Marshall: Cunningham is DC, not NC

Send another democrat to the U.S. Senate so Obama can drive this country deeper and faster into debt? Are you crazy? Two TRILLION dollar budget deficits in a row. I thought Bush was bad. Good grief! This guy makes Bush look like a tightwad. Only a moron would give additional ammunition to the person trying to shoot them. No way will I vote for Elaine Marshall! Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice shame on me.

We should all be excited that the power brokers in Washington, DC, think enough of North Carolina to select a Senator for us. It is the Holiday Season and we should stop this bickering and accept their choice for us. I'm sure they would not have selected Cal if he was not the best choice for North Carolina. I, for one, believe that they know more than me who should represent North Carolina. So let us all come together in the spirit of the holidays and get behind Senator Cal. There are just some things that should not be left to the voters and this is one instance.

How's that for reconciling homegrown democratic process with Washington's influence? [sic]

Ishley, your 4-point process for beating Elaine forgot one thing.

Try earning your grASSroots money and figuring it out for yourself for a change. Hey, you can even split it with your alter ego Isaac this time. Oh the uprising. Fired up and ready to blow...chunks. Ya'll suck at this.

Plenty of cynicism here. My guess is that it plays out like this:

1. Elaine Marshall raises more than Cal in the 4th quarter. She points out that he equivocated on whether he was running, he let the DSCC influence him, and he hasn't raised much money in the 4th quarter.

2. During the first quarter, things heat up. Both candidates travel the state, introducing themselves to voters in counties across North Carolina, attending town halls, universities, fundraisers, and casual, 'spontaneous' events at public places. Both candidates take out of state money: Elaine from Emily's list and other women's groups, Cal from veterans' groups and maybe attorneys. By the end of March, they candidates are virtually tied in the polls and the money race.

3. Then, during April, people start paying attention. Cal's bio resonates more than Elaine's, and he gets introduced to some of the folks who became so involved in President Obama's campaign. All of a sudden, his numbers start to creep up. Desperate, Mills and Marshall finally agree to that debate that Cal's been asking for.

4. The primary turns on the debate. That small sliver of primary voters who cares enough to be informed will watch the debate. They will tell their friends what they thought--did Cal seem shallow and young? did Elaine seem boring and old?-- and people's natural inclinations are reinforced by a few ads the campaigns put on TV. The primary is close, but not razor-thin, and the winning candidate goes on to face Burr with greatly improved name recognition and a little more fire in their belly. The losing candidate's supporters are pissed, but (GB aside) they're practical and willing to support the inner over Burr.

How's that for reconciling homegrown democratic process with Washington
s influence?

Cal's team hasn't even started with the talking points yet! Give them a few weeks and his out-of-state team will be speaking in tongues. They'll have all the North Carolina faithful dancing around like whirling dervishes. By Jan. 12th North Carolinians will not even know that there were other candidates in the race.

When Washington speaks.......North Carolina listens.

The only thing left to decide is where Cal will live in Washington.

Secretary Marshall has nothing to fear from Cal. But she has much to fear from the Washington power brokers. They would not have put Cal in the race if they thought he had any chance of losing. It's over. The Washington power brokers have hired for Cal some of the best consultants in the world and they will make the North Carolina rednecks see that Cal is the one. By the time the out-of-state political hacks get through with us rednecks we will love Cal more than John.

"You can lead a North Carolinian to water,
but you can't make him drink;

but we can lead those North Carolina voters to the polls,
and we can make them vote for anybody, even if the voters & the candidate don't know who's in the race!"

ishley clearly has the talking points down from the Cunningham camp. And since he is pasting the same thing all over the place, I'll do the same:

Cal Cunningham's unequivocal statements show more than just a man who changed his mind. They show a man who will say anything regardless of whether or not it is true.

Cal Cunningham NEVER changed his mind. Even as he was making statements about how he was absolutely out of the race because of his family and circumstances, he was campaigning across the state. A man who had decided to drop out of the race would have just gone back to his job (or was he still getting a paycheck while he was not working and instead campaigning for another job that he had disclaimed all interest in?).

I do not see why Elaine nor anyone else should be surprised at this. The Washington power brokers took the nomination from Jim Neal and subsequently elected Kay Hagan. Now they have decided that Cal will better serve their needs than Elaine. This election is over. The Washington insiders have decided what is best for North Carolina and we should thank them for taking care of us. We could save millions by cancelling the election and allowing Cal to go ahead and take the Senate seat. The President needs another rubber stamp.

Ishley, unless you're 70, then more in her life than you.

You really do know how to piss off Democrats.

Are you sure you're not on Burr's payroll?

Might as well be.

Ishley - She may be lively. I don't know either. NC voters seem to like her - and keep voting for her.

The recession hasn't stopped Lewis or Marshall from raising money - Lewis posted $265,000 in the third quarter, Marshall $180,000. And they both formally declared sometime during that quarter. Cal, on the other hand, has YET to post a campaign finance report that I can find (OpenSecrets.org, FEC). The libertarian candidate has raised more than Cal at this point ($665.00). Lewis has raised more than two NC House of Reps incumbents, and almost as much as a third.

I think the in-state/out-of-state issue is an interesting one, and could make for a good debate. Hard to tell if such a proposal would clear the Supreme Court, much less whether it would help or hurt incumbents.

According to OpenSecrets.org, in the 2010 cycle to date 71% of Burr's money has come from North Carolina. For Dole in 2007-2008, it was 41% - after being 58% the previous two years. Look at two Senate Democrats widely believed to be in trouble next year: 25% of Dodd's take is from CT (granted, NYC is probably his real financial base), and 28% of Reid's take is from NV.

You pasted part of your commentary into my quote. And no one is paying me.

PS. If you propose to ban all out-of-state contributions forever, I'd support that. We ought to work it out on our own. Likewise for banning contributions for candidates in districts other than your own in congressional and state leg elections. Likewise for corporate contributions. Those seems like wise, obvious policies to me.

Submitted by PaulTerrell on December 7, 2009 - 8:49pm.

ishley, it took Obama over 90 days to come up with a policy that even I could have thought of in oh 30 minutes.

What policy is that Paul? Meat Lover's in 30 minutes or it's free?

Shut the hell up LOSER.

Nat and Ishley - Marshall would be crazy, as a Democratic Senate candidate, not to request assistance from the DSCC. Which I gather she did. I'm sure Ken Lewis has as well.

She appeared to be committed to the race, and North Carolina Democrats, regardless of whether or not the DSCC cavalry appeared. She has been rallying support for a year - and a recent primary poll shows that effort paying off.

Cal, though, ran around North Carolina trying to get that support (and the $$$) for a year and never got it. He decided not to run when it became clear he was not the DSCC's third choice for the race. And he didn't commit to the race. At least not until the DSCC reached #4 on their list. THEN he committed. It's almost as if he said "North Carolina's not worth it if the people in DC don't want me."

Marshall, on the other hand, appears to have said "North Carolina's worth it even if the DC people don't want me." Big difference.

Let's not be disingenuous about it, INDEED.

Gee whiz, "ruralnc." The "liberal wing?" The guy is pretty danged conservative.

You write like you're really sore at the guy when he can't possibly have done anything to really tick anyone off yet.

Mr. "Ruralnc," I betcha you live in a condo (or perhaps a dorm room) in the heart of Raleigh, drink lattes at Starbucks and think that everyone sitting around you believes that you're typing something very important into your laptop.

Cal has clearly had second thoughts about running for the US Senate. I respect public officials who are willing to take their time making tough decisions, like President Obama's thorough deliberations over sending additional troops to Afghanistan. The ability to re-evaluate and even reverse one's decisions in light of changed circumstances is a natural product of intelligence, wisdom, and pragmatism. Those are three traits I'm looking for in my next U.S. Senator.

Oh, and someone pointed out earlier that Elaine Marshall went to DC twice to solicit support for her campaign. Funny that Mills hasn't mentioned that fact.