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Wed: What's in a Name?
posted at 2007-10-02 23:01 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
Asheville’s Jordan Schrader reports the Carolina Stompers have cancelled the protest they were planning for the Vance Aycock dinner. (I guess it would be sort of superfluous now that everyone’s talking about it.) Schrader also talked to some local African American Dems who think “the furor over the name of the event is irrelevant and divisive.”
NC Dem spokeswoman Kerra Bolton added today that she’s “disturbed” by “the absence of African American voices in this debate”:
"It's interesting to note that other than the Asheville Citizen-Times, few newspaper accounts bother to ask African Americans how they feel about it.
As an African American, it makes me feel as if white men, however well-intentioned (or not) are telling me how I should think or feel about something that affects my culture, my race, my heritage in this country. We can, and have, speak for ourselves on this issue."
Meantime, Schrader blogged this afternoon that state Dem chair Jerry Meek is calling for an investigation into whether the State Elections Board should require the Carolina Stompers to register as a political action committee.
ABA (Anyone But Aycock)?
It’s worth noting that Vance (NC's "Civil War Governor") was no civil rights pioneer, either. But if we’re waiting around for the Dems to come up with two party heroes everyone likes, we’re gonna be here awhile. There’s no shortage of suggestions, but for every candidate, there’s a detractor. Take former state House speaker Liston Ramsey, for example -- Richard Moore might, but Char-O’s Jack Betts wouldn’t.
Rockin’ the Red iPod
You might recall that GOP gubernatorial hopeful Fred Smith hired patriotic country B-lister Lee Greenwood to write a campaign song for him (once again proving it’s good to be a rich candidate). Greenwood performed his song live for Smith’s contributors at a rally last week. If you missed it, here’s your chance to take it in: it’s up on YouTube. (HT: Dome)
Such a deal
If you want to read Smith’s autobiography, A Little Extra Effort, you can get a copy of it free at his campaign website. But some folks evidently think it’s worth a little more. Three Amazon resellers will sell you a copy of the free book for the bargain price of $5.00, give or take a cent, plus $3.99 shipping and handling.
I couldn’t believe anyone would sell a free book, so I emailed one of the resellers - the one that ships out of Rutherford College, NC - to find out if he’s connected to the campaign. Nope, just a fervent supporter. And an even more avid capitalist, apparently.
Cyber-tantrum
One of the best stories of the day, courtesy of Ryan at Dome: This is why you should never p*** off your webmaster. Classic.
FOTB
If you haven’t seen N&O Deputy M.E. Dan Barkin’s new blog, you ought to. Barkin’s daughter gets married next June, so he’s chronicling his experiences as Father Of The Bride – a character, he points out, that's often equated with the Village Idiot in pop culture terms. Anyone who knows Barkin knows you can’t get much farther from Village Idiot territory. The result is a charming hybrid of distracted dad and sharp-eyed journalist. It’s hilarious stuff. Check it out.
