Democratic debate: put on your protective gear
Yes, there was some substance to the Democratic side of the UNC-TV debate Thursday night. As it turns out, Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue and State Treasurer Richard Moore agree on many key issues.
What people will be talking about are the barbs that Perdue and Moore were lobbing at one another. This debate got a little rough and tumble.
Now, here's the thing. Not a lot of these barbs are new. The two Democrats' campaign teams have been slinging this stuff for months now.
What happened Thursday night is that Perdue and Moore took ownership of all the mud that's been slung. No longer is it just a faceless press release or a campaign operative making the accusations, it's the candidates themselves. If there was any doubt, they own all of this lock, stock and barrel now.
Because of the debate format, the initial punch and reaction aren't side-by-side in the tape. What I've done is taken the relevant smack and come back and put them next to each other on the audio. (I'm think you'll be able to tell which is Perdue and which is Moore:
- * In this clip, Perdue criticizes Moore for his involvement, or lack thereof in the Randy Parton Theater deal in Roanoke Rapids. If you don't know what I'm talking about, click here.
- * In this clip, Perdue introduces her college promises plan. Moore then jumps on that, saying the tuition affordability plan only offsets tuition increases Perdue helped create. Perdue responds that Moore is ill informed.
- *In this clip, Perdue suggests Moore has more in common with Wall Street players than North Carolinians. Moore comes back to remind Perdue she's not the Democrat born and raised in North Carolina.