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Sunday Round-up
posted at 2008-06-08 21:26 | Last modified 2008-06-08 21:26
Not a whole lot going on out there this weekend. Maybe we’re all catching our collective breath after the passage of the House budget last week and tomorrow's resumption of NC presidential campaigning. Obama's in Raleigh Monday to kick off his first cross-country campaign swing as presumptive Dem nominee.
Why Raleigh? Good question. When they were here for the primary, both Obama and Clinton promised they’d put the state in play – despite the fact NC hasn’t voted Democrat for president since Carter in 1976, and even that was kind of a fluke. It would make a lot more sense for Obama to hold this kickoff in Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, or some other state that could plausibly pay off.
One school of thought is that NC is one of the possible swing states where Obama’s campaign can sap McCain’s coffers. Obama’s been a much better fundraiser than McCain. Even if he doesn’t think he’ll win, he can put up enough of a fight here to force McCain to spend money in order to keep his NC advantage.
The other school of thought is that this isn’t just financial strategy - Obama really thinks he’s got a shot here. Personally, I think he might. There’s a combination of factors in play this year that we haven’t seen since the early seventies, if that recently – a protracted war that’s straining military and guard families, a de facto recession, $4 gas, and a housing/credit/cost of living crunch. It’s critical mass for voter dissatisfaction. If Obama’s willing to spend the money here - and more importantly, the time on the ground required to keep his supporters fired up – he just might be able to pull it off.
GOP in G'boro
The NC GOP held its annual conference in Greensboro yesterday.
Mike Huckabee showed up to speak, but ended up literally saving the life of Lt Gov candidate Robert Pittenger. The former presidential candidate performed the Heimlich maneuver on Pittenger following a misadventure with a mouthful of lunch. The AP has more here.
Convention delegates elected Salisbury doctor Ada Fisher to replace Guilford Co Commissioner Linda Shaw on the Republican National Committee. The 60-year-old African American beat presumed favorite Mary Forrester, wife of Gaston state senator Jim Forrester. Greensboro’s Mark Binker has background on Forrester here. (BTW, Fisher is the GOP nominee against Dem incumbent Lorene Coates for NC House 77.)
Sen Liddy Dole stopped by to talk about the fall campaign and illegal immigration. News 14’s Stephanie Stilwell has that story.
Charlotte's Jim Morrill says GOP gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory is looking to co-opt the “change” mantle in his race against Dem Bev Perdue.
Elsewhere:
Charlotte’s Jack Betts reflects on 40 years of increasing diversity inside and outside of the newsroom. Related: Meck Deck’s Jeff Taylor posts what he says is an internal Char-O memo warning of further cuts at the paper.
New Hanover Dem. State Senator Julia Boseman’s former home will be sold at auction June 25th in Wilmington after she and her former partner apparently defaulted on their $1.2M mortgage. The Wilmington Star’s Gareth McGrath says Boseman took her name off the title when she and her partner officially split up last year. Boseman says she hasn’t lived in the house in two years.
Losing a home she doesn’t live in may be the least of Boseman’s worries. She’s also embroiled in a nasty child-custody case with her ex, Melissa Jarrell, who resigned as UNCW’s women’s softball coach last week.
Transcripts from the custody hearing are rumored to contain some pretty outrageous accusations. Custody hearings rarely bring out the best in people, and many of Jarrell’s accusations may have no basis in fact. But it’s a rough place for Boseman to find herself in an election year, especially given that she’s facing a pretty tough challenger this time. You’d like to think this sort of thing wouldn't come into it. But given the swing of the district, it just might.
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