Muzzling Margiotta

Gary Pearce posted on March 18, 2010 08:00

It is becoming clear how to fight back against Ron (Archie Bunker) Margiotta over the future of WakeCounty schools.

Let him talk.

Fresh after calling people at a public hearing “animals,” Ron/Archie opined recently – at a Republican Party meeting, no less – than the Wake schools should be split into smaller districts.

Opponents of the new board majority should immediately assign somebody to follow Ron/Archie around with a camera and a microphone. Post everything he says. Let YouTube do its thing.

By the way, the best and clearest critique of the new board that I’ve read comes from ex-board member Tom Oxholm. Tom may be my neighbor, but he’s still one of the smartest and most responsible people I know.

Here’s what he said.

“On the date you are sworn in to a nonpartisan office, thanking a political party for making it happen is bad governance. Bringing resolutions to the table without giving board members in the minority time to prepare is bad governance. Stopping the construction of a school on a site that the staffs of the Board of Education and Board of Commissioners agree is the best choice - but that you campaigned against - is bad governance.

“…And banishing the CEO (after he gave the board four months' notice to find a replacement) because you did not like that he said you were "practicing partisan politics" is really bad governance.”

Posted in: Raleigh , North Carolina - Republicans , Issues

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10

Wounding Words

Gary Pearce posted on March 10, 2010 09:08

The worst injuries in politics are often self-inflicted. Two examples are in the news today.

First, the war of words between Ron Margiotta and William Barber. Margiotta called his opponents at a WakeCounty school board “animals.” Barber took offense, then compared the board majority to the Mafia. Margiotta and John Tedesco took offense.

Then there’s old political veteran Jack Hawke distancing himself from 8th District GOP candidate Tim D'Annunzio over the candidate’s blog, “Christ’s War."

Politicians just can’t help themselves. They fall in love with the sound of their voices.

Barber won’t be hurt so much, but Margiotta and D’Annunzio did real damage to themselves.

If D’Annunzio is too far out for fellow Republicans, he’s destined for a brief run as a political sideshow.

As for Margiotta, he’s about to blow the political advantage the election gave him and his allies.

He was already accused of racism, and he bears an unfortunate resemblance to Archie Bunker.

Now he has broken the first rule of You Tube politics: Everything you say in public is public.

He gave his opponents a sword. If they’re smart, they can thwart him the way Republicans in Washington have blocked President Obama.

Margiotta & Co. already have half the county mad at them. How long will it take to make the other half mad?

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

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09

‘The Voice of Onslow County’

Carter Wrenn posted on March 09, 2010 18:07

As far as political shenanigans go this isn’t in the league with John Edwards’ goings on but it’s pretty strange. Down in Onslow County, after twenty-four years in the State House my old friend Robert Grady decided not to seek re-election and to run for Clerk of Court instead.

Now what you have to understand – to see the brilliance of what the Democrats are doing to win Robert’s House seat – is this: There are safe Republican seats and safe Republican seats – but Robert’s is about as safe as they come. He hasn’t had an opponent in years. This year no Democrat even bothered to file.

But a group of Onslow County Democrats came up with a unique solution to how to win a Republican seat: They’re running a candidate of their own in the Republican Primary.

And they found a Republican willing to oblige them in Phil ‘The Voice of Onslow County’ Shepard.

Phil Shepard’s political activism goes back about a decade to when he served a stint on the Onslow County Republican Committee – then was removed from the committee for helping elect a Democratic State Representative, Russell Tucker, over a Republican candidate.

Now he’s back in politics, running himself, with the support of some of the biggest Easley/Perdue supporters in the state.

How big? Louis Sewell contributed $76,000 to Governor Perdue and other Democrats, raised $125,000 for Mike Easley, got himself appointed to the State Transportation Board, then had to resign after he paved $375,000 worth of roads past his own property.

Billy Sewell – who’s also supporting Shepard – has given $39,000 to Democrats and was subpoenaed to testify at the State Board of Elections hearings into Governor Easley’s campaign finances.

John Pierce gave Democrats $90,000, and John Warlick, Garland Tuton, Mike Tuton, Steve Wangerin, Randolph Thomas (Shepard’s Treasurer) and Tony Padgett (who has run five times for County Commissioner as a Democrat) who are all Perdue/Easley supporters – are all supporting Reverend Shepard.

By a quick count this group of Perdue/Easley supporters have given $250,000 to Democrats – and now they’re supporting Phil Shepard in a Republican Primary.

We’ve had a Governor getting his wife a job at NC State University, a Democrat Speaker of the House stacking the Lottery Commission, environmental permits swapped for campaign donations, sweetheart land deals with developers and free airplane flights and vacations for politicians but never, until now, have we seen Democrat moneybags bankrolling a candidate in a Republican Primary to win a safe Republican seat.

Phil ‘The Voice of Onslow County’ Shepard is a first – if he pulls this one off he’ll go down in history.

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

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02

Filing In

Gary Pearce posted on March 02, 2010 15:10

The candidate filings show where the energy is this year. And it’s not encouraging for Democrats.

Republicans fielded candidates in all 50 state Senate races and nearly all the state House races. There are 40-plus Republicans running in congressional primaries.

We may be seeing the three ingredients required to make a landslide:

One side is energized
The other side is demoralized
The middle is mad as hell at everybody in office.

That perfect storm gathered for Republicans in 1994. It happened for Democrats in 2006 and 2008. It may drown Democrats this year.

Some Democrats claim the Republican primaries will turn into a divisive civil war.

And, true, the Tea Partiers could wreck the Republican china cabinet.

But primaries can also tell you who is excited – and who will vote in November.

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

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25

Flights of Fancy

Gary Pearce posted on February 25, 2010 14:35

The State Democratic Party gets an A+ for rapid response this week.

I blogged last week that the N&O overplayed Tom Fetzer’s questions about Governor Perdue’s campaign flights.

The research rats at Democratic HQ then turned up questions about Pat McCrory’s campaign flights. That led to an N&O headline – the same size and same placement that Fetzer got.

That led in turn to responses from McCrory’s campaign that led to even more questions, which were the subject of a second hit from Democratic HQ.

It’s complicated. But it involves a mysterious bank payment of more than $25,000, the disappearance of a $4,000 contribution, contradictory reports about contributions and disbursements and conflicting explanations about what was paid when.

You can read it all right here.

Big-shot consultants and big-name pollsters usually get the attention in politics. As far as I’m concerned, the grunts who do this kind of research – and counterpunching – are the real heroes.

By getting a tie out of this one, Democrats get a win.

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Posted in: North Carolina - Democrats , North Carolina - Republicans

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19

Sore Winners

Gary Pearce posted on February 19, 2010 10:17

Has there ever been a more arrogant crowd than the new WakeCounty school board majority?

Judging from their comments yesterday, any sign of dissent or disagreement from Superintendent Del Burns is “insubordination” – and a firing offense.

Their attitude reminds me of an old political adage: “The lower the office, the bigger the ego.”

There’s a Tea Party flavor to all this.

The new powers-that-be remind me of Sarah Palin complaining about smarty-pants elitists who keep asking her questions about factual matters. Who needs facts and knowledge when you’re on the side of God and Right?

Teacher-bashing has long been a staple of right wing Republicans. Russell Capps thinks the superintendent should be a businessman, not an educator.

Maybe he could get Ken Lewis from Bank of America.

Pardon me, but I’d like the person running the schools to know something about teaching kids.

People of good will who care about education had better get organized. Or this crowd is going to wreck the WakeCounty schools – and do incalculable damage to the Triangle’s dynamic economic climate.

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

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18

Overplayed

Gary Pearce posted on February 18, 2010 09:33

Since when does an obviously political and apparently unsupported charge by the state Republican Party chairman rate a screaming, streaming headline across Page B1 in The News & Observer?

The third graf of the story said:

‘The head of the state elections board said Wednesday that officials are reviewing how all gubernatorial campaigns from 2004 and 2008 handled flights and have not yet seen anything to warrant the treatment given to Easley” (emphasis added).

Gary Bartlett, executive director of the State Board of Elections, said:

"The information has not reached the level that causes us concern."

Apparently, the allegations don’t have to reach much of a level to cause the N&O to overhype them.

The only evidence the GOP’s Tom Fetzer offered is that he “sees similarities in campaign finance records between Easley and Perdue.”

Holy cow! “Similarities!” Call Inspector Javert!

Maybe something serious will turn up, and maybe it won’t. But the N&O’s watchdog zeal overrode its news judgment here.

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Posted in: North Carolina - Democrats , North Carolina - Republicans

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10

What's Up? Obama!

Gary Pearce posted on February 10, 2010 13:55

Every day I read how badly things are going for President Obama.

Democrats and Republicans, the mainstream media and the bloggers all alike trash him, his staff, his health care strategy, his jobs plan, his position on the banks, on and on.

Then I read a poll – commissioned by the Civitas Institute, no fans of the President –showing his approval rating in North Carolina in late January at 52 percent, up slightly from the month before.

Not bad numbers in these angry days.

Compare his positive rating to Governor Perdue (38 favorable, 43 unfavorable) and Senator Burr (33 favorable, 20 unfavorable).

Despite all the noise, Obama has established an image with voters that sets him apart from – and over – other politicians.

Not a bad place to be.

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

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09

The Golden Rule

Gary Pearce posted on February 09, 2010 10:07

Last fall’s Wake County school board elections followed The Golden Rule of Politics: Them that has the gold rules.

Bob Luddy and Art Pope – two of the biggest opponents of public schools – were the biggest contributors to school board candidates.

Their side, according to The News & Observer, outspent the other side to elect four Republican-backed candidates.

Luddy and Pope themselves contributed $38,000.

Here’s a place where the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on corporate campaign spending could have a big impact.

There are some big businesses in Raleigh and WakeCounty that care – or should care – about the public schools.

Time to ante up.

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Posted in: General, Raleigh , North Carolina - Republicans

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08

$6,700 Each

Carter Wrenn posted on February 08, 2010 18:53

Last week a chill just stole out of the State Board of Elections and settled over the Republicans in the State House – Democrat Leader Joe Hackney filed his campaign’s financial report. And he has a healthy $418,000 in the bank – while Republican Leader Skip Stam has just $13,000.

Representative Stam made the best he could of a bad situation. “We’re on track,” he said, adding that rather than asking people to give to his campaign fund he’s urging them to give to another special fund to elect Republicans. He may mean the NCGOP’s House Republican Campaign Fund. It has $54,000 in the bank. Its Democratic counterpart has $152,000.

Up to now House Republicans have been pretty hopeful about the upcoming elections – but in politics dollar bills are the equivalent of soldiers. And Hackney and the House Democrats have 570,000 of them. While the Republicans have 67,000. Even General Lee couldn’t whip those odds.

This adds up to a tough picture for Republicans: Winning ten Democratic House seats (to take control of the House) with only $6,700 to spend on each election is going to be well-nigh impossible.

Democrats have given us the Easley scandal, the Tony Rand hustle, the Marc Basnight pier, a trillion dollar deficit and 11% Unemployment – but they’ve gotten one thing right: Money.

Funding a campaign is the hardest work in politics. A successful candidate spends a good part of his life asking for money – Jesse Helms served in the Senate 30 years and just about every day he asked someone for money. House Republicans don’t need any more issues but they do need cold hard cash. So, here’s a question for the Republicans in the House: Who did you ask for money today?

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

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