Sorry for the Delay

A couple of weeks ago I finished up an internship with the City of Fayetteville as a Management Intern.

I have spent the last two weeks not working, watching the Olympics and tuning out of politics until before the conventions start...a mini-vacation.

The Democratic Party's Convention is this Monday, August 25th and school starts on the 26th so I will definitely be getting back into my usual swing.

So, sorry for the absence, I hope to keep blogging regularly from now on.

Why are some American's so obsessed with Europe?

For those of you know know me on Facebook, you may recall that my status a couple of weeks ago was something to the effect of

"Ben is...sick and tired of hearing about how great the European way of life supposedly is..."

Today on Real Clear Politics I stumbled across this little gem...which describes exactly what I have been thinking.

The Europeanization of the Democratic Party

By: William Moloney




Enjoy...

Some Good Readin'

"Obama's Winning, But not by Much" Michael Gerson- The Washington Post

"It's Simple: Drill and Conserve" Charles Krauthammer

"Democracy-- A Flickering Star?" Pat Buchanan

"Things Have Changed over the Past 4 Weeks" Peggy Noonan- The Wall Street Journal

Why did we give China the Olympics?

An Interesting Article...

Shining a Light on China- By: E.J. Dionne- The Washington Post


Another funny cartoon that Caught My Attention...
Cartoon by: Michael Ramirez- Townhall.com

How do They Think of These?

Townhall has a collection of conservative political cartoons every day.

This one caught my attention.


Cartoon by: Scott Stantis

Sometimes I wonder how they come up with these...

Race Update

On the Presidential Front:

The Cook Political Report has changed North Carolina's Rating from "Lean's Republican" to "Toss-up" after the polling gap between John McCain and the Obamassiah has fallen to within the margin of error.















(Click Image to Enlarge)


The Real Clear Politics Average (RCP) in North Carolina now has John McCain at 47.0% and Barack Obama at 43.3% a difference of +3.7.


On the Senate Front:

Also last week the Cook Political Report downgraded Republican Incumbent Elizabeth Dole's race against challenger State Sen. Kay Hagan from "Likely Republican" to "Leans Republican"
















(Click Image to Enlarge)


Under the Dome recently reported a survey by Research 2000 for ultra-liberal DailyKos that showed incumbent Elizabeth Dole at 50% of likely voters while, her opponent Kay Hagan had 42% of likely voters, a difference of +8.0. This poll showed a slight drop in Elizabeth Dole's numbers compared to polls released in mid-July that showed Dole with a double digit lead.

The RCP Average has a little bit better news for Dole, 50.8% of likely voters are currently choosing Dole, while 41.0% choose her opponent Kay Hagan, a difference of +9.8 for Dole.


While I have no doubt that Elizabeth Dole will keep her seat and North Carolina will remain a "Red State" this just serves as a friendly reminder that all of us conservative types are going to have to do our part. Virginia may have decided to go crazy on us, but that doesn't mean that we have to.

Bev Perdue to Replace Heath Ledger???

The Joker is Running for Governor!


I may be alone in my observation that Bev Perdue looks an awful lot like the joker--not Heath Ledger's awesome new Joker in "Batman: The Dark Knight"-- but more like Jack Nicholson's Joker in "Batman."

See for Yourself...





If the directors of "The Dark Knight" re-think their decision not to re cast the joker in the next Batman movie, Bev Perdue will need a job after she loses the governors race to Pat McCrory.


Just a thought.

I'm Here to Tell Ya

Ladies and Gentlemen:

If you love North Carolina and North Carolina Politics as much as I do; May I suggest some reading Materials.

Senator Sam Ervin: Last of the Founding Fathers

What it is...

Dr. Campbell-- One of my professors at ASU-- gives us an in depth look at one of the giants of North Carolina Politics. Senator Ervin, a North Carolina Lawyer, State Representative, Superior Court Judge, Supreme Court Justice, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and United States Senator has about one of the most complete resumes of all time. In this book you learn about the life of Senator Ervin and the experiences that led him to be one of the fiercest opponents of Civil Rights, a righteous protector of Civil Liberties, and Chairmen of the Senate Watergate Committee that took down Richard Nixon.

Why I like it...

In an era when you must keep a watchful eye on every politician Sam Ervin was a man who regarded the positions he held as duties to his country and more importantly: to his state. This man loved North Carolina. Senator Ervin was not a man who spent his time climbing the political ladder--quite the opposite in fact--Of the positions he held, the only ones he ever wanted were 'Ol Country Lawyer and Supreme Court Justice.

This was a man who accepted temporary appointments to the U.S. House of Reps. and U.S. Senate because he felt it was his duty to serve his state when he was asked to. It was only after realizing how effective he could be in the Senate that he decided to run for reelection--and because of the prodding by the NC leadership back home.

The bottom line is that Senator Ervin was a great North Carolinian. Not only does this book provide a biography of Sam Ervin--but in the background of the story is a biography of North Carolina. A Great Read for All.



The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics: The Personalities, Elections, and Events That Shaped Modern North Carolina

What it is...

This book is direct biography of North Carolina from the 1896 Election to the present. It goes from Furnifold Simmons and William McKinely to Mike Easely and George Bush. This book--written by Rob Christensen of the Raleigh News and Observer--Goes election by election describing each cycle in detail and putting it into historical context to illuminate the motives and events that "shaped modern North Carolina."

Why I Like it...

...because its about North Carolina. This book explains how North Carolina progressed from one of the poorest states in the south to the new leader of the south--stealing the title from Virginia-- its a good read for anyone who loves North Carolina.

So if you feel like expanding your mind and learning how our state got so great pick up a copy of these books today...

Amazon

News Commentators

The other day on MSNBC I saw Andrea Mitchell talking to a gentleman about his article on how politics in the south has changed in the 2008 Presidential Election. The man from Newsweek (Christopher Dickey) was talking about a recent trip he had taken throughout the south judging people's reactions to Obama's "Historic" candidacy. And there a few things I noticed that bothered me about the news segment.

Observation 1

Christopher Dickey's article "Southern Discomfort" unfairly portrays all people from the south as either born-again followers of the Obamassiah or conservative racists afraid of change.

Had I not been a person from the south or a frequent observer of the political process I could have come away with the idea that every southern conservative is a racist or is afraid of Obama's falsely rumored Muslim faith.

There isn't a single example of an articulate or educated conservative in his article. The only conservatives are delusional racists.

Observation 2

Andrea Mitchell is an idiot.

In our 24 hour News world we are constantly reminded of the stupid questions people can ask. In this Clip, Andrea Mitchell asks if Tim Kaine's (D-VA) potential nomination for Obama's VP has a potential spill over affect in North Carolina. IS SHE KIDDING?

Think about this: In 2004 John Edwards a Democratic Senator from NC was on the ticket and that didn't help John Kerry get one vote that he didn't already have. This is common known knowledge. John Edwards didn't help John Kerry in NC one iota.

So the question is begging to be asked: Why would Andrea Mitchell think that the governor of another state would help swing undecided votes to towards a particular ticket? Does she know anything about politics?

I can't figure out why she would ask such a stupid question unless its just to fill time. Watch the clip below:



So basically, I want to know: Why are these anchors on TV so stupid? and why do they get paid so much for mindless dribble?