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Entries for October 2009

Republican Reason

Gary Pearce posted on October 05, 2009 21:36

News flash: There are sane Republicans!

Tommy Thompson, Bill Frist and Michael Bloomberg (sort of a Republican) all say they like the health-care bill emerging in the Senate.

Of course, none of them can vote there.

If they did, the GOP Jacobins would take their heads off.

Why is Can Obama Pass a Bill the only story line?

The other side of the story: Republican lawmakers so terrorized by Fox and Rush they just say no to everything.

But there is justice. They’re walking a path to political perdition.

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Posted in: General, National Republicans , Issues

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Who's Corrupt

Gary Pearce posted on October 05, 2009 21:30

An alert reader spotted this “Income Opportunities Available” banner on the WakeUp America TV ads about “corrupt Democrats.”

The reader followed the link to: http://www.wakeupamerica.com/income-opportunities.

There he read:

If you are interested in becoming a Team Leader, and building a team of commission fundraisers to help air Wake Up America TV commercials in your area as part of our organization, send an email to: Income@WakeUpAmerica.com ….

We’ve developed a unique fundraising and support model that provides Team Leaders with all the tools necessary to build your team.

Just a few of the benefits include:

• a recurring commission stream

• the ability to earn from the efforts of others as well as yourself

• almost unlimited income potential

Tell us in one paragraph why you would like to join our team to help Wake Up America.

The reader says: “This reads like a pyramid scheme. I think politics shouldn’t be like this. I agree with some of what their message is, but not how they are doing this. It kinda smells.”

Ditto that!

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Posted in: General, North Carolina - Republicans , National Democrats , National Republicans , Issues

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Election Outlier?

Gary Pearce posted on October 04, 2009 21:33

In 1993, Tom Fetzer’s election as mayor of Raleigh proved to be a portent of a national Republican tide the next year. Tomorrow’s Wake school board races could be the same for 2010.

I haven’t seen any polling. But I have a bad feeling that the bad guys – the anti-diversity crowd – will win. They seem to have the energy. And, in a low-turnout race, the angry turn out.

In 1993, like this year, Democrats had just won the presidential election. They were still celebrating, and they were complacent.

Just like this year, Republicans were angry and motivated. Fetzer (with Carter’s help) found a perfect issue in the downtown civic center. Fetzer ran a modern TV campaign while Democrats ran the familiar old handshake campaign.

It was a sign of worse to come in 1994. And tomorrow may be the canary in the coal mine for 2010.

It will be ironic if the county that carried North Carolina for Barack Obama last year signals his setback next year.

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Posted in: General, Raleigh , Issues

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Radical Socialists?

Gary Pearce posted on October 02, 2009 09:39

I got worried when I saw the “corrupt Democrats” ad sponsored by the North Carolina conservative group Wake Up America. But I felt better once the ad ended.

The ad’s beginning goes right at a real Democratic vulnerability in North Carolina: the combination of corruption and higher taxes.

"Are state Democrats the most politically corrupt in

America

?" the ad asks.

Ouch.

Then, as always, they go too far. The ad ends by accusing Democrats of promoting “radical socialism.”

I’m sorry, guys, but the only people who get exercised about creeping socialism are already watching Fox News.

It’s too big a stretch. Especially when Democratic leaders in Raleigh are getting pounded by teachers, health-care groups and others for not spending enough money on the state’s problems.

As always, my worries about Democrats are assuaged by my certainty that the right will overreach.

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Posted in: General, North Carolina - Democrats , North Carolina - Republicans , National Democrats , National Republicans , Issues

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The Raleigh City Election

Carter Wrenn posted on October 01, 2009 21:49

First time candidate for City Council Champ Claris has spoken the tabooed words ‘Don’t build it downtown.’

Since Charles Meeker was elected Mayor (which seems like it was not long after General Sherman marched through Raleigh) Meeker’s been trying to turn downtown into the southern equivalent of the ‘Great White Way.’ It’s a mystery why Charlie Meeker loves downtown so much but if anyone wants to build something in Raleigh the Mayor is almost certain to urge them to put it downtown.

And it’s made him popular – Charles Meeker’s such a shoo-in for reelection it seems we ought to save the money, call off the election and announce the inaugural.

So Champ Claris saying ‘Don’t build it downtown’ – talking about the new basketball arena – took some old-fashioned courage.

The Mayor – who’s all for the new arena – says it only makes sense to go on and buy the land now, to be ready for the future when it’s time to start building; but does anyone really doubt once the City has its hands on the land that Charles Meeker will be able to resist the temptation to go on and start pouring the pilings?

Electing Champ Claris may also turn out to be doing the Mayor a favor – having someone on the Council who doesn’t agree with him may keep Charles Meeker from getting bored the next two years.

Champ Claris has bucked the political establishment, which doesn’t happen often in politics, and it would be good to have a maverick on the City Council.

The Raleigh City Election 10/2/2009

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Posted in: General, Raleigh , North Carolina - Republicans , Issues

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Obama’s Olympic Event

Gary Pearce posted on October 01, 2009 09:36

Republicans and the media are up in arms because President Obama will go overseas to lobby for the Olympics in Chicago in 2016.

A waste of time, they sniff, when the nation faces so many important issues.

Once again, Obama is a step ahead of his critics.

His trip would be one of the few times a presidential trip overseas isn’t pre-packaged with gift-wrapped announcements designed to look presidential.

Instead, it’s a risk, a campaign for world opinion.

What his Republican critics may really fear is that it works. Maybe they remember how cancelling the 1980 Olympics hurt Jimmy Carter – and how the “

USA

!” Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 helped Ronald Reagan’s reelection.

Besides, hosting the Olympics in Chicago the last year of his second term would be a nice way for Obama to go out.

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Posted in: National Democrats , Issues

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