Renee Ellmers (R) Still Leading Etheridge; Heads To D.C. Monday

Ellmers Ready To Take Office In N.C. Second District


In a speech in Durham Saturday, Congressional candidate Renee Ellmers said she is ready to take office.

Ellmers, a Republican, leads incumbent Democrat Bob Etheridge by about 1,400 votes in the race for North Carolina’s Second Congressional District.

Etheridge has called for a recount in his bid to keep the seat, but Ellmers said she wants to get to work.

"I'm going forward as if we're not in this recount situation, because I have so much to learn,” Ellmers said Saturday.

Beginning Monday, she’ll be in Washington, D.C., attending orientation for new members of Congress and assembling a staff. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, her lawyers will monitor the recount.

According to the State Board of Elections, Ellmers received 93,893 votes in the Second District race to Etheridge's 92,404. The 1,489-vote gap is within the 1 percent threshold outlined under state law for Etheridge to seek a recount.

"As more votes were counted over the last week, it became increasingly clear that this race is too close to call and a recount is warranted,” Etheridge said in a statement Friday.

Ellmers is confident that her lead is insurmountable.

The State Board of Elections has until Nov. 23 to announce certified, final results.


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Sources: WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

Democrats Defend Dems Defend Bob Etheridge's Arrogant, Obnoxious Behavior

Dems Defend Etheridge, Attack Breitbart


Bob Etheridge's abject apology for roughing up an anonymous conservative videographer is being accompanied by a defense of the congressman from national Democrats.

"Motives matter, and I think you can see who was behind this," said DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse just now. "This was a Republican party tracking operation. If it wasn't a party tracker or intern, why is the face blurred and why is the source hidden? You know if it had been a right wing blog, they'd identify themselves and they'd be booking this person on TV all day. Republicans know if they admit their involvement in this game of gotcha it will undermine their credibility. One minute this guy is interviewing a member of Congress on camera and the next a video is released with his face blurred out? If that doesn’t tell you this is a Republican Party hatchet job nothing will."

A national Democratic Party official e-mailed around a set of talking points about an hour ago, under the subject heading, "Etheridge Gotcha Video Background."

Democrats are seeking to raise questions about the video, which first appeared on Andrew Breitbart's Big Government, because of what's widely viewed as the media's mishandling of the ACORN story, which emerged without context from edited videos. In particular, party officials say the video was likely taken by a tracker for the Republican Party, which would explain the effort taken to conceal his identity.

The Democrats' talking points:

1. There is always the part of the story that you can’t see in these gotcha style videos — what were these folks doing, how did they approach him, how were the cameraman and/or others off camera acting?

2. Why would any legitimate student doing a project or a journalist shagging a story not identify themselves. Motives matter — what was the motivation here? To incite this very type of reaction?

3. This is clearly the work of the Republican Party and the “interviewer” is clearly a low level staffer or intern. That’s what explains blurring the face of the “interviewer” and refusing to identify the entity this was done for. The Republicans know if they were caught engaging in this type of gotcha tactic it would undermine their own credibility — yet if it was an individual acting on his own there is no reason that person would have blurred themselves out of the video — and if it was the work of a right wing blog they would have their logo on the video and be shouting their involvement from the roof top.

4. This was a purposefully partisan hit job designed to incite a reaction for political reasons — but it is a tactic so low — the parties involved are remaining anonymous.

5. The fact that no one wants to take credit for this should raise real questions in the minds of voters and the press.

6. Push hard w/ blogs the lack of credibility inherent to anything Breitbart does/posts, given its role in the debunked ACORN videos:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/opinion/21pubed.html?src=twrhttp://mediamatters.org/research/201006010001

http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited

Still. It's pretty hard to think of a context in which Etheridge's assault on the videographer would be acceptable.


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Sources: CBS News, DC Camera Guy, DNC, Biggovernment, Gawker, NY Times, Politico, Youtube, Google Maps

Etheridge Apologizes For Assaulting Student (He's Finished!)

Watch CBS News Videos Online






Bob Etheridge Apologizes for "Poor Response" To Sidewalk Cameramen



North Carolina Rep. Bob Etheridge, the Democratic Congressman who appeared to hit a camera being wielded by a self-identified student who approached him on the street asking questions, has apologized for what he calls his "poor response" to the situation.

"I have seen the video posted on several blogs," Etheridge said in a statement. "I deeply and profoundly regret my reaction and I apologize to all involved. Throughout my many years of service to the people of North Carolina, I have always tried to treat people from all viewpoints with respect. No matter how intrusive and partisan our politics can become, this does not justify a poor response. I have and I will always work to promote a civil public discourse."

In the video, Etheridge is approached by two camera-wielding men who ask if he "fully supports the Obama agenda." A visibly agitated Etheridge responds to one, "Who are you?" He repeats the question and appears to slam his camera with his hand.

In the edited video, as Hotsheet reported earlier today, Etheridge is then shown holding the wrist of one of the questioners and repeatedly asking him to identify himself.

The two people will only identify as students and say they are "just here for a project." In the video, the face of the student in the shot with Etheridge is blurred.

"I have a right to know who you are," the congressman says, holding one man's arm. The pair refuse to tell him where they are from and repeat that "all we are is students."

Etheridge then grabs one of the self-identified students by the neck and pulls him next to him, apparently so that his face will appear on camera.

"Bob Etheridge has lost it," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Jon Thompson said in a statement. "His conduct is unbecoming of a member of Congress. It's bad enough that he's joined Obama's assault on North Carolina jobs, but his physical assault on a college student goes beyond the pale."

The person who posted the video goes by the name "DCCameraGuy" on YouTube but is not identified beyond that.

The video garnered attention after being posted on Andrew Breitbart's Big Government website, which first posted the undercover videos of ACORN employees that resulted in significant damage to the community group.

UPDATE:

Etheridge held a press conference today to once again apologize, calling his actions "unacceptable."(video at left)

"No matter how partisan and no matter how difficult things get sometimes, that's no excuse for my response," he said. "I came today to say I'm sorry."

Etheridge said the confrontation happened after he came out of a meeting in Washington, D.C.

"The truth is, I had a long day, it was the end of the day -- but that's not the issue," he said. "I've been through a lot of tough situations... I've been spat at, pushed on and threatened before, and that's no excuse for... not walking on by."

Etheridge said he still did not the identity of the students in the video. Asked whether he thought Republicans set up the confrontation, he responded, "I'll let you find that out. Maybe somebody will, I'm not going there."

The Democratic National Committee is going there, Politico reports.

"Motives matter, and I think you can see who was behind this," DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse told Politico. "This was a Republican party tracking operation. If it wasn't a party tracker or intern, why is the face blurred and why is the source hidden? You know if it had been a right wing blog, they'd identify themselves and they'd be booking this person on TV all day... If that doesn't tell you this is a Republican Party hatchet job nothing will."


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Sources: CBS News, DC Camera Guy, DNC, Politico, Youtube, Google Maps

Bob Etheridge Voting "Yes" For Health Care Reform Bill

Etheridge Will Vote In Favor Of Health Care Insurance Reform Bill


Forces for and against the health insurance bill are ending the week with a whirl of activity before the expected Sunday vote in the U.S. House vote.

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, a moderate Democrat who represents a handful of mostly rural counties outside Raleigh, announced tonight that he will vote in favor of the controversial bill. He had voted “yes” in November.

Just after making his decision around 6 p.m., Etheridge strode across the House floor during a vote to inform House leadership. First, he told House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, then House Majority Whip James Clyburn.

In an interview tonight, Etheridge said he expected all along to wait until he got the numbers from the Congressional Budget Office and had the chance to read the bill.

“It isn’t perfect,” he said. “But it’s better than where we are.”

He likes that it lowers the deficit both short-term and long-term, that it does away with denials for pre-existing conditions, and that it is paid for.

“The bill isn’t perfect,” Etheridge said. “But I’ve concluded that No. 1, it’ll save lives. And No. 2, the current system needs fixing. A lot of folks are hurting.”



Etheridge signaled his views Wednesday, during a speech on the House floor in which he read letters from struggling constituents and said that health reform is needed.

Today, he said he had heard from “thousands and thousands” of people, through e-mail, phone calls and letters.

“Good Lord, we’ve had enough telephone calls, e-mails, written letters,” he said.

He took issue with some of the opponents of health reform, saying, “Some folks are trying to scare people. But you cannot allow that to be the final factor.”

In an earlier interview, he had criticized a recent ad by Americans for Prosperity, which was labeled a “Pants on Fire” mistruth by PolitiFact, a project of the St. Petersburg Times.

Americans for Prosperity North Carolina held a rally outside Etheridge’s Raleigh office Tuesday and has organized a bus trip to Washington Saturday for a rally and visits to lawmakers’ offices.

The group had planned to take six buses to Washington, but by this afternoon had added two more. Its Raleigh office phone was busy for much of the day with people calling for seats.

“We could have filled up every school bus in Wake County with people,” said Dallas Woodhouse, director of Americans for Prosperity North Carolina. “I have never seen passions as stirred up and people wanting to do something about it.”

Those on the buses plan to visit Etheridge and his Democratic colleagues Heath Shuler of Waynesville, Larry Kissell of Biscoe and Mike McIntyre of Lumberton, Woodhouse said.

“To some people it’s just political. I understand that,” Etheridge said. “You’ve got some very strong, passionate views on both sides of the issue.”

In fact, Organizing for America, a group that supports President Barack Obama’s agenda, marched to Etheridge’s office in downtown Raleigh earlier today to deliver 10,000 stories of North Carolinians relating their problems paying medical bills. Letters came from people whose high bills forced them into bankruptcy, people with medical conditions who could not buy insurance, and others, said Lindsay Siler, state director of Organizing for America.



Etheridge also read letters from constituents on the floor of the U.S. House earlier this week, and Siler said the group wanted him to see more.

“We wanted to make sure he knows that we had his back today,” Siler said.

Phones continued to ring at congressional offices across Capitol Hill today. Some overloaded phones rang busy or sent callers into voice mail, a troubling development in offices that pride themselves on answering every constituent call in person.

“Oh my goodness; we’re literally getting thousands of phone calls, e-mails, faxes and letters,” McIntyre said. “We’re hearing from all over the country, but from our district, it’s overwhelmingly opposed.”

McIntyre plans to vote against the health reform bill, he said, because he thinks it doesn’t do enough to contain costs.

U.S. Rep. Brad Miller’s Web site was largely inoperable today, making it impossible for visitors to get beyond the home page. The Raleigh Democrat’s spokeswoman, LuAnn Canipe, said the problems were likely because of so many people trying to use it and his staff trying to keep it updated. Miller announced Friday he will vote for the bill.

Meanwhile, polls show widely varying results on health bill questions.

An Elon University Poll conducted March 14-17 found that 78 percent of North Carolinians surveyed said the nation’s health care system needed reform, while 15 percent said it is fine the way it is. The poll surveyed 579 residents and had a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.

A Civitas Institute poll of 600 likely voters resulted in 50 percent saying they were opposed to the current proposal, with 39 percent saying they supported it. The poll was conducted March 16-18 and had a 4 percent margin of error of 4 percentage points.

And a poll of voters in Etheridge’s district by Public Policy Polling showed that 53 percent were opposed and 37 percent in support of the health bill.


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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Youtube, Google Maps

Democrats' Health Care Bill: Who's Undecided? Who's Voting No?...List Of Name

Who's Still Undecided On Health Care Reform?


While the varying whip counts remain inexact and the outcome unknown, one thing is certain as the health care reform drama hurtles toward its conclusion: The last two dozen or so votes for the bill will come at considerable cost to the undecided House members who cast them.

Some of those currently uncommitted lawmakers have serious philosophical and moral concerns about the measure. But for many — almost none of whom can admit it publicly — the political calculus is undeniably playing a role in their decision-making process.

The trick, then, to understanding where these members will end up is to understand where they are coming from, because their malleability in the final hours will almost certainly be proportional to the precariousness of their political situation.

What follows is POLITICO’s guide to the undecided.

The Retirees

Political circumstances have changed for many members since the November health care vote, but especially for those who have announced their retirements in the ensuing months.

Without ballot box pressures, it will be extremely difficult for these members to turn down desperate entreaties from party leaders — or from President Barack Obama.

One retiree with no need to worry about November repercussions, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), already announced Thursday that he was switching from a “no” vote to a “yes.”

His experience may offer a clue to the thinking of undecided Reps. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) and John Tanner (D-Tenn.), both of whom voted “no” in November and later declined to run for another term. And it may provide some insight into the likelihood that Rep. Marion Berry (D-Ark.), a former “yes” vote, will switch and vote “no.” Having taken a hard vote already, he would be unlikely to reverse himself unless he felt the new bill did not meet his concerns over abortion.

The Nail-Biters

Among the undecided are members who sit in fairly competitive seats they have managed to lock down, in large part because they are closely attuned to their districts. Most are not considered particularly vulnerable, but under the right circumstances — such as a wave election — they could be swept under.

Some of these members opposed the House bill in November and probably don’t have the luxury of switching their vote except at tremendous political cost — this group would include Democratic Reps. Tim Holden of Pennsylvania, Lincoln Davis of Tennessee and Heath Shuler of North Carolina.

Others in this category are “yes” votes who might be reconsidering. The trick with this group — which includes Democratic Reps. Melissa Bean and Bill Foster of Illinois, Bobby Etheridge of North Carolina, Chris Carney and Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania, Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota, and Alan Mollohan of West Virginia — is for leadership to persuade them to stay on board despite the deteriorating conditions in many of their races, and figure out a way to assuage those who oppose Abortion.

The Besieged

This category is largely composed of at-risk freshmen from tough districts.

Here’s an example of the pressures they face on the health care vote: When Rep. Betsy Markey (D-Colo.) revealed Thursday that she would vote yes on the measure, she was immediately greeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee with a derisive press release referring to her as “Betsy Margolies-Mezvinsky” — a reference to Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, the freshman congresswoman from Pennsylvania who her lost her seat in 1994 after biting the bullet for her party and casting an especially tough vote in favor of President Bill Clinton’s budget.

Other first-termers, including Democratic Reps. Thomas Perriello and Glenn Nye of Virginia, Steve Driehaus of Ohio, Larry Kissell of North Carolina and Dina Titus of Nevada also have cause for alarm, given the nature of the political challenge they face back home.

One Republican makes this list: Freshman Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao, who represents a heavily Democratic New Orleans-based district. Cao voted in favor of the November bill, then signaled he’d vote against the current version and now indicates that he’s rethinking his position after spending time with the president.

Several second-term Democrats also qualify for this designation: Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana, who is currently running for the Senate, and Rep. Zack Space of Ohio, who represents a district that John McCain won easily in 2008.

None of the Democrats in the besieged category has it easy on the vote, but some have it worse than others: They will very likely be walking the plank by voting the party line. That would include Reps. Harry Teague of New Mexico and Suzanne Kosmas of Florida — both of whom voted against the November bill — as well as John Boccieri of Ohio, who faces stiff competition in a conservative-minded district.

The Misfits

Not every Democrat on the undecided list is facing a tough reelection campaign. There are a few who, at this point in the election cycle, seem in good shape, but nevertheless have given conflicting signals or publicly stated that they are undecided.

They have their own individual reasons for holding out — abortion is among them in several cases — but it’s hard to imagine Democrats getting to the magic number for passage without most, or all, of this group. For them, the political consequences are minimal compared with many in the caucus — and their colleagues and leadership know it.

Among those on this list: Reps. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, and Henry Cuellar and Solomon Ortiz of Texas.

Another member in this category is Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, who said Thursday he will oppose the measure. The solidly Democratic nature of his district makes it likely he’ll be under strong pressure to return to the “yes” camp.


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Sources: Politico, Google Maps

Bob Etheridge, Other NC Dems Voting Against Health Care Bill?

Many N.C. Dems Likely To Oppose Health Care Bill


Depending on the vote of undecided U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, half of North Carolina's Democrats could join congressional Republicans this weekend in opposing the final passage of a sweeping health care overhaul.

Already, the state's three most conservative Democrats are expected to vote no - just as they did in November when the health care bill first came up for a vote.

U.S. Reps. Heath Shuler of Waynesville, Larry Kissell of Biscoe and Mike McIntyre of Lumberton say the bill doesn't go far enough to bring down health care costs and would, instead, cost American taxpayers too much.

Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat, supported the Democrats' bill in November. At the time, he waited until the last minute to signal his vote. This time around, he says he is undecided again.

The indecision comes in the waning days of Democratic leaders' push for votes. President Barack Obama has been calling some wavering Democrats, and House Majority Whip James Clyburn is meeting with caucus groups to push the bill.

Jared Bernstein, economic policy adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, said that lawmakers are choosing between keeping the status quo and passing needed - if imperfect - reform.

"These are not easy votes, I grant you that," Bernstein said. "But this is a historic vote."

Families are Hurting

Etheridge is considered a moderate in his party, and he votes with leadership nearly 98 percent of the time, according to a Washington Post database of congressional votes.

Late Wednesday afternoon, he spent five minutes on the House floor reading aloud health care horror stories from his home district.

"It's time to put health insurance back on the side of the folks back home," Etheridge said. "When North Carolina families are hurting, doing nothing really isn't an option for me."

Etheridge has faced strong pressure in the 2nd Congressional District, a largely rural and suburban district that dips into Southeast Raleigh but also curls through the fast-developing farmlands around the eastern and southern edges of the Triangle.

A recent survey by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm in Raleigh, found that 53 percent of voters in Etheridge's district oppose health care reform, while only 37 percent support it. And in the past week, members of the tea party movement have held two rallies outside Etheridge's office, urging him to vote no.

North Carolina's other lawmakers have fallen in line with their parties. Supporters of the bill include U.S. Reps. Mel Watt, G.K. Butterfield, Brad Miller and David Price. Price, who represents Chapel Hill, Durham and Cary, held a news conference Monday to announce his support.

All North Carolina Republicans are opposed, with many of them echoing GOP talking points that Congress should "start over" with health reform.

"Take it off the table," said U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, a Charlotte Republican.

"If [Democratic leaders] thought that this is what the American people wanted and they had the votes to pass health care reform, we would have passed this bill a long time ago," Myrick said. "But they don't have the votes, and this is certainly not what the American people want."

Costs too much

Shuler, Kissell and McIntyre all say the reform would cost too much.

"Health reform is needed, but this bill is too expensive," McIntyre said in an interview Wednesday. He said the bill would create a new federal bureaucracy at the cost of nearly a trillion dollars, while not doing enough to stop the skyrocketing costs of health insurance premiums.

Families USA, a non-partisan health advocacy organization in Washington, estimates that health insurance premiums in North Carolina rose nearly 100 percent in the past decade.

Shuler and McIntyre belong to the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative Democrats that often weighs in on budget-related bills. They have been targeted by organizations on both sides of the issue.

Callers to Shuler's office Wednesday routinely encountered busy signals or a voicemail message. And McIntyre said his office has received thousands of calls and letters, many of them from across the country.

Small steps

McIntyre said he would rather scrap the current bill, concentrate on jobs recovery and then focus on small goals in health reform. Those could include developing community health centers, improving electronic medical records and creating partnerships between nursing schools and rural communities. He also wants to focus on improving the two government programs that now exist, Medicaid and Medicare.

"They're almost broke," McIntyre said. "My goodness, we've got to honor the commitments that are already there."

Shuler's office did not return calls for comment Wednesday. His spokeswoman told a newspaper in Shuler's district this week that the congressman is undecided, but Shuler is widely expected to vote "no" as he did in November.

Kissell, a former high school civics teacher, said in a statement Wednesday that he will vote No because he doesn't like how the bill is supposed to be paid for.


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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Youtube, Google Maps

NC Protesters Rally Against Obama's Health Care Bill

N.C. Group Rallies Against Obama's Health Care Bill


About 150 demonstrators held signs and chanted outside U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge's downtown Raleigh office Tuesday.

Etheridge has not yet said how he intends to vote on the Democratic proposals for health care reform and the ralliers hoped to push him to a "no."

"Hey Hey, ho ho, tell Bob to vote 'no,'" or "Represent us," they chanted. Signs proclaimed "Obama Care Makes me sick," and "No — Hell no — to socialized medicine."

"They're fixing to set up a new entitlement program with money we don't have," said Ken Martin, 65, of Raleigh.

The rallies outside Etheridge's office are becoming a weekly event. Last week, supporters of the Democratic plan outnumbered opponents at competing rallies at the spot. Meanwhile, a host of interest groups have taken to the airwaves on either side of the debate as the health care plan nears a vote in the U.S. House.

Unlike last week, no counter-demonstrators showed up on Fayetteville Street on Tuesday. The occasional motorist shouted at them, while many other cars honked in support. Raleigh police officers stationed at the rally urged drivers to lay off the horns.

Many in the crowd said they believed the health care bill was the first step toward a larger government.

"I'm here because I'm worried about our country," said Ellen Batten, 60. "It is one more step toward government control."


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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Google Maps

Bob Etheridge Decides Not To Run Against Burr...Its Burr Again In 2010!

Congressman Bob Etheridge Passes


Congressman Bob Etheridge said Friday that he would not challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year, despite a concerted effort by the national Democratic Party to coax him into the race.

The decision is another setback for the Democrats, who earlier this year failed to entice Attorney General Roy Cooper into the race, Rob Christensen reports. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has turned its attention to former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, an Iraq War veteran from Lexington, who had spent several months exploring a Senate bid, before announcing Monday that he would not be a candidate.

Etheridge, a veteran Congressman, former superintendent of public instruction, former legislator and former Harnett County commissioner, is one of the Tar Heel Democratic Party's proven commodities. Etheridge said he looked at the Senate race strongly this time but in the end, "I just decided not to do it."

UPDATE:

National Republican Senatorial Campaign spokesman Colin Reed said Etheridge's decision leaves a big hole in the Democrats' recruiting class and shows that Democrats "on the ground in North Carolina have a much different view of this race than party officials in Washington."

"I think it is a winnable seat," Etheridge said. "I really do believe that. I think Richard burr has not voted (the right way on) some of the issues on job creation and health care and you go right on down the list."

But Etheridge noted that he was the first North Carolinian to serve on the influential House Ways and Means Committee in more than 50 years and felt as though he had "unfinished business in the House."

He said he would not endorse anyone in the Democratic Senate primary which will be held next May. The announced candidates are Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Chapel Hill attorney Kenneth Lewis. Also looking at the race are Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy and former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker.



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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Under The Dome, National Republican Senatorial Campaign, Wikipedia, Google Maps