Replies

Ed Powell is a lousy campaigner? Is this just based on money raised??? True, he has not had the kind of fundraising that he needs, but his credentials are unmatched.

Yes, Foxx is a current State Senator, and yes, she is a conservative on budget issues, BUT, she tends to lean whichever way she needs to on social issues just to pass the grade.

Powell lost to Decker in an election that no one in NC could have beaten Decker for State House in '02. He did perform better than anyone else ever has vs the 9-time incumbent turncoat. We all know that with Decker's shady political turns, that he is one hard man to beat. Powell stood up against that even after his district was redrawn heavily into Decker's favor. Just take a look at how many elections Robinson has lost, if this is your argument.

I guess Robinson, IYHO, is a great campaigner b/c he makes news for falsely claiming that the W-S Journal called him "the next Jesse Helms". That was just a clever way to turn the words in Robinson's favor.

Honesty means something to me. Ed Powell is an honest candidate that would know what to do when he lands in DC. Excitement? How can you gauge excitement at this point? I guess you are saying that Vernon raises excitement. He does, but not the kind of excitement that you want. As I said before, ROBINSON WILL NOT FAIR WELL AT ALL WITH WOMEN VOTERS.

Broyhill = sleazebag. Your Daddy may have been great, but here the apple falls far away from the tree.

Tabor = Doubtful. His time may come, but for now, he's just too young, too inexperienced, and will have to have a slew of the religious activists show up for him to have a chance. He'd be better suited to run for State House first.

Foxx = See prior post.

Helvey = Sleazy, carpetbagging, liberal in Republican's clothing.

That's how Ed Powell has gained my support. As a conservative, middleage female, he appeals to me. Hear him speak, read his bio, then tell me that he is not the best qualified.

Powell knows about rural people, too, as he's a Davie County native. That speaks to me and many others outside of Winston-Salem.

Ed Powell is a lousy campaigner? Is this just based on money raised??? True, he has not had the kind of fundraising that he needs, but his credentials are unmatched.

It's based on his unsuccessful 2002 run with the stupid "Ed Powell says; Ed Powell says" ads that really didn't "say" anything of use at all.

Powell lost his primary race to (Party Jumping) Mike Decker 61% to 39%... and there were only 28 precincts involved. Not exactly a ringing endorsement when heading into a hotly contested Congressional race. He's gonna get steamrolled.

Tabor = Doubtful. His time may come, but for now, he's just too young, too inexperienced, and will have to have a slew of the religious activists show up for him to have a chance. He'd be better suited to run for State House first.

Note for the future: I agree completely, BUT don't short-sell the religious activists bit. I'm one of those (but not for Tabor) who worked for Dr. David Weldon, a military doctor who made his first political run in 1994. He also ran for Congress, and also beat up a "well qualified" field of 6 Republicans in Eastern Florida. He had everything against him -- the media, the experience of the other candidates, and the endorsements of others.

All that and he won anyway due specifically to church support. And he's still in the US House today.

Now: why do I think that won't work here? Tabor's age, and the fact that the churches in this area aren't nearly so political as they are in Brevard County, Fl.

I guess Robinson, IYHO, is a great campaigner b/c he makes news for falsely claiming that the W-S Journal called him "the next Jesse Helms". That was just a clever way to turn the words in Robinson's favor.

Are you saying he lied when he said that the WS Journal called him the next Jesse Helms or a "black Jesse Helms"?

Well I just spent $8.95 (thank you very much </sarcasm) to pull this article out of the Winston-Salem Journal Archives:

OFFSIDE: POLITICIAN COMMITTED A FOUL PLAY:[METRO Edition]

Winston - Salem Journal. Winston-Salem, N.C.: Sep 21, 2003. pg. 21 For education and discussion only

Full Text (602 words)

Copyright Media General, Inc. Sep 21, 2003

Irvin is the president of Future Focus 2020. He can be reached at nat.irvin@mba.wfu.edu

"Unlike most politicians, Vernon Robinson will stand up against racial agitators like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton!" -from a campaign flier distributed at a recent East Forsyth High School football game.

Jesse Helms is back! This time he is black. And he has decided to use the venue of local high school football games to spread his brand of the new conservative gospel.

"Every year, many of Forsyth County's high school seniors are denied admission to the colleges of their choice (e.g. UNC Chapel Hill) because they are white," reads the campaign literature of Vernon Robinson, one of nine Republicans who have entered the race to replace U.S. Rep. Richard Burr.

I learned of Vernon's latest campaign foray from a reader whose daughter came home with one of Robinson's campaign fliers. It was an old campaign trick. On one side of the flier, the football fan sees a pictorial description and explanation of hand signals used by officials during the game - illegal motion, offside, holding and personal foul.

At the bottom of the page is the face of the smiling would-be congressman from the 5th District of North Carolina, Vernon Robinson. No message. No harm. No foul.

The real message

But on the other side of the flier is a message reminiscent of the old South, where race is used to scare the white would-be voter into the arms of the conservative Republican fold, lest the white sheep stray come time to vote. The only thing missing was a picture of the Confederate flag.

"As a Congressman, Vernon will work tirelessly to abolish all racial quotas, preferences and set-asides. In fact, it was Vernon's lawsuit that ended the use of taxpayer-financed, blacks only scholarships at North Carolina public universities," proclaims the flier.

There is a certain irony in the fact that Robinson has found it necessary to use the same race-mongering tactics to get elected that Jesse Helms and other white, conservative, racist politicians used to keep blacks from being elected to office. Some progressive voters are likely to be appalled by Robinson's tactics, but it is a strategy that has worked in the past. Whether it will also work for a black Republican remains to be seen.

True to his ideology

Robinson is nobody's fool. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, and on the national scene, he is known as a conservative's conservative. When appearing in large venues, he strikes a brilliant pose. He can talk the talk and comes across as a thoughtful ideologue, who really believes what he says.
excerpt

I just love the way these liberal papers think that their sarcastic bashing of conservatives is lost on us.

Conclusion: He did not lie, you owe me $8.95 and you need to ask the moderator to pull your post.

I guess Robinson, IYHO, is a great campaigner (because) he makes news for falsely claiming that the W-S Journal called him "the next Jesse Helms".

Vernon just hasn't been crowned as the next Jesse Helms by any Republican outlet, it was meant as an insult by a very Liberal paper. I didn't mean to get it twisted indicating that he was lying, as I hope it's now clear.

Yes. Perfectly clear.