Jimmy Carter

Past political patrons for U.S. attorneys

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:00:35 -0500

The Eastern District U.S. attorney usually has a strong political patron.

For most of the last 20 years, the federal prosecutor in Raleigh appointed by the president has been closely tied to Sen. Jesse Helms, except during Democratic administrations.

Here is a list of former U.S. attorneys and their patrons:

George Anderson: (1977-1980) Backed by Democratic Sen. Robert Morgan; appointed by President Jimmy Carter.

Sam Currin: (1981-1987) Former Helms aide. Backed by Helms; appointed by President Ronald Reagan.

Margaret Currin: (1988-1993) The wife of the previous U.S. attorney. Backed by Helms; appointed by Reagan.

Janice McKenzie Cole: (1994-2001) Backed by Democratic U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton; appointed by President Bill Clinton. (No Democratic senator at that time.)

Frank Whitney: (2002-2005) Former Helms legislative counsel. Backed by Republican lawyer Tom Ellis, Helms' longtime political strategist; appointed by President George W. Bush.

George Holding: (2005-present) Former Helms aide and Whitney's No. 2 at U.S. attorney's office. Backed by Ellis; appointed by Bush.

The case for McCain in N.C.

ryanteaguebeckwith — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:05:27 -0400

Who will win North Carolina?

As we've said before, anyone who says they know is lying because there are just too many variables at play in the presidential race here.

Below, Dome looks at the arguments for Republican John McCain taking the state on Nov. 4. To see our arguments for Democrat Barack Obama, see this earlier post.

HISTORY: This is a Red State. North Carolina has not gone for a Democrat since 1976. Jimmy Carter was a Southern governor boosted by post-Watergate anger. Bill Clinton's efforts in 1992 were for naught. Neither did well in their second try.

DEMOGRAPHICS: North Carolina is changing, but it's not changed yet. Sure, a lot of Northeasterners have moved here in recent years, but a significant portion of the state's voters are still native conservatives. Maybe in 2012 or 2016, but not now.

RACE: Obama's boost from higher black turnout will be more than offset by the reluctance of a percentage of white voters. Harvey Gantt lost Senate races twice and the most recent black statewide elected official was Ralph Campbell, who lost in 2004.

SUB-ROSA CAMPAIGN: McCain may not have spent as much on TV and radio ads, but his campaign and the Republican National Committee have flooded the state with negative robocalls and mailers. They're not getting the same publicity, but they could work.

PALIN: McCain may not be beloved by socially conservative Democrats, but his running mate is. Sarah Palin's rallies have drawn huge and enthusiastic crowds, and she may bring many of those same folks back to the polling places on Election Day as well.

MILITARY: McCain is a former prisoner of war with a lot of expertise in foreign policy. He's tailor-made for the state's veterans and active-duty service members at Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune, not to mention members of the National Guard.

PUNDITS: Democratic political consultant Gary Pearce, Republican consultant Carter Wrenn, and Washington Post analyst Chris Cillizza all say that Obama won't win North Carolina. Most others will only say Obama could win here.

McCain: An election like any other

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:35:09 -0400

John McCain's campaign says the election will be like past ones.

In a conference call with reporters this morning, McCain pollster Bill McInturff said that the breakdown of voters on Election Day will be similar to what it's been over the past 30 years.

He noted that Democrats Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton received roughly around 50 percent of the vote.

"It is very hard for a Democrat in a center-right country to get above that number," he said.

He argued that the historical voting patterns will be a "structural barrier" to Democrat Barack Obama winning the presidency.

McCain's national political director, Mike Duhaime, said that a high-level of cooperation between the campaign and the Republican National Committee will offset the spending advantage that Obama has.

1932, 1976, 1992, 2008

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:35:58 -0400

The 2008 elections in North Carolina can be summed up as an analogy.

With Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain both competitive in the state's presidential race, it could turn out that 2008 is like...

* 1932: When Democrat Franklin Roosevelt won the state, presaging a long period of Democratic dominance of North Carolina's electoral votes.

* 1976: When post-Watergate anger helped Democrat Jimmy Carter buck the trend of the Southern Strategy, though the win turned out to be an exception to Republican rule.

* 1992: When Democrat Bill Clinton fought hard for the state and made it competitive, but the underlying Republican tendency handed the win to George H.W. Bush.

There is a fourth possibility, however. Regardless of who wins, this could be the year that kicks off a long period of competitive elections, with both parties trading the state back and forth.

That would be the most unusual possibility in a state that went — with one exception each — for the Democratic candidate every cycle between 1876 and 1964, and for the Republican every cycle between 1968 and 2004.

Talking Heads Talking Points

ryanteaguebeckwith — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:39:08 -0400

Dear TV news talking head:

Welcome to North Carolina! We're not used to seeing your kind around here, especially during presidential election years. Heck, the last time North Carolina was a "battleground state" was April of 1865 — when General Sherman's troops came through!

By now, you can confidently rattle off the names of crucial neighborhoods in Cleveland, Miami and Philadelphia with ease, but you may be a little nervous talking about North Carolina. To help you along this election season, we've come up with a quick list of talking points:

RED STATE: North Carolina is typically a red state when it comes to presidential politics. The last time we went for a Democrat was Jimmy Carter in 1976. (To drive this point home, you can remind people that Sen. Jesse Helms was from here.)

PRIMARY FIGHT: This state was crucial in the primary battle between Obama and Hillary Clinton. Obama won the state and, by some accounts, ended Clinton's hopes for a comeback. The primary also left him with a network of supporters here.

ISSUES: With several military bases and a growing Hispanic population, Iraq and immigration once looked like big issues. But these days, it's all about the economy and jobs. The sale of Wachovia and ongoing discontent with free trade are a major factor.

NICKNAMES: Officially, this is "The Old North State." (It's even our state song, though you'd be hard pressed to find someone who knows it.) You'll probably be better off referring to it by our unofficial nickname, The Tar Heel State. (That's two words: Tar Heel.)

TRIVIA: We have 15 electors. We claim Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson as natives, though all three were elected from Tennessee. Two of our recent senators — Elizabeth Dole and John Edwards — ran for president.

Oh, and there's no such place as Raleigh-Durham. They are two separate cities. (You may be confused because of Winston-Salem or the fact that our airport has that name.)

We hope that helps and we look forward to seeing you soon — maybe in 2012?

— Under the Dome

Mailer ties Hagan to Carter

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:09:38 -0400

Freedom's Watch is continuing to tie Kay Hagan to Jimmy Carter.

The Washington-based conservative advocacy group has sent a mailer to North Carolina voters linking Hagan's support for a windfall profit tax on oil companies to the former president's proposal.

"Why is Kay Hagan using Jimmy Carter's failed policies to fix the current energy crisis?" the mailer says.

Inside, it cites an editorial in Investor's Business Daily and a guest column in the Wall Street Journal by Republican Rep. John Shadegg to argue that Hagan would "make America dependent on foreign oil."

"Kay Hagan opposed offshore drilling to make America less reliant on foreign oil," it says.

Hagan initially opposed lifting a ban on offshore drilling, but later backed a failed bipartisan compromise that would have allowed some drilling and encouraged alternative energy.

Previously: Robocall targets Hagan on drilling.

Document(s):
hagan-carter.pdf

Robocall targets Hagan on drilling

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:45:34 -0400

A new robocall targets Kay Hagan on offshore drilling.

Freedom's Watch, a Washington-based conservative advocacy group, is making automated calls to North Carolina voters about the Democratic Senate candidate's stance on energy.

"Do you think we should return to the energy policies of the 1970s, with Americans facing skyrocketing energy costs and increasing reliance on foreign oil?" a male narrator says. "Kay Hagan apparently does. Her energy plan uses Jimmy Carter's failed policy of 30 years ago!"

The robocall also says that Hagan opposed "new domestic energy production" that would make the U.S. less reliant on foreign oil.

Hagan opposed offshore drilling this summer, but she switched positions in August, backing a Senate bill that would lift the ban as part of a broader package to promote alternative energy and conservation.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole previously opposed offshore drilling in North Carolina, but switched positions in June and also backed the compromise bill.

After the jump, the script.

Freedom's Watch on oil

N.C. Democrats honor John McCain

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:51:34 -0400

Four state Democrats want the legislature to honor John McCain.

But not that John McCain.

State Reps. Jean Farmer-Butterfield of Wilson, Joe Tolson of Pinetops, Marvin Lucas of Spring Lake and Martha Alexander of Charlotte filed a bill to honor Dr. John L. McCain, a Wilson County physician who died in 2005.

Dr. McCain has at least one thing in common with his namesake. Like the Republican presidential candidate, he served in the Navy, although it was during World War II, not the Vietnam War.

Unlike the other McCain, he was once appointed to a national advisory board by President Jimmy Carter.

Carter spotted on Durham trail

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:18:08 -0400

George W. Bush is not the only president or ex-president in the Triangle today.

Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter were spotted on a Durham walking trail Friday morning — along with big guys in suits with ear pieces, Rob Christensen reports.

It was not clear why the Carters were in Durham. A Duke University spokeswoman said Carter was not scheduled to speak there.

Bush will be in Raleigh this evening for a fundraiser for Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, the GOP candidate for governor.

Presidential spoilers in N.C. history

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:47:17 -0400

There have been five presidential spoilers in N.C. in the last century.

Since 1908, third-party candidates in the presidential race have earned enough votes to affect the race between the Republican and the Democrat on the ballot in 1912, 1968, 1980, 1992 and 1996.

In the first two cases, the third-party candidate came in second.

George Wallace was the most successful, earning 31.3 percent of the state vote in the 1968 race as the nominee of the segregationist American Independent Party. The winner, Republican Richard Nixon, won 39.5 percent, while Democrat Hubert Humphrey came in third with 29.2 percent.

The next most successful was former president Teddy Roosevelt, who ran on the Progressive or "Bull Moose" Party in 1912, earning 28.4 percent. Democrat Woodrow Wilson won the state with 59.2 percent, while Republican incumbent William Howard Taft came in third with 12 percent.

In the other races, the third-party candidates came in third, but got more votes than the margin of difference between the Democratic and Republican candidates.

In 1992, Texas businessman Ross Perot earned 13.7 percent of the vote, far more than the 0.79 percent margin that incumbent George H.W. Bush beat Bill Clinton by in North Carolina, despite losing the national race.

Four years later, Perot was roughly half as popular — picking up just 6.7 percent — but he still drew more votes than the 4.7 percent difference between winner Bob Dole and Clinton.

And in 1980, Independent candidate John Anderson won 2.9 percent, slightly more than the 2.1 percent difference between winner Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.