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Sunday Roundup
posted at 2007-10-21 19:27 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
The weekend’s hot ticket was the GOP match-up in High Point. Bill Graham, Bob Orr, and Fred Smith shared the stage Saturday to talk to voters about their views on transportation, education, immigration, etc. Greensboro’s Mark Binker has an excellent wrap-up here.
If you’re looking for more detail, check out Dome, where Ryan Teague Beckwith was liveblogging the event. Best entry? The laugh lines. Who knew these guys had a sense of humor?
Dems Richard Moore and Bev Perdue will take their turn sharing a stage in a couple of weeks. Their first debate is set for Nov 6th at the N.C. School Boards Association conference in Greensboro.
Bad medicine
The NC Medical Board announced Friday that lobotomy-loving legislative “Doctor of the Day” Bob Crummie will have his license suspended for a month. The action was prompted by Crummie’s third DWI charge.
Crummie will also have to participate for five years in a rehabilitation program for physicians. Good luck with that one. According to the Char-O's David Ingram, Crummie says the problem isn’t his drinking – it’s the laws.
“Crummie told a Medical Board investigator that, "were it not for the present DWI laws, he would have a bar in his office and have a drink at the end of the day and a drink in his hand on his drive home," according to the board.”
Yikes. That’s all I can say.
More fun than your average Sunday morning
Tim Russert had an uncharacteristically light day today with Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert. The comic recently announced he’s running for President in his native state of South Carolina. It was hard to tell which pundit was having more difficulty not laughing. And how often do you see Russert haul out a Sesame Street doll as a prop? Hilarious. If you missed it, watch it here.
"Senator No" Redux?
I’m not normally a big fan of whiny stories about how politicians won’t talk to reporters. Convincing them to talk to us is just part of our job. But every now and then, one rises above his or her fellows as truly unreachable. And this time, it’s the Dems’ frontrunner, Hilary Clinton.
New Hampshire Public Radio Josh Rogers reports Clinton hasn’t held an open Q&A with reporters since March. Seven months? Good grief, what are her advisors afraid she might say?
Granted, it’s in a campaign’s best interest to limit the chances that the candidate will say or do something he or she shouldn’t. (The GOP generally tends to be better at this than the Dems.) Pundits say Clinton’s staff is trying to battle a public perception that she’s arrogant. It’s hard to see how refusing to take questions will help.
Other good stuff
The Char-O's Jack Betts shares some observations by Duke’s Joel Fleishman on political corruption in the Tarheel state.
Asheville’s Jordan Schrader takes a closer look at state efforts to lower the high school drop-out rate.
And Winston-Salem's Paul O’Connor says it’s macho to conserve water. While I can’t second all of his recommendations, it’s still funny stuff.
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