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.

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.

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."

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

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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."

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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.
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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.

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?

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:

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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.