Brunette's blog

James, that last move was especially telling. You made a last lash out, but provided me no ready mechanism for responding -- other than this.

It was unworthy of you.

It was and is unworthy of a blog that you want to promote.

I guess it was too much to hope that she would have submitted it without being asked.

I just wanted to take advantage of this forum to say a few words about Roger Bone, who passed away today.

Some BlueNC readers will recognize the name. Roger was for many years, right up to the end, ranked one of the top lobbyists at the North Carolina General Assembly. I knew OF him for years and years before I had the chance to work with him, and boy did I dislike his clients! Argh. Oh YUCK did I dislike 'em. When a common issue did bring us into a working relationship, I had the chance to tease Roger about them, and did. He made no apologies, and I didn't either, but I have to say that I never met with a more frank, honest, straight-shooting person in the hallowed, hellish halls of the state legislature. I keep wanting to write that he charmed me, but the word is wrong; it connotes some bit of manipulation, and that's just not how Roger operated.

Joe Hackney featured in Governing Magazine
http://www.governing.com/articles/0901hackney.htm

Hope no one minds this, but these two essays are so funny that I want to circulate them.

The first takes President-elect Obama to task for using complete sentences (Andy Borowitz)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-borowitz/obamas-use-of-complete-se_b_...

and the second offers observations about Sarah Palin's somewhat different approach to communication (Dick Cavett).

http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/the-wild-wordsmith-of-wasilla/?

James and I disagree often (I'm sure no one has noticed), but on this point I think we are of one mind (the concept is jarring), that Perdue be given every bit of support and encouragement to follow through on the pledge to clean up state government. She deserves the opportunity to show us what she can do, and I, for one, will be much happier feeling proud of the party's leadership than I am in my current mode of skepticism.

Gary Pearce observes:

Governor-elect Bev Perdue is wrestling with two public images. One is the picture in Sunday’s N&O of her with Marc Basnight, with Basnight looming over her. The other is her vow election night to make a “fresh start.”

Her speech was odd. She sounded tired, even touchy. She reprimanded the crowd for not listening. Clearly, she had something she wanted them to hear.

Of course, as with any biography, it's all in the telling. I don't know what the many friends of Atwater who participated in the documentary would make of this final product. I would say an effort was made to show the "human" part of Atwater. That seems to have consisted largely in his genuine appreciation for and delight in music, especially blues. But frankly, that was about it as far as the "likeable about Atwater" aspect extended.

It certainly gives him his due for intelligence, energy and determination, but neither does it stint on the outright evil behind his success stories. I don't think Mary Matalin's contributions did much to offset the impression that this guy is a model for any unrepentant cynic whose aim in politics isn't connected to a specific agenda so much as it is to WINNING at any cost.
In this regard, it was pretty depressing.

And then it got even more depressing.

As always, with permission:

Pamela Troy's Journal
The Right Wing Stays Classy
Posted by Pamela Troy in General Discussion
Fri Nov 07th 2008, 08:55 PM

Dear Friend,

The spirit of Winston Churchill was alive and well on Tuesday night at Focus on the Family Action headquarters.
You may recall that in the most desperate days of World War II – when Great Britain was being pounded daily by Hitler’s Luftwaffe – that Winston Churchill called on his countrymen not to despair from danger but to rise to the challenge.

Fundraising from James Dobson’s Focus on the Family sent out 11/6/08, quoted at Unbossed.com

As always, I'm crossposting with permission from the fine hosts of Talking About Politics. Here's more detail for those interested in Gary Pearce's certainty that we're going to sweep it all up here in NC. Gary Pearce, www.talkingaboutpolitics.com, writes:

I’ve been skeptical about the vaunted Obama ground game. But now I believe it’s real. So real, this election may already be decided in North Carolina.