News-Record.com

So, there are these three cats who want to be governor. I spoke with them for this story on Saturday.

In an online exclusive (translation: we ran out of space in the @#$%#$ paper) here’s a chart comparing their policy positions on various topics.

Later in the week, I’m told we’re planning to get some video of Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue and Pat McCrory up. Both candidates interviewed (separately) with our editorial board in the N&R studios at the home office.

Local lawyer and convention delegate Marshall Hurley has sent along a couple photos. The first is of his son, Anderson Hurley, a 17-year-old senior at Grimsley who is serving as a page at the Republican National Convention.

It looks like he’s checking out a model of Air Force One.

And here is Anderson and a proud papa in front of a portrait of Lincoln.

Hurley is a delegate to the convention and sent along this reaction to Arizona Sen. John McCain picking Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate:

In 1996, a brand new member of the Atlanta Braves named Jermaine Dye stood up to the plate for his first at bat and hit a home run on his first try.

On Friday, Governor Sarah Palin stood up for her major league debut, and she crushed a grand slam homer out of the park.

The North Carolina delegates to the Republican National Convention have greeted Senator John McCain's choice for vice-president with passion and enthusiasm for this bright new star. She soared in her acceptance speech, showing her ability to connect with the American people. She spoke with a steady, authentic rhetoric, all her own.

Delegates welcome Governor Palin's energy and her commitment to government reform. Her political resume retells the story of the American dream: raising a family, building a business, grassroots community service and, most recently, placing a firm, conservative hand on the wheels of government in one of America's special places.

Mother Nature has disrupted our convention schedule but not our spirits. We have, appropriately, sought to find the balance between a focus on the threat to the Gulf coast and at the same time, conducting the business of the convention which we are charge to do. We will make our nominations, and the campaign will resume soon.

Our delegates are absolutely energized by this exciting ticket, led by real reformers. Senator McCain and Governor Palin are ready to face and debate their opponents: a self-promoting orator and his running mate, a relic from the Nixon era. In the next two months, North Carolina Republican activists will join together with a new determination to make our case for McCain-Palin to keep Barack Obama's callow fingers far away from the buttons of power in Washington, DC.

I saw a video clip over the weekend where he said concern of Hurricane Gustav went “beyond politics.” As in this story from the AP via the Star Tribune he was urging supporters to be mindful of those who might be in need.

So I can’t decide whether this is incredibly nimble and genuine or kind of cynical and exploitive – yes, covering political campaigns makes you suspect everyone’s motives - but Obama’s North Carolina campaign offices announced they’ll be taking donations for folks affected by Gustav.

RALEIGH, N.C. – U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s Campaign for Change announced today that it will begin accepting non-perishables and other materials at its 16 statewide offices on Tuesday and Wednesday in an effort to assist families affected by Hurricane Gustav. “We wanted to give North Carolinians another way to provide support to families that may be in need in the aftermath of Gustav,” stated Marc Farinella, Obama’s North Carolina State Director. “Our grassroots organization is ready and willing to pitch in and use its resources to help in any way we can.”

Local residents are encouraged to bring non-perishables such as canned food, bottled water, first-aid supplies and other materials that may help people in the wake of the storm to their local Campaign for Change office. The supplies will be distributed to aid foundations that can ensure they are delivered to families in need.

The local Greensboro office is:
Greensboro
318 S. Elm St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
336.275.1964

Ramesh Ponnuru writes at the National Review Online blog:

Pro-Life Women

They are radically underrepresented in national politics. Elizabeth Dole is the only pro-life woman in the Senate that I can think of.is there a governor besides Palin who fits the category? The situation in the House is only a little better. The dearth of female pro-life politicians creates any number of political problems for pro-lifers. (That's why the Susan B. Anthony List exists.) All else aside, I am glad to see a female pro-life politician reach prominence.

So I guess if you’re looking for local connections to the national race, there’s one. I’m not really sure having a strong pro-lifer on the ticket gets McCain any more votes than he would have had. I have a hard time imagining a whole lot of voters whose sole focus is the pro-life issue going over to vote for the current Democratic ticket.

Ponnuru mentions the Susan B. Anthony List, which looks like it’s supposed to serve as a counter-weight to Emily’s List, although I must confess having never seen the pro-life group active here in NC. The SBA List does have a big picture of Palin up on their site, so they’re obviously excited about the prospect.

Alright, let’s acknowledge that Gov. Sarah Palin is easy on the eyes in a way that no vice presidential contender has ever been. And let’s further acknowledge the fact her teen daughter is knocked up and that’s going to make for good 24-hour news cycle fodder for all this week. Oh, and the whole trying to fire a trooper over a personal vendetta thing is priceless, ham-handed and maybe a touch worse worse than a certain North Carolina letting his wife get a humongous raise from a state university and travel first class on the taxpayer's dime.

But is McCain's Veep pick reckless? As in, if McCain croaks in office and the United States is faced with something akin to 9/11 are we going to be having a wicked case of buyers' remorse? At least one pundit seems to imply that.

From Slate’s John Dickerson:

Each new fact we learn about Sarah Palin—her reversal on the bridge to nowhere, her disagreements with McCain on issues from windfall profits to global warming, emerging facts about troopergate—contribute to the feeling that this whole Palin thing is being made up as we go along. It may be fun to read about, and it sure is fun to cover, but it also supports the judgment of the Palin pick that I first heard from a Republican veteran shortly after the announcement: "Reckless."

Obama was supposed to be the risky candidate. That's certainly how Republicans have painted him. Judging from how he's run his campaign, though, he's very conservative. Nevertheless, polls have shown that voters think McCain is the less risky pick by as much as 20 percentage points. Now that McCain has made a high-profile decision essentially defined by its riskiness—observers have called it a "Hail Mary pass" so often, I'm starting to think it's a play for the Catholic vote—the question is whether McCain has squandered his advantage with voters on the question of risk.

Click here for the whole thing. To be clear, I'm not sure whether Dickerson was talking about "reckless" in terms of a pick for Veep or "reckless" in terms of picking someone to put a heart-beat away, but one would seem to imply the other.

Got an answer to my question about how Brooks & Dunn felt about Obama using their song "Only in America" at the Democratic convention:

They're fine with it.

Jackson Browne and John Mellencamp on their music being used by McCain?

Not so much.

So the NRSC has an ad up attacking state Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, who is running to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

Wait, wait, wait a minute… I though the NRSC didn’t have any money because Republican Senators were a bunch of disappointing skin-flints, according to National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Ensign.

I’m so confused. Well, here’s something else to make your head hurt (via Real Clear Politics.):

I wonder, with beech volleyball off the tube for a whole two weeks now, is the Olympic theme really going to resonate? And if anyone took the whole, “we should really keep the third-party ads out of this race” thing seriously, this should just about put a nail in that coffin.

For those needing a flashback, the Politico has the 92/93 ad up that the DSCC put up in August:

Without taking a stand as to the message, I’ve got to like the DSCC ad better. North Carolina has plenty of old codgers talking politics, some of them even on front porches. While the Olympics are temporary, grumpy old men are an institution down here.

Is it me, or is this campaign getting sillier by the minute?

Frank Eaton at Blue NC has put a video on state Sen. Kay Hagan up on YouTube. It is the first product of their BlueNC TV effort.

The video is well produced relative to a lot of stuff on the web. Content-wise, it is a rah-rah affair, stocked with footage from a campaign office opening in Greensboro. But if you need a reminder of what Hagan’s stump speech sounds like, here you go:

The folks at Gallup have an analysis out of their latest polls in the presidential race up in video form. The most interesting upshot for me was that Sen. Barack Obama’s efforts to make nice with supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton seem to have born some fruit during the convention. A big question: how much will Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s choice bring some of the remaining Clinton stalwarts into the camp of (the almost official) Republican Nominee John McCain.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole met with the News & Record’s editorial board today, mainly to chat about her re-election race here in North Carolina. But the Republican incumbent chatted at the beginning of the interview about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Arizona Sen. John McCain’s choice as a vice presidential running mate.

“I think she’ll be a very strong voice. She is commander and chief for the national guard of her state, and has a number of years in public service at various levels,” Dole said. “And I tell you, you know its interesting, when you’re the mayor, you have people knocking on your door, they’re right there across the street … it gets you very deeply involved in issues across the board.”

Dole was asked whether the Palin pick was hasty, teen-age daughters aside. Given news reports that McCain had only one or two conversations with the woman before putting her on the ticket, was the choice hasty?

“Knowing him and his way of doing things, I think he would have been very careful knowing how important this particular choice is,” Dole said.

Click here for the whole conversation. It’s about five minutes.

Update: Speaking of Palin, here's the McCain campaign's latest ad touting Palin (and knocking Obama):

The National Federation of Independent Businesses endorsed Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole in her re-election campaign versus Democratic state Sen. Kay Hagan today.

This isn’t a huge shock, but I was a bit surprised to hear both Dole and NFIB state director Gregg Thompson talk about union activity prominently in their presentations. In particular, both took aim at the card check bill, which would do away with secret ballots for creating local unions.

“It’s a very scary piece of legislation,” Thompson said.

During her talk, Dole said, “I stand with you to oppose give-aways to union bosses, such as the card check bill.” Here’s about a minute of her talk:

Update:I noticed the video audio was on the poor side, so click here for the full audio of Dole’s talk made with a mic not tacked on as an afterthought to my camera.

Here's a picture of Dole speaking with Rep. John Blust on her way in:

As the AP reports, Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole has an ad out attacking Greensboro Democrat Kay Hagan.

"They call her 'fibber Kay' Hagan," the ad begins.

Who the heck are “they?” Now, I’m not going to say I’ve talked to all 9 million residents in North Carolina, but I get around. Until the ad aired, I never heard anyone use that moniker. (And yes, I’ve heard some people use some nicknames for Hagan, not that one though.) Here’s the ad.

In other Senate campaign news of the day, a new poll shows Hagan up in the race by five points.

So, if you watched Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s speech at the convention Wednesday night, what did you think?

For me, the best line was this zinger:

“My fellow citizens, the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of personal discovery.”

That there is funny. Probably not fair, but funny.

Palin obviously was unleashed to be the attack dog on the ticket, the traditional role of the vice presidential nominee. Her most effective line may have been this one:

“Let us face the matter squarely; there is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you.”

For a lot of folks, that’s a tough one to answer. Sen. Obama may give a good speech, but for a lot of folks, military service is a powerful trump card.

For those chewing over whether it is right and proper for we scruffy media types to talk about Palin’s pregnant daughter, here’s a question: Palin talked about her son heading to Iraq and made a point of talking about her baby to reach out to the parents of special needs kids. If those children are fair game to use as political props, why is the pregnant teenager off limits?

Diane Lamb in our news library sent along a link to the Anchorage Daily News’ Sarah Palin archive, which is handy for those who want to know about the rise of the Republican Vice Presidential nominee.

Available there: video of that jet she tried to sell on e-bay. Palin made reference to the jet in her speech last night.

Also, there are stories from prior debates like this one where she said teaching creationism along side evolution in public schools would be a good idea.

The volatile issue of teaching creation science in public schools popped up in the Alaska governor's race this week when Republican Sarah Palin said she thinks creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the state's public classrooms.

Palin was answering a question from the moderator near the conclusion of Wednesday night's televised debate on KAKM Channel 7 when she said, "Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both."

This, from the NYTimes, is a breakout on the words that speakers used at the respective conventions.

Republicans overwhelmingly touched on taxes and business, while Democrats hit upon change, energy and health care.

While the frequency of just a single word may not indicate much, it does show the areas that the respective parties may focus upon as we head to November. Also, certain words are dropped along the way to ignite a little passion in each party.

Like this, on disasters: While Democrats mentioned Hurricane once, Republicans said Sept. 11 twice. What about those words might galvanize one party against the other?

Pretty nifty tool for following the major presidential candidates on the trail.

The interactive map allows you to pick a time span within which the candidates travel, where they go, and who goes where. Wanna know only where the VP candidates are? Where Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama are going? Or, maybe you want to see where the presidential candidates themselves have been over the last week or so.

You can search all of them through the interactive map. Looks like Biden has been spending some time in Florida.

Voters in Guilford County will have several opportunities in the next few weeks to hear from candidates in the 2008 election.
Sept. 16: Guilford County Unity Effort forum featuring candidates for several offices, 6 p.m., New Light Baptist Church Family Life Center, 1105 Willow Road, Greensboro. Will include candidates for U.S. House districts 6 and 13; governor; state auditor; N.C. Senate District 27; N.C. House districts 58, 59 and 62; Guilford County commissioners; and Guilford County Board of Education. Information: Sharon Hightower, 508-5346.
Sept. 23: Guilford County Unity Effort forum featuring candidates for several offices, 6 p.m., High Point Theater, 220 E. Commerce Ave., High Point. Featuring candidates for governor, superintendent of public instruction, commissioner of Agriculture, commissioner of Insurance, Guilford County Board of Education and High Point City Council. Information: Sharon Hightower, 508-5346.
Oct. 13: Education issues forum, 7 p.m., Koury Hospitality Careers Center, GTCC, Jamestown. Featuring Guilford County commissioners and Board of Education candidates. Sponsored by the Guilford Education Alliance and other partners. Information: 841-4332.
Oct. 21: Forum, noon, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 607 N. Greene St., Greensboro. Featuring U.S. House 6th District Rep. Howard Coble and challenger Teresa Sue Bratton. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters. To make lunch reservations, call 643-2131. Information: Rebecca Klase, 297-9948.

From Saturday's paper: this story laying out the U.S. Senate candidate's position on a couple of union-related issues.

The summary is this: Incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole is no fan of legislation that would make it easier for folks to unionize or any legislation that would force North Carolina to allow public employees to collectively bargain.

State Sen. Kay Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, didn't offer up an absolute endorsement of either of those ideas, but was fairly friendly toward them.

Click here to listen to Hagan's answers.

Click here to listen to Dole's.

And then click here for thoughts from editorial writer Doug Clark.

Some after action notes: This difference in positions could bolster the NRSC's narrative that Hagan is seeking support from traditional national Democratic strongholds, including big labor. (Click here for an example of that.)

After my story ran, a spokeswoman with the campaign wrote to say she would not be in favor of a federal law over-riding North Carolina's law prohibiting collective bargaining for public employees.

I think Kay was confused by the premise of the question, and inferred that he was talking about EFCA and not the separate issue of the federal govt. mandating that states allow public employees to collectively bargain. She would support public employees being allowed to collectively bargain (NCAE for example) if state law allowed that and the employees voted to do so. But fundamentally she believes that public employees being allowed to collectively bargain is a state's right issue.

Respectfully, that's was not the case. Clark asked this question several different ways during the editorial board interview, which you can her via the link above. You can listen to the segment yourself, but here's one fairly clear exchange:

Clark: "This is (about) collective barging for public employees. So, North Carolina law doesn't allow that. But would you support federal legislation that would mandate recognition of collective bargaining writes for state employees?

Hagan: "Not mandate it, but I would look at having the collective bargaining process available if the employees so voted on that."

Clark: "If the employees...?"

Hagan: "They would have the authority to make that decision."

Clark: "So, if the NCAE wanted collective bargaining rights, you would support that?"

Hagan: "Yes."

Clark: "Even though current state law currently prohibits that?"

Hagan: "Yes."

I'm not seeing a whole lot of ambiguity or confusion in those answers. By way of fuller disclosure, she was asked about her answers after the main part of the editorial board interview was over (but before she left the room) and confirmed them.

The U.S. Senate race between Democrat Kay Hagan and Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole has been popping up in the ol' Google reader. The general trend seems to be national writers assessing North Carolina's campaign as increasingly competitive. Here are a couple of examples:

The New Republic blog breaks down Dole's barking dog ad:

In what is shaping up to be a hotly contested race, North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole has released a new ad admonishing her opponent Kay Hagan, a state senator, for lying. The spot is a response to ads that aired in August decrying Dole's work in the Senate as ineffective.

[snip]

There is another interpretation of the dog, however--one that's even less flattering. Some critics, including some people close to Hagan, have said that in using the dog, the Dole camp is implying that Hagan is whining, or--no way to put it delicately--that she is a bitch.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal's "Political Diary" blog titles its latest entry "Panic Time in North Carolina:"

Sarah Palin thrilled the GOP this week in St. Paul, reminding more than a few GOP veterans of how Elizabeth Dole wowed them at the 1996 Republican convention in San Diego. Too bad Mrs. Dole wasn't there to enjoy it. She skipped this week's festivities to focus on her re-election battle against state Senator Kay Hagan in what has become a must-watch race.

And for good reason: A new poll by a Democratic firm shows Mrs. Hagan with a five-point lead, echoing a host of recent polls that show a tight race getting tighter. Mrs. Dole is the biggest star on the North Carolina stage now that John Edwards is in disgrace. Chapel Hill-based venture capitalist Alston Gardner emailed us to explain why she's in trouble: "Much like John Edwards, she's just another pretty face that hasn't delivered for the citizens and leaders of North Carolina. Her focus has always been on a national audience and not doing the less glamorous, but politically necessary constituent services." Ouch.

U.S. Senate candidate and Libertarian Christopher Cole doesn't have the money to put a campaign ad on the air, but he has been making use of e-mail to raise questions about Republican Elizabeth Dole, the incumbent, and Democrat Kay Hagan. One missive that arrived over the weekend takes aim at Hagan for her role in the Dell deal.

For those who didn't catch the news last week, Dell has said it might sell its plant in Forsyth County. That plant, Cole points out, was lured to North Carolina by way of incentives passed during a specially called session of the General Assembly.

Hagan was one of the original sponsors of that bill. (More here.-PDF)

Cole had this to say:

As do all Libertarians, US Senate nominee Christopher Cole opposes so-called "economic incentives", more properly referred to as "corporate welfare", as an immoral tax on citizens to benefit corporate profits. In addition to the moral issue, Dell's cut-and-run with Hagan's complicity clearly demonstrate the uselessness of such incentives.

Corporate welfare cannot produce economic development. Rather, it props up inefficient businesses at taxpayer expense. By promoting inefficient businesses over self-sufficient, consumer-preferred competitors, such government-corporate hybrids actually reduce longterm economic growth. In other words, the development and jobs claimed for such projects are actually just snake-oil promotions.

As a supporter of laissez-faire capitalism over corporatism, only Libertarian Christopher Cole advocates letting taxpayers keep their own money, because they can be trusted to support the best companies in the market. Something which cannot be said of Democrat Kay Hagan.

I'm not sure this line of attack works in a political context - readers probably tuned right out at "laissez-faire capitalism" - or is necessarily fair - a lot more people than just Hagan helped craft and vote that bill.

Still, Hagan has been trying to hammer away at Dole's voting record. I'm wonder if along with the yipping dog commercial, we're going to see some critiques of Hagan's state Senate votes from Dole's campaign.

By the way, here's a sample of what lawmakers at the time said about their approval of the Dell deal to my colleagues:

A bundle of tax incentives crafted to draw a major computer maker to the Piedmont Triad cleared the legislature Thursday.

The measure, worth at least $242.5 million over 15 years, could result in Texas-based Dell setting up a factory in either Guilford or Forsyth counties and employing perhaps as many as 2,000 people.

"We all know Dell can go anywhere in the world," state Sen. Kay Hagan , D-Guilford, said during floor debate. "We need this company. We need these jobs."

Salaries will average $28,000 and range from $18,000 to $140,000, state officials said.

Senators approved the bill 33-15. The House passed it a few hours later 92-18.

No matter how distasteful such government-sponsored breaks for certain businesses may be, North Carolina cannot stop the practice and risk missing out on new jobs, said Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston.

"If we don't play, we lose," said Hoyle, co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. "If we don't pass the bill, the jobs will go to Tennessee or Virginia, plain and simple."

In this post from over the weekend, I talked about state Sen. Kay Hagan and her position on unions. Specifically, the Democrat who is trying to unseat Republican Elizabeth Dole told our editorial board she might favor a federal policy that would force states like North Carolina to allow public employees to collectively bargain.

Cutting to the chase, Hagan says she misspoke. But a little background: For those who might have missed it, there's audio in the original post. But this exchange between Hagan and editorial writer Doug Clark will give you a flavor of what I'm talking about:

Clark: "This is (about) collective barging for public employees. So, North Carolina law doesn't allow that. But would you support federal legislation that would mandate recognition of collective bargaining writes for state employees?

Hagan: "Not mandate it, but I would look at having the collective bargaining process available if the employees so voted on that."

Clark: "If the employees...?"

Hagan: "They would have the authority to make that decision."

Clark: "So, if the NCAE wanted collective bargaining rights, you would support that?"

Hagan: "Yes."

Clark: "Even though current state law currently prohibits that?"

Hagan: "Yes."

A spokesman for the campaign called me over the weekend to say Hagan was confused and didn't mean to say that, that in fact she would not support such a law. Because that was in direct contradiction of several direct quotes, I asked to hear from Hagan herself.

Hagan called me this morning while I was on the line with someone else, but left a voice mail. I've posted a portion of it here, so you can hear straight from here. It cuts off abruptly at the end because she launches into a phone number that probably doesn't need to be on the internets.

Click here for the audio of that.

"Once I'm elected to the U.S. Senate, I want you to know that I will never support a bill at the federal level that mandates states allow collective bargaining of state government employees. I truly believe that's a state's rights issue," Hagan said.

As the football announcers say: you make the call.

Campaigning for the national and state elections is in full swing, and you can expect the local races to heat up soon.

Today we found the Web site for this At Large Guilford County commissioner candidate, Libertarian Paul Elledge. He had a blog, but it hasn't been updated for months.

While we're at it, here's Web sites for the other At Large candidates:

Democrat John Parks
A Google search for Democrat "Paul Gibson" and Guilford County did not return any blogs or Web sites. His page on the county's Web site.

Republican Larry Proctor (who has fundraiser coming up)
Republican At Large challenger Wendell Sawyer showed up in Yes! Weekly's blog, but another google search didn't turn up any personal Web sites for the challenger.

So. We had a story in Sunday's N&R about elections in the Internet age.

Do you think it's as important on the local level as on the federal level?

I was raised in Maryland, a state south of Mason-Dixon Line that is none-the-less not quite southern, at least in the Baltimore-D.C. corridor. Sure, we have syrupy, hot summers, regional dialects and you can find a descent plate of chicken and greens around, but the state’s affluence, industry and proximity to New Jersey, Philadelphia and the like - not to mention Washington, D.C. - dilutes the states southern-ness – southernocity – whatever.

So it took me a while to learn some of the subtleties of the lingo - scratch that, I'm still learning - when I moved down here in 2000. Among the oft used phrases I ran across was "Bless your heart." As the urban dictionary points out it can be a term of sympathy. If can also mean something else entirely, akin to suggesting what one might do with one's head while taking a long walk off a short pier.

So it was a bit jarring to see the term used in Politico's piece that paints U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole as the very model of a modern southern matron. One, I haven't heard her use it all that often. And two, well, bless their hearts, from the Politico piece:

RALEIGH, N.C. — If Elizabeth Dole sometimes channels Scarlett O’Hara as she works the Tobacco Road campaign circuit, then state Sen. Kay Hagan seems to have some sort of long-distance mind-meld with Chuck Schumer.

Um, wasn't Scarlett O'Hara a selfish pragmatist willing to step on friends and family members to get what she wanted? Ah, she was well mannered about it though. Here’s a bit more:

On a warm summer evening in Raleigh, Dole floats through a crowd of corporate farmers and sausage processors, greeting them with no shortage of “Oh, bless your hearts” as fans bask in her Southern charm.

Speaking at an agribusiness forum, Dole runs through her accomplishments on immigration, tobacco and biofuels, making homespun, folksy jokes along the way.

Then Hagan steps to the mike and blasts away, sounding more like a candidate for the New York City Council than the Carolina native that she is.

“People like Elizabeth Dole have given too much power to the special interests,” Hagan says. She hits Dole for a “lack of effectiveness,” says she was “nowhere to be found” on a recent energy compromise, and raises the senator’s “40 years in Washington” as proof that she’s disconnected from the voters.

Basically, the piece paints Hagan as a meany-meany-bo-beany while certifying Dole as a white-cotton-glove-wearing genuine lady of taste and manners.

As our friends at Dome wrote this morning, Dole's recent ads comparing Hagan to a yappy dog and her judiciously-deployed but ready reservoir of knocks on Hagan shows there's "a little more steel than magnolia" there.

Is Hagan going after Dole aggressively? Yup.

Is Dole returning the favor? Yup.

Should we expect any different? Nope.

They're not running for sorority social chairman here folks.

The members of Voterspeak are looking at whether rifts between Democrats and Republicans will widen or be healed through the 2008 presidential campaign.

As you read down, feel free to add your own thoughts in the comment section.

Question:

Do you believe that the candidates in this presidential campaign will deepen the divide between Democrats and Republicans or will they bridge the great rifts between the political parties? Would you like your candidate to reach out to the opposing political party, or would you rather have them create clearly defined battle lines? Why?

Repsonses:

McCain joined Feingold for the McCain-Feingold law, with Ted Kennedy on immigration reform and with Sen. Lieberman on other issues. ... Obama has rejected public-financing limits, promises to rehash the divisive issue of partial-birth abortion and seeks economic redistribution of earned income. - Jeff Bartolet, 38, Republican

I don't think the two major parties will ever agree on the abortion issue, and of course the definition of middle America and taxes. Energy and health care could be a common meeting ground in the future though. - Phyllis Davis, 64, Republican

I would like to see the candidate I'm voting for to simply make decisions on what he thinks is best for this country and not what will make people happy. - Kendall Garvin, 29, unaffiliated

The Democrats will be more likely to bridge the divide simply because their platform is already appealing to a broader demographic than the Republicans are. - Trevor Hamm, 25, Democrat

Both men should make overtures to others who can effect change in Washington. Politics should be a non-zero-sum strategy where viable solutions from any source are considered. - Mike Kelly, 60, Republican

During the presidential campaign it is important for the candidates to clearly define their priorities and how they intend to achieve them. - Marlene Costa Nielsen, 67, Democrat

Once the election is over, both parties -- including all newly elected representatives, along with the president -- have an obligation to remain true to the citizens that elected them. Neither should be expected to abandon completely the political ideals of their party, but I do expect that each should give some ground in the interest of compromise. - Kate Peeples, 27, unaffiliated

Lively debate is nutrition for democracy; diversity of thought a national blessing. These days, “liberal” and “conservative” have become risque words, akin to a phycological poison to our collective identity. Both candidates use the fear factor -- from the economy to terrorism -- to influence opinion and draw party lines. - Deonna Kelli Sayed, 34, Democrat

John McCain has a proven record of reaching out to the Democratic Party, much to the displeasure of the Republicans. Barack Obama has been in the Senate for three years, most of which he has been running for president. In this period of time he has not worked with Republicans on many issues. - Mike Sigmon, 61, Republican

Candidates/parties thrive on division. They spend additional millions studying how to manipulate our fears and anger, turning out “their” voters. - Ruth Mary Weston, 54, Democrat

Keep reading for full responses from each panel member ...

Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who are running for governor, will be debating tonight at 7 p.m. in Raleigh. According to the station's web site, you'll be able to see a live simulcast on WFMY in Greensboro.

Not invited: Libertarian candidate Mike Munger.

Update: I've been tweeting some of this.

For coverage from the print edition, click here.

Thoughts from around the horn:

Dome.
Tavern.
Pearce.
Blue.
Hood.

My own thought was that McCrory probably came off better to the home viewer and that his answers were more in plain English and when he attacked, he did so by painting himself as the aggrieved party. Perdue probably got points when she let her hair down a bit, particularly with the hair-do comment.

Neither candidate offered a direct answer on third-party advertising. But no one can complain they can't find the differences between the two. Still, would have liked to have seen Libertarian Mike Munger in that mix, even if it just forced McCrory and Perdue to more sharply define what they were talking about.

WRAL's two moderator format wasn't working for me either: let the candidates compete with one another, not the egos in the anchor chairs.

Your thoughts welcome in the comments link. And if you missed the debate, click here to see it.

Much has been made of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin being good looking, but is it really appropriate to dress someone who could potentially be the next vice president of the United States in a naughty school girl outfit?

To explain, the following brief came across the wire from our friends at McClatchy Newspapers and was passed along by our night editor, Whitney "007" Cork:

Online action-figure purveyor herobuilders.com, which has a line of popular dolls modeled on politicians of note, has unveiled its latest creation: a 12-inch plastic doll of GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The company offers John McCain and Barack Obama effigies in the classic 12-inch plastic format, as cuddly 8-inch plush dolls, and even as Pez candy dispensers.

So far, Palin is available only as a 12-incher, but she comes in three outfits: a conservative suit, a slightly sexed-up schoolgirl look, and as a gun-toting superhero clad in a black-leather trenchcoat.

Sadly, the company has yet to fashion a doll based on Palin's Democratic counterpart, Sen. Joe Biden.

"We are having trouble re-creating his hairline (but) the entire design team is working diligently on the problem," herobuilders.com President Emil Vicale told us, referring to widely held rumors that Biden's pate was marred by a badly executed hair transplant procedure.

-- McClatchy Newspapers

So yes, I had to go looking. You can see the Palin dolls here and some more political types here.

Is this all in good fun, disrespectful, completely irrelevant? Is there an Ann Coulter doll or would that be redundant? And is it me, or does Sen. Obama's head not seem the right size for his body in this picture:

John McCain's presidential campaign sent out a news release listing the leadership of his "STUDENTS FOR MCCAIN-PALIN" group. An NCA&T student was featured in a quote:

TALLAHASSEE, FL -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced its North Carolina Students for McCain-Palin Leadership. The leadership team will direct grassroots operations in North Carolina, communicate John McCain's message of peace, prosperity and reform, and encourage students to follow John McCain's example of serving a cause greater than one's self.

"I support John McCain because he has vigorously opposed pork-barrel spending throughout his tenure in the House and Senate," said Daniel Davis, North Carolina Students for McCain State Chair and School Chair for North Carolina A&T State University. "He has the judgment and experience to safeguard our hard-earned tax-dollars, balance our budget and repair the economy."

John McCain thanked the student leadership in the Southeast Region, saying, "Young Americans understand that true happiness is much greater than the pursuit of pleasure, and can only be found by serving causes greater than self-interest. I am very proud of these students and of their support, and I appreciate the time and effort they have dedicated to my campaign."

Other local students listed in the group include:

Davidson College -- Mary Ross Bryant
North Carolina A&T State University -- Daniel Davis
University of North Carolina at Greensboro -- Jamie Freeze
Wake Forest University -- Ben Lynch (Co-Chair)
Wake Forest University -- Jordan "Paige" Fitzgerald (Co-Chair)

What, no Guilford or Greensboro College reps?

Cross-posted from Capital Beat.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Stem cells: during session and the campaign

Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue has brought the somewhat volatile topic of stem cell research into the gubernatorial campaign, both through a policy statement on the topic and a recent ad:

When asked about the ad last night, McCrory said, "I've never heard her bring up this subject in her eight years as Lt. Governor."

However, the topic has come up.

Greensboro Rep. Earl Jones, a Democrat, ran this bill, which was a tamer version of earlier proposals. The latest draft of the bill, which passed the House but died in the Senate, would only have lead to research guidelines for stem cell research. Earlier proposals would have put state funding in to embryonic stem cell research.

State funding is now something that Perdue says she favors.

More background on that legislative discussion here, here, here and here.

I asked Jones about the issue coming up in the campaign and said that Perdue was supportive when the bill crossed over from the House to the Senate.

"She called me directly," Jones said. "Perdue was very supportive, she was the first person in the Senate to call me."

Jones, rightly, said his bill got bogged down by the political debate surrounding embryonic stem cells. In particular, some people who oppose abortion tend to oppose embryonic stem cell research and bring intense and vocal pressure to bear.

You can find more on the topic from the National Academy of Sciences and the Boston Globe, which has a whole page dedicated to the topic. (It's a bit out of date now, but worth a read anyway.) Also, the topic seems to be bubbling up in the presidential campaign.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole's campaign sends word that her husband, former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, will be in Greensboro Thursday. The stops include:

11:00 a.m. Arrive Greensboro Harley Davidson Dealership Harley Davidson Dealership/Park 538 Farragut Street (off Randelman exit) Greensboro, NC Format: The dealership will be hosting an event honoring police, firemen and first responders (plus their families) in honor of September 11th.

12:55 p.m. Tex and Shirley’s Family Restaurant
708 Pembroke Rd.
Greensboro
Format: Meet and greet with people having lunch.

2:35 p.m. Arrive Greensboro Farmers Market
2914 Sandy Ridge Rd.
Colfax
Format: Swing by the Farmers Market restaurant where he will visit with local farmers.

So the At Large and District 4 Guilford County commissioners candidates are set to participate in a forum on Sept. 25.

It's at 7:30 a.m. Yes. In the morning. A forum that early could be a good test, however, for those occasionally epic county commissioners meetings. These days, even the longer ones wrap up by midnight, but thinking without that first cup of coffee in the morning can be just as challenging as keeping the tank full late into the night.

The forum will be at the Marriott Downtown, 304 N. Greene St.

If you were going to the forum, what would you want to know from the candidates? Let us know. We're going to be there that early so you don't have to.

Linked here almost solely because of its opening line, this piece from the Wall Street Journal Web site:

The prize for "Twilight Zone" race of 2008 – the one that defies all logic unless you forget everything you thought you knew before – may go to the Senate contest in North Carolina.

It echoes something that Charlie Cook said during his appearance at Elon earlier this week:

"The last year and half, at least in terms of the presidential (race), I have felt like to the extent that the more you study voting patterns and election behavior and the more you know about presidential voting history, I think the bigger impediment it's been for the last year and a half. ...To me it's been a year where it's as if you took the rule book and just tossed it out."

Kind of reminds you of that old saying about what happens when you ass-u-me.

That Wall Street Journal piece goes on to describe all of Sen. Elizabeth Dole's Washington bona fides and why that should have given her a leg up here. That, of course, betrays the very Washington mindset that a U.S. Senate seat is a national office. While true to an extent, it's still voters in North Carolina that will determine the race.

What has Katherine Rizzo (the writer of the WSJ story) and Cook and other Washington-based analysts confused is that the campaigns for president, U.S. Senator and some other races have come unhinged from the national norms, at least over the summer. Regional and state-level factors -- local economic conditions, who knows who being shipped out to Iraq, what named storm is blowing through where -- are dominating voter thinking rather than any one single national drumbeat.

That’s not to say things won’t snap back into line at some point. In fact, over at the left-leaning blog "Facing South," Chris Kromm suggests Obama is pulling out of some Southern states where he’s invested resources, which would be a big nod to "historical voting patterns."

From the John McCain and Barack Obama campaigns (Source):

"All of us came together on 9/11 – not as Democrats or Republicans – but as Americans," said a joint statement issued by both Senator's campaigns. "In smoke-filled corridors and on the steps of the Capitol; at blood banks and at vigils – we were united as one American family. On Thursday, we will put aside politics and come together to renew that unity, to honor the memory of each and every American who died, and to grieve with the families and friends who lost loved ones."

A couple weeks ago I wrote about energy policy and the U.S. Senate race, trying to lay out where U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, the Republican incumbent, and Democratic state Sen. Kay Hagan stood on a variety of energy/drilling/etc.-related topics. The story and blog post came with a handy chart breaking down the candidate's positions.

Since then, Dole and Hagan have decided to blast away at one another, specifically on drilling. From this Associated Press story, readers might be forgiven for expecting the two ladies to start doing photo ops on oil rigs with giant over-size wrenches and the story of Jed Clampett playing in the background.

Of course, when two candidates agree, or have positions that are close to one another on a particular topic, there's only one thing to do: accuse your opponent of being on the take from the industry in question and/or distort your opponent's position/influence over the topic at hand.

To wit, we have two campaigns ads recently released from the campaigns. I'll provide them here (thanks to Dome for putting them on YouTube) along with source materials from those that produced it and material debunking the ad from both the candidate that was targeted and News & Record editorial writer Doug Clark, who has already done some hard thinking on this. A few thoughts from me after the carnage.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

First up, Dole's attack on Hagan, aka the "Ka-Ching" ad:

Here's what Dole's campaign put out in support of the ad.

Here's what Doug had to say: "Elizabeth Dole's new "Fibber Kay" TV ad is out of date and inaccurate."

And here's what Hagan's campaign had to say: "Continuing her negative attacks and outright lies, Elizabeth Dole today released a commercial saying that Kay Hagan is opposed to offshore drilling, even though Kay has repeatedly voiced her support for drilling."

As bonus push-back, Hagan's campaign prepared a memo showing Dole had her own investments in oil fields.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Next up, Hagan's ad attacking Dole, aka the "Paying the Price" ad:

Here's what Hagan's campaign put out in support of the ad.

Here's what Doug had to say: "But making an issue of Elizabeth Dole's ownership of oil industry stock, and making a political target of the oil industry in general, isn't smart ... and not just because Hagan herself is invested in the industry."

And here is the push-back offered by the Dole campaign.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

So what should voters take away from all this? A few things, I think:

• * Number one, if you're like most of the folks who are going cast to votes in this election, neither Kay Hagan nor Elizabeth Dole is like you. They own stock and shares in oil wells that are worth more than your net value several times over. If either of them tries to convince you they're feeling the same pain at the pump you are, your BS meter should not only immediately go to red but start smoking, beeping and eventually break down from exhaustion.

• * Both candidates have a history of not really liking the idea of drilling off the North Carolina coast because of its potential environmental hazards. And both have softened that position due to changing economic and political realities.

  Both now say they support the so-called "gang of 10" compromise in Congress, which is now up to a "gang of 14" if my memory serves. Hagan rightly points out that Dole isn't in that gang, but neither are 86 other senators.

• * Dole has been in favor of drilling in the Alaska wildlife refuge for a long time. Hagan says she would vote to allow it only if it were part of a comprehensive solution. In Dole's mind that puts Hagan in camp with "environmental extremists," but I'm thinking the real extremists wouldn't like Hagan leaving that particular door open.

• * No candidate, these two included, can say exactly what drilling might accomplish. Most of the non-partisan analysis I have read of "drill now" options says that we probably shouldn't expect the price at the pump to go down as a result. Now, it seems to me there probably is an energy security argument to be made: If we get more and/or all of the oil we need from home then we don't have to rely on people who want to kill us for fuel. But if a candidate tries to sell you on the "your price for gas will go down significantly" argument, I'd tell you to get out your BS meter, but it’s probably already broken.

• * You will notice that it doesn't sound like there is a lot of daylight between Hagan and Dole on this issue. To me, the differences seem to be in emphasis: Hagan is more likely to talk about alternatives with a chaser of off-shore drilling; Dole talks on the stump about drilling first and then says alternative fuels are needed too.

You will have a chance to hear from speakers before and after the election in a fall lecture series hosted by UNCG’s department of political science and Center for Legislative Studies.

All lectures will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Weatherspoon Art Museum Auditorium and a reception will follow. All are free and open to the public.

Sept. 24: “North Carolina Elections 2008: Change or Continuity?” Panelists: Rob Christensen, News & Observer of Raleigh, and Dr. Thad Beyle, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNCG’s Dr. Thomas Little will moderate.

Oct. 29: Congressional Elections 2008: Another Democratic Wave?” Speaker: Dr. Patrick Sellers, Davidson College.

Nov. 19: “The Presidential Election 2008: What Happened and Why?” Speaker: Dr. Alan Abramowitz, Emory University.

Free parking is available behind the Weatherspoon.

Information: 334-4360.

Energy. Education. Health insurance. Decision-making abilities.

Members of the News & Record’s Voterspeak panel consider these and other issues imporant as they watch the U.S. Senate and North Carolina gubernatorial campaigns and try to determine which candidates will win their support.

The question for Voterspeak: “If you had one question to ask the candidates for governor or senator, what would it be and why?”

Their responses:

Jeff Bartolet, 38, Republican:
I would ask Sens. Hagan and Dole, “What practically and proactively will you do to move the USA toward energy independence?” Energy independence is a non-partisan issue, affecting everyone in this country who doesn’t have the privilege of government-funded mileage or utility reimbursement. It needs to be attacked aggressively, creatively and with a goal of independence by 2020, if not sooner.

Phyllis Davis, 64, Republican:
For Sen. Dole, I would ask what her “fix” would be for Social Security and Medicare? Would she support individually controlled investment accounts vs. government-controlled Social Security?

If I could ask her another question, it would be how she plans to correct the impact on our economy brought on by predatory lenders along with the take over of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

For Pat McCrory, I would ask how he would turn our state budget back to pre-Demoractic control without raising state taxes and perhaps lowering the gas tax? (We have one of the highest gas taxes in the nation — we are in the top 15 states). I believe our state constitution says we must have a balanced budget and we don’t have one in this administration. If I could ask McCrory another question, it would be his plans to place cable companies under the control of our Utilities Commission. Cable companies are not controlled by the Utilities Commission now but by local governments and of course our attorney general’s office.

Kendall Garvin, 29, unaffiliated:
I would ask Elizabeth Dole what she plans to do about the students in the public school system who are being left behind and are not the students she believes are eligible for vouchers. Vouchers can be beneficial to those students who are already doing well and might get a more rigorous curriculum at a different school. Furthermore, these students would probably excel regardless of the school he or she attended. But several students are being left behind as evidenced by students dropping out of school and students graduating from school who can barely read, write and do simple math equations. The voucher system does not address the students who we need to help the most.

Trevor Hamm, 25, Democrat:
I would ask them what principles they use to guide their decision-making process. Good judgment is essential for anyone serving in a leadership capacity. Knowing the values that a candidate keeps in view when approaching an issue gives me a good idea of how they will respond to new problems that arise.

Mike Kelly, 60, Republican:
To Sen. Dole: Where have you been? I mean, is she that sort of political cicada who emerges sexennially and then returns to whence she came? The Honorable Dole not only needs to account for her whereabouts but her how-comes. As in how come her ratings in comparison to other senators are so paltry? Though she is a first-term legislator, she is hardly a rookie, having served in government for decades and we, the good folk of North Carolina, should have benefited more from her experience and proximity to power.

Marlene Costa Nielsen, 67, Democrat:
I would ask candidates what they will do to help the 15 percent of North Carolina residents without health insurance coverage because of the impact on infant mortality, life expectancy and the quality of life in our state.

Kate Peeples, 27, unaffiliated:
I would ask Kay Hagan about her position on merit pay for public school teachers. In her information packet, “Education: The knowledge to succeed” (www.kayhagan.com/issues), Hagan goes into great detail about her support of a fully funded No Child Left Behind Act. She is also supporting the addition of alternative measures of improvement to the current tests, tests and more tests system. But it is on these tests that teacher merit pay, or bonuses — another aspect of NCLB’s reward-or-punishment system — are based. And recently, North Carolina’s budget was cut so sharply that the bonuses teachers have earned will be cut by a significant percentage. If North Carolina is to add alternative methods of evaluating its schools’ and teachers’ accountability, how would Hagan figure merit pay into that revision? Does she support the merit pay system at all?

Deonna Kelli Sayed, 34, Democrat:
What action, if any, would Dole or Hagan support against Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac CEOs who have huge severance packages while Americans are losing their homes? More specifically, how will they approach white-collar corruption?

Regarding the lending crisis, North Carolina fares better than most because of laws against predatory lending, dating to 1999. Noticeably, Sen. Dole supported the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. Kay Hagan is an advocate of financial literacy. The biggest problem, however, isn’t how average Americans use money but the mismanagement and corruption of companies who deal with our money.

Rooting out political party corruption is great conversation these days. Yet few lawmakers seem prepared to address CEO perks and protection, which is part of the larger culture of corruption in Washington. I suspect many of these companies, especially those located in or near the Beltway like Freddie and Fannie, have deep pockets that are able to silence critics on Capitol Hill.

Mike Sigmon, 61, Republican:
What is your position on drilling for oil and natural gas off the coast of North Carolina and what is your rationale for that position?

Ruth Mary Weston, 54, Democrat:
Our politicians in this hotheaded debate over energy policy seem cocksure they’ve each got the only right answer. I’ve spent dozens of hours researching. I found very few definitive answers, and a huge cascade of new questions. Every technical detail seems to have dueling experts and a Pandora’s Box of unintended consequences. We can’t absorb a multitrillion-dollar, 50-year blunder on this. That’s exactly what we’ll get from legislation based on election politics. It worries me half to death.

Maybe candidates have information I can’t find. Will you post online all the raw input you’re getting on energy so we citizens can choose the wisest policies to support?

Absentee voters can do their voting thing starting today in the Guilford County Board of Elections office.

And tomorrow, there is a candidates forum held by the Guilford County Unity Effort featuring candidates for several offices at 6 p.m. in New Light Baptist Church Family Life Center, 1105 Willow Road, Greensboro.

The forum will include candidates for U.S. House districts 6 and 13; governor; state auditor; N.C. Senate District 27; N.C. House districts 58, 59 and 62; Guilford County commissioners; and Guilford County Board of Education. Information: Sharon Hightower, 508-5346.

And a couple speakers are coming, too.

Jill Lepore, a Pulitzer-nominated historian at Harvard University will talk about ballots on Thursday at UNGC, too. The lecture is free and open to the public at 7:30 p.m. in the Jaylee M. Mead Auditorium of the Patricia A. Sullivan Science Building.

And on Sept. 22, Jeffry Toobin, CNN analyst and writer for The New Yorker, will speak at the Elon University School of Law. Here's a piece he wrote for The New Yorker in July from the campaign trail about a blind Rabbi running for Congress in New Jersey.

D08 readers might find Wednesday's TV lineup informative or enlightening, possibly entertaining, as you get in the mood for the elections. Here goes:

8 p.m.: Lieutenant gubernatorial debate, UNC-TV. Invited candidates for the one-hour event are Walter Dalton, Democrat; Robert Pittenger, Republican; and Phillip Rhodes, Libertarian. Eszter Vajda, co-host of UNC-TV’s Legislative Week in Review, will moderate.
8 p.m.: "Abe Lincoln in Illinois," Turner Classic Movies. From TVGuide.com: "Raymond Massey in a fine adaptation of Robert E. Sherwood's Pulitzer play, covering Lincoln's life from young manhood to his election as president."
10 p.m.: "Tennessee Johnson," Turner Classic Movies. TVGuide.com: "Van Heflin portrays the 17th president of the U.S., who tries to carry out Lincoln's policies despite formidable opposition."

The News & Record’s Voterspeak panel discusses which presidential or U.S. Senate candidate has the best energy plan.

The question: “With the jump in gas prices around the Triad linked to Hurricane Ike, the cost and supply of fuel is high on people’s minds. Of those running for U.S. Senate or president, whose policies do you most agree with for handling the country’s energy needs?”

And Voterspeak says:

Jeff Bartolet, 38, Republican:

Sens. McCain and Obama have provided similar energy proposals, but I like the way McCain is willing to put as many options on the table as possible — drilling more in the United States, nuclear, alternative fuels, etc. — to move us toward energy independence. He seems to understand that with more vigor. Sen. Obama just recently came on board with offshore drilling, most likely because popular opinion has shifted that direction.

Phyllis Davis, 64, Republican:

John McCain has proven in his 20-plus years that he will reach across party lines for the good of our nation! He supports offshore drilling and alternative fuel development. Barack Obama has too many preconceived ideas and not enough experience to do so. We have depleted our forest and covered our prime land with cement and asphalt to supply our wants/needs. Offshore exploration seems to be necessary to do the same. Sen. Dole, of course, supports offshore drilling and exploration of alternative sources. Kay Hagan owns oil wells inland, so why would she support offshore drilling?

Kendall Garvin, 29, unaffiliated:

There should be a balance of drilling and serious investing in research and using existing resources to decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil. Other countries are further ahead in using alternative energy.

Trevor Hamm, 25, Democrat:

Obama has the energy policy that I most agree with. He has a more consistent record of supporting renewable energy. McCain’s policy centers around oil and nuclear power, which is shortsighted. With the current state of our energy situation, any talk about oil drilling is just to make people feel good, since drilling would make little real impact. Any new policies and initiatives should be centered around reducing emissions and developing renewable energy.

Mike Kelly, 60, Republican:

Mr. McCain, with his Lexington Project, has the more comprehensive energy plan. One can find the necessary nuts and bolts to build a solid base for dealing with America’s ever-increasing fuel crunch. The Lexington Project would commit to expanding our domestic oil exploration and increase the use of our natural gas supplies (a la Pickens’ plan). McCain also offers tax credits for zero-carbon cars and hefty incentives for development of battery-powered vehicles. His plan will incorporate the private sector in developing technology and business plans.

Mr. Obama’s plan is typically Democrat in that the government will be involved in all facets short of driving your kids to school.

Marlene Costa Nielsen, 67, Democrat:

Since oil is a non-renewable resource, Barack Obama’s policy of reducing our dependence on foreign oil and developing alternative sources of energy makes the most sense.

Kate Peeples, 27, unaffiliated:

The U.S.’s dependence on gas and oil, regardless of where it comes from, was demonstrated best last weekend, as everybody and their brother high-tailed it to the nearest gas station. Meanwhile, the gas station was able to crank prices up by $1 to $1.50 per gallon higher than they had been just 24 hours before. We are living at the mercy of the oil companies and whoever is in their Washington, D.C.-sized back pockets.

There is no quick and simple solution to the energy crisis. Offshore drilling, or any other kind of drilling, isn’t going to produce a drop of good ol’ American gas the week after the restrictions are lifted. While there’s something to be said for the in-the-meantime solution view on drilling, neither Obama nor McCain are talking enough about the long-term development of alternative fuels and energy sources.

Deonna Kelli Sayed, 34, Democrat:

Obama appears to have the more detailed energy policy, taking long- term consequences into consideration, particularly with offshore drilling and nuclear technology. He has specific targets and timelines lessening dependency and developing new technology. Obama’s policy, more than McCain’s Lexington Project (nicely named), appears to understand the business end of energy. More “green-collar” jobs can be both lucrative, useful for decreasing energy consumption and beneficial for the environment.

However, all candidates more or less agree on most major talking points regarding energy: the need to invest in alternatives, decreasing consumption, more hybrid and electric vehicles, less dependency on foreign oil. One difference is their approach to offshore drilling (although Obama has softened his position), plus the little details here and there on other energy issues.

Candidates have not touched on the most important aspect in all of this: preparing Americans to change the way we live. Presidential candidates must develop school-age mandatory programs teaching future generations to be green citizens. Small things, such as implementing a charge for every plastic grocery bag used (these bags are a byproduct of oil, by the way), can make huge lifestyle differences. Oil and natural gas aren’t renewable resources. With this in mind, it is a great historic moment to engage new options and new lifestyles.

Mike Sigmon, 61, Republican:

Kay Hagan has tried to have it both ways on energy policy. She is for new sources of energy as long as they don’t include nuclear power and oil from offshore drilling. In other words, she is hoping and praying the sun shines and the wind blows. This is much like the Democratic Party’s line with which she has voted 90 percent-plus of the time she has been in office.
Elizabeth Dole has been a firm advocate of a proactive approach with solar and wind power but most importantly offshore drilling and licensing of new nuclear power plants. This is a more balanced and reasoned approach.

Sen. Obama has changed his position with the release of the latest polls. I’m not sure what his latest stance might be. Last I heard he was supporting overinflating automobile tires to achieve energy independence.

Sen. McCain has now realized that we need to drill where there is oil, offshore and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He has consistently supported new nuclear power plants in addition to solar and wind power.

I am not in favor of tax subsidies for solar and wind. This should be supported by the free market.

Ruth Mary Weston, 54, Democrat:

Well, I’m voting for Obama/Hagan. Their political philosophies align closest with mine. But campaign statements aren’t necessarily effective policy.

Here’s my slap-in-the-face challenge to you (yes, you)!

Pretend you haven’t swallowed your candidate’s “foreign oil” red herring whole. I regurgitated mine when I read FAQ #10. Have the guts to find questions:
1. Energy options
2. Markets
3. Subsidies
4. Taxation
5. Drilling leases
6. Revenue sharing
7. Infrastructure costs

Then look for your own answers!

From the moderators: Courtesy of Ruth Mary Weston, links to the candidates' energy plans:

U.S. Senate

Christopher Cole, Libertarian

Sen. Elizabeth Dole, Republican and this

N.C. Sen. Kay Hagan, Democrat

President

Bob Barr, Libertarian

Sen. John McCain, Republican

Sen. Barack Obama, Democrat

From the News & Record:

A story on the U.S. Senate candidates and energy and an interactive graphic.

UNC-TV will broadcast A Governors Forum on Education, a debate in Cary that is being sponsored by Education: Everybody's Business Coalition, the N.C. Cable Telecommunications Association and SAS. The event will air at 10 p.m. Friday on UNC-TV.

The Democratic candidate, Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue, and the Republican candidate, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, will participate. John Dornan, the president and executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina, will moderate. This will be the first statewide primetime broadcast of this debate, which is being recorded earlier in the day.

The following came from the Obama campaign after I went to sleep last night. Michelle Obama is making two public North Carolina stops, one in Charlotte and one in Greensboro Thursday:

RALEIGH – Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama, will return to North Carolina Thursday, where she will host a women’s economic roundtable in Charlotte, followed by a North Carolina Women for Obama rally in Greensboro.

Mrs. Obama began this series of roundtable discussions early in the primary season, to hear firsthand the stories of working women who have struggled to support their families through eight years of failed economic policies. In discussions across the country, Mrs. Obama has shared her husband’s plans to make Washington work for working families, and grow the overall economy by strengthening the middle class.

Mrs. Obama’s last visit to North Carolina was the day before the Democratic primary in May; she hosted a roundtable discussion with military spouses at Fort Bragg to discuss the unique challenges facing military spouses and their families.

The Greensboro stop will be at the Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene Street. Doors open 1:30 p.m.

"The event is free and open to the public. However, space is limited and tickets are REQUIRED. Members of the public are invited to pick up their free tickets at the locations and times listed below," says the campaign. Those locations:

Greensboro Campaign For Change Office
318 S. Elm St.
Greensboro, NC
336-275-1964
Tickets will be available Wednesday, September 17 from 6pm-9pm.

High Point Campaign For Change Office
112 W. Broad Ave.
High Point, NC
336-885-6799
Tickets will be available Wednesday, September 17 from 6pm-9pm.

A news release from the Elon Law Republicans:

The Elon Law Republicans are having a “Pork and Politics Candidate Night” on Friday, Sept. 26, at the Elon University School of Law at 201 N. Greene St. in Greensboro. State and local Republican candidates will be speaking to interested voters of the Triad. Confirmed speakers include U.S. Rep. Howard Coble (tentative), Hugh Webster (candidate for U.S. Congress, 13th District), John Odom (candidate for N.C. Insurance Commissioner), N.C. Rep. John Blust (62nd District), Olga Morgan Wright (candidate for N.C. House, 58th District), Jim Rumley (candidate for N.C. House, 59th District) and District Court Judge Susan Bray (18th District).

Good old-fashioned North Carolina barbecue will be catered by Hursey’s Bar-B-Q. Registration and check-in will begin at 5:30 p.m. Food will be served at 6:30 in Room 207, with candidate speeches immediately following.

Additionally, we will be showing the first 2008 presidential debate live on the projection screen. The debate is scheduled for 9 p.m. Eastern and will be televised on all four broadcast networks and C-SPAN.

The cost for this event will be $10 for adults and $6 for children and students (college students must bring valid ID). Tickets should be reserved in advance.

Directions may be found here. Information: Chad Hinton, jhinton2@elon.edu, or Summer Nettleman, ssmith5@elon.edu.

Teresa Sue Bratton, the Democrat challenging Republican incumbent Howard Coble, got some love recently from NPR Political Junkie Ken Rudin. About three-quarters of the way through this online piece, Rudin posts a picture of Bratton's campaign button.

He writes:

Back in 2006, we initiated this feature, by which we asked you to send in campaign buttons for candidates for the Senate, House and governor. Our end of the bargain — aside from satisfying Ken Rudin's button craze, which is bordering on the unhealthy — would be to feature the candidates in a "Meet the Challenger" section.

This week: Teresa Sue Bratton, a Democrat running in North Carolina's 6th District, and Doug Cloud, a Republican in Washington's 6th CD.

Bratton, a pediatric allergist in her first race, faces an uphill battle against 77-year-old Republican incumbent Howard Coble, first elected in 1984, in a state that is likely and a district that is almost assuredly to go for John McCain. Coble, who usually tops 70 percent of the vote, is known for his constituent service, but Bratton thinks this is her time, given the fact that "people see a crisis in health care, in our economy and our environment." Bratton points to Coble's 2007 vote against reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program as one of the reasons she says it's time for a change. On the environment, she has a plan to reduce the impact of climate change "by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, improving air and water quality, and making our food supply and housing stock safer." In Iraq, she believes in an "orderly withdrawal of troops ... as soon as possible," but she supports an increase in U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

There are a few campaign goings-on this weekend in Guilford County:

Saturday
Kay Hagan, U.S. Senate candidate: Will address the Democratic Women of North Carolina’s annual convention, 9 a.m., Downtown Marriott, 304 N. Greene St., Greensboro.
Super Saturday: The state Republican Party's Victory 2008 effort is holding Super Saturday. Victory offices across the state, including one at 3800 Tinsley Dr. in High Point, will host hundreds of volunteers to make phone calls and go door-to-door to tell voters why presidential candidate John McCain, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory and the entire Republican ticket are the right leaders for North Carolina. Begins at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday
U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, House District 6 candidate: GOP Women Rock the Vote event, Guilford County GOP Headquarters, 3800 Tinsley Dr., High Point.
Sen. Elizabeth Dole, U.S. Senate candidate: Will be at Guilford County GOP Headquarters, 4:10 p.m., 3800 Tinsley Dr., High Point.

There is a persistent rumor going about that President Bush will be in Greensboro on Sept. 30 for a fundraiser. That rumor has been confirmed by more than two local Republicans, all of whom think that the president will once again visit the home of Louis DeJoy and Aldona Wos.

We'll post more details here as we run them down.

Cautionary note: President Bush canceled a recent fundraising trip to stay in D.C. and deal with the financial crisis. Also, those most in the know are loath to make with the details because the Secret Service tends to scare the pants off them.

Update: I think we can safely take this one fully out of the category of rumor. Here's the story from our web site.

Update 2: Someone who has one of the invitations (and is sending us a copy, we hope) says that the fundraiser is being hosted by the McCain-Palin folks as well as a host of other Republican Party entities, including the Michigan and Missouri Republican Parties.

Update 3: Invite says doors open at 4 p.m. and folks should arrive no later than 4:30 p.m.

Update 4: Click here to read the invite yourself. And here's the backside.

Update 4: Wos: "The President is coming as a surrogate to help raise money and awareness and votes for Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin."

The News & Record's Voterspeak panel how the national economic crisis could impact local races.

The question: Given the turmoil in the national economy, what do you want to hear from candidates for state legislature and local offices such as county commissioner? Are there things people in these down-ballot races can do to help bolster your confidence in your own financial situation?

And Voterspeak says:

Jeff Bartolet, 38, Republican:
The turmoil is the result of greed and poor financial planning. The consumer signed a loan he knew he couldn’t afford, the seller encouraged him to sign a contract he knew the buyer wouldn’t be able to pay, and the government taxed the consumer and seller so special-interest groups can pay for their pet projects. The average American spends $1.10 for every dollar earned. I don’t need a politician to bolster my confidence in the economy, I need to live on less and be thankful for what I do have.
I’d like to have a leader show us how she/he is going to stop the ever-increasing flow of earned income out of the taxpayer’s paycheck. Show me how you will balance the budget this year cutting back on unnecessary projects while lowering taxes until the nation recovers. Then show me how you will keep that smaller budget balanced for the next decade without raising taxes because you planned ahead. In the meantime, we need to reacquaint ourselves with the words frugal and modest.

Phyllis Davis, 64, Republican:I would expect the state legislature to offer incentives to business to bring jobs/revenue to our state. Also again work on lowering the gas tax to offset the increase at the pumps.
Local commissioners as well as non-profit groups could organize seminars to educate people on handling this crisis that our Democratic Congress has gotten us into.

Kendall Garvin, 29, unaffiliated:I would like to know what the local officials are planning to do to bring more high-tech jobs to the Greensboro area. The colleges are producing students to go into the jobs, but the students must leave and go to other areas because of the lack of high tech jobs.

Trevor Hamm, 25, Democrat:As for as state and local officials, I want people who will be strongly opposed to things like predatory lending and sub-prime mortgages that have led to the nation’s economic turmoil. The magnitude of our economic problems is so great that it requires solutions on a national scale. We arrived at this point partially because of a lack of regulation on a state level. So, state and local officials have an important part to play in our national economic recovery.

Mike Kelly, 60, Republican:“I will not seek re-election.” By proclaiming right off the reel there would be no second term, elected officials could use all of the powers of their offices without fear of retribution. No cronyism, no paybacks. Just be about the people’s business ... then go away.
I should also like to hear that there will be a moratorium on bond referenda and tax increases in my lifetime. All government agencies, including heretofore sacred cows like the schools, will just have to scrape by on the hundreds of millions allotted to them. Taxpaying citizens are being sucked dry by the parasitic nature of government. This city, this county, this state needs fiscal responsibility from government.

Marlene Costa Nielsen, 67, Democrat:The financial crisis that we’re experiencing will affect every one of us on the state and local level. There will be decreased revenue from income and capital-gains taxes because of reduction of personal incomes and value of investments. Cities and counties will collect less sales and property taxes as houses sell for lower prices and people are forced to curtail spending. Those running for state and local offices need to spend our tax money prudently and must find ways to cut government costs to match reduced revenue.

Kate Peeples, 27, unaffiliated:As for the county commissioners or City Council, I don’t follow their goings-on as closely as I should. Agreeing on a budget does seem to be an issue for the current county commissioners, though. I’ll definitely be thinking about it before I vote.
Kay Hagan probably has the best understanding of the current situation (though I certainly don’t know for sure that she does). Elizabeth Dole certainly has experience, but the problems we’re dealing with now came about more recently than she has been effective at all.

Deonna Kelli Sayed, 34, Democrat:Being new to the area, I asked neighbors and family. Most had this to say: We don’t really know who these people are or what they are doing. Some said they think local officials are unprofessional (a water-throwing incident was mentioned) and too engrossed in the Old South, old-school type of politics.
While this all sounds like fodder for a reality show, I came to a few of my own conclusions. Having retired parents on fixed incomes, I worry about their continued financial independence. How will state and local officials help keep companies solvent, in keeping their pension programs in the black, so that those dependent on them will not be without financial security? Officials should work for improvements in the Social Security system and medicare at the local and state level.
At the city level, I’d like to see officials be more forthcoming to residents. First, increase your visibility in the general public.
Engage MySpace, Facebook (if not already), blogs, meaningful public appearances. Help get the wider public interested in local issues.
That would build more trust in local politics. My informal survey revealed people think the county and city are corrupt.
Finally, many residential areas are facing unwanted commercial development. Neighborhood associations need commissioners who value privacy and neighborhood preservation. A good local leader understands neighborhood integrity sometimes takes precedence over profit.

Mike Sigmon, 61, Republican:At the state level a smaller balanced budget and lower taxes would boost my confidence, in the short run, that my government was aware of the current economic situation. For the long term, a firm resolve to not have excessive business incentives and a transparent budget-making process would boost my confidence. However, this is not something I expect from a legislature controlled for 100-plus years by one party.
At the local level we need less “gotcha” and more focus on the needs of all citizens, not just those in one district. (This is one of the problems with ward-type politics). When a citizen turns on the faucet it does not matter if the water is Republican water or Democratic water; the point is to have good water. When you call the fire department it should not matter if the truck was purchased when the Democrats or Republicans had a majority on the board. You want a truck that is fast and works well. Having our county commissioners adopt a “taxpayers-first” attitude would boost my confidence.

Ruth Mary Weston, 54, Democrat:Two things are required for competent government at all levels — attention from citizens and transparency in government activities. I want:
Realistic long-term planning.
Conservative stewardship of resources.
Creative, innovative thinking.
Solicitation of citizen input.
Admission and fixing of mistakes.
Just this week an editorial shed light on a stupid N.C. legislature ethics provision. Thanks a lot for shaming me, Democrats!
Tell your representatives what you think. Go to ncleg.net, enter your nine-digit ZIP code at the bottom right, click on a representative’s name, then click on their e-mail address and write your message.

Here's Philip Gourevitch's story in The New Yorker on the politicial climate (no pun intended) in Alaska in the period just before and during Sarah Palin's time as governor there.

There's some good context in there for people who may want a primer on how things work up there and who she is, plus a bit on the scandal involving Ted Stevens, the longtime Alaska senator who, in addition to pulling tons of money to the state, famously called the Internet a series of tubes.

And here's few bits from the story on Troopergate:

The allegation was that Palin had dismissed her public-safety commissioner, a respected and well-liked officer named Walter Monegan, because Monegan had resisted pressure from her office to fire a state trooper named Michael Wooten. Wooten was Palin’s ex-brother-in-law, and his divorce from Palin’s sister Molly had involved an ugly custody battle that was not entirely resolved; it appeared that Palin had used her public office to settle a private family score. On July 28th, a bipartisan vote in the state legislature commissioned an investigation into the matter, at a cost of up to a hundred thousand dollars. Palin had invited it. “Hold me accountable,” she said. She promised full coöperation: “We would never prohibit, or be less than enthusiastic about, any kind of investigation. Let’s deal in the facts.”

Now, it needs to be said that the magazine does produce good journalism, but often leans left.

A couple weeks ago, the editorial board had the Democratic and Republican candidates in for interviews. They did not interview libertarian Mike Munger, and you can send your cards and letters to Editorial Page Editor Allen Johnson on that one.

At any rate, they put the candidates in our multimedia studio, turned on the spot lights and grilled while filming. Our tech boys (they're all men) turned out a few bits of film on each.

Both Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat, and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, were asked about their stance on the death penalty and the de facto moratorium.

McCrory

Perdue

And both were asked to talk about energy policy and drilling.

Perdue

McCrory

In addition, here's a bit with McCrory talking about gangs, something he has made a bit of a signature issue:

Finally, here's Perdue chatting a bit about education, community colleges and illegal immigrants.

As with the candidates for governor, the editorial board filmed their interviews with the Democratic and Republican candidates for U.S. Senate. The following are three segments our tech fellows turned out from the conversations with State Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, and Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole. (The editorial board chose not to interview the libertarian in the race, so send your cards, letters and angry e-mails to Allen Johnson.)

In this case, the video segments don't match up on topic, so I'll give you Hagan's first, and then Dole's. Enjoy.

Hagan: Working across party lines

Hagan: Energy and drilling

Hagan: Healthcare

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Dole: Immigration

Dole

Dole: Iraq war spending

Dole: No Child Left Behind

Tuesday: Another candidates forum is coming up at 6 p.m. in the High Point Theatre, in High Point. Candidates for governor, superintendent of public instruction, commissioner of Agriculture, commissioner of Insurance, Guilford County Board of Education and High Point City Council were invited, so is the public. Information: Sharon Hightower, 508-5346.

Wednesday: UNCG's Department of Political Science fall lecture series kicks off with the panel discussion, “North Carolina Elections 2008: Change or Continuity?” The panelists are Rob Christensen from the News & Observer and Dr. Thad Beyle, Ph.D., of UNC-Chapel Hill. UNCG's Thomas Little, Ph.D., will moderate the discussion. The UNCG series will focus on election-type stuff for all three events.

Thursday: Another candidates forum is scheduled over breakfast, 7 a.m. at the Downtown Marriot. The discussion will focus on local business ties and economic development in Guilford County. Guilford County commissioner candidates for the At-Large and District 4 seats will participate. The event is free with registration.

Friday: There's a presidential debate at Ole Miss, people!

Also, while this isn't exactly tied to an election, you might dig this if you're into politics and law and don't have any plans Monday.

Cross-posted from Capital Beat.

-=-=-=-=-=-=

Back in July, I wrote about AG candidate Bob Crumley, a Republican from the Greensboro area, and his television commercials. What he described as an image ad struck me very much like a campaign commercial, a fact that Crumley disputed at the time.

Prior posts here and here. The ad itself:

After I wrote about the ad, the state Democratic Party filed a complaint about it.

Separately, Crumley and his law firm had asked the state board of elections another set of questions about law firm advertising. Primarily, they wanted to know whether a guy who owns a law firm can continue to appear in his law firms commercials in a 60-day window before the election, which is handled differently under election law.

As it turns out, whether you think the image ad is legit law firm solicitation or not, the answer to this second question is "no." That's according to the state board of elections.

Click here for today's story.

For background: This notice ran in the North Carolina Register on Sept. 15. And click here for more correspondence between the campaign and the SBOE.

Crumley contends that the SBOE ruling is wrong-headed but said he's not going to fight it so he can pursue his campaign and says he'll take it up after the election. He told me last week that it has cost him $10,000 to pull his image and name from the law firm's ads.

I'm told that there are legislative candidates, including at least one Democratic legislator, who this ruling may end up affecting.

State Sen. Kay Hagan, the Greensboro Democrat running to unseat Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole, got here "green" credential stamped pretty indelibly last week.

As Hotline and the Hill (and others more diligent about checking their e-mail than I am) reported, Al "You Want to See my Nobel Prize" Gore has stepped in to help raise money for Hagan. From The Hotline:

Al Gore is linking up with Move On to help raise coin for three Dem Senate candidates -- Al Franken in MN, Kay Hagan in NC and Mark Udall in CO -- who the former veep believes are "clean-energy heroes."

The e-mail says, "Kay Hagan is a North Carolina state senator and a strong supporter of solar power. She pushed to require North Carolina utilities to adopt renewable energy."

Cross-posted from Capital Beat

-=-=-=-=-=-

News that President Bush was due to visit Greensboro later this month got me thinking about why the Gate City is such as popular stop for pols. (Barack and Michelle Obama have been here and John McCain stopped by for a fundraiser earlier this year.)

Perhaps this interactive map from Men's Health provides an explanation. As my friend and colleague Mike Fuchs wrote recently:

Greensboro is pretty good at playing politics, so says a recent magazine survey.

Men's Health magazine ranked Greensboro as the sixth most political city in the nation.

That's based on factors including the percentage of citizens registered to vote, the percentage who participated in the most recent senatorial and gubernatorial elections, the 2004 presidential election and the 2008 presidential primaries.

So who's number 1? Raleigh.

"Clarence Lightner would be proud," the magazine says. "He was the pioneering politician who in 1973 became one of the first African American mayors of a Southern city - one in which a majority of voters were white. As it turns out, not much has changed in 35 years: Raleigh's residents will vote as if they're about to make history."

I'm in the process of pondering a story on education policy in the North Carolina governor's race. In particular, there is a divide on the value and necessity of higher education.

Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat, has written and spoken about the need to encourage all students to aim for college education. From her education policy statement:

"Through her College Promise initiative, North Carolina will provide an ironclad contract to students that a lack of family income will not be a barrier to their earning a college degree or gaining the advanced skills needed for success in the 21st century economy. In exchange, students will have to stay in school and stay out of trouble, graduate from high school and earn the necessary grades to gain acceptance into college, and give back to their community."

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, a Republican, has criticized the push to put everyone in college. In debates and stump speeches he has called for a "back to basics" kind of approach that emphasizes vocational education, particularly at the community college level. From his education policy statement:

I will work with the private sector to increase the availability of, and enrollment in, vocational schools. These schools traditionally provide a useful education that will easily allow a graduate to readily find a good job in his/her selected field.

I've been talking to local sources about these two positions and finding that both have a basis in reality. There are folks who say they can't find people like welders and others in technical fields. And you can find people who argue that because people who earn a BA own more over the course of their careers.

Interestingly, I have also been told this is part of a burgeoning national debate. And interestingly enough, there are a couple books out recently that aren't exactly proxies for these arguments, but certainly speak to them.

On the need for more education end of things is "The Race Between Education and Technology" by Harvard Professors Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz.

I can't find excerpts of the book online, but you can get the gist here.

AEI's Charles Murray (yes, the Bell Curve author) weighs in on the college ain't so grand for everyone side. Book details here.

So where should we be going? More vo-tech? A 4-year-degree from everyone? Are the two views necessarily mutually exclusive?

From campaign of Hugh Webster, Republican candidate for U.S. House District 13:

The public is cordially invited to attend a meet-and-greet reception with former state Sen. Hugh Webster, Republican candidate for the 13th Congressional District. Webster is a native of Caswell County and has spent more than three decades as a CPA in Burlington. During his time in the state Senate he built a reputation as a common-sense conservative dedicated to the principles of the Constitution and small, effective government. Please join us at 2 p.m. Saturday at Courtland Park Picnic Shelter 1 in Reidsville. This causal family event is free and intended for you to have a chance to meet the candidate one-on-one. Call 552-7339 with any questions.

UNC-TV will host a gubernatorial candidates debate at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Republican Pat McCrory and Libertarian Mike Munger will participate. Democrat Bev Perdue declined UNC-TV’s invitation.

Eszter Vajda, co-host of UNC-TV’s Legislative Week in Review, will moderate.

No, this has nothing to do with your automobile - though it's never a bad idea to make sure your registration is up-to-date.

We got an email this morning about this story on making sure your voter registration is filed and ready for Election Day.

You can call down to the elections office and ask, or you can check it online, which is super easy.

The News & Record's Voterspeak panel members on their take of N&R video interviews with candidates for governor.

The question: The News & Record posted video interviews online featuring the two major-party gubernatorial candidates, Beverly Perdue and Pat McCrory. Check out the clips, and then tell us about a point from one of the candidates that you disagree with and why.

And Voterspeak says:

Jeff Bartolet, 38, Republican:
I actually agree with both candidates for governor on their responses to the respective questions on the death penalty and the challenge of illegal immigrants in the community college system.
One small point of contention I have with Perdue’s response is that she thinks the federal government needs to pass something else in addition to the current immigration laws to have a better handle on the issue. Why not enforce the current laws already on the books at the state level, then the community college enrollment question takes care of itself. Just a thought.

Phyllis Davis, 64, Republican: After watching both candidates respond, I can’t disagree with either. While I don’t agree with Beverly Perdue’s policies in most cases, she is right with not allowing illegal immigrants into our community colleges. Why educate someone that is here illegally and then return them home to work at jobs we have shipped to their country?
As for Pat McCrory - I support his stand on the death penalty. As a mother of one in law enforcement that was shot (and made it) I strongly support his stand.

Kendall Garvin, 29, unaffiliated: I agree with McCrory that something should be done about the gang issues plaguing the state. However, he does not seem to have a very clear plan of how to decrease the problem. He stated that certain crimes should not be forgiven but never gives a clear definition of what crimes and/or ages are included in what should be forgiven.
I do not agree with the death penalty. As Perdue stated, there are still situations where people are falsely accused of crimes despite the technology we have today. People should be punished for their crimes, but we as people do not have the right to judge someone and determine that the individual should die.

Trevor Hamm, 25, Democrat: I disagreed with Pat McCrory’s comments the death penalty moratorium. I’m aware of the Supreme Court ruling about Kentucky’s death penalty and the legality of lethal injection without the presence of a doctor, but I think there are other important questions that should be addressed during a moratorium. With questions about the adequacy of legal counsel and racial disparities, among other things, that still need to be addressed, I don’t think we should be in a hurry to end the moratorium.

Mike Kelly, 60, Republican:
I really do not disagree with either candidate and their positions on the questions put before them. My only quibble, and a minor quibble at that, is Mr. McCrory’s contention that offshore drilling will provide high-paying jobs to our citizens. That ain’t gonna happen. Having worked in the pipeline industry for 26 years, I know that these positions will be filled from within the oil and gas organizations unless our state mandates that a certain percentage of openings is filled by North Carolinians, also unlikely to happen.

Marlene Costa Nielsen, 67, Democrat: I disagree with Perdue and McCrory, who support the death penalty despite recent death-row inmates found innocent after decades in prison. The court system does not provide equal justice for all because poor people cannot afford the high cost of quality legal representation.
There should be a moratorium on executions until this can be addressed.

Kate Peeples, 27, unaffiliated: From the two minutes or so that Perdue speaks about community colleges and illegal immigrants, it seems clear to me that she thinks the four-year, straight-out-of-high-school, traditional college education is the only path worth spending time — and taxpayers’ money — on. And, conveniently, funding that ideal would effectively prevent not just illegal immigrants but plenty of American students who are plenty driven and talented from attaining “the hope of education,” as Perdue calls it. This, incidentally, is coming from the candidate who is a former public school teacher herself and who has the endorsement of the NCAE.
The simple fact is, the traditional college path is not for everyone, and that’s OK. We have gained so much ground in educating all of the kids in our schools and preparing all of them for life after they leave school, whatever that means for them. I know because I’ve been lucky enough to have been a part of it for the last five years. But who has the right to say that getting an electrician’s or contractor’s license at a community college is any less valuable, or challenging, than getting a bachelor’s degree? Myself, I earned the same degree as about a hundred other people from UNCG, but I’m fairly certain that each of us went about it in at least slightly different ways, yet we all have the exact same piece of paper.
What is most important about education is opportunity, and it seems to me that Perdue plans to portion out the opportunities rather sparingly.

Deonna Kelli Sayed, 34, Democrat: Beverly Purdue is reluctant to allow illegal immigrants access to community college education. I disagree with her decision although I certainly appreciate her reasoning.
She is pragmatic. There aren’t enough resources already, so why allow illegal immigrants access when they can’t legally work?
I understand her point and feel it is, at first glance, an economically responsible approach. She is also correct in desiring the federal government to provide more guidance on the issue.
Her perspective, however, demonstrates how little she knows about immigrant life (legal or not). The informal economy is alive and well among immigrants, so illegals can find under-the-table jobs. There are networks for this type of work among immigrant communities. While this may be against the law, informal economies keep families fed and housed. Immigrants, legal or not, are often hard-working people.
This has been true throughout America’s long immigrant history.
But most importantly, the children of illegal immigrants do better in school and will become more confident society members if their parents have access to education. We know there is gang activity in some immigrant communities — not having educational opportunities may increase such activity. Furthermore, illegal immigrants can feasibly spend entire lives here and remain part of the society, economy, and culture. Community colleges may not have the resources to deal with illegal immigrants. I get that. But I also know that a lack of education among any population demographic won’t lead to anything positive.

Mike Sigmon, 61, Republican: I agree with Bev Perdue that we should not have illegal immigrants receiving a free tuition to our Community Colleges.
I agree with Pat McCrory that the death penalty should be reinstated, now.

Ruth Mary Weston, 54, Democrat: I disagree with both candidates on supporting the death penalty. From my own experience, I know the error into which any person may wander while sincerely believing one is absolutely right. The death penalty is irrevocable. Wrong judgments by human beings are unavoidable. Life imprisonment without parole, but with rights to appeal the conviction, is the best balance I can logically and emotionally justify.

Jeffrey Toobin came and spoke Monday at Carolina Theatre, courtesy of the Elon School of Law, focusing on the Supreme Court and how the outcome of the 2008 election could affect that.

Some of Toobin's main points:

The nine justices on the Supreme Court of the United States consist of four conservative justices, four liberal justices and one swing voter.

Three of the four liberal justices are likely to leave in the next one or two presidential terms, opening appointment opportunities for the coming administrations.

This election could have a lasting impact on domestic policy, because the Supreme Court is taking on more cases that could be settled through legislation, but wind through the court anyway. Also, presidents are picking younger justices in order to have a longer impact than the courts of long ago.

Barack Obama, if he wins, would likely appoint moderate liberals like himself.

John McCain, in his Supreme Court speech given on Primary Day, "talked in code," which Toobin translated to mean that he wants to overturn Roe V. Wade and support juvenile executions.

He said that the Supreme Court is a reflection of the public. So, if a Republican president is elected, he'll appoint people who reflect the party. But the Senate is also an important player in the nomination process, too, and can kick back a nominee from the president.

But the appointees generally come from the executive office and then are scrutinized by senators.

"Want to change the Supreme Court? Change who you elect president," Toobin said.

Our friends at AP report:

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) _ The Republican challenger to Attorney General Roy Cooper has started running television ads designed to point out what he calls problems fighting crime in North Carolina.

Asheboro lawyer Bob Crumley said the first of two 15-second ads started running Tuesday in all state television markets except for Greenville.

The ads direct viewers to a Web site, www.nccrimenews.com, where Crumley appears in what look like television news segments highlighting what he calls failures by Cooper.

The ads will run for about four weeks.

Crumley's law firm recently changed TV ads to remove his name and image after election officials said they could constitute illegal campaign contributions. Crumley said he's done nothing wrong and will fight the ruling after the election.

Here's the website in question.

Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are both scheduled to be in Greensboro on Saturday.

A rally is scheduled to take place at the Depot "around noon" according to a campaign spokesman.

The visit will come the day after the first presidential debate between Obama and Republican candidate John McCain.

More details should be forthcoming this afternoon.

Update: From the campaign:

RALEIGH – Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama and vice-presidential nominee Senator Joe Biden will return to North Carolina Saturday to hold a rally on the Change We Need in Greensboro. This is Obama’s first time returning to the Triad since the primary. He was in Charlotte Sunday afternoon, and Senator Biden was in Charlotte for a rally the Sunday before last. Michelle Obama held a Women for Obama Rally in Greensboro with Dr. Maya Angelou and Sen. Kay Hagan last Thursday.

Saturday’s event is free and open to the public and tickets are not required, but an RSVP is strongly encouraged. Please see details below.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

CHANGE WE NEED RALLY WITH BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN
Washington Street in front of the J. Douglas Gaylon Depot
Greensboro, NC
Gates Open: 10:00 AM
Program Begins: 12:15 PM

This event is free and open to the public. Rain or shine. Tickets are NOT required. However, an RSVP is strongly encouraged. Members of the public can RSVP at nc.barackobama.com.

For updates, visit http://nc.barackobama.com.

***For security reasons, do not bring bags. Please limit personal items. No signs or banners allowed.***

***Lawn chairs, alcohol, coolers and pets are not permitted. Entry to event requires consent to metal detection inspection.***

Wha-wait a minute: It took all day to produce this?

Joint Statement of Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama

"The American people are facing a moment of economic crisis. No matter how this began, we all have a responsibility to work through it and restore confidence in our economy. The jobs, savings, and prosperity of the American people are at stake.

"Now is a time to come together – Democrats and Republicans – in a spirit of cooperation for the sake of the American people. The plan that has been submitted to Congress by the Bush Administration is flawed, but the effort to protect the American economy must not fail.

"This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country. We cannot risk an economic catastrophe. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country."

Three sentences?

Three.

Were they just writing on their blackberries?

It took all day to produce that? Yeah, we should be able to craft a $700 billion bailout package in no time.

This one is for my boss:

Since when did CNN develop a sense of humor?

Katie Couric interviewed Sarah Palin this week.

Transcript here.

Blog-ish post here.

Video re: the economy here:

When Senator Barack Obama rolls into town Saturday the N&R will, of course, have a reporter at the rally.

But we'll also be covering it via Twitter, an online social networking site that allows its users to post short, real-time updates from anywhere.

The Obama campaign is (perhaps over) using the site already. McCain less so, though some seem to be using it on his behalf. His campaign's had a little trouble with the site already.

In short bursts of 140 characters or less, I'll describe the scene in real time - the crowd, the speech, the whole shebang. It'll be like Internet Haiku.

If you're already Twittering, add us to your feed list. If you're not, you can check in with us at our feed's homepage anyway.

Cross-posted from Inside Scoop

Scoop was propped up typing notes at this morning's 7:30 a.m. county commissioners forum when we heard something that perked us up like a cup of black coffee.

Eddie Souther, the District 4 Republican county commissioner candidate is loaded. He's got a permit to carry concealed weapons. And so does his wife. Big-time Second Amendment people, they are.

He brought it up while talking Thursday on how Guilford County could work better with other municipalities, and its citizens.

"I’d like to open that up to public use," he said.

Later that day we bumped into his opponent, Board of Commissioners Chairman Kirk Perkins and at large Commissioner Paul Gibson, who was sitting next to Souther earlier at the forum.

"I was looking down to see if there was something there," Gibson said, joking, referring to maybe sighting an ankle holster.

"I'm just glad that I was at the other end of the table," Perkins said.

Now, politics around here can get fiery, but not gun-fiery. That's the stuff of rogue states, juntas and banana republics. And Guilford County politicians are a far more refined bunch than that, right? Right?

Yes, there's a presidential debate scheduled tonight. And whether or not both candidates show up, people are preparing for the show as though it's the Super Bowl.

In a way, it kind of is. Or maybe more like a divisional playoff game. Nonetheless, if you haven't gotten your chips and drinks together, you have about 11 hours to get on top of things. And Decision '08 would like to know about the plans people are making.

So far, we've heard that the Green Bean will roll out a projector and a screen to watch the event; and two doors down on Elm Street, the upstairs bar at Natty Greene's will dedicate a few big screens and sound for anyone who wants to watch.

People are posting invites on Facebook, and a few have emailed us about their plans. Some, like Voterspeak's Phyllis Davis, are just watching at home.

"No plan to get together for me - I am afraid if it happens I might miss something if I have guest or a party!!" she told us in an email.

Others are staying in to have a little fun with the debate. And for the thirsty souls out there, you can even turn a debate into a chance to get really loaded.

Got any plans? We'd like to hear about them.

Update 1: Kay Hagan will have a debate party at campaign HQs across the state.

Update 2: The Republican Party will be hosting a watch party at their High Point headquarters:

High Point Victory Office 3800 Tinsley Road, Suite 103 High Point, NC 27265 (Near the intersection of Wendover and N.C. 68 Contact: Jordan Shaw, 919-862-6822

Some of our Voterspeak participants checked out the presidential debate on Friday, and here's what they had to say:

Phyllis Davis, 64, Republican: Am I understanding that Obama wants to cut funds for defense budget but wants to send more troops to Afghanistan? Personally I think Obama is just "speaking" He states that he voted "no" to go to war - he was NOT a US Senator when we went to war.

Both candidates didn't focus a lot on foreign affairs - McCain could remember the name for whom he was wearing the bracelet- Obama was "blundering" on the name - so was it a serious gesture? He was just copying McCain.
Obama is still just speaking about issues in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan - McCain has been there (literally) He really gets it. Do we want a president that would not even visit those wounded while protecting us?

On the question about Russia - Obama just does not get it! As McCain suggested very politely - maybe he is just naive. (Having or showing a lack of experience or judgement.) Obama was great at changing the subject when he didn't know the answer.
It appears that Obama wants our country protected by talks - He really does not get it. When talks fail - then we have to take action.

Kendall Garvin, 29, unaffiliated: I liked what Obama said over what McCain said over issues of the economy and the issues in Iraq. McCain wants less taxes for large businesses and wants to keep everything else the same. Those types of statements sound like a nice statement for making the rich richer and not doing much for the majority of working class Americans who are much more strongly affected by the sways of the economy. On the other hand, Obama plans to provide tax breaks to 95 percent of the population.

In regards to the issues in Iraq, McCain sounds like he plans to do things the same way they have been done for the past 5 years, which sounds like if he is elected it could go on forever. I also did not like how McCain attempted to compare Bush's stubborn personality trait about the war to Obama's.

Kate Peeples, 27, unaffiliated: I – to my own disappointment – had my hopes up way too high for this debate. Maybe it was all the “Will he? Won’t he?” over the last few days. But my disappointment was realized in the opening minutes, when Jim Lehrer had to point out that neither McCain nor Obama had answered his first question about each of their stances on the Wall Street bailout plan.

As a teacher and someone who spends all day with 12-year-olds, I understand very well the need to “sell” the points you’re trying to make. The debate tonight was not much different and at times I felt a bit like one of my 12-year-olds, trying to make sense of what was being said but at least understanding that each man sure wanted me to believe him. I thought both McCain and Obama made excellent points on various subjects. Obama’s comment that, “John, you like to pretend the war began in 2007,” was a perfect way to express the frustration I and many others have felt about Bush’s claims of overwhelming success in Iraq, but I did feel that McCain at least sounds as if he has a better grip on how dealing with hostile or potentially hostile nations is specificially done (I personally agree with Obama’s “direct diplomacy” approach). Also, Obama did a particularly lovely job of pronouncing “Pakistan.” And both of them wear bracelets, apparently.

Deonna Kelli Sayed, 34, Democrat: I eagerly watched the debate, witnessing both candidates list their promises on the economy, energy policy, & their love of Gen. Pratreus. I paused when they got to Afghanistan because this is something I know a little about.

I'm married to an Afghan. I have family in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Neither candidate really knows the issues at hand. By the way, I've been to both countries.

Afghans and Pakistanis do not trust nor enjoy American troops in their borders. Having more troops in a military capacity will breed even more resentment and allow the Taleban to gain more popular support.
The US needs to 1) help form a legitimate Afghan government made by the people rather than a leadership imposed from the outside. This may mean involving some members of the Taleban as they do have grassroots support in certain areas of the country 2) help develop infrastructure and improve capacity building. One way is to immediately stop local corruption associated with development projects
3) Take steps to rebuild trust among Afghans who feel used by American troops and policies.

One important point that Obama harped on was the need to kill Osama bin Laden. This is moot: Al Qaeda exists independent of bin Laden. It is designed to do so. His death at the hands of American military may make him more popular.

The best way to defeat Al Qaeda is to promote more equitable foreign policy in the Muslim world.

Ruth Mary Weston, 54, Democrat: Immediate impression: McCain whipped Obama. Dadgummit!

In the beginning both were regurgitating stump speech phrases. Maybe that works for people who are just starting to listen, but it makes my cynicism raise its ugly head.

McCain had much better preparation to weave emotional appeals into his points, which probably appeals to the largest undecided cohort. Obama will likely be prortrayed as "uppity" for being the first to interrrupt, 'cause that also works with another undecided cohort.

Obama's careful and precise communication appeals to me - I want clarity and details. I don't imagine it comes across with my cousins in Mississippi that well.

I do think it's clear how much both candidates are being "handled". I wish "debate" still had some of its dictionary meaning left. Now it just means "long ad with video photo op".

From Sunday's story on education in the governor's race:

Should every high school student strive to go to college?

That seemingly academic question lies at the heart of what may be the fiercest education policy dispute between gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.

"There's no data on that on either side," said Robert Serow, a professor of educational leadership at N.C. State. "It's really an ethical issue or a moral issue, or some would see it as a matter of common sense."

Whether a matter of ethics or common sense, it is a question that not only has immense implications for the state's $21.4 billion budget and your children, but also for the kind of economy the state will try to foster.

Click here to read the whole thing.

Hear from the candidates themselves:

• **McCrory talks education during the N+R editorial board interview. (McCrory talks a fair bit about "vouchers" for college students, which I would characterize as "scholarships" and not really the same thing.) He's a bit loquacious so I included a second clip here, where he talks about "academic elitism."

• **Perdue chats about education via phone.

• **Libertarian candidate Mike Munger chats about education via phone.

Now, some more linkage:

• * My handy clip-and-save graphic. It includes stances on various education issues. (This is a draft so a couple grammatical things have been fixed in the print version.)
• * My Governor's capsules.
• * AEI's Charles Murray makes his case for less college here and here
• * The more college argument from The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.
• * Perdue's education policy page.
• * McCrory's education policy page.
• * Munger's page that talks about school choice.

Sen. Barack Obama rolled into Greensboro with his running-mate, Joe Biden.

Sunday's main-bar.

Sunday's color story.

Prepared text of Obama's speech.

Audio of Obama's speech:

Pictures from the day:

District 4 Republican County commissioner candidate Eddie Souther called this morning to explain what he was talking about last Thursday when he brought up his concealed weapon permit.

"There are about 5,000 concealed carry permits in Guilford County," he said, and speaking to the county's gun range, "open the gun range up to the public."

Then he went on about a number of things, as candidates are wont to do.

Today: At 6 p.m., the Rev. Al Sharpton will speak at a Greensboro church. After that, go home and at 9 p.m. flip the channel over to UNCTV and check out part two of Ronald Reagan's biography. And you can catch up on previous episodes online, too.

Tuesday: There's this president fella coming to town. We'll also post our next Voterspeak response tomorrow afternoon.

Wednesday: Women for Obama meet at 5 p.m. at the campaign headquarters here.

Thursday: The vice-presidential debate airs on PBS and a bunch of other stations.

President Bush has canceled a planned fundraiser set for Greensboro tomorrow. The reason, according to sources, is that he wants to stay in Washington to monitor the economy.

Several candidates for federal, state and local offices will take part in a forum Monday night. The event, sponsored by Greensboro’s WOMAN organization, will be at the Painted Plate, 2001 N. Church St., Greensboro, and is open to the public. A social is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m.
The cost is $22. Registration and payment are due online Thursday at greensborowoman.org or must be postmarked by today and mailed to P.O. Box 10465, Greensboro, NC 27404.
Each candidate will have two minutes to speak. Several candidates in races for Congress, council of state, the General Assembly, Guilford County commissioners and Board of Education, High Point City Council and court seats are scheduled to attend. To see the list of candidates, read after the jump.

State Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat running to unseat Elizabeth Dole, just held an interesting conference call.

The express purpose of the call was to ding Sen. Elizabeth Dole for her action, or lack of action, as a member of the Senate Banking Committee and for supposedly wanting to loosen regulations for Wall Street firms. (You can read Hagan's backgrounder on the call here. I haven't checked through it, so I'm not expressing an opinion on whether all this ads up to what Hagan is saying.)

Toward the end of the call, Hagan was asked about the financial bailout package and whether she would vote for it - several times. And several times, she resisted giving a yes or no answer.

Click here to listen to the exchanges.

As to whether Dole should support it: "I'm letting her make that decision on her own. I'll be interested to see what she does and what she says about it."

As to whether she herself would vote for it: "I keep questioning why in the world are we in this position today where we are."

Finally, when asked whether she, herself, would back it, Hagan ticked off a list of things that she wanted to see but added, "I have grave concerns about a lot of the stuff that's going on right now."

What do you want to be that the Dole campaign is going to push back on that with something like: If you're going to go after an incumbent for not taking the lead on financial legislation, shouldn't you, yourself, have a position on whether the marquis piece of financial rescue legislation of the day should, itself, be passed?

The News & Record's Voterspeak panel members have a few questions for the vice presidential candidates.

The question: Now you get to play Jim Lehrer. Or, more accurately, Gwen Ifill, moderator of the vice presidential debate Thursday at George Washington University in St. Louis .

In this debate, you have one question for each vice presidential candidate. What do you most want to know about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palinʼs policies, stances, personality or political goals? How about Delaware Senator Joe Biden?

And Voterspeak says:

Jeff Bartolet, 38, Republican: I would ask Palin to explain why she fired the public safety commissioner in Alaska and for Biden to cite the sources he used to defend his pro-abortion stance despite being Catholic.

Phyllis Davis, 64, Republican: For Senator Biden, I would ask if he thinks his health and his ability to "Put his foot in his mouth" might impede his ability to serve effectively as Vice President or President.

For Governor Sarah Palin, I would ask her to assure us that she will remain steadfast in her stand on abortion, the second amendment and to continue to impress upon the American People her ability to serve as Vice President or President both domestically and on matters of foreign affairs.

Trevor Hamm, 25, Democrat: Sarah Palin – What was the last book you read that significantly impacted your perspective on political office/public service. How did it influence you?

Joe Biden – After being in Congress for so many years, what past political mistakes or miscalculations have changed the way you go about your decision-making process today?

Mike Kelly, 60, Republican:
Biden: After being a major player in politics as usual for three decades there truly is no credible reason for you to be on the Democratic ticket. Why would anyone believe that you can contribute anything to Obama's grand plans for change ?

Palin: What in the hell were you thinking ? Certainly you could not have been prepared for the media feeding frenzy subsequent to McCain having chosen you as his running mate. Washington is not Juneau, you know. How has this changed the way in which you perceive politics in general and yourself in particular?

Marlene Costa Nielsen, 67, Democrat: What is your reaction to conservative columnist Kathleen Parker's asking you to resign from the Republican Ticket for the good of the country?

Kate Peeples, 27, unaffiliated: Like most people following these two candidates, I have a lot of personal questions for Sarah Palin. But, mainly because Joe Biden has given more than a hundred interviews to date as a vice presidential candidate to Palin's three, I don't have personal questions for him. So, in fairness, I'm sticking with a single policy-related question. Both Democrats and Republicans failed on Monday to ensure passage of the Wall Street bailout bill. For both Sen. Biden and Gov. Palin, what is your position on the Wall Street bailout efforts, and what needs to be done by your party colleagues in the House's next session on Thursday to ensure that Monday's failure doesn't happen a second time?

Deonna Kelli Sayed, 34, Democrat: If I had the opportunity to kick back with Palin or Biden, here's what I'd ask:

Sen. Biden, are you prepared to be second fiddle to a man with little experience compared to yours? Are you able to deal with Obama's potentially successful bid for Presidency while your own never succeeded? How will the dynamics work between what you bring to the ticket (experience) versus Obama's strengths (vision and personality)?

Gov. Palin, why do you feel you deserve to be Vice President? Why do you want this job? For love of country or for party ideology? What leadership can you provide that more seasoned politicians (Mitt Romney, for example) can't?

Mike Sigmon, 61, Republican: For Governor Palin---Explain how your experience as Chief Executive of the state of Alaska has prepared you to be Vice President.

For Senator Biden—How do you reconcile your 29 years as a U.S. Senator (with your party in the majority most of those years) with running on a platform of “Change?” (Please don’t tell me it’s because you take the train home to Delaware each night)

Ruth Mary Weston, 54, Democrat:
Palin:
I agree that lots needs to be changed in governement. A maverick attitude is encouraging because it implies new ways of thinking. On the other hand, our founders thought carefully and made government slow to react so that it couldn't be turned quickly against individuals or opponenets. Where do you see the balance between these two concerns?

Biden:
The Wall Street bailout has shown that Americans from all viewpoints do agree on some principles. You seem both practical and creative. How can citizens best influence politicians to reach the goals we do agree on?

A very not-safe-for work and predictably obscene video from Sarah Silverman about "The Great Schlep" -- a plan to get young Jewish Americans to swing their older Jewish grandparents in Florida for Obama.

Certainly offensive on any number of levels -- but is it hilarious ... or brilliant?

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.