The audience was not supposed to clap at the Republican gubernatorial debate today, but there's no rule against laughing.
The first came for Salisbury attorney Bill Graham, who noted that a friend in Louisiana had recently asked him why there was so much political corruption in North Carolina.
"When folks in Louisiana start calling in, you're in a bad way," he said.
The next came when moderator John Hood asked which bills the candidates would have vetoed from this past year. Former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr answered first.
"Where do we start?" he asked, getting a laugh.
He got another laugh when he explained that the Goodyear incentives compromise bill added money for Firestone Bridgestone and $10 million for an as-yet unnamed company.
"Then they added another ten, just in case somebody else wanted some," he said.
The final laugh came for state Sen. Fred Smith, who also spoke out against the Goodyear incentives.
"Even liberal Jennifer Weiss from Wake County said if we don't get out of here, they're going to add another $20 million," he said.
