Posted on 07/11/2005 4:17:29 PM PDT by Crackingham
National Democrats are beginning to look to statehouses to see what, if anything, they can do to break the Republican hold on southern states. Gov. Mike Easley has been the subject of two recent articles in The New York Times and Congressional Quarterly, a publication that monitors government and politics. And the Governor of Virginia, Mark Warner, has already established a federal political-action committee, which outsiders speculate is his first step toward a White House run in 2008.
Easley won re-election last year despite the fact that President Bush carried North Carolina by 13 points. Warner, whose term will expire in January 2006, has managed to work successfully with Republican legislators in a state where they outnumber Democrats 2-1 and control everything but the governor's mansion. The keys to Easley and Warner's successes have been their abilities to connect with voters and not appear as ideologues, experts say.
"Easley doesn't go around pushing hot buttons that he doesn't need to," said Ferrel Guillory, the director of the Program on Southern Politics, Media and the Public Life at the University of North Carolina.
On the issue of abortion, in particular, Democrats have been questioning whether they should be as closely aligned with the abortion-rights proponents as they have been in the past. Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has suggested that the party should make room for more anti-abortion members.
James Carville, the Louisiana native who advised former President Bill Clinton, said he believes that the party can satisfy its abortion-rights supporters while not alienating opponents.
"Maybe there is another way of talking about it," Carville said, suggesting that Democrats should focus on ways to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies.
During a February speech in Chapel Hill, Easley - who supports abortion rights - said just as much.
"(Voters) will accept and tolerate somebody who has a bit of a different position, but not if you keep bringing it up and getting in their face, not if you want to be the main speaker at the National Abortion and Reproduction Rights Action League (or) the keynote speaker at the Right to Life," he said.
My Redneck, Southern Butt, ain't up for bids! There ain't enough perks, there ain't enough money!
Keep dreaming, James. As if the Left hasn't tried try to sugarcoat abortion and stem-cell research with enough creepy Orwellian doublespeak (e.g. selective reduction, dilation and extraction, therapeutic cloning).
Stay the h-ll away, Snakehead! The South is OURS.
"Gov. Mike Easley has been the subject of two recent articles in The New York Times"
Between Easley's self-professed "King Of The Hill" factor, his feckless, reckless forays into NASCAR driving and the hilarious satire of him in last weeks' Carolina Journal, I don't know how anyone can take this wispy hermit of a man seriously. Maybe if he just took a state-owned chopper down to the coast a little more often, he'd acquire some much-needed gravitas? Nah.
The key to being a successful SOuthern Democrat seems to be a semi-conservative niche player who is smart enough to keep the National party as far away as possible. No, Mister Gore/Kerry/Kennedy etc I don't need any help.
"The key to being a successful SOuthern Democrat seems to be a semi-conservative niche player who is smart enough to keep the National party as far away as possible."
Or, conversely, to have the cosmic good luck to run for reelection against an amazingly unphotogenic, political newbie.
Carville is as usual...nutty....another rabid yellow dog.
Could be that maybe folks in general should stop taking me for granted. I might not be as stoopid as I look!
I have lived in North Carolina a little over 4 years and, if it weren't for Easleys Nascar fiascos, I don't think I would have ever seen him. I have never lived in a State where the Governor kept such a low profile.
Typical left wing idiot...thinking if they just changed the tone and sound and words of the "message" (pro-abortion becomes pro-choice, etc.) the people they believe to be rubes will buy it.
Keep trying James, it's called insanity.
"I have never lived in a State where the Governor kept such a low profile."
You would, too, if you'd seized all the counties' portions of the state sales tax because of a budgetary "crisis," but still took a state-owned helicopter down to your place at the beach every weekend. I had a hard time accepting that he was reelected. I guess it's a lesson learned, incumbent geek beats newbie geek every time.
Does he really keep going overboard with referances to it and stuff?
It might be fake, but if its anywhere near as strange as its supposed to be getting with his own folks, then they guy needs to seriously relax and maybe consider getting himself some hobbies.
And I'm actually a fan of the show.
"Does he really keep going overboard with referances to it and stuff?"
Yes.
If Snakehead is thinks it can happen, then I'm not worried.
Maybe Democrats can start by showing more concern for American troops than they do for Islamic terrorists.
The days when Buford Pusser cleaned up after the good ol'boys of the Democratic Party of corruption is now nearly as Old history as the Democrats invasion of the South that
began the War between the States. The only way the Democrats could reclaim the South is by starting another war.Oh they could repent and seek the face of th eLord but the backsliding queer Party of deception probably would rather sell out to the freakin' Muslims as they have done in Ill.
I'm putting on my flame retardant suit here
Easley does have a point........the NARAL have totally turned me off with their one-issue tunnel vision.........the right-to-life people have done the same.
I've tuned out both sides....I've never been a one issue voter and don't intend to change now.
OTH - no one could pay me enough to vote for either Easley or Warner.
Oh yeah, like, when Howard Dean insulted the southerners by his misstatements on the confederate flag...yeah, keep that up and you'll really get the votes for sure!
Sounds like the plan is to find a Southern Democrat candidate that acts like a Conservative on most issues. I bet that the MoveOn crowd will be out in droves to make that happen...
I think they're more likely to stick some camo gear and a rifle on a flaing liberal, stand him up in the back of a pickup and drive him around Nascar cities, and hope to fool the bible-thumpin' Gomers...
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