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In an editorial that should surprise exactly no one, the Charlotte Observer made a pitch for its own parochial interests today, endorsing Pat John McCrory McCain for governor of our great state. This paragraph sums up their rationale.

We disagree with McCrory on illegal immigration and his desire to open the N.C. coast to oil drilling. We don't believe he has a sufficient understanding of education, particularly K-12. And we are disappointed in his inconsistency: Sometimes he'll stand up for what he believes, but at times he'll pander to the far right and special interests. He sometimes shows a short temper and a thin skin, which will make it difficult to work with Democratic leaders in the legislature. If he's dogmatic, he'll get nothing done. He needs to be practical and figure out how to lead North Carolina into a new era, even when he and legislative leaders don't agree.

Over 1.3 million new low-income, minority, and young Americans registered nationwide!

Yesterday, as voter registration deadlines passed in most states, Project Vote, the nation’s leading nonpartisan voter participation organization, and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the country’s largest community organization, held a news conference to announce the completion of a joint nonpartisan voter registration drive, which has succeeded in helping over 1.3 million Americans register to vote. To listen to the conference in its entirety, please click here

I became an environmental activist in the early 1970s just as I was completing my doctorate in ecology at the University of British Columbia. It was the height of the Cold War and the height of the Viet Nam War and we were compelled to take a very public stand against activities we thought to be catastrophic both for people and for the planet.

PPP has done a new poll that puts ahead in the Presidential, Senatorial, Guberatorial races!!!

Over the last week, Kay Hagan has been hammered by critical robo-calls from two operations: Freedom's Watch, a non-profit founded by GOP operatives in 2007, and the Free Enterprise Alliance, an offshoot of the Associated Builders and Contractors, whose PAC is the third-biggest contributor to Republicans in the country.

But instead of calling North Carolina voters, maybe the anti-Hagan robo-callers need to get on the phone and talk to each other. Because on at least one of the key issues Hagan is being attacked over -- immigration -- the two groups are sending voters a mixed message.

DAY 28

Freedom’s Watch is a conservative group founded and funded by Sheldon Adelson and staffed by numerous Bush White House alums. Who is Sheldon Adelson? The Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands, he has referred to himself as the largest investor in China – ever. He has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying our federal government, including disgraced Rep. Tom DeLay, to enact trade policies that hurt hardworking families and ship North Carolina jobs overseas. Adelson and his family gave nearly $40K to the NRSC when Dole was chair, and now he’s spending his money here, too, smearing Kay and her record of working on behalf of middle class families.

Read the entire post to read more on today's reason on why Elizabeth Dole is wrong for North Carolina and check back for updates over the next 28 days.

Ignore the hatred, focus on the issues. What do you say we strike up a LTE campaign here in North Carolina? Who wants to run it?

North Carolina has some homegrown swifboaters in the form of businessmen Fred Eshelman, CEO, and Ernest Mario, Chairman, of Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc. a Wilmington, NC, based company. I wrote back in July about "Real Debate.org, Inc" and Eshelman's involvement along with State Senator Fletcher Hartsell and State Representative Jeff Barnhart, both Cabarrus County Republicans.

The group has since changed its name to RightChange.com and has been airing commercials against Obama. Last week the group filed a report with the FEC showing spending of $583,723 and contributions from Eshelman and Mario totaling $3,733,919 of which $1,000,000 came from Mario and the balance of $2,733,919 came from Eshelman.

What does Eshelman, Mario and PPD, Inc., hope to gain? A "New America" with a less restrictive FDA approval process.