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Monday: Comebacks
posted at 2008-04-14 23:58 | Last modified 2008-04-15 08:14
Best comeback of the day
Who’s more irrational – a Libertarian candidate or a Cubs fan? Check out Mike Munger’s retort to Newsweek’s George Will. Fabulous stuff. (HT: Dome)
Second-best comeback of the day
Well, maybe. Dem gubernatorial hopeful Bev Perdue’s latest numbers in today’s PPP tracker show her at 10 points over Richard Moore – a margin PPP’s Tom Jensen ascribed to her new “positive” ad campaign.
That sounds a lot better than her recent dead heat/losing numbers late last week. But it was Survey USA and Civitas, not PPP, that put the race within a point or two last week. PPP’s tracker last week had her leading by 8 - so statistically speaking, an extra two-point bump may not mean much.
Still, Jensen says Perdue’s positive ad campaign seems to be making an impression: 59 percent of those surveyed said they’d heard about it, and among those voters, Perdue’s lead is 16.
("Kinder and gentler" only goes so far, by the way. Fay-O's Paul Woolverton said he caught one of Perdue's new ads tonight on USA's wrassle-fest WWE Monday Night Raw. Reverse psychology, maybe?)
Take a hint?
Maybe Hillary Clinton should consider taking a page from the positivity playbook. CNN’s Peter Hamby says the NY Senator earned jeers for her jabs at Obama in PA today. From the article:
"Several audience members told CNN after the speech they came to the forum to hear each candidate talk about trade issues, and were not interested in the political back-and-forth of the Democratic primary race."
USA Today’s Ken Dilanian agrees “Bittergate” doesn’t seem to be registering with PA’s everyday Dems.
But ARG’s latest PA poll numbers show Clinton picking up steam, anyway. Last week, Obama and Clinton were tied. Today, Hillary leads by twenty. (Note: ARG’s poll ran Friday through Sunday; Obama made his controversial comment Friday night. So it’s tough to say how much it may have affected these numbers.)
Here in NC, Obama appears to be leaving Clinton in a cloud of dust. SurveyUSA put the IL Senator 10 points ahead last week, while Civitas shows him ahead by 18, and PPP has him up by 20 as of today.
Sinsheimer: Throw the rascals out
Dem watchdog Joe Sinsheimer weighed in from the West Coast today on Rep Joe Boylan’s DWI charge.
“Joe Boylan should resign from the NC General Assembly as he has quickly replaced Thomas Wright as the legislature's most embarrassing member.” [snip...]
“Joe Boylan's arrest last week is just another example that indicates the House of Representatives is a broken institution. Ideally, North Carolina voters could wipe the slate clean and start fresh with 120 members.”
Read the whole message here.
Srsly?
I emailed Sinsheimer back to ask whether that last bit of rhetoric might have been a little "over the top." His answer? No.
"Let's see in the past 24 months in the state House:
The Speaker [Black–ed.] pled guilty to multiple felonies [see below–ed.] and a separate federal court trial indicated that he tried to big rig the state's lottery contract to a company represented by his "close personal friend." (While Hackney et al sat by and watched).1
Thomas Wright was found guilty of 3 felonies.
Michael Decker pled guilty to accepting a $50,000 bribe.2
Two GOP members have been charged with DUI.3
Another GOP member was forced to leave because he [allegedly] sexually harassed his legislative aide.
Another member pled guilty to defrauding federal taxpayers in his attempt to avoid paying his student loan.
Rep. McAllister testified under oath that she could not remember the source of a $5000 cash deposit.4
Rep. Cunningham mysteriously resigns 5. . . "
[Notes:
- Black resigned before pleading guilty to a federal felony and entering an Alford plea on a state felony charge. No indictment was released.
- Decker lost his House seat before he was charged.
- Both members charged with DUI (Philip Frye and Joe Boylan) committed their offenses at home, out of session.
- The State Board of Elections did not refer McAllister to the prosecutor’s office for investigation.
- No allegations of misconduct were ever brought against Cunningham.]
Sinsheimer, continued:
"...I am politely trying to say the place is a sewer. You may disagree. Difference of opinion."
Well, I guess we'll have to disagree. Because cynicism aside, the majority of state lawmakers I know seem to be there for the right reasons.
There’s no denying the House has seen more than its share of problems in the last two years. But can anyone seriously argue that eight members’ misbehavior means the other 112 ought to be removed from office? Even Rick Glazier, the House Ethics Chair Sinsheimer recently praised?
Short of sending a nanny home with each out-of-session Rep, what exactly should the House do to make sure its members behave themselves in their districts?
Last I heard, the legislature didn’t get to choose its members. That’s up to the voters. So should they be tossed out of the process, too?
Comments? Drop me a line?
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