newsobserver.com projects - Auditor '08 - Comments

Re: Merrit still checking voter rolls

maiapinion — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:12:38 -0400

"The North Carolina Democratic politicians do not want the State Auditor to look at the voter rolls and root out any abuse or fraud? Why not?"

Because his job is to look for wasteful spending of state funds, not clear the roles of voters, whose eligibility to vote he has no training or authority to determine. Merritt is trying to make political noise with this, and keep voters from remembering that he used his own political office to advance his private career while he was still in office.

Seriously, Mr. Terrell. If you are going to run for office yourself, you should do a little research.

Re: spelling demerit

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:18:01 -0400

Fixed. Thanks.

Sure that's not a "demeritt"?

— RTB

spelling demerit

gercohen — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:05:59 -0400

"Merrit still checking voter rolls".
A demerit on your spelling test.

Re: Merrit still checking voter rolls

tangoz — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:40:05 -0400

The North Carolina Democratic politicians do not want the State Auditor to look at the voter rolls and root out any abuse or fraud? Why not? If you have nothing to hide Sen. Clodfetter, let us make sure this election is not decided by fraud. Why is your report not ready now? Why would it be ready after the election? I hope that your report currently does not show any fraud or misuse. Are you are hiding it until after the election? That would support my opinion all along that the Democrats will do anything or hide any fraud to win. If I may paraphrase the GOP chairwoman, "We are fighting against Entrenched Corruption here in North Carolina".

Paul Terrell III
http://terrellforhouse33.blogspot.com

Re: Merrit still checking voter rolls

maiapinion — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:14:29 -0400

It seems to me that Mr. Merritt should do his own job, which would be checking the accuracy of reporting in the way state funds are spent. Leave the checking of the voter rolls to the state board of elections.

Now that NC seems to be "in play" in Nov., I think Mr. Merrit is playing the games early. He needs to pay attention to his own job.

Just my opinion.

you can't always tell gender from name

gercohen — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:06:14 -0400

"We also know that among low- to medium-information voters, one of the only things you can tell about a candidate from looking at the ballot is gender. (You cannot necessarily do the same with race.)"

Ha, when I was working at an early voting site in 2004 for the Wake County Board of Elections, one of my tasks on a rotating basis was to assist voters who were having trouble marking their ballots. One elderly lady had a list with her, said she was having trouble filling in the boxes, and asked me to mark in the choices. She volunteered to me that other than president, she was voting ONLY for women. (I did not ask her any questions, she was chatty so I listened.) One of the choices she had me mark was for a candidate whose first name was "Kris". That Kris is male.

Re: A natural experiment on down-ballot races

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:47:39 -0400

You're right. Still, among low-information voters, two women would cancel each other out a little, I think.

— RTB

Re: A natural experiment on down-ballot races

awbeal — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:26:36 -0400

"insurance commissioner and labor commissioner. Coincidentally, those were two races with no female candidates"

Actually, Labor Commissioner had two female candidates. One of them, Mary Fant Donnan, will advance to a runoff.

Re: Undecided leads Council races

DotCommons — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:16:20 -0400

It would help if you provided a link to who is running for these offices. Thanks.

Re: Merritt Google ad targets DOT

jerimee — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:24:12 -0400

It sheds a little light into the campaign's thinking.

Maybe, but if so the thinking is more Freudian than strategic.

No doubt Mr. Leslie Merritt will try to use words to his personal advantage as partisan attacks, but he'll only get a couple thousand impressions before Google weeds him out as irrelevant to the search term.

You don't really get to pick the words, since Google will kill (or price you out of) the words that don't perform well. You only get to pick the words Google will select from. So the vast majority of us who aren't SEO experts will just throw everything against the wall to see what sticks.

Re: Merritt Google ad targets DOT

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:23:12 -0400

I'm not sure it's a very successful ad, but I thought it was interesting that he was trying it. Anyway, one reason why I point these out is because they are so transient. It sheds a little light into the campaign's thinking.

— RTB

Re: Merritt Google ad targets DOT

jerimee — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:43:29 -0400

Ryan you should invest like $10 or $20 in google ads so you can better understand how they work. This ad for Merritt won't exist in a couple of weeks because the google system will figure out that it isn't generating any revenue.

At least, not unless when people search "Department of Transportation" they are actually looking for info on our corrupt Auditor.

Merritt can continue to bid $1, $5, $10, $20 per click for these ads, but eventually even if he bids $100 per click, Google won't display them, because nobody is clicking them. Or, if people do click them, Merritt is likely to be unwilling to continue paying such a high price per click.

Since it costs virtually nothing to start playing with, you ought to go ahead and try out some Google Ads. It's not too complicated, but I think it's one of those things that's easier to understand if you actually do it.

Re: Wood's zinger

FFC1304 — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:43:19 -0400

Les Merritt is about the only non democrat in a worthwhile position in crooked NC state government, controlled by democrats...Beth Wood would do WELL to STRIVE to be SMARTER THAN a democrat! Mr. Merritt has done an OUTSTANDING JOB and has uncovered things a democrackkk NEVER would in NC!!!

Re: Bringing RC Cola back to campaigns

faulknerspike — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:39:07 -0400

I agree, I am so tired of these whiners as well. I bet Meg Scott Phipps, Jim Black, Michael Decker, and even Thomas Wright are also tired of hearing people say "lets take money out of politics". To think, had they only went to several more bbqs, and smiled nice and wide, maybe they would not be in jail, on their way to jail, or recently out of jail.

Re: Bringing RC Cola back to campaigns

liam — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:36:59 -0400

I'm so tired of these whiners.

Yes, you have to raise money to run a real campaign. No, you can't get elected just eating bbq and smiling nice and wide. And you never could. When exactly were these good ol days of politicking when money wasn't a big deal?