Decision 2008

More on the bond vote

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:09:36 -0500

We talked to Katy Harriger, chairwoman of the political science department at Wake Forest University on her take as to why the bonds passed in Guilford County on May 6. And all the bonds passed, except for a $20.2 million parks bond, the runt of the bond litter. “Well, parks are nice, but maybe they aren’t as important as jails and schools and the hierarchy of what’s perceived as being important,” Harriger said on what motivated voters. Issues that lead to passing bonds are different than the issues on which people pick a candidate, she said. Often, bonds receive low voter turnout because they are not as high-profile as other choices in an election. But the primary hit North Carolina this year with big numbers. And the Democratic presidential primary may have helped the bonds pass as liberal-leaning voters headed to polls. "Generally, anti-bond organizations tend to be anti-tax, and they tend do to be associated with Republicans," Harriger said.

Did you vote like your commissioner?

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:04:17 -0500

Cross-posted from Inside Scoop We caught up with Guilford County commissioners this week to see what they think now that the dust has settled on the May 6 votes for $671 million in bonds and the quarter-cent sales tax. Guilford voters approved all the bonds except for the $20.2 million for parks. And they refused the sales tax. But few commissioners managed to hold closely to what the voters wanted in their districts. Below is the list of what commissioners said they wanted before the election, which excludes at-large commissioners John Parks and Paul Gibson: District 1, Bruce Davis: No to the $412 million school bond and jail bond. Yes to other bonds. Undecided on sales tax. District 2, Steve Arnold: Yes on Eastern Guilford. No to the other bonds and sales tax. District 3, Linda Shaw: Yes to bonds and sales tax. District 4, Kirk Perkins: Yes on bonds and the sales tax. District 5, Billy Yow: Yes on the jail bond and sales tax. No for the other bonds. District 6, Kay Cashion: Yes on bonds and the sales tax. District 7, Mike Winstead: Refused to give his position on the bonds or sales tax. District 8, Melvin “Skip” Alston: Yes to Eastern Guilford. No to the other bonds and sales tax. District 9, Carolyn Coleman: Did not comment.

You care about who is president...who keeps your workplace and elevators safe - not so much.

Sun, 11 May 2008 22:19:17 -0500

Before last week's election, there was a good deal of speculation about what the drop-off would be. How many more people who would vote in the presidential contest versus other races lower on the ballot, particularly in the Democratic primary? After looking at some data from the State Board of Elections and the Guilford County BOE it's fair to say that there was some serious drop-off, although I found the ballot spots where it happened a bit surprising. At both the county and state level, the presidential contest definitely was the draw. But at both the state and county levels, the race for governor was the second-biggest draw on the Democratic ballot. That was followed by the U.S. Senate race. Statewide, the drop-off from President to governor was 5 percent, versus U.S. Senate 15.5 percent. In Guilford County, nearly 4,000 fewer people voted for U.S. Senate versus for Governor. That's despite the leading candidates in the senate race (Greensboro state Sen. Kay Hagan and Greensboro-native Jim Neal) having ties to Guilford County and the race appearing on the ballot ahead of the race for governor. This bum-fuzzles me. I would think that the choice of who Democrats want to take on Sen. Dole would be pretty darned important to them. I'm not sure how to interpret this, although I'm betting if I talked to Dole's folks they'd say it's a sign that some Democrats are happy with the incumbent. The only alternative I have at my fingertips involves advertising: Richard Moore and Bev Perdue were on the air a lot. Hagan was the only one of the U.S. Senate candidates on television and in nowhere near the rotation that Bev Perdue and Richard Moore were. Among the partisan statewide races, the biggest dropoff on the Democratic side was between President and Labor Commissioner. Statewide, 376,425 - or 24 percent - fewer people voted for the state official responsible for inspecting elevators and amusement rides and enforcing workplace safety rules. Phhhhppttt...who needs to keep nails out of their skulls anyway. In Guilford County, a lot of people went to considerable trouble to under-vote the down ballot races. You can tell because a total of 127,589 people voted in the Republican and Democratic presidential races. Then 122,000-plus voted in all the sales tax and bond referenda. But only a total of 105,345 Democrats and Republicans voted for Lt. Governor, the #2 elected official in the state. To roughly extrapolate, that means about 17,000 punched a button for president, and then leafed through several pages, leaving races like Lt. Gov. blank, before getting to the bonds. What does this all mean? Several things, I think, some obvious:

* Not all races caught the voting public's imagination equally.
* All politics is local and the referenda are about as local as it gets.
* Folks probably aren't sure what the people who hold the council of state offices do, much less the differences between the candidates.
* There's probably an argument in here for eliminating some council of state offices, if one wanted to have it.

Your thoughts welcome at the comment link below.

Broder says North Carolina is "unimportant"

Sat, 10 May 2008 23:11:49 -0500

David Broder is a revered figure among political journalists. His clear-eyed appraisal of politics is something to which most of us can only aspire. Which is why it pains me to say that in a recent column Broder wrote one of the most singularly jerky and condescending things I've read in a while:

The two states that voted on Tuesday -- Indiana and North Carolina -- are so unimportant to Democratic chances of electing the next president that it is unlikely Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama would make more than a token appearance in either after one of them is nominated. Unless John McCain butchers his campaign, he will be an odds-on favorite to continue the Republican winning streak in both states. Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry and a host of earlier candidates failed to make them competitive. In a sensible nominating system, these states would never become important battlegrounds. Lots of people complain that Iowa and New Hampshire enjoy disproportionate influence because of their place at the start of the process. But both are closely contested in November -- not throwaways. Indiana and North Carolina were doubly irrelevant this year, because the "issues" that Clinton and Obama discussed in the two weeks before those states' primaries were some of the phoniest of this entire election cycle.

Okay, I know what he's getting at. I understand that North Carolina isn't the most likely state to be a swing contest this fall. Although, and maybe it's just because I work here, I don't put it as far out of reach as Broder might. (Heck if Hagan is within spitting distance or of better of Dole can McCain fans really be all that comfy here? But to say the votes of 9 million people are "unimportant" and "irrelevant" just seems hugely arrogant. Isn't it a good thing that voters who ordinarily don't have much of a say in nominating process had a chance to weigh in - regardless of whether they were "notably lacking in the kind of political prestige?" Might one reason that some state get into such voting ruts be because they're written off as wastes of time - or am I just touched in the head? All I can say for sure is that the people I saw at Clinton and Obama rallies and meeting the candidates in smaller venues didn't feel the experience was "unimportant." (Both Clinton and Obama, by the way, said they'd take a stab at winning North Carolina in November if they become the nominee.)

Edwards on NPR

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:44:05 -0500

In case you missed, former N.C. Senator John Edwards was on NPR's "All Things Considered" Friday. He didn't say who he would back in the presidential primary, adding that his neutral position put him in a better position to pursue his anti-poverty agenda.

Miller backs Obama

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:19:27 -0500

There's been an air of inevitability about this one, but from our friends at the Associated Press:

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) _ Rep. Brad Miller endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Thursday, becoming the third North Carolina superdelegate to pledge support to the Illinois senator since his convincing win in the state's primary. Miller met with Obama in Washington on Thursday afternoon and said afterward that Obama has shown that he can inspire people and bring fundamental change to the country. "I see this year as an opportunity to really build a consensus that can last a generation," Miller said in an interview with The Associated Press. Obama now has the support of nine superdelegates from North Carolina, including state Democratic Party chief Jerry Meek. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton has the support of three state superdelegates, including Gov. Mike Easley.

Miller's been dropping hints about this for the past couple days.

Where's Hagan from again?

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:37:27 -0500

Put this under the category of actually needing to know something about the candidate you are promoting. The DSSC is all fuzzy with excitement that state Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, is running to take on Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole this fall. So they sent out an e-mail to supports asking for funds to mount the campaign. Nothing wrong with that. But then there was this line:

"Unlike Dole, Hagan is a life-long resident of North Carolina. She raised her three kids in Raleigh and was active in the business and civic community there."

Well, no and no. Hagan was born in North Carolina but her family moved out of state and she did the bulk of her growing up in Lakeland, Fla. She did return to the state for Law School. And Hagan lives in Greensboro and her kids went to school in Greensboro and the senate district she represented is - say it with me - based in Greensboro. To be fair, the rest of the e-mail seems to comport more with reality. Full disclosure: The person who tipped me off here was a member of the Dole organization who is a little irked at Hagan's whole "I want to give Miss Liddy Dole a pair of ruby-red slippers..." line, designed to tag Dole as a carpet-bagger. Hagan, the person pointed out, spent some time away from the state as well.

Meek for Obama

Wed, 07 May 2008 15:12:55 -0500

North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Meek, who is a super delegate, endorsed Sen. Barack Obama today:

Chairman Meek said, “Over the past year, I’ve watched as Barack Obama has drawn countless new people to the political process. Although my position as State Chair has led me to remain neutral through the primary, I’ve quietly celebrated as Barack Obama offered new hope to millions of Americans who have lost faith in the American dream after years of disastrous Republican policies. Rarely does a public servant emerge with Barack Obama’s ability to unite our country and produce real change. With Barack Obama as our nominee, North Carolina can deliver its electoral votes to a Democrat and Democratic candidates up and down the ballot will benefit. Barack Obama offers the best chance to take back the White House, elect countless democrats down-ballot, and breathe new life into the Democratic Party.”

From our friends at the Associated Press:

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) _ Two Democratic superdelegates from North Carolina have endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama. State Democratic Party chief Jerry Meek and Cumberland County commissioner Jeanette Council both announced their support for the Illinois senator Wednesday. Their votes now give Obama the support of eight superdelegates from North Carolina. Hillary Rodham Clinton won the support of Rep. Heath Shuler for beating Obama in his district. She has the support of three North Carolina superdelegates, including Gov. Mike Easley. There are seven uncommitted superdelegates remaining in the state. Meek also has the power to recommend four people to fill two positions as unpledged add-on delegates. Those delegates will be selected at the state convention in June.

But who would Otis vote for?

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:50:45 -0500

How did voters choose between candidates for governor like Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue and Treasurer Richard Moore? Did they comb through policy positions or read about their voting records? Maybe some did. Others, just listened to ol' Sheriff Andy. From Lex Alexander who was out and about covering the gubernatorial primary yesterday:

Joseph L. Perkins Jr. voted for Bev Perdue for governor at Greensboro's First Lutheran Church. "Andy Griffith felt she was right, and I don't think he'd recommend anyone who wasn't right," he said.

Griffith did a television commercial endorsing Perdue:

Fund raisin': Don Vaughan in Raleigh

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:46:22 -0500

With the primary over, a general election candidate's thoughts turn toward filling the campaign coffers. Case in point: former City Councilman Don Vaughan will hold a fundraiser at the home of Tony and Monique Copeland Thursday in Raleigh. Vaughan is the Democratic nominee for the seat vacated by Sen. Kay Hagan, as she pursues her U.S. Senate run. Vaughan is running against Joe Wilson, a council candidate last year. A quick check of campaign finance filings shows:

* Vaughan had $49,361.79 cash-on-hand in the middle of April, according to his first quarter report.
* Joe Wilson does not have a finance report filed online, according to the SBOE site.

Web wise: Wilson is up and running, complete with blog. As of right now, Vaughan's Site is nothing more than a page-front but when I spoke to him a couple weeks ago he said it was in the process of getting spiffed up.

Election talk

Wed, 07 May 2008 10:38:39 -0500

Still chewing over the primary? You can listen to editorial writers Doug Clark and Allen Johnson, columnist Jeri Rowe and staff writer Mark Binker chew over Guilford County and national primary results by clicking right here. The podcast starts with a couple voices from election night: State Sen. Kay Hagan and Sheriff BJ Barnes.

So how do you really feel Alma?

Tue, 06 May 2008 22:59:06 -0500

Greensboro Rep. Alma Adams backed Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue in her Democratic primary run for governor against State Treasurer Richard Moore. Moore ran a hard campaign, and came out with a bunch of attacks on Perdue, including some that suggested she was less than committed to civil rights. Adams stopped to chat as she passed through the Old Guilford County Courthouse Tuesday on her way to Raleigh and Perdue's victory celebration. When asked what Moore should do now, Adams had this to say:

"He needs to go hide. For all the dirt that he did, he needs to go hide deep down under a rock. He ought to be ashamed."

Signs of the time

Tue, 06 May 2008 22:45:43 -0500

From the AP at 10:45 p.m. 2,104 of 2,817 precincts - 75 percent x-Kay Hagan 646,949 - 61 percent Jim Neal 196,328 - 18 percent Marcus Williams 125,212 - 12 percent Howard Staley 46,754 - 4 percent Duskin Lassiter 46,398 - 4 percent Click here for rough (no mic and lots of camera/notebook noise) audio of Kay Hagan speaking at the Old Guilford County Courthouse Tuesday night.

Observations: Guilford County elections

Tue, 06 May 2008 16:03:16 -0500

The Republican primary races for Guilford County commissioner may be closer than most people first thought. Here's a stab at a possible reason: Of the folks that I've talked to at a couple of precincts today, the majority chose to vote in the Democratic primary. That means that in the District 5 Republican primary, where incumbent Billy Yow faces former Pleasant Garden Mayor Rick Wallace and barely-there candidate Lisa Andrews, voters who could otherwise help tip a wider margin in that race are not selecting Republican ballots. Those voters are instead shooting for the presidential Democratic nominee. This is important because the winner in the District 5 primary will likely be the winner overall, unless the loser seeks a runoff (which can be declared only after all ballots are counted). There are no Democratic candidates for District 5. The same theory could go for the At Large county commissioner primary. Two winners in that field of five Republicans will face Democratic incumbents Paul Gibson and John Parks in November. That's the pull of a presidential primary for you, which can take credit for another effect. I interviewed a woman in her 40s today who voted for her first time. At another precinct I spoke with 40-ish woman voting the second time ever. Then again, the argument could be made that any newcomers to the election probably are only interested in the national political scene, not local politics. Whaaa? Who wouldn't find this stuff interesting?

On board the Straight Talk Express

Tue, 06 May 2008 15:17:41 -0500

Sen. John McCain gave a speech in Wake Forest this morning before heading to a fundraiser in Greensboro at New Breed CEO Louis DeJoy's house. That's where I hopped aboard this thing: The presumptive Republican presidential nominee rolled in the Straight Talk Express on up to PITA, where he hopped a charter to Michigan. Along the way, we scruffy media types got to toss him a few questions and snap some (in my case) bad photos: While on board, the subject du jour was McCain's take on judicial nominations, which was the focus of his speech this morning. I've got to write a story, now but you can click here to listen to McCain's speech at Wake Forest (The first person on this take is Sen. Richard Burr, doing the introductions. ) or here to read the prepared text. And you can listen to the press gaggle on the bus by clicking here. The conversation ranged all over the place, but it concentrated on the nominations.