U.S. Senate Race

Wise words from our Secretary of State:

“Prosperity belongs to all if we work for it,” Marshall said to the crowd. “We do not believe the budget should be balanced on the backs of the middle class. The millionaires need to pay their fair share.”

Women are entitled to equal pay for equal work, she said. “This is not a women’s issue; it’s a family issue,” Marshall said.

That's exactly right. Inequality in pay doesn't just impact the (female) earner, it puts her children at a disadvantage as well, if she's also a mom. And there's about 10 million single moms out there, with some 15 million kids they're raising. And only about 1 in 4 receive any type of government assistance.

Why talk about real issues when fear-mongering nonsense works so good?

...the average American goes to bed scared at night. Scared about what tomorrow holds. It’s not all limited to our job security, it truly is about whether the same America we have had the privilege to participate in is the same America that our children are going to enjoy.

To me the movement, whether you want to call it tea party or whether you want to call it Americans for Prosperity, whatever label you want to put, it’s like the cavalry coming to me. It’s a sign the American people have woken up, that they’re engaged, that they’ve said enough is enough, no more.

If AFP is the cavalry, then this is what their war is all about:

Do-Nothing sings a sad song for voters:

The candidates for U.S. Senate in North Carolina don't agree on much, but they concur that with persistent high unemployment and lingering uncertainty about the economy, voters haven't stopped worrying and struggling.

"It's the American people that feel it day in and day out," Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr said. "You can't judge it on whether Wall Street's up or Wall Street's down."

And if it was up to you, they'd be feeling it even more. By voting against extending unemployment benefits (several times) and voting against small business assistance, you've demonstrated your contempt for working families. But will they notice?

No, that's not a voter preference poll or previous election result, it's the breakdown of where his career campaign contributions came from:

Contributions, 1991 - 2010 $22,075,544 Received

Out-of-state: $12,366,491 (56%)

In-state: $9,709,053 (44%)

For those who struggle with adding 2 and 2 together to get 4, Richard Burr has been supported by and owes allegiance to non-North Carolinians more than the people he's supposed to represent. Which goes a long way explaining why, after almost two decades in office, people in this state have no idea who he really is.

Our next Senator from the great state of North Carolina:

His campaign war chest is bursting at the seams:

Republican Sen. Richard Burr has $6.3 million on hand for his re-election effort, according to a new campaign report.

He has raised $9.5 million during this re-election cycle, including $1.9 million for the quarter that ended June 30, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

That probably will put him far ahead of his Democratic challenger, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall

Probably? Sheesh.

Harvey Gantt said today...

"This afternoon, as I stood with Ken Lewis to endorse his campaign for the U.S. Senate, I could not help but think back on the campaigns I waged against Jesse Helms, and the vision of progress for North Carolina and this country that we hoped to realize. Today, a candidate seeks to represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate who can finish the job we started more than two decades ago. That candidate is Ken Lewis."

Here is the latest email from Elaine Marshall. Couldn't agree more with her !!

Tonight, Washington bigwig Karl Rove will be in North Carolina raising money for Senator Richard Burr. They will be at a high-dollar fundraiser where the press - and the rest of us - aren't invited.

Richard Burr may have Karl Rove and his fat cat contributors, but our campaign has something better - you. You are why Elaine is running for the U.S. Senate. You are why she continues to fight for what's right.

While Richard Burr is fueling his campaign with the cash of the Washington-insiders he serves, we're committed to building a strong, people-powered organization fueled by supporters like you.

Can Elaine count on you for a $5, $10, $25, $50 or even a $100 contribution today?

We know how dirty Karl Rove and Richard Burr will campaign, help us to be prepared to take them on.

Please consider a $5, $10, $25, $50 or even a $100 contribution today.

This is the latest coming out of Cal Cunningham's campaign:

Dear Friend,

Richard Burr doesn't try to hide the fact that he holds a rosy view of George W. Bush's presidential legacy. After all, he's publicly bragged about helping to shape that legacy by voting with the Bush-Cheney administration 96% of the time.

And he certainly doesn't apologize for consistently putting politics before people during his long tenure in Washington, contributing to the toxic partisan atmosphere gripping our nation's capital.

But I had no idea just how much Burr embraced the days of Bush and the ways of Washington until I learned that Karl Rove -- Bush's confidante and author of the right-wing smear-playbook -- is headlining a fundraiser for Burr's campaign this week in Raleigh.

Karl Rove is coming to North Carolina to help bring in the big bucks for his Washington friend and political protege, Richard Burr. Help us fight back by contributing $5 or more today.

I usually don't talk too much here about my real job, because it's seldom relevant to our discussions and it's not very "sexy", either. I've been in manufacturing for over 18 years, basically working my way up from driving a forklift to being a division head with 4-7 departments under my "banner", depending on the needs of our management structure.