Time for media 'Mac Attack' on McCain?

The Boston Phoenix thinks the media largely has given Sen. John McCain a pass on his stands on issues as he’s campaigned for president. But as the presidential race shifts into high gear for the fall elections, reporter Adam Reilly offers some places to probing:

1) The economy: This past January, the Huffington Post reported that, in a meeting with the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, McCain said he “doesn’t really understand economics.” McCain denied the report. But what is McCain’s economic IQ? And what concrete steps, beyond tax cuts, would he take to keep America’s economic woes from worsening?

2) Islam: There’s reason to question McCain’s foreign-policy aptitude, especially regarding things Islamic. He’s confused Sunnis and Shiites on multiple occasions. Understanding Islam and the Middle East is absolutely essential to America’s national security. Does McCain grasp them well enough to be president?

3) Money/politics/ethics: Does McCain’s reputation as a reformer dedicated to reducing the influence of money on politics square with his own actions? Remember the Keating Five savings and loan scandal? What about charges he’s gotten over a million dollars in campaign contributions from lobbyists, who had interests before the Senate Commerce Committee which McCain chaired at the time.

4) Faith: McCain has his own pastor problems. McCain has cozied up to assorted figures on the religious right – including the late Jerry Falwell (McCain spoke at the commencement ceremonies of Liberty University, which Falwell founded, in 2006), Rod Parsley (an Ohio minister who’s urged the eradication of Islam, and whom McCain called a “spiritual guide” this past February), and John Hagee (a televangelist who, among other things, has called the Catholic Church the “Great Whore”). McCain has said that he doesn’t share all his endorsers’ views but hasn’t condemned them emphatically or given up their support.

For the entire list go to http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid61555.aspx. What do you think? Is this a worthy list to explore? Or are these baseless attacks unworthy of even considering digging into? Do you have your own list of stories to pursue?

More dead than space at Bragg

The hot topics may be whether and when Hillary Clinton will halt her campign for the Democratic nomination for president and this week’s NASCAR race in Charlotte, but there’s a war going on, too. An Associated Press report provides a stark reminder of how deadly it is for North Carolina soldiers:

"When the Army’s famed 82nd Airborne Division dedicated its own memorial to paratroopers killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, three sides of the wide
granite column were blank. Three years later, there is no more room. The last name belongs to Sgt. Clayton G. Dunn, killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in May 2007. Since then, roughly 50 more names have been etched onto a granite wall that now stands behind the original column - each a grim reminder that the 13-ton granite tower wasn’t big enough to honor all those who have fallen and continue to fall."

The United States has lost more than 4,000 soldiers in Iraq and 800 in Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001. The 82nd lost 62 paratroopers in 2007, more than in any other year since the wars began. Three separate incidents in Iraq last year each claimed the lives of seven or more paratroopers from the 82nd.

Here’s the question: Has the war accomplished enough to justify these losses, so close to home for North Carolinians?

Hillary's pot-holed yellow-brick road?

Hillary Rodham Clinton thoroughly routed Barack Obama in West Virginia Tuesday but it hasn’t slowed Obama’s march to the Democratic nomination for president. He picked up two more superdelegates today.

So what’s the deal? Time magazine, in this week’s issue, asserts Clinton “made at least five big mistakes” in her quest for the nomination. Here they are:

1. “She misjudged the mood” – that is, Clinton was slow to see the country embracing “change,” the theme of Barack Obama’s campaign, and clung to the old incumbent’s strategy of “running on experience, preparedness, inevitability – and the power of the strongest brand name in Democratic politics.” Voters weren’t buying it.

2. “She didn’t master the rules” – that is, she let loyalty to her trump skilled campaign leadership. Her chief strategist, Mark Penn, wasn’t even versed well enough on Democratic rules. He predicted that an early win in California would put Clinton over the top in delegates because she would pick up all the state’s 370 delegates. But Dems, unlike the Republicans, apportion their delegates according to vote totals, so she wasn’t going to get all of California’s delegates.

3. “She underestimated the caucus states” – Clinton thought she could win by taking the big states but Obama trumped her by piling on delegates in smaller, caucus states. She helped kill her chances by ignoring those constituencies.

4. “She relied on old money” – Money was her Achilles Heel. Obama tapped into a new, small donor base on his Web site while Clintion clung to the old fundraising ideal, the big donor. It wasn’t enough.

5. “She never counted on a long haul” – Clinton underestimated Obama’s appeal and staying power so she had no strategy beyond an early knockout punch. As far back as Feb. 21, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe was spotted in Raleigh, N.C. He told the News & Observer that the state’s primary, then more than 10 weeks away, “could end up being very important in the nomination fight.”

Clinton operatives didn’t see it – and neither did most of us in North Carolina at the time. But we did turn out to be very important indeed.

Thoughts?

Do we pay or does the state?

Ladies and gentlemen! In one corner we have the majority of Charlotte’s City Council, including a coalition of Democrats and Republicans who are almost always on opposite sides of key votes. In the other corner, three Democrats, one of which rarely backs partisan votes.

The issue? How much city money to spend on Mecklenburg’s state-funded courts to help them prosecute more lawbreakers, and prosecute cases more quickly. It’s a red-hot issue because the incidence of crime has shot up alarmingly in 2008 and because some scary, high-profile crimes have lit public anxiety.

Watch the debate.

Here’s the deal: The state’s supposed to pay for courts. But Mecklenburg’s state allocation doesn’t come close to covering needs. Everybody from the police chief to the district attorney to the dogcatcher agrees the lack of resources in courts is a major contributor to lawlessness. The question is, what to do about it?

The answer from city council: Spend more local money now, and keep pressing state lawmakers hard to give urban areas better funding. That’s what seven city council members voted to do Monday night. Four did not go along. Their reason? Not enough information about what the money would buy – along with a healthy dose of concern about committing local tax dollars to pay for a state-run resource.

What do you think? Is this an emergency that requires an immediate investment of Charlotte’s money? Or are we simply making it easy for the state legislature to wiggle out of paying for Mecklenburg’s courts?

How Bowles popped the question

Holden Thorp, UNC Chapel Hill’s new chancellor, may never be as famous as the Tar Heel’s household word, ol’ Roy, but he’s pretty good at cracking a joke.
After the UNC Board of Governors offered him the job Thursday, he told the story of how President Erskine Bowles offered him the job. Seems the two of them had taken a road trip to Greensboro to talk with board chairman Jim Phillips.
On the way home, they stopped for gas, and Mr. Bowles apparently popped the question while pumping.
"Bet you never thought you’d get offered this job at a gas station," Dr. Thorp remembered Mr. Bowles telling him.
"Erskine, I’m never going to forget the Exxon on Wendover," Dr. Thorp said at the board meeting, turning to Mr. Bowles.
"I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t go in and get some nabs," he added.

Jon Stewart: Journalist, Comedian, Both?

Ouch! In a Pew Research Center survey, Americans last year picked Jon Stewart – a comedian – as one of the journalists they most admired. He was tied in the rankings with real journalists and anchormen Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather, and cable host Anderson Cooper. So it’s no surprise – or is it? – that Pew’s Project for Excellence in Journalism took time to study the content of Stewart’s “The Daily Show” to find out what’s up.

The show is very popular. According to Pew researchers, nearly as many people watch The Daily Show regularly – 16 percent – as watch Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor (17 percent) and more watch it than PBS’ NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (14 percent). Researchers looked at a year’s worth of content, all of 2007, and compared it to more traditional news media, examined its guest lineup and segments.

In results released today, they found – ta da! – that the show closely resembles a number of cable news shows as well as talk radio. The show blends fact and fantasy, makes heavy use of news footage and requires significant prior knowledge of news to get the jokes. Guests are pretty balanced politically but Republicans tend to get the brunt of the criticism. Ummmm. And?For more, go to http://journalism.org/files/Daily%20Show%20PDF_3.pdf

The View from Voters

Make of it what you will, but Democratic voters in North Carolina and Indiana provided pollsters some intriguing tidbits that could have great impact come November. According to exit interviews done by Media Research of Somerville, N.J. and Mitofsky International of New York City for the National Election Pool:
- More voters in N.C and Indiana feel Barack Obama can beat John McCain in the general election - 50 percent to 47 percent in Indiana; 55 percent to 39 percent in North Carolina.
- More voters in both states feel Obama shares their values - 66 percent to 63 percent in Indiana; 70 percent to 61 percent in N.C.
- More voters feel Obama is honest and trustworthy - 66 percent to 54 percent in Indiana; 71 percent to 49 percent in North Carolina.
- The states split on who's more qualified to be commander in chief. Indiana voters gave the edge to Clinton, 54 percent to 43 percent; N.C. voters gave the edge to Obama, 50 percent to 45 percent.
- The two states also split over who was most likely to improve the economy. Indiana voters voters again gave the nod to Clinton, 49 percent to 47 percent. North Carolinians gave the nod to Obama, 53 percent to 42 percent.
Those views shine some light on the voting patterns in the states Tuesday too - Obama's overwhelming win in N.C. and Clinton's squeaker in Indiana.

Why was history made today?

North Carolina voters have served up a triple shot of history at the ballot box.
1. They chose an African American - Barack Obama - as a nominee for president of the United States by a healthy margin. That’s never happened before.
2. Beverly Perdue clobbered Richard Moore for the Democratic nomination for governor. She is the first woman party nominee for state’s top post.
3. Two women also will face off in November for one of North Carolina's two seats in the U.S. Senate - another first. Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole will face State Sen. Kay Hagan of Greensboro.

With a flick of the wrist or the push of a button, the history book changes.
Why do you think that happened in this election?

The Mackey factor?

Three local races had something in common as primary voting came to a close today: Nick Mackey.

Mr. Mackey won a special vote of Democratic Party activists to become Mecklenburg County Sheriff last year. But state party leaders threw out the results in February, saying precincts were improperly organized. Mecklenburg County commissioners then chose Mr. Mackey’s opponent Chipp Bailey for the job.

That didn’t set well with some folks who felt Mr. Mackey should have gotten the job, though his candidacy was wrapped in controversy because he filed for bankruptcy and left his job as a police officer under scrutiny for misrepresenting his work hours. Supporters said they’d remember the county commissioners who didn’t vote to give Mr. Mackey the sheriff’s office at the polls.

Thus District 2 commissioner Norman Mitchell found himself with a feisty opponent, Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board member Vilma Leake. As of 8:30 p.m., she was leading Mr. Mitchell, 65 percent to his 35 percent.County commissioner’s chair Jennifer Roberts was criticized during the Mackey debacle and supporters said they’d push for votes against her in her at-large race. She’s leading the five candidates seeking the Democratic nomination.

The three winners will face GOP candidates for three seats in the fall. Mr. Mackey himself is running for the N.C. House against incumbent Drew Saunders in District 99. Rep. Saunders tried to make Mr. Mackey’s woes in the sheriff’s race an issue but as of this moment Mr. Mackey is ahead, 57 percent to 43 percent.Of course, this is all early voting. Few of the precincts’ votes have been posted yet. The Mackey factor so far is unknown. Stay tuned.