev Perdue says that creative industries are the future of America as well as North Carolina (WHAT?). She's praising the great opportunities we have with the SChool of the Arts and other places in NC, and she has "such a track record" of supporting arts. She says that we will see her "highly engaged" in art funding.

McCrory reponds that the arts are important, but they won't make a huge difference "if we don't have jobs". He wants to help the farmers and the manufacturers create jobs before we worry about the arts... we need jobs before we need arts. :)

The next question is on Sheriff Bizzell, a local sheriff that recently made some bigoted comments on illegal immigrants. Perdue states that the immigration system is broke and she will work to fix it (the room just said "yeah, right". She just said, "here in North Carolina, none of us are born here". WHAT? I'm pretty sure I was born in North Carolina.

Pat McCrory states that he will demand an immigration facility from the next US President. The closest one is in Atlanta and it puts a huge strain on our local sheriffs, since we have no place to deport illegal immigrants. We're putting too much of a burden on county jails right now. Jails are full of illegal immigrants who are breaking OTHER laws -- people who already broke the law coming into the country and are now harming NC citizens.

When asked if McCrory would "talk to" a sheriff like Bizzell who makes such bigoted comments, McCrory said he would, but ultimately he is an elected official and it is up to the voters to vote him out if he offends them. Perdue is basically responding that she would have spoken with Bizzell "before it got to that point".

McCrory and Perdue clash on education

If you have the chance to see this debate, I certainly hope you are. Perdue is fighting for her life over here -- interrupting McCrory every three seconds with her "EXCUSE ME.... EXCUSE ME!"

The moderator wants to know their education priorities. This is one of McCrory's strong points. He wants to get back to teaching the basics -- kids aren't learning basic math. Also wants to put a special emphasis on vocational training to train high school kids that don't want/need to go to college.

Perdue's answer is that we need to pay teachers more and "hold them accountable", and don't have a voucher system. She thinks we need to improve public schools, and letting people choose their schools do not do that. And she just said that adding vocational training "lowers expectations"! Wow... basically just dissed every plumber and mechanic in North Carolina.

Now she's saying that mechanics are "wonderful". WTF is this woman talking about?

McCrory responded that he stands by his voucher stance. Kids "ought to be given a choice". McCorry is pointing out that Perdue has supported vouchers for college students, and yet she's attacking him for it. He doesn't think vouchers should be given to EVERYONE, just a select few.

Perdue wants to give "free and public" education to everyone in NC, and the vouchers go against that. Apparently, being able to choose where your child is educated is too much like a free market system. The moderator is now asking "where the math comes from" that the state cannot afford to give vouchers to kids who want to go to private school. She says the figure that is quoted in her ads -- $900 million -- is based on what it would cost if EVERY student went to a private school. Because, you know, that would happen.

McCrory says she's just throwing things out that aren't true. He opposes vouchers for EVERY student, and he's calling her out for lying in her ads! He is for the concept but never said he would offer a voucher to everyone -- Perdue has made an assumption. He is now accusing her of being an elitist for thinking down on plumbers and others that learn a trade rather than get a four-year degree!

The moderator is asking McCrory how he wuold help the families of pour students in regards to education. He says that schools are not fulfilling the needs of everyone. He wants to offer selective scholarships to help kids get out of poverty and go to a school that is best for them. That is where the status quo needs to be changed.

Perdue says that "Smart Start" is a good way to help families struggling with poverty -- she wants to help parents understand how to help their kids. She going to create more government programs, basically.

McCrory and Perdue clash on off-shore drilling

Tonight, once again, I'll be blogging live from the NC gubernatorial debate on WRAL.

Bev Perdue began by telling everyone that he record as Lt. Gov. is a good example of what kind of governor she'll be. I guess she's just proving true that RGA commercial of her being "Status Quo Bev".

Pat McCrory opens by telling that he wants to focus on education -- it's amazing that there are people who are unable to find qualified workers even during such a bad economy. He says if he had a chance to reduce a tax, he would reduce the income and corporate taxes -- right now, businesses will move right over the border to South Carolina just to avoid NC's ridiculous taxes.

The first question aimed to Perdue is what really IS her position on off-shore drilling? She states that she has "always been for off-shore" drilling (although she fails to mention that she doesn't want it off HER shore). When asked what changed her mind, she claims that she has always been for it -- another lie. She also expects all oil drilled in the US to stay in the US. Oh, now she's flopping again and saying that if North Carolina has to put oil rigs on their shore, she wants it to be "fair" and have drilling off ALL states.

McCrory responds that he STILL doesn't know where she stands on off-shore drilling in NC.... we're running for NC governor, not governor of Texas or another state in the Gulf. His answer is "100% yes" to off-shore drilling in NC, but Bev said a few weeks ago that she is "100% against" drilling. He wants to use drilling to create jobs in NC.

Bev is trying to argue with Pat, and the moderators are trying to force her to answer the question! McCrory just called her out on it too -- "That's what you said 3 weeks ago, and the technology has not changed in 3 weeks". GO GET HER!

This is getting to be hilarious!

WRAL debate

Don't forget, Mayor Pat McCrory and Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue go head to head tomorrow night (September 9) on WRAL at 7:00PM!

You can go to WRAL.com and submit questions before and during the debate (keyword: DEBATE).

You can watch the debate LIVE Tuesday night in the following venues:

RALEIGH
WRAL-TV
WRAL Newschannel
WRAL.com
WUNC-FM radio

CHARLOTTE
WMYT-TV
wsoctv.com

GREENSBORO/HIGH POINT
WFMY-TV
myfoxwghp.com


I'll be blogging live from the Wake County Debate Watch tomorrow night, so fire up that laptop and keep checking Bloggers for McCrory and The Political Nerd for updates!

Convicted cop-killer opposes McCrory's plan to lift death penalty moratorium

No, I'm not kidding, although when I read it in the News & Observer this morning, I thought it was a joke (especially when I read the title):

Inmate rebuts McCrory, likes moratorium

A death row inmate singled out by Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory has responded.

At a recent debate, the Charlotte mayor said that the moratorium on the death penalty should be lifted, noting that the convicted killer of two Queen City police officers was still on death row.

"Listen, this is personal to me," McCrory said. "Two young police officers that were shot by one man with their gun, and this man has still not been dealt with even though a jury of his peers convicted him. ... There's no reason we should have the moratorium right now."

At the debate, McCrory did not name the killer, Alden J. Harden, but he did name the police officers, Andy Nobles and John Burnette. Harden was sentenced to death in August of 1994 for the killings, which took place the previous October.

Contacted by Dome at Central Prison in Raleigh, Harden said in a handwritten letter that, "I am being dealt with."

"The moratorium is set to help make sure that more people like you and my so-called peers don't take it 'personal' as well, but rather look at the law," Harden wrote. "Because everyone has a right to fight for themselves under the law."

He wrote that "there's every reason" to have a moratorium.

Apparently, the two police officers that he shot to death were unavailable for comment.

I think this article speaks for itself.

(The pictures above-right pictures are of fallen officers Nobles and Burnette)

Oh to be a college student again....

Today, I discovered a blog whose contributors are students in a political science class at UNC -- I'll go ahead and let you decide which way the posts swing on the political spectrum.

Anyway, what directed my attention there was a post titled "NC Governor's Race: Vocational Training" which criticizes Pat McCrory's stance on education. The blogger wrote:

"Republican Pat McCrory says he “wants to return the word ‘technical’ to community colleges.” Putting an emphasis on vocational training, he says, would improve the state of North Carolina’s economy by providing workers with a good background in specific fields, such as health care and electrical work, where jobs are waiting.

While a nice thought, the idea that high school students can make an informed decision about which career path they would like to choose is ludicrous. Even here at UNC, the most popular declared major for incoming freshmen is ‘undecided,’ and many of those who declare a major while incoming change it later...

In addition, this type of vocational training has a number of potential pitfalls. Take, for example, the town of High Point, North Carolina. The town, called the ‘furniture capital of the world,’ had a thriving manufacturing sector, but many of the jobs producing furniture have been off-shored to India and other developing nations. If the workers in these factories were trained vocationally, they would not have the broad-based skill set necessary to innovate in light of these changing conditions. The alternative to vocational training, a liberal arts education, focuses on knowledge in a breadth of areas, making it easier for graduates to adapt to new economic situations."

This poster has clearly never heard McCrory throw off on his own liberal arts education while pointing out that many people working in mechanical jobs make more than he does.

Anyway, here's my response:

I have to admit, I’ve never seen an argument FOR a liberal arts education. I have a political science degree and a fairly decent paying job, but I have no illusions that a trained monkey could do my job, let alone someone with just a high school degree.

You’re talking about a very specialized version of vocational training, and that’s not what Pat McCrory is all about. McCrory wants to give high schoolers the opportunity to participate in mechanical training, electrical training, agricultural training, etc. I have news for you: our mechanics aren’t going to be out-sourced to India.

And your theory that no teenager really knows what they want to do with their lives just because a group of first-year college students partying on mommy and daddy’s dime don’t know what to major in doesn’t hold water in the real world. Many high schoolers know by the age of 15 or 16 if they’re going to be working after graduation. Why not give those kids an option of learning a trade while still in high school rather than wasting their time — and everyone else’s, for that matter — with pre-college classes?

People with liberal arts degrees like myself are quickly and easily being replaced by computers. I’ve only been out of school for three years, and I’m already making plans to go back for a supplemental degree. A liberal arts degree isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

James Carville sees promising outcome for Pat McCrory in November

James Carville's group, Democracy Corps, recently conducted a poll in North Carolina to rate voter's knowledge and general feelings on the candidates. The poll focused mostly on national candidates, but had a few questions which involved gubernatorial candidates Pat McCrory and Bev Perdue -- and I have to say, I'm a little shocked to see results like this from such a liberal poll!

The poll had voters rate each candidate on a scale of 1 - 100 based on how favorably they viewed them (1 being the least favorable, 100 being most, 50 being neither). Out of a list of eleven candidate, Pat McCrory was veiwed the most favorably with a mean score of 55. Bev Perdue received a mean score of 49, and the only person scoring lower than her was John Edward (with a mean score of 35).

In the typical "who would you vote for if the election were held today" question, the vote was completely split between Perdue and McCrory. Given the fact that the rest of the responses lean a bit on the liberal side, this is a little amazing. Even more amazing is when you take into consideration the fact that a 527 has been running ads against Pat McCrory for the past few weeks, while Perdue has had the luxury of having NO negative ads run against her. Must be nice.

I feel good about November. Pat McCrory should too.

"Bev Perdue.... is a person whose word you cannot trust."

Check out this video of a local talk show in Greenville, NC. Joe Mavretic, former Democratic Speaker of the NC House tells Henry Hinton why he will not be voting for Bev Perdue. Keep in mind; this is a DEMOCRAT -- you know, one of Bev's peers.



"I think that her entire political career has been based on flip-flops. Bev Perdue in my personal opinion is a person whose word you can not trust... I've watched her in the House and in the Senate, and in the Lt. Gov. slot, and I think that's an accurate description."

Props to Katy's Conservative Corner for digging up this video!

And that's all I'm going to say about that

Sarah Palin speaks tonight at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, and the talk radio losers in my area are having a field day. The morning guys that I listen to, Brad and Britt, like to claim to be "fair" with their news coverage, but these are the same guys that ridiculed Jesse Helms barely 24 hours after his death, and they're both admittedly Obama supporters. According to them, Bristol Palin's pregnancy is "white trash". I'm glad neither of them have ever made a mistake in their entire lives.

I can't imagine being in Bristol's position, not because she's a pregnant teen (although I did avoid that fiasco), but because she's having to deal so publicly with an issue that is embarrassing even in the most private of situations. Meghan McCain, John McCain's blogger daughter (who is my age), wrote over at mccainblogette.com about how hard it is to deal with the publicity of being a politician's child:

"When I was 14 years old, a reporter questioned my father about me having a hypothetical abortion, had I been pregnant at 14. This reporter's question single-handedly changed my life. This story comes up in almost every profile written about me and in almost every interview."

And yet, the media leeches that will spend so much time prying into Bristol's private life do so with no concern as to how this will affect her now and in the future. They should be ashamed, but they have no shame.

Pat McCrory comments on Sarah Palin

Pat McCrory apparently likes my pick for VP as well. He made the following statement today in regards to McCain's smart choice of Sarah Palin:

“I think Gov. Sarah Palin, a former mayor with a background of cleaning up state government, is a great choice for vice president. She is someone with a real record of changing the status quo and challenging corruption in state government. Gov. Palin stopped the infamous ‘bridge to nowhere’ and used her veto to actually cut spending. People are hungry for change in Washington just as they are hungry for change in state government in North Carolina. The contrast between the reformer and outsider--Palin and the consummate insider who has been a U.S. Senator for over 20 years-- Joe Biden, is just as stark as the contrast in this campaign for Governor of North Carolina. I am the candidate running to change state government, running against a lieutenant governor who has been part of the failed status quo for over 20 years. Sarah Palin proves that sometimes it takes a mayor to clean up state government.”

Can't say I didn't see a little bit of Pat McCrory's future in Sarah Palin's biography ;)

Sarah Palin -- John McCain's VP choice

I'm glad we finally have a Republican politician that listens to my advice.

Palin is a great choice. And I am a great political psychic.

Brad and Britt: McCrory for VP?

On my way to work this morning, I heard radio personalities Brad Krantz and Britt Whitmire on 101.1 WZTK endorse Pat McCrory as a smart pick for John McCain's running mate.

That's right. The morning talk duo was tossing around the idea of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as McCain's VP, and on her lack of experience, Krantz said, "He'd be better off with someone like Pat McCrory -- a 6 or 7 term mayor."

Whitmire then countered that a Governor Pawlenty pick would be just as good, to which Krantz stated, "Well, Pawlenty is just Pat McCrory on steroids."

Well, if McCain doesn't pick McCrory for his VP, there's a great new slogan for the McCrory campaign: "Pat McCrory: It's like Governor Pawlenty, without the steroids." Nothing better than an anti-drug campaign.

On a completely separate and serious note, I am going to freak out if Palin really is the VP pick, because I called her like five months ago. I will officially change my business cards to read "Melissa Westmoreland: Political Psychic".

Pat McCrory speaks to the Greater Greensboro Republican Women's Club

This Sunday, Pat McCrory addressed the Greater Greensboro Republican Women's Club -- and your favorite blogger was right there, front and center, to record the speech for your viewing pleasure! Yes, I am a few days late with this post, but I had a few minor technical difficulties with my new video camera. Thanks to some help from Guilford Young Republican President Kyle Suggs (who makes a cameo at the end of the last video clip).

I've split these clips up into 2-3 minute increments, for those of you that don't feel like wading through a 13 minute speech, but I assure you, Mayor McCrory is a superb speaker, and I recommend watching all of these clips!

The first clip is Pat McCrory's introduction, and he tells a story that he often recounts when in the Greensboro/Jamestown area. It is a cute little anecdote that he tells very well, even if you have heard it five times like I have ;)



Mayor McCrory then addressed the attack ads that are currently being run by the Bev Perdue campaigns and their cronies (which I have discussed at length on this blog), and countered that perhaps it is Lt. Governor Perdue that is the real threat to North Carolina.



McCrory went on to outline his plan for public schools, which unlike any of Bev Perdue's stances, has not changed since this primaries:



And he even addressed the fact that our transportation system is broken, with all of the money for road projects going to the areas with the most powerful politicians:



Pat McCrory concluded his speech by urging everyone to not only remember to vote, but to help motivate others to vote. He reminded us that in order to win this election, we can't only rely on the Republicans, but also Independents and even Democrats. He contends that most North Carolina Democrats do not relate to the leftest agenda of Beverly Perdue, Barack Obama, and other liberal Democrats.



He's got my vote, but I guess you all probably know that by now...

"Positive Bev" hits the web

Pat McCrory is officially a threat to the Bev Perdue campaign.

How do I know? I don't have to look at polls or watch the debates, although either of those outlets would show anyone that this race is not the Democratic landslide this state is used to. No, I learned that Perdue is starting to really worry about McCrory because of a small text-only ad along the side of my Gmail account inviting me to learn "The Real McStory".

Now, I'm not going to link to this pathetic attempt at a new-age attack ad, because I don't want to give them anymore free press than I have to, but you're really not missing too much. It's little more than a bare-bones Blogspot blog masquerading as an actual website with fantastic stories about how McCrory is going to single-handedly destroy North Carolina's public school system and how -- get this -- McCrory is flip-flopping on issues like off-shore drilling!

Excuse me? Pat McCrory is a flip-flopper? This from the woman that stated she was against off-shore drilling on several occasions before then putting out a television ad saying she has been consistently FOR off-shore drilling, while failing to mention that she's only for it if it's being done in the Gulf of Mexico. But I digress.

A small square of text in the bottom right hand side of the blog tells us that everything is paid for by the North Carolina Democratic Party. Well, of course -- we can't let "Positive Bev" put her name on something that dirty.

Don't let Beverly Perdue fool you, folks. This website might not have been her idea, but she has a hand in it. She knows about it. And if she were really interested in running a clean race, she would demand that it be taken down. This is just another one of her ways of getting her slimy attacks out without actually having her name on them.

It's interesting to note that there is absolutely nothing on this site about Perdue's record. Isn't it a given that the NC Democratic Party, who posted this site and bought Google ads to spread the love, support Beverly Perdue? So why pass up an opportunity to show how great Perdue's platform is while bashing her opponents?

Could it be because her own record is less than stellar, so they have nothing else to do but attack Pat McCrory in as many media outlets as possible?

Hmmm....

Bev Perdue on Brad and Britt show this morning

Bev Perdue was a guest this morning on the Brad and Britt show on FM Talk 101.1 WZTK, and it was a very eye opening event. For starters, early on in the interview, she expressed a desire to distance herself from current Democratic NC Governor Mike Easley. She said that her administration would not be a continuation of the Easley administration, just as the Easley administration was not a continuation of the Hunt administration (it wasn’t?).

She then said that if she could model herself after any governor in NC’s history, it would be Governor Hunt. Yes, Jim Hunt, the man that single-handedly wasted every red cent in the state budge – and then some – right before handing the office over to his successor, Easley, who retaliated by hiking taxes, thus earning the nickname “Tax-Hike Mike”. But yes, Jim Hunt is Bev Perdue’s role model. Surprised?

Perdue was then asked how she felt about the 527’s that are running ads against both sides in the governor’s race. Now, I have to interject here because I was unaware that there is a 527 running ads against Perdue, so anyone that can direct them to my attention is greatly appreciated. Regardless, Perdue told Brad and Britt that she just hates this negative campaigning, and she would like for BOTH SIDES to remove all negative ads.

Now, I’m not going to rant too much on this, because I’ve already done a great deal of blogging on how Pat McCrory did nothing more than respond and defend himself from the negative ads that have been run against them, but if Perdue really does want the ads removed, WHY HAS SHE NOT CALLED FOR THEIR REMOVAL? Allowing some mystery group to run negative ads against your opponent does NOT equal positive campaigning! I know she likes to pretend that she has no ties to this outside group, but if they really do support her (which they do, they are funded by the Democratic Governors Association), then they will respect her request to remove the ads.

Bev knows that if she does that, they might actually remove the ads and she might be forced to run on HER record – not against Pat McCrory’s. Of course, she’d probably just continue to change all of her positions to match his…



Bev Perdue, a governor is a leader, not a follower. Get your own talking points, pull your cowardly attack ads, and for once in your life, attempt to run a clean race. THANKS.

An overview of the debate

Wow, it's already over -- time flies when you're watching Bev Perdue get smeared by Pat McCrory! McCrory won that debate hands down. It was so obvious that Perdue was reciting memorized talking points. Even her laughs seemed choreographed.

One watcher commented to me that she smiles at such inappropriate times. Like I mentioned in one of the posts, she was grinning wildly while talking about gangs in NC. The only thing I can figure is that she smiles when she knows she is touching on a point that she has studied very well (and not having to ad-lib too much), but it's a bit creepy. At least Pat exhibits human emotions while answering questions!

I got a few text messages during that debate on how poorly Perdue was doing -- and they weren't all from McCrory supporters. Hopefully, the rest of North Carolina will realize how clueless she is!

McCrory and Perdue on death penalty and taxes

McCrory thinks we need to lift the moratorium on the death penalty. He wants to know WHY we even have a moratorium. He doesn't think people who have lost loved ones should have to wait this long for justice to be served (and I agree!).

Perdue is distancing herself from the moratorium, and saying that she wants the death penalty reinstated... but also that she thinks the courts of North Carolina that put the moratorium in place should be trusted. WTF. Someone wants it both ways.

They just asked what the candidates would do about the gas tax! Perdue is trying to say that she "fussed" against the state legislature this year about the high gas tax. Yes, that's right, "fussed". Andy Griffith, who is supporting this silly little lady, would be proud. Aaaaand she failed to give an actual answer.

McCrory states if he had a chance to remove a tax, he would remove the income tax which punishes working people! God, the Libertarian in me is so in love right now. McCrory is very worried about how gas prices are going to affect North Carolinians, especially this winter.

McCrory and Perdue on crime

Moderator: Governor Easley just signed a measure to crack down on gangs, but what role would you play as governor?

Perdue: She's grinning from ear to ear! She thinks we should be tough on gangs (though she doesn't tell us HOW), and she thinks we should "remind" kids that organized crime participants go to jail "for a long time". She also wants after school programs so apparently they won't have time for gangs.

My summary of the Perdue gang legislation: Gangs are bad, mmmkay?

McCrory: He's reminding everyone that he has made several trips to Raleigh asking the governor and legislature to do SOMETHING about gangs, and the current administration is refusing to address the issues, and the meetings are being canceled. He stated a while back that there are gangs even in Kinston and Chapel Hill, and no one believed him until Eve Carson's tragic murder. Gangs are a priority to McCrory.

McCrory and Perdue on education

I would just like to take this moment to say that Perdue looks HAGGARD. I know she's only ten years older than Pat (I think) but HD television does not look good on her, as my fellow blogger Katy has pointed out. She's right here next to me, live blogging as well.

Perdue was just asked what should be done on the early-dropout rate in high schools. She thinks we need to focus on Smart Start, as well as raise the salaries for teachers (regardless of how they're doing, I suspect), and of course, offer free "higher education". Basically, if they graduate from high school, they get free college. We're going to turn the community college system into high school part 2.

Pat McCrory thinks calling it "free" is misleading, because someone has to pay for it. "We don't need anther new governor's program that rhymes." The room LOVED that one! "we need to help these kids as opposed to creating more government programs."

Perdue just interrupted to tell us that if we want to see her whole plan we can go to her website (again, she doesn't have it quite memorized). One watcher just yelled, "She's worse than Hillary Clinton!" And Pat is trying not to laugh, LOL.

McCrory and Perdue on illegal immigration and mental health

McCrory is talking about his 287G program which catches illegal immigrants who are committing other crimes and gets them out of here. He says one of his first duties as governor will be to get an illegal immigrant detention center in NC -- the closest one now is in Atlanta, and it's a joke to try to get illegals in NC over there.

Perdue states "The immigration system is broken." REALLY, Bev? Ya think? She thinks the feds need to fix it, "like, yesterday". She also states that she's going to focus her power in NC on getting undocumented workers out of here. And now she's repeating herself over and over. Zzzzzzz....

Now they have a question on the mental health care system in NC. She's talking about how all aspects of the mental health system need work -- which, as McCrory pointed out earlier, is thanks to her administration's incompetence. And she wants to model the mental health care system after Medicaid, because THAT works to well.

McCrory is rightly pointing out that the current administration is who has ruined the mental health system. He thinks we need to encourage the school to graduate more mental health care workers. The few resources that we have are not well-staffed.

McCrory and Perdue on offshore drilling

Bev Perdue supports off-shore drilling IMMEDIATELY now! Wow, this woman is all over the place. She thinks all coasts in America should be open to drilling IF CONGRESS DEEMS IT SO (key words there) and she thinks each state should have the OPTION to drill off their own coast.

Pat McCrory says he STILL doesn't know where she stands on the off-shore drilling issue. He has never changed his position on the issue, he is still a strong advocate FOR off-shore drilling, and he feels it will also improve out national security. We shouldn't be dependent on the Middle East. He just pointed out that Perdue only wants to drill in Gulf of Mexico (which she has alluded to) and she CACKLED at him. It was very classy. Perdue has said she is 100% opposed to offshore drilling, and that is probably still her position, but we really can't be sure.

McCrory, (who has worked for Duke Power), just told the audience that you ALWAYS have someone make sure a building project is safe before going through with it, and this will be true with offshore drilling. However, it has been successful along Gulf of Mexico, and it can be successful here.

Perdue is AGAIN saying she supports offshore drilling -- however, she doesn't think it's safe to drill until a team of engineers tells her it's okay to do so.

Isn't that what Pat just said?

McCrory and Perdue on health care

A viewer question just came in on how people are expected to pay for healthcare and prescriptions. McCrory thinks that we have a lot of mandates in NC regarding health care, and therefore younger people are not signing up for health care. There's also the fear of lawsuits from trial attorneys which is raising the COST of health care. McCrory thinks it would help to give tax breaks to small businesses so they can help pay for health care for workers.

Perdue apparently thinks she has solved the prescription drug problem, we're supposed to go to her website to check it out (apparently she doesn't remember it right now). She just accused McCrory of not wanting children to be insured. She wants to insure health care for children. It's the "bottom line" to having a working economy in NC. The moderator just asked what the differences are in their health care policies. Perdue says that her no-smoking and anti-obesity campaigns in NC are a huge step forward, and she again is accusing McCrory of not wanting health care for children. This woman is like a one-act pony.

McCrory gets a rebuttal, and he just informed everyone that Perdue took his quote out of context, AS USUAL. He just pointed out, and rightly so, that Perdue comes from the administration that has destroyed NC's health care system. People are waiting 70 hours to get a mental health care bed, Dorthea Dix is going to have to close, the Easley administration is not taking responsibility for the mistakes they've made in healthcare

McCrory on Energy

Well, thanks to the technical geniuses at Lounge 101, I've already missed the opening statements. Not that we really missed too much on Bev Perdue.

We've had some trouble with the TV signal, but the debate is back on and McCrory is talking about creating jobs. Surprise, surprise, he wants us to get into the energy business and do some off-shore drilling... and the whole room just burst into applause! That's what I'm talking about :)

Debate blogging

Alright guys, here's the deal -- unless you live in the Raleigh/Durham area, you're probably not seeing the NC gubernatorial debate tonight. That's why I'm here.

I'm blogging live from Lounge 101 in downtown Raleigh, and I'm here to tell you all you need to know about the debate. Go Pat!

Hillary cries, Bev whines -- how the modern female runs for office

Let me you what ticks me off about Bev Perdue.

Oh, I'm sorry, my lunch break is only an hour long. I'll have to limit myself to one topic.

During the primaries, Perdue started an all out war against Richard Moore. That's right -- SHE started it. I watch the local news every morning while getting ready for work, and although I'm usually too tired to speak for at least 3 hours, seeing that first Perdue attack ad made me whistle in disbelief. It was harsh, and I remember wondering why a Democrat would do that to another Democrat during an election year.

Richard Moore came back with an ad defending himself, and pointing out Bev's inadequacies. This back and forth went on for some time (not being a registered Democrat, I didn't really have a dog in the fight, so I can't tell you exact figures), and Perdue and Moore remained fairly equal in local polls.

Then Bev announced that she was done with the bickering. She wanted to run a "positive campaign". She made it look like Moore had forced her to defend herself, which is the only reason she was running the ads, even thought she started it all. And almost overnight, her numbers skyrocketed. I was shocked and appalled that North Carolinians could be so naive.

A week prior to the primaries, an extremely conservative friend expressed disappointment at the fact that he could not vote in the Democratic primaries so he could vote AGAINST Moore. When I asked why on earth he would want to do such a thing, especially since Moore is a moderate Democrat (and Perdue is a socialist), he informed me that Moore attacked Perdue, and "a gentleman does not do that". I asked if he was aware that Perdue had started the fight, and he told me that he was not aware, but it did not matter to him.

So, basically, North Carolinians voted for Bev Perdue because Richard Moore treated her like a opponent rather than a housewife. You know, as a woman, I don't think I'd like to win on those grounds. I would rather be seen as an equal.

Not Perdue, and she's already playing the poor pitiful woman against Pat McCrory. As you all know, the Alliance for North Carolina has been running an attack ad against Pat McCrory for the past couple weeks. While Perdue is claiming she has nothing to do with them, she has also failed to insure a "positive" race by asking that the Alliance for NC have the ads removed. So this week, the McCrory campaign released an ad defending himself from the current attack ads, and also pointing out that Perdue is against offshore drilling in North Carolina, while he expects it to happpen "under [his] watch" as governor.

The same day the McCrory ad was released, Perdue sent an email out to her supporters with the subject line "McCrory Launches Desperate Negative Ads". The email began:

McCrory’s First Ad: Negative and Untrue

Pat McCrory launched a desperate negative attack today in his first TV commercial of the general election – an ad that is simply untrue.

The email then went on to tell us how much Bev Perdue WANTS to allow offshore drilling! Really, Bev? That is so interesting. Then why is it that on June 18, 2008, you told WRAL that you were "100% opposed" to offshore drilling? And then, on July 19th, you told the Charlotte Observer: "On my watch, we'll never solve the gas problem by drilling off the coast of North Carolina."

NOW, according to her email, Bev has "consistently said she supports offshore drilling."

Ignoring her major flipflop on the issue, isn't it interesting how McCrory is being "desperate" and "negative"? She knows what she's doing. She knows that the old Southern gentlemen who are likely to vote Republican this year would not approve of a male candidate "attacking" his opponent when she just so happens to belong to the weaker sex.

"Oh please help me, ya'll, this mean man is pointing out my inconsistencies. I just can't be expected to be held accountable for what I say!"

Please.

Bev, if you want to see a "negative", "desperate", and "untrue" "attack ad", check out the one that's being run by the Alliance for North Carolina -- an ad that you'll never ask to have removed because it does your dirty work for you. You'll never run a "positive campaign" until you start to take some responsibility.

Alliance for NC's spokesman has shady past

News broke today that Scott Falmlen, spokesman for the Alliance for North Carolina and previous Executive Director of the Florida Democrat Party and North Carolina Democrat Party has a history of being less than truthful when it comes to getting his message across.

You remember the Alliance for North Carolina -- you know, the political group that's running that ridiculous attack ad against Pat McCrory? It seems that while they and their tactics may not be well known in NC, their spokesman is getting a bit of a reputation for engaging in dirty politics.

Apparently, Scott Falmlen got himself into a little mess back in 1994 while desperately trying to get Democrat Lawton Chiles re-elected as governor of Florida. The campaign has been accused of phoning elderly citizens and scaring them into believing that Jeb Bush (the Republican nominee) was going to get rid of Medicare and Social Security.

According to The Ledger, a Florida newspaper, Falmlen "admitted making 'purposeful misstatements.'" (Dec. 9, 1995) And the vice chair of the state party at the time, Jon Ausman, was quoted as saying "Scott Falmlen should resign. He should have resigned a long time ago. He's no longer a credible spokesman for our party."

So basically, what we have here is a guy that got run out of Florida for engaging in shady politics, and has come up here to do some more of the same. The game's changed -- he's gone from sending misleading phone calls to running misleading advertisements against Pat McCrory -- but it's still the same old crap.

This is why so many people are fed up with politics in general. When people like Scott Falmlen get involved in a race, it's nothing but dirty campaigning all the way. I'm so glad Pat McCrory hasn't stooped to their level. I think it will be refreshing to a lot of North Carolinians to see a politician that doesn't feel the need to fire back with untruthful comments about his opponent.

Bev Perdue would be wise to tell the group to back off. I know she's claiming innocence with the whole thing, but it she really wanted to stay "Positive Bev", she would call for the removal of the attack ads. Plain and simple, she doesn't WANT the ad removed. She's sworn herself to positivity, so she has to get someone to do her dirty work for her. And Scott Falmlen has just the right kind of experience for Bev Perdue.

Pat McCrory responds to attack ads

McCrory requests face-to-face discussion with Perdue regarding negative advertising

The following is a letter sent from Mayor Pat McCrory to Lt. Governor Bev Perdue earlier today:

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Dear Lt. Gov. Perdue:

Unfortunately, the Democratic Party and labor unions have decided to start an advertising war with negative attack television advertising. You and I know we can do better for the voters. Although your campaign team rejected my former offer of a series of live statewide television debates on the issues, I hope you will consider a proposal to address negative advertising.

When negative advertising appears, we can clarify the issues by meeting face-to-face in an open, televised forum to discuss the charges and their truthfulness or pertinence. I would suggest we meet within the next week in an open, televised forum to discuss your party’s charges that: 1.) I oppose the minimum wage, 2.) I favor pay increases for politicians and myself, and 3.) I oppose free community college tuition for all high school graduates.

It would be appropriate to hold our discussion on a community college campus such as Wake Tech. The format could be simple: 1.) We provide an equal amount of time to discuss the issues raised in the ad, 2.) we question each other for an agreed time on the issues, and 3.) we make closing comments. The moderator would ensure we both have equal time. I would suggest the community college president as the moderator of the first forum.

Negative advertising has become pervasive and you have expressed a personal opposition to negative campaigning. Perhaps, together, we can change the tone of campaigns by creating a situation where candidates are forced to defend negative advertising face-to-face. Our example can change the tone of this campaign and maybe future campaigns. It is worth a try.

My schedule is very full as I am sure is yours. But I will clear any day this week for our first attempt to end negative campaigns by directly addressing the issues.

Please feel free to contact me at my campaign office (704) 714-4344.

Sincerely,

Pat McCrory

--

I'll be interested in seeing how she responds to that. Not that I'm holding my breath for anything. It was like pulling teeth to get that woman to agree to any debates during this election season -- I seriously doubt she's going to want to publicly discuss an ad to which she is voraciously attempting to remove herself.

Well here's a big shocker

Charlotte, N.C. – The McCrory for Governor Campaign today condemned The Alliance for North Carolina, a mysterious Washington-based 527 group that supports Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue’s campaign for governor, for breaking North Carolina election law.

“North Carolina law mandates that third party political organizations that run ads must file a detailed report with the State Board of Elections within 24 hours of airing an ad. Yet this secret 527 group has launched over $300,000 worth of negative television ads without disclosing any information whatsoever,” said Amy Auth, communications director for McCrory. “This is the latest example of the culture of corruption and secrecy that Raleigh politicians like the lieutenant governor are a part of. Pat is running for governor to change that culture.”

---

She couldn't have said it any better. The Perdue camp can deny it all they like, but they had a hand in that McCrory attack ad. And now, they're breaking the law in regards to running those ads. BIG SURPRISE THERE.

Perdue supporters run false attack ads against McCrory

Watch the video, and then read the facts:



---

Hilarious, right?

Pat McCrory actually did not say that he opposed raising the minimum wage (much to my chagrin, as someone who personally opposes any kind of a government-mandated minimum wage). In fact, when asked by an anti-minimum wage group for his stance, McCrory stated that he WOULD consider raising the minimum wage, and added, "Any one-time minimum wage increase should be coupled with a tax cut to small business to help offset additional costs. I would also back an alternative such as adjusting minimum wage to the cost of living."

What? A minimum wage increase AND tax cuts? Somewhere, a Democrat's head just exploded.

And how about that part where McCrory "supports pay raises for politicians, including himself"? I'm actually dying to know where that comes from. The ad cites a Charlotte Observer article from 6/10/08, but the article says no such thing. All it actually addresses is that Republicans in the city council voted against a pay raise, while Democrats voted for it. It also lists how each member voted -- but does NOT include a vote from Mayor McCrory. Hmmmm...

The last part of the video (about McCrory opposing free community college tuition for high school graduates) is the only true part of this smear ad. Since the primaries, McCrory has opposed this socialist measure, always arguing that "The teachers aren't going to work for free. The buildings aren't free. The textbooks aren't free." That's just plain common sense. It's the taxpayers that pay for it all, and as North Carolinians, we're already some of the highest taxed citizens in the US.

In a nice twist of irony, however, Perdue has never voted to decrease the tuition in community colleges; rather, she has never failed to INCREASE the tuition.

The attack ad closes by urging viewers to call the mayor's office of the City of Charlotte. By attempting to flood the office with needless phone calls, this ad attempts to waste more of the taxpayer's money (which really only proves to us that this is backed by the Democratic Party, since they're so good at spending taxpayer money).

Now, you want to know what REALLY irks me about this ad?

Of course it only stands to reason that an anti-McCrory ad would be backed by Perdue or a Perdue supporter. But Perdue spokesman Tim Crowley has denied having anything to do with the ad.

The group that's running the advertisement is called Alliance for North Carolina, and according to the group's website, "Its purpose is to communicate independently with the citizens of North Carolina on vital public issues, including but not limited to education, economic development, health care, public safety and better government." Nicely generic, yes? Not quite. The group is receiving funds from the Democratic Governor's Association, an organization whose main objective is to help elect Democratic governors across the US.

What does that ultimately mean? That sweetheart Bev can play innocent all she wants, but these are her people that are running this ad. But I know it'll be a cold day in hell when she calls for the removal of this attack ad (and the many others that will follow), because this makes it so much easier for her to pretend to run a "positive" campaign while still falsely smearing McCrory.

Too bad Bev's not any better at debating, or she wouldn't need to rely on such sleazy methods to insure a victory in November. I would hope that the North Carolina voters are too smart to fall for her shenanigans, but they sure fell for her BS in the race against Richard Moore.