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Sunday: Denver and etc.
posted at 2008-08-24 12:49 | Last modified 2008-08-24 14:00
All eyes on Denver
The NYT says it’s the "Year of the Political Blogger" at the Dem convention. Nice to see local Durham blogger Pam Spaulding leading the story. Inexplicably, the NYT opted to run the piece on the front of their “Fashion and Style” section. I guess it’s only "politics" if it’s in ink. Sigh.
Reporter Amanda Fairbanks misses what I think is the most interesting angle on this story. For the first time, as far as I know, delegates themselves will be taking “citizen journalism” to a whole new level by reporting live from the convention hall floor.
Chapel Hill delegate Graig Meyer has a video blog over at BlueNC, and Wake County delegate Terry Grunwald and alternate delegate Mark Ezzell will be blogging, too. And they’ll have plenty of company among other states’ delegations. No disrespect to my media-credentialed friends, of course, but I’ll be even more interested to hear what actual participants think about the process.
BTW, the “Demver” blogathon’s already underway at BlueNC. This morning’s thread is here.
In ink...
- The N&O's Rob Christensen has a to-do list for Obama this week.
- The AP’s Stephen Ohlemacher reports mixed reactions to the Biden pick among Clinton backers.
- Greensboro's Mark Binker catches up with the Guilford delegation.
Where’s the money?
Word came out late this week that neither national party will be spending what it said it would in NC.
On the Dem side, the Obama campaign announced Friday they’re backing off their ad buys for the week of the convention in seven Republican-leaning states, including NC. Rob Christensen has more here.
Obama’s chief strategist David Axelrod told George Stephanopoulous this morning his campaign’s ads will be back on the air after the Dem convention. That makes sense, actually: when you’re all over the airwaves with “earned media” – aka news – why spend more money on ads? Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens next week.
On the GOP side, the NRSC told Politico Wednesday they won’t be following through on a promise of $6M in ad buys for Elizabeth Dole. The money just isn’t there. Dole responded that she’s known for some time she’ll need to raise all her own money. The AP has more here.
Dole is an outstanding GOP fundraiser, and if anyone can hurdle this obstacle, it’ll be her. But NRSC’s reversal just doesn’t look good – especially when the DSCC is funneling big money into this race on behalf of her Dem opponent, Kay Hagan.
New numbers
A new Winthrop poll out of SC shows the South, as a region, still firmly in the GOP column. The State’s Roddie Burris has details.
Closer to home, the latest Carolinas Poll is all about finances – and only 1 out of 10 think they’re better off than they were a year ago. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, respondents’ opinions tended to mirror their tax bracket:
"Among respondents who made less than $40,000 a year, only 8 percent said they were better off than last year, while 55 percent said they were worse off. Among those who made more than $80,000, 16 percent said they were better off, and 28 percent were worse off."
Charlotte’s Jefferson George has the rest.
Paying the piper
Former state Rep Thomas Wright is scheduled to be back in Wake County Superior Court Monday for a second trial for alleged campaign fraud. This time, the New Hanover Democrat is facing a felony obstruction of justice charge. Prosecutors say Wright failed to report receiving and spending almost $200K in campaign donations. He’s currently serving 6 to 8 years on fraud convictions handed down in April. Here’s a refresher.
The Asheville Citizen Times says Mitchell County Republican Rep. Phillip Frye was sentenced Friday to a year of probation after pleading guilty to a DWI connected to an accident last winter in Spruce Pine.
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