Beverly Perdue

Help me out, BlueNC, font of information that you are.

I'm looking to expand my most recent blog post.

I know that Richard Moore "believe[s] that there is Biblical evil that lives among us, and for some crimes you give up the right to be here on Earth with the rest of us," (source) and that Beverly Perdue "support[s] capital punishment as an option, but...also favor[s] the current moratorium [then] in place while constitutional issues are being studied." (source)

How do your (least) favorite candidates feel about the death penalty?

Of course y’all remember when Bev announced last week that she was going to stop the negative ads and run a positive campaign. Since then the campaign has been overwhelmed with positive emails from voters impressed that a candidate is eschewing the traditional negative campaign in favor of a campaign that focuses on the issues that matter most. Click here to read a sampling.

That reaction is quite different than what the pundits, media and the Moore campaign have had to say – one said it was “political suicide” and another said “political graveyards are filled with the bones of candidates who refused to fight back.” If you want to help prove the pundits wrong, and send the message that voters are more interested in a candidate who will build North Carolina up rather than tear the other candidate down, then we need your help, because Primary Day is only 18 days away.

What can you do to help Bev Perdue?

While checking in at YouTube to see if I've missed any new television ads, I found a long list of new video clips showing North Carolina teachers (mostly) thanking Bev Perdue for her work on education issues. Each one tells a little story of sorts, mentioning what Perdue has done on a good long list of matters. Even after digging through the newspaper archives two weeks ago, I was impressed with the list.

Let's do our own poll! Civitas says it's a dead heat! Public Policy Polling says it's a dead heat one day, then three days later Perdue's got a huge lead. Who do you believe?

Public Policy Polling has released its latest poll numbers and it looks like the frontrunners are those candidates tending to run more positive campaigns. The U.S. Senate results are a bit skewed because Jim Neal hasn't started his television advertising yet and the negative campaigning from the Neal camp has been limited to press releases that resulted in an article or two and a couple of blog posts that were seen by a limited market. There are three weeks left. Plenty of time for Moore and Neal to make up ground, but I think Hillary might be done. Full release found here.

U.S. Senate
Kay Hagan 28
Jim Neal 7
Howard Staley 3

I'm glad to see, as we're getting closer and closer to May 6, that posts pointing out the real differences between candidates are making it to the front page. As I write, there are a couple of what I'll call "clarifying" posts on the presidential candidates, and I've read the posts of the past week or so outlining careful analyses of the U.S. Senate race candidates. I hope this new comfort level with stating truths will extend to the governor's race too. In my opinion, there's plenty of room to state truths and to "clarify" in that race.

Last week, Bev Perdue announced that she wouldn't run any negative ads through the rest of the primary. I was one of those who applauded that decision, both for the good of the party and for her own good.

Dear Friends,

A few moments ago, I held a press conference here in Raleigh, where I announced that I will run all positive ads for the final weeks of the primary.

Frontpaged by James ... in hopes that this will be the start of a trend. Very happy to see this.

"UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections" will be showing in Greensboro and Burlington NC on April 17, and 18th respectively. This movie was produced by David Earnhardt, a Greensboro NC native. David will be present after both showings to answer questions.

I have seen "UNCOUNTED" twice now, and for once in my 4 years of e-voting activism, can recommend a movie. This isn't just about voting machines, its about voter suppression and caging. This movie is about REAL people and REAL events, and will wake up even the most complacent voters. Don't miss this great opportunity to see the movie and meet the producer!

A bittersweet story today in the News and Observer is guaranteed to ratchet up debate in the gubernatorial race. Here's my take on where things stand.

McCrory: No moratorium.
In his continuing lurch toward the extremist right wing base of Jack Hawke's shrinking Republican Party in North Carolina, Myers Park Pat McCrory insists that there be no moratorium on the death penalty. Despite mountains of evidence that capital punishment is pretty much a stacked deck against poor people and blacks, McCrory stands with a straight face in front of his white Republican donors and says he will oppose ANY moratorium on the death penalty. It's all part of his plan for "safety and security," unless you happen to be a poor, black man like Glen Chapman.

Richard Moore: No moratorium.
His reasons may be different, but Richard Moore comes down in the same place as McCrory. Moore cites his time as a federal prosecutor, saying that he believes it is necessary for some crimes.

"I do believe in capital punishment," he said. "I do believe that there is biblical evil that lives among us and for some crimes you give up the right to be here on the Earth with the rest of us."