cutthroat campaign/are we overdue for posts or what?

i’m all paranoid now about leaving a paper trail ever since i had class today and my professor warned us of the dangers of publishing words (the same professor that assigned this blog…… coincidence?). now i can’t run for president someday. which i guess doesn’t matter anyway, on account of being an immigrant.

please don’t kick me out of your country.

unless a certain someone wins the presidency, in which case i’ll gladly go.

don’t worry though, my blog is totally bi-partisan, even though i am personally invested in it. you should be too, by all means. especially if you are from north carolina. this blog is a fountain of informative and bipartisan legitimacy, carefully crafted for the ultimate reading experience.

this election, however, is the farthest thing from bi-partisan. it is nasty. (i just found the italic bar, and will be overusing it from now on). today we will highlight the big-oil focused attack ads that have peppered this election.

This ad is very snarky and i love it. Especially the last little rib. it is very dramatic, and obviously appeals to to the demographic, since everybody cares about oil. ka-ching! but why the word fibber? its such an obsolete word. is it because its a less antagonistic way to say LIAR?

thank god for the internet. someone just answered my question. and if that was your question too, here you go. if your actual question was more along the lines of, who is really for big oil, then scroll down.

aaaaand the direct response:

(this is a dirty issue on the candidates respective websites as well.)

MoveOn.org got involved with their own ad. the best part is the gas prices, which are a record $2.33!!!! is that what gas actually costs in north carolina or is moveon living in the past? if you live there, comment on my blog and tell me, because in the unknown state that i live in, gas is $4.59.

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/moveon-org-targets-elizabeth-doles-senate-race-big-oil-1

as it happens, kay’s husband chip owns between $11,000 and $150,999 in oil stocks. to fan the flames a little more, it has also been discovered that elizabeth’s husband bob owns a stake valued at approximately 1 million in “an offshore hedge fund that speculates on crude and heating oil, gasoline, and natural gas prices.” so who is the bigger evil?

the two are united on another front as well: they previously opposed off shore drilling, and now they both support it (as a way to lower gas prices).

kay hagan: democratic challenger

as promised, and no doubt heavily anticipated, here is our little shout out to kay hagan. holla!

kay served as the vice-president of the largest bank in north carolina, (bank of america) and then went on to become state senator (for nc., obviously) where she served for a decade. currently, she is the co-chair of the appropriations committee.

kay had several (5) competitors in the primaries– most notably jim neal, an openly gay obama supporter who pulled ahead of kay in the polls back in april. since kay’s nomination, he has encouraged his supporters to give her their vote.

take it to the bridge——

iraq war: oppose

children’s healthcare: support

raising min. wage: support

veteran care: support

drivers licenses for illegal immigrants: oppose

expanding early education: support

strong military: support

right to choose (“abortion”): support

so basically… kay is a democrat who follows the party line. although she projects herself as an independent voice for washington (unique politician or political rhetoric?). remember, 2008 is all about change. right, lizzy?

this post is not as extensive as elizabeth dole’s catfight cameo, but thats what happens when you don’t have the name recognition of the incument.
HOWEVER: this is one of the top two closest senate races in the nation. north carolina, a generally red state, is, in the polls, consistently giving kay hagan a 3-5% majority of the vote. statitstical tie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! are you on the edge of your seat?

kay is favoured by the powers that be because she is a democrat. the last four gobernational contests have been won by the d’s, and they currently control both chambers of the legislature. in the streets, people are calling it a rennaissance.

please gear up for the next post, which will include some analysis, and also some youtube.

elizabeth dole: republican incumbent

hold the phone, liddy dole used to be a democrat………

so we will rename this blog the “transformation of elizabeth dole”

in 1966 dole lived in washington d.c. and worked on issues that affect the handicapped—–>

in 1968 dole became an independant. and worked for the nixon white house. nixon appointed her to a seven year term on the federal trade commission.———->

in 1975 dole became a republican.

good golly, whatta flip-flopper. which is great, because people should be allowed to change. flip-flopping gets such a bad rap, but at times, changing your position shows open-mindedness.

anyway, after dole worked for nixon, reagan, bush numero uno, she ran for the republican nomination in the 2000 election but finished after both bush el segundo and steve forbes (ha).

according to the new york times, the “political planets” were in alignment when dole won her seat in the senate in 2002. however, the political atmosphere of 2002 was drastically different than the scene today.

then:

• southern states republican trend
• high approval ratings for president bush — trickle down effect to benefit all republicans
• from 1999-2001(ish) dole kept a ban on assault weapons, pushed for child-safety locks on guns, and supported a prohibition on armor-piercing bullets. she worried that these decisions made her ‘too liberal’ for the north carolina populous.
• supported abortion in cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is in danger

now:

• low approval ratings for president bush and the war in iraq (that began in 2002)
• her positive image has been replaced by skepticism (as chairwoman of the national republican senatorial committee in 2006, democrats gained six seats and took control of the chamber)
• dole now supports legislation that prohibits lawsuit against gun manufacturers, allowing her to receive an A and a 100% from the  National Rifle Association and the Gun Owners of America, respectively.
• dole received a 100% from the National Right to Life Committee, who oppose abortions even in cases of rape and incest.

so it appears that dole is willing to change her stance on issues such as abortion and gun control to win voters. we won’t judge, because isn’t that what you would do?

here’s the link to a little gem of a video, much akin to those made by michael scott in the dunder-mifflin office series, about elizabeth dole’s most recent opinion on the iraq war:

august 25th, 2008

and with this i end my blog for today. next time i drag myself to a computer to offer my insights on the north carolina senate race, it will be to recreate this exact blog, except with the title “kay hagan: democratic challenger.” coming soon!

hello, welcome to my first and last blog ever.

here i am, diligently following the north carolina senatorial race, even though they condone the very beverage that insists upon butchering my internal organs immediately upon consumption.

that is how important this race is. (this is the senate, after all) and oh, what a fascinating race it is. mostly because it’s just so darn close.

lets meet the candidates, shall we?

elizabeth dole:

(fantastic pictures to follow in future blogs, after i consult with aly and j. on the logistical element of blogs)

elizabeth dole (R) is the incumbent senator of north carolina. here are some notable things about her:

• first female senator from north carolina (2002)
• current committees: senate armed services, banking, small business and aging
• gallup poll’s top ten most admired women recognition
• first female head of the coast guard and as the secretary of transportation
• followed clara barton to become the 2nd female president of the american red cross
• harvard law degree and a harvard master’s in education and government
• 1994 north carolinian of the year and numerous other prestigious honors on a state, national, and international level
• service to five U.S. presidents

kay hagan (D) won the democratic primary to become the challenging nominee in this race. she too holds esteem for her accomplishments.

• decade of service in the north carolinian state senate
• one of north carolina’s ten most effective senators award three times in a row by a nonpartisan state group
• co-chair of the budget committee
• produced balanced budgets for north carolina through the appropriations commitee

well, there is a little background check on our two competitors for this upcoming elections. tomorrow we will get into the more bloggy, analytical side of things.