Posted on 07/24/2003 6:10:29 PM PDT by jern
Posted on Wed, Jul. 23, 2003
Candidate Cobey Former N.C. Republican chair recruits himself to run
State Republican Chairman Bill Cobey's decision to resign his post Monday to run for the GOP nomination for governor next year was a telling moment in his party's hopes of taking over the top post in North Carolina government.
It reflects what some rank-and-file Republicans have been thinking about for months: The party has a good chance of making major gains in the 2004 elections, but it needs a strong candidate to challenge Democratic Gov. Mike Easley.
Mr. Cobey's decision to resign and run, barely two months after winning reelection as party chairman, indicates he thinks the other attractive candidates already running aren't the strongest the party could offer. Among them are former Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot, who may have the best resume and preparation for the job; Senate Republican leader Patrick Ballantine of Wilmington, an engaging and enthusiastic campaigner; longtime GOP stalwart George Little of Southern Pines; and Davie County Commissioner Dan Barrett of Mocksville.
Normally, the party chairman's job is to raise money for the party and recruit good candidates. But Mr. Cobey eyed the field and decided the best choice to take on Gov. Easley would be Bill Cobey.
Mr. Cobey has demonstrated considerable ability in a variety of posts -- athletics director at UNC Chapel Hill, a term in Congress and six years in the Martin administration. But he lost a bid for lieutenant governor against incumbent Jimmy Green in 1980, and is 1 for 3 in congressional races.
Next year could be a big year for Republican candidates. President Bush remains highly popular in this highly patriotic state, though his numbers may have taken a hit from lingering economic problems and growing concerns about U.S. troops dying in Iraq.
And U.S. Rep. Richard Burr of Winston-Salem appears to be in an enviable position to take the U.S. Senate seat now held by John Edwards, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Sen. Edwards has not ruled out running for reelection, which preserves his own options but limits those of other Democrats who'd like to run if there's a vacancy. No doubt Charlotte businessman Erskine Bowles and former Speaker of the N.C. House Dan Blue would prefer to know Sen. Edwards' intention so they can make plans.
Gov. Easley's administration has been plagued by constant worries over the state's anemic economy and difficult choices over where to trim spending to make ends meet. He might be considered vulnerable, given his often-independent way of doing things. But polling numbers show that he remains popular with N.C. voters, suggesting that Republicans hoping to unseat him should choose a forceful and persuasive nominee.
Whether that nominee's name will come from the current list of interested candidates is a wild guess. But when the state party chairman recruits himself to run in a race where there are already good candidates on the stump, it's a sign that the GOP primary next spring and the gubernatorial race in the fall promise to be highly competitive. That's good for voters, and good for democracy.
It was Rove who on Thursday night helped anoint U.S. Rep. Richard Burr as the choice of Republicans to oust Democratic Sen. John Edwards. It was Rove who helped recruit Elizabeth Dole to run for the Senate last year. And it was Rove who has convinced state Republican Party Chairman Bill Cobey to seek another term"
The strategy worked," [Jim] Snyder said of Republicans regaining control of the Senate. "The president is to be applauded, and Karl Rove as well. But I do have a concern about Washington in general and Washington politicians in particular moving into any state. Is this going to be the paradigm for the future? As a Republican and a conservative, I would prefer that we tend to our own political business here."
Sigh.... so would I Jim, so would I....
Glad to see the intent of the Constitution and the election therein of public officials within a state is being followed < /sarcasm>. Note from the April article Rove convinced Cobey to seek another term as RNC chairman. Now Cobey has all the sudden out of the clear blue 'decided' he's going to run for Governor of this state. This isn't conservative politics, this is political machine politics.
Get real.
And of course as I see you do not live in this state, I'd say it's none of your business who I choose or don't choose to vote for to represent me in affairs of my home state
I vote for people based on their qualifications in primaries. The Democrat party has proven itself to be corrupt beyond belief and overall determined to push agendas absolutely opposite to my own. If by chance they happen to nominate someone who is not a complete offense to all I hold dear, such as Zell Miller, it still is not enough for me to decide to vote for that candidate since it just adds power to the rest of the party (consider that for a year, despite Zell's good rhetoric, he enabled Tom Daschle to control the Senate's agenda).
The primaries are where conservatives can and should do our work selecting the best candidate we can. Sounds like in NC, y'all will have plenty of choices this time. Choose well, and then whoever wins the nomination, back without equivocation (that's my advice, for what it is worth which is not much).
Put it this way- Arlen doesn't just affect us here. His crap affects you as well. If you want to tell Pennsylvanians all over that they are nuts to re-elect him, I'll say right on (at least, unless he wins the primary over Toomey in which case I bite the magic bullet and brush up on my Scottish law).
God help us!!! That same 'unity' plan on the national level is giving us healthcare and spending that would make even a Democrat blush
He obviously wants to keep spending time in DC, hob-knobing with the high-profiles.
That wouldn't serve the RNC or the White House's purpose, for while they like his wife, they detest Ferrell Blount.
Blount is the source of the lie that 'The White House called' to ask him to run for chairman and ol' Cobey to run for Gov.
Rove has said that this is simply not true.
Now, I know it may be hard for some to choose, but either Rove or Ferrell is a flat out liar.
Cobey is a sincerely nice guy, who, unfortunately, puts personality before principle.
He wanted to run for governor and he wanted to leave the chairmanship of the NCGOP. At 64, it is his last hurrah. The White House did ask BC to run again for chairman. (was it just six weeks ago?) They asked him this because they do not want past instability and questionable business practices to resurface through the 2004 cycle.
Cobey never expected Ballantine to catch fire. 'Everybody' believed Tax Hike Mike Easley was sure to get re-elected next year. (The low self-image and lack of imagination in the NCGOP regular ranks is startling)
Then came Patrick Ballantine. Ballantine has far execeeded any expectations in his fundraising effort. Ballantine could win, and that puts Cobey way out of the picture in 2008 and way over the horizon in 2012. Cobey says he's in in it to win, and I believe him. I also believe he thinks he can, at the very least, soften Easley and excite the R base with a roaring primary.
He'll be the first to stand by the winner's side on Primary night, endorsing the nominee. He's a team player.
Blount is a different story.
Blount wants the same Regular Suspects who used to be in charge of the NCGOP treasury back in the saddle. He wants himself and his syncophants to be in charge of the business-side of the fundraising machine.
Look to Ballantine! (He's in it to win, too. And he has been all along)
And, get ready for a bruising ExecComm chairman selection in a week or so. That is, if the ExecComm shows more sophistication than in the Hastings-Currin controversy a few years back. They bettter come ready to make and pass motions, and not just to vent.) NCRepublicans.com's informal poll of the ExecComm shows only 15 of 93 members support Blount. It's no secret that these guys are counting on low-sophistication and August vacations to shoe in Blount.
They will come to make motions, call-the-question, vote on calling the question, and then pass each surprise motion.
Call-the-question has got to be the part of Robert's Rules that Republicans misuse the most. If anybody wants honest debate, they'd better go with a batch of flyers explaining "call the question" to the newbies, and asking them to refrain from voting to "call the question" until both sides have had a chance to speak.
I heard Ferrell give a presentation on financing campaigns at the recent activist training session in Charlotte. Seems like a good guy. The best person for the job? Dunno. Heck, so many things go into a party's success or failure in elections that it's hard for non-insiders to tell if a chairman's doing a good job.
Cobey wasn't going to run again for state party chair but Rove asked him to in December so he did, but seven months later he looked at the governor's race and decided that's where he should be. I don't blame him for that; I think we had 2 good candidates (PB & GWL), 2 okay ones (DB & RV), but no really good one. Cobey's at least up there with the good ones.
He's a Music Man, alright. Rep. David R. Lewis is an interesting person. I wish I knew more about him, and whether he has the ability to counter this Railroad. He walked away from the end of the General Assembly session with the pledged support of at least 30 fellow House members, including Russell Capps of Wake County, a man who has a great deal of respect among 'True Conservatives,' as so many of Jesse's R's used to call themselves. This much I know about Rep. Lewis. He's highly personable. A genuinely nice guy who apparently overcame a childhood stutter. He's a farm equipment dealer in Dunn.
Anyway... there's a measure of suspicious feeling... a 'something's ain't rat 'bout this whole deal' feeling among some County Chairs and Legislators, all of whom are on the ExecComm.
Gonna be an interesting meeting...
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