Thursday, October 16, 2008

And They’re Back

Sarah Palin is back in North Carolina today, and both John McCain and Barack Obama are expected to return this weekend.

Palin will hold a rally at 3:15 p.m. today at Elon University’s Lathom Park-Newsome Field. She will also attend a private fundraiser in Greensboro. Last week, Palin made her first trip to North Carolina and held a rally in Greenville, where she aggressively attacked Obama on a number of fronts, including his former ties to Bill Ayers. McCain and Obama rehashed some of that ground in their debate last night at Hofstra University.

McCain, who is trying to stave off Obama’s surging poll numbers in North Carolina, campaigned in Wilmington on Monday, and he is scheduled to return to the state for a rally in Concord on Saturday. The rally will be at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, and doors will open at 8 a.m. Tickets are available at McCain field offices across the state.

On Sunday, Obama is expected to campaign in Fayetteville. More details are forthcoming.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

McCain’s Buzzwords

It’s the last installment of the Candidates’ Buzzwords Series!

We’ve already seen how many times Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama uttered certain key words in their North Carolina stump speeches. Now it’s time to look at John McCain’s diction.

According to Trail Mix’s unofficial tally during McCain’s speech in Wilmington, McCain said…

“Clinton” — 0 times
“Obama” — 7 times
“Bush” — 0 times
“Iraq” — 1 time
“bin Laden” — 0 times
“commander in chief” — 0 times
“health care” — 5 times
“immigration” — 0 times
“recession” — 0 times
“change” — 2 times
“experience” — 1 time
“God” — 0 times
“North Carolina” / “North Carolinian” — 5 times
“economy” / “economic” — 5 times

For a comparison with Obama’s speech last month in Charlotte, go here. No big shockers here (although McCain’s emphasis on health care is interesting). It’s not surprising at this point that both candidates are talking more about the economy than about Iraq. And it’s certainly no surprise that Obama talks about President Bush while McCain doesn’t.

But here’s an open question: what ever happened to the issue of immigration, which a year ago looked like it could be one of two or three defining issues in the 2008 campaign? Here we are in October, and nobody’s saying a word about it. Literally.

Monday, October 13, 2008

McCain Says He Needs N.C.‘s Help

WILMINGTON, N.C. — John McCain said today that he is trailing Barack Obama in the polls and needs North Carolina to help him mount a comeback in the three weeks before Election Day.

“We’re six points down,” McCain told a raucous crowd of supporters here at Cape Fear Community College. “The national media has written us off. Sen. Obama is measuring the drapes, planning with Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Reid to raise taxes, to increase spending, and take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections. And concede defeat in Iraq. But they forgot to let you decide, my friends. My friends, we’ve got them just where we want them.”

It was a new stump speech for McCain, and it was short (just 20 minutes) and fiery. McCain was pugnacious throughout, repeatedly referring to himself as a fighter for his country and a fighter for change. (In fact, McCain said the word “fighter” so many times that Trail Mix couldn’t help but be reminded of John Edwards’s tireless, “ready to fight” stump speech, way back in Iowa in late 2007.)

McCain puzzled the press corps, and no doubt the audience, by saying at the outset that he would take audience questions but then ending the rally without taking any.

Also of note was the large banner attacking Obama that was spotted just outside the rally. It read “NO BAMA!” and contained three pictures: one of Obama, one of Osama bin Laden, and one of Thomas Wright, the former state legislator from Wilmington who was convicted this year of massive corruption. It was unclear who put up the banner, and it was quickly taken down.

Obama has no known ties to Thomas Wright. Or, for that matter, to bin Laden.

McCain in N.C. Today

John McCain is holding a rally in Wilmington today, his first public campaign appearance in North Carolina since May.

McCain is scheduled to speak this afternoon at Cape Fear Community College.

It follows last week’s appearance by his running mate, Sarah Palin. Palin is also scheduled to hold a fundraiser in Greensboro on Thursday.

The McCain camp had not shown much indication of campaigning heavily in North Carolina until recently. But polls have shown Barack Obama — who has spent significant time here — steadily closing the gap with McCain. This morning, the nonpartisan and well-respected Rothenberg Political Report changed its rating of North Carolina to “toss-up” status. That makes North Carolina one of just six toss-ups, according to Rothenberg, alongside such traditional battlegrounds as Florida and Ohio.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Into the East

GREENVILLE, N.C. — In North Carolina, most of the attention of the presidential candidates in the general election campaign has been focused on Western North Carolina. Obama has recently campaigned in Charlotte, Greensboro and Asheville. His wife, Michelle, and his running mate, Joe Biden, added appearances in Charlotte and Greensboro. And John McCain’s only public events, back in May, were in Charlotte and Winston-Salem.

On Tuesday that changed, as both campaigns held high-profile rallies in the heart of Eastern North Carolina. McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, came to Greenville and fired a string of attacks against Obama. Palin has repeatedly hammered Obama for his associations with the violent radical William Ayers (for a good run-down of Obama’s relationship with Ayers, check here and here). Meanwhile, Michelle Obama appealed to military families near Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville.

Oh — and not to mention that little matter of the debate last night.

Friday, October 03, 2008

More Candidate Visits

Sarah Palin isn’t just coming to North Carolina for a fundraiser. She will also hold a rally in the state, the McCain campaign said.

And Barack Obama is coming back to North Carolina as well.

For the third weekend in a row, Obama is returning to North Carolina. He will hold a rally on Sunday in Asheville. It will take place at Memorial Stadium at Asheville High School, and doors will open at noon.

Obama plans to spend several days in Western North Carolina preparing for the next presidential debate, which will take place on Tuesday in Tennessee.

Meanwhile, Palin plans to hold a rally in Greenville on Tuesday. It will be an Minges Coliseum at East Carolina University, and doors are tentatively set to open at 5 p.m.

Palin is also scheduled to attend a Republican fundraiser in Greensboro on Oct. 16.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Palin Will Raise Money in Greensboro

Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, will come to Greensboro on Oct. 16 for a fundraiser.

It’s unclear if she will make any public campaign appearances in North Carolina.

Palin will speak at the home of Louis DeJoy, a Guilford County businessman and a big fundraiser for Republican candidates. DeJoy is the North Carolina finance chairman for the McCain-Palin campaign.

DeJoy had been scheduled to host a fundraiser with President Bush yesterday. But Bush canceled so he could stay in Washington and deal with the nation’s economic crisis.

Despite a blitz of recent appearances in North Carolina by Barack Obama and Joe Biden, McCain and Palin have not personally campaigned here in recent months. In May, McCain spoke in Winston-Salem, and in June, he met privately with the Rev. Billy Graham in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but he has not returned to the state since then. Palin has not visited the state.

Local Republicans say they are excited that Palin will be coming, and they are hoping she campaigns publicly in addition to the private fundraiser.

“I would hope that, coming into North Carolina, she would do that. I don’t think the North Carolina Republicans would let her pass up the opportunity to energize the base here,” said Bill Miller, the chairman of the Forsyth County Republican Party.

Joe Haucke, who assists DeJoy with his fundraising efforts, confirmed the details of the Palin fundraiser. Haucke said he did not know what size donation would be required to attend.

It will be held at the Greensboro home of DeJoy and his wife, Aldona Wos, a former ambassador to Estonia. Two years ago, before the 2006 mid-term elections, DeJoy hosted Bush at his home for a fundraiser that raised an estimated $600,000 for the Republican National Committee.

Hat tip: Mark Binker.

A Bit of Housekeeping

Catching up on some notable stories from the Winston-Salem Journal in the last few days:

—If you were worried about what you’re allowed to wear when you go to vote on Nov. 4, don’t fret. Despite an e-mail suggesting the contrary, it is perfectly legal in North Carolina to wear campaign buttons, t-shirts and other gear to the polls.

—John McCain hasn’t campaigned in North Carolina since May, and some local Republicans say he doesn’t have to because he has the state wrapped up. Polls seem to suggest otherwise, and former Sen. Bob Dole, a key McCain surrogate, said in an appearance in Forsyth County that McCain must visit North Carolina if he wants to win here.

—Meanwhile, Barack Obama has N.C. on his mind.

—And speaking of time in North Carolina: that’s become a hot issue in Elizabeth Dole’s re-election fight. A review of travel documents and other records by the Journal found that, although Dole has blanketed the state with campaign appearances this year, she has spent little time in the state in previous years. In all of 2006, Dole was in North Carolina for just 13 days, according to the records. The issue is attracting attention from analysts who see it as a potentially big liability for Dole’s campaign.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Obama, Biden Revisit N.C.

Just hours after the first presidential debate, Barack Obama flew to Greensboro for his second visit to North Carolina in the last week. Alongside his running mate, Joe Biden, Obama held a rally today and criticized John McCain as being out-of-touch with the economic struggles of ordinary Americans.

Here’s an account of Obama’s speech:

“He talked about the economy for 40 minutes and not once did he talk about the struggles of middle-class Americans,” Obama told the crowd in downtown Greensboro. “He had a lot to say about me, but he had nothing to say about you. He didn’t say the words ‘working people.’ I think Sen. McCain just doesn’t get it. He doesn’t get this crisis on Wall Street. He doesn’t get that it hit Main Street long ago.”

About 16,000 people turned out for the rally, according to unofficial estimates.

Obama also told the crowd that he would not support a Wall Street bailout plan that did not include adequate oversight of how the proposed $700 billion would be spent.

“It is unacceptable to expect the American people to hand this administration - or any administration - $700 billion without any oversight when a lack of oversight ... was exactly what got us into this mess in the first place,” Obama said.

“I will not allow this plan to become a welfare program for Wall Street speculators,” he said.

Also today, Obama’s national campaign manager, David Plouffe, spoke via teleconference with reporters in battleground states. Plouffe said Obama is improving his standing in states won by George W. Bush in 2004 — a key aspect of Obama’s strategy to expand the electoral map.

“We like where we are in our Bush states. We think we’ve made considerable progress in terms of our vote support,” Plouffe said on the teleconference. He went on to describe Democratic voter registration gains in North Carolina and other states that Bush carried.

(Pictured above: Biden and Obama wave to the crowd in downtown Greensboro today.)

Thursday, September 25, 2008

One Debate; Two Candidates; No Perdue

For the first time in North Carolina history last night, a Libertarian candidate for governor participated in a significant, televised debate with a major-party candidate. The Libertarian, Mike Munger, faced off against Republican Pat McCrory in the debate hosted by UNC-TV. Democrat Bev Perdue declined to attend.

It was a rare chance for Munger (above left) to get some face time with a large audience of voters (the debate was broadcast live statewide). Both he and McCrory (above right) hammered Perdue for not attending, saying it shows disrepect.

McCrory and Munger found some level of agreement on a number of issues, including education, transportation and offshore drilling. For instance, both support school vouchers, although Munger wants a broad voucher program while McCrory supports targeted vouchers only for special-needs students. Perdue has made her opposition to vouchers a major point in her campaign. For full coverage of the debate, click here and here.

Munger is hoping to receive 2 percent of the vote in the general election. That would allow the Libertarian Party to maintain an automatic place on the ballot in 2012.

Perdue’s campaign noted that she agreed to five other debates (none of which Munger was invited to). Four of those debates have already occurred; the final debate between Perdue and McCrory will be Oct. 15.