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Thursday: We're back
posted at 2007-11-15 22:55 | Last modified 2007-11-16 08:39
Thanks for hanging in there today, and sorry for all the technical glitches. We're back up on all browsers, I think - but if you're having any issues with this page, please email me and let me know.
As you can see, we have a new layout, new typeface, less space, and... ads. I'm not sure what I think about that.
Some links and images in my older posts aren't back up yet, but I'm told they will be soon.
Oohs and Boos
As I'm writing this, I'm watching the Dem debate on CNN. Hillary's doing better than last time so far, but Obama and Edwards are taking heat for taking off the gloves. Obama just got catcalls for comparing Clinton to Romney. Edwards got booed a little while ago for slinging mud at Clinton. Kucinich got the crowd fired up with a call for impeachment. Dodd showed off his Spanish. Biden is backpedaling, Richardson is trashing Congress, and moderator Wolf Blitzer might as well have stayed home for all the attention anyone's paying him. Good stuff. :)
For me, the best line of the night was Hillary's:
"People are not attacking me because I'm a woman. They're attacking me because I'm ahead."
Okay, yeah, she's used it before - but after the fiasco of the last debate, it couldn't have been more apropos.
Wright's IOUS
More trouble today for a guy who's got plenty already - Rep. Thomas Wright (D-New Hanover). An affidavit filed by the SBI shows investigators are tracing a loan they say Wright took out in 2001 in the name of the New Hanover Community Health Center. Bank officials say the loan was made, but the SBI can't find the money anywhere - either in the Center's accounts, or in Wright's. There's no info about the amount of the loan in the warrant, which is up online at WRAL.
If you're keeping count, this is the second potential case of loan fraud Wright's been linked to. The SBI started out investigating a 2002 mortgage they think may have been fraudulently obtained - more here on that.
Wright's also been shown to have failed to report $119,000 in campaign contributions, as well as neglecting to keep up with where another $250K or so ended up - though the checks to Victoria's Secret did shed a little light. Wright's also in trouble for filing campaign reports late, not filing them at all, and depositing campaign checks as well as donations to the health center into his personal account. Let's just say that if this ever goes to trial, it'll be quite a story.
Elon: Hillary's gaining ground
The new Elon Poll numbers out today show Dems in five south-atlantic states seem to be coalescing behind Hillary Clinton. She's at 45%, up from 37% in September. Obama's holding steady - 18 then, 17 now. Edwards dropped from 18 to 11.
On the GOP side, Giuliani has picked up the lead again with 25% as Thompson fades to 16% from his September high of 28%. Even more interesting, more Republicans are undecided now - 30% - than in September, at 25%.
More interesting still: It's not surprising that 82% of respondents said the Iraq War would figure into their vote for President next year. But the second-place issue was surprising - it's health care costs, at 81%. The economy came in third at 80%. Given the margin of error, that's a statistical dead heat among these three top-tier issues. And as it stands right now, all three are likely to be more helpful to Dems than the GOP.
Save the Date
"Bush's Brain" Karl Rove will be in town Dec. 3rd for a "conversation" with Peter Feaver at Duke. Not sure what that means? Me, neither. But hey, he's one of the most brilliant political strategists of our time, and he's taking questions. (Is my political geekitude showing?) And it's even free! Here's the details.
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