U.S. Sen. Richard Burr said on the Senate floor this morning that health reform should empower Americans to make healthier choices.

In a conversation ahead of a key Senate vote Saturday about health reform, Burr criticized the bill put forward by Democrats, reports Barb Barrett. He said it gives Americans a public option that allows patients “to be insured and be managed and be run by the federal government.”

“In North Carolina, it’s been overwhelmingly rejected by the population,” said Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican.

An Elon University poll released this month found that three of four North Carolina residents favor health reform, and 54 percent support a public option.

On the day before a key Senate vote on health reform, U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan sent an email to Democratic party faithfuls asking for cash and reminding them of Republicans’ ways.

The e-mail (subject line: Yikes) began: “Imagine a battalion of right-wingers, tea partiers and ultraconservatives being elected and descending on Washington in January 2011.” It was sent through the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and urged readers to donate $5 or more to the committee, Barb Barrett reports.

In the e-mail, Hagan recalled her own challenges in last year’s election: “I know first-hand what it is like when the extreme right comes after you with vicious personal attacks,” Hagan wrote. “I have seen the way they make up lies to suit their agenda, having no qualms about sullying a person's good name with deceitful tactics.”

The committee contributed millions to Hagan’s quest last year to defeat then-Sen. Elizabeth Dole. And the DSCC could prove pivotal to whoever is the state’s Democratic nominee against incumbent Republican Sen. Richard Burr. The Senate is scheduled to take a key procedural vote Saturday on moving forward with debate on health reform.

With the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee trying to recruit former state Sen. Cal Cunningham into the race, Elaine Marshall has issued a poll memorandum arguing why she would be a strong opponent of Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.

The memo by her pollster, Celinda Lake, notes that in every poll taken this year, Burr has failed to gain majority support, Rob Christensen reports.

"Burr's reelection numbers are among the lowest in the nation with just one-fifth of the voters (21 percent) indicating their plans to support his reelection," writes Lake. The memo argues that Marshall, the Secretary of State who has announced her candidacy, is as strong in the polls as Congressman Bob Etheridge, who the senatorial committee had tried to recruit into the race. Etheridge announced last week that he would not be a candidate for the Senate.

"In sum," writes Lake, "Senator Burr is vulnerable. Voters have a net-unfavorable impression of him and a strong plurality is ready to vote for someone else. Secretary Marshall is well-liked and a strong competitor against Burr. Her record of service and her fund raising capabilities makes her the Democrat to beat in the race."

The memo does not mention Cunningham, the former state senator and Iraqi war veteran from Lexington, who the committee is trying to recruit into the race.

GOING CHILLY: Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin didn't appreciate having to share a campaign bus with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr when she was stumping the state. Palin is scheduled to appear at Ft. Bragg next week to promote her book, which could make for an awkward moment if Burr shows to get a book signed.

POLITICAL PRENUP: Presidential candidate John Edwards offered to quit his campaign and endorse President Barack Obama in exchange for a guaranteed spot on the ticket. Hillary Clinton got the same offer. This reminds us of a time when Edwards' political value meant more than a cheap joke, such as this one.

LIGHTWEIGHT GOVERNOR: At a women's health conference, Gov. Bev Perdue shared stories about her days as a lawmaker when she would scarf a whole bag of Doritos. On a stage in front of a crowd, Perdue challenged her transportation secretary, Gene Conti, to slim down. Woe to any Perdue cabinet members who still smoke.

IN OTHER NEWS: Former Gov. Mike Easley's campaign manager appeared before a federal grand jury this week. Members of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are heavy political contributors. An African American artist unveiled a portrait of U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.

Republican Sen. Richard Burr, long a critic of Democratic efforts to craft a health care overhaul, says he can not support the new Senate proposal.

Burr said the bill "is yet another attempt by Washington Democrats to take over our nation's health care system," Rob Christensen reports. He said it would cut Medicare benefits for seniors, increase taxes on small businesses, increase federal spending, and put "government bureaucrats between patients and their doctors."

He said the real cost of the bill over 10 years would be $2.5 trillion.

"This is not the kind of health reform I can support," Burr said said in statement. "It is certainly not the kind of health reform that the American people want. I oppose the bill, and I will work to see it does not become law. I agree we need health care reform, but this bill is not the answer."

UPDATE: Dollar amount corrected.

Former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker said Wednesday that he would not challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.

Wicker, a Raleigh lawyer and a Democrat, said he seriously considered a Senate bid this time and received strong encouragement to take the plunge, Rob Christensen reports.

"The demands of raising $15 million to $20 million is just an enormous amount of money," Wicker said.

He also cited the demands of a relatively young family and a full-time law practice.

"Richard Burr is going to be a tough opponent," Wicker said. "But it is a winnable race for a Democrat. About this time in the 2008 election cycle the Democrats were scrambling for a candidate, when Kay Hagan said yes then said no and then came back and said yes. A year is an eternity in politics. It may not look like a great year for Democrats. But it can change quickly, particularly if the economy improves."

Wicker is a former state House majority leader and was a candidate for governor in 2000.

There are two Democrats who have announced their candidacy: Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Chapel Hill lawyer Kenneth Lewis. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been trying to convince former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, an Iraq veteran who previously decided not to run, to enter the race.

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge previously decided not to run.

Vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin wasn't happy about having to share her campaign bus with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

We at Dome know the Winston-Salem Republican as a personable guy who's pretty easy going. And so, Palin's unhappiness over her travel companion has us thinking of possible reasons, beyond the fact that Burr was very close to Sen. John McCain, who led the ticket.

So here are five possibilities:

1. Palin, used to the colder climate in Alaska, didn't trust a man who wears dress shoes without socks.

2. Two hours of Wake Forest football war stories was more than enough, thank you.

3. She got tired of Burr wanting to pull over at every ATM to withdraw money.

4. At campaign stops, Palin noticed Burr's VW "Thing" parked illegally.

5. Burr kept bragging that his staff was better looking than her staff.

Lots of people seem to think U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan will eventually vote "yes" on the health care reform bill moving through the Senate.

In an admittedly unscientific measure, Congress.org (which you may recognize as the new home of our former colleague Ryan Teague Beckwith) asked readers to pick how all 100 senators will vote on health care reform.

The idea, as RTB explains it, is to try to use group wisdom to identify the true swing votes and the people most deserving of letters, phone calls and lobbying efforts by both sides of the debate.

By Wednesday, 85 percent of the 74 people who had voted thought Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, would vote "yes." By contrast, 98 percent had Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, as voting against the bill.

Hagan has said she supports many of the proposals in the bill, but has remained vague on key points. The uncertainty has attracted a lot of attention from special interests.

So far group wisdom has identified only Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe as truly on the fence.

As she campaigned around the country, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin feuded with Sen. John McCain's senior staff.

In her new book, "Going Rogue," Palin describes those staffers as trying to hold her back and making big blunders. But e-mail messages obtained by the Atlantic magazine show the problems were running both ways.

Palin didn't like having to ride on her campaign bus, the Straight Talk Express II, with special guests, politicians or celebrities.

By late October, Palin and headquarters staff were communicating through intermediates. On October 26, after a long day of stumping in North Carolina, Palin issued an edict to her traveling staff.

"We were informed today that she no longer wishes to do talk radio interviews in the car. It's too distracting," wrote a senior Palin adviser, in an e-mail to senior headquarters staffers.

"We were informed today that she no longer wishes to do TV or print interviews post-rally. She's drained. We were informed of her displeasure that her host and US Senator Richard Burr was allowed to ride the [Straight Talk Express II] with her."

He ended the e-mail: "I don't know what else to tell you."

Hat tip: RTB

GRADE STIMULUS: A Goldsboro middle school was lambasted this week for its plan to award extra test points — enough to raise a letter grade — in exchange for cash contributions for the school. The lesson for students: Hard work, perseverance and positive attitude will be rewarded. And if that doesn't work, a nice crisp $20 couldn't hurt.

CHOPPED LIVER; The race for the Democratic nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Richard Burr got lots of attention this week. Lexington lawyer Cal Cunningham is out. U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge is going for a new fence-sitting record. Two others are thinking about it. All the buzz about candidates who aren't running can't be flattering to the only two people who are: lawyer Kenneth Lewis and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

SHE'S BACK: Gov. Bev Perdue got a big bump in her job approval, apparently because of her refusal to release violent inmates despite a court ruling. Perdue has been hitting the public events pretty hard and making big announcements. A few more ribbon cuttings and another stand at a jail-house door and Perdue might just be liked again.

IN OTHER NEWS: Sen. Martin Nesbitt appears to have a lock on the job of Senate majority leader...The state's pension fund is beginning to recover from a financial slump...Barack Obama's campaign was the source of the tip that John Edwards got $400 haircuts.