Republicans Are Planning For Revival In 2010 Elections...Is It Possible?

Steele: Victory in New Jersey "HUGE". RNC chairman Michael Steele discusses the GOP's triumphs in Virginia and New Jersey, and responds to a grilling from Lawrence O'Donnell.

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Republicans seek a path to revival


One year after hitting bottom in the aftermath of President Obama's election, Republicans have taken their first concrete steps toward recovery. But they remain an embattled and divided force, facing an electorate still skeptical about their capacity to govern and embroiled in a struggle between party regulars and populist conservative forces over how to return to power.

With gubernatorial victories by Robert F. McDonnell in Virginia and Chris Christie in New Jersey, Republicans today are more energized than at any time since the early months of 2005, when there was talk of a durable GOP majority in the wake of President George W. Bush's reelection. A slew of factors -- the war in Iraq, the botched response to Hurricane Katrina, scandals in Congress and soaring federal spending -- quickly ended that discussion and led voters to punish Republicans at the polls in 2006 and 2008.

This year, the GOP has recorded historic lows in party identification, according to a string of national surveys. And despite concerns about Obama's agenda, the public still trusts him and the Democrats over the Republicans to deal with many national problems.

The question for Republicans now is whether Tuesday's victories will prove to be aberrations or be seen as the first real signs of a party revival.

Republicans have coalesced in opposition to Obama's economic and domestic agenda, almost unanimous in their opposition to Democrats' health-care reform efforts and hammering the president relentlessly for upward spirals in spending and unemployment. The result has been a needed morale boost to the beleaguered party. "We have seen a sea change in attitude," Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele said. "People's spirits are higher. They see a cause worth fighting for."

Democrats have used that lock-step opposition to brand the GOP as "the party of no," and predict that the conservative grass-roots base of the GOP, fueled by radio and cable talk show hosts, will drive candidates further to the right, reducing their appeal to swing voters who once again appear up for grabs.

The tension between the party's establishment and conservative insurgents is growing, and there is concern among moderates that setting litmus tests for candidates is pushing the party too far to the right. Prominent Republicans are now split in their assessment of how to move forward.

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has staked her identity with the grass roots against the establishment. "The cause goes on," she posted on her Facebook page after Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate she backed in a House special election in New York's 23rd District lost to Democrat Bill Owens on Tuesday night. That defeat in a seat long-held by Republicans, and the divisions it exposed, was the only blemish on the party's performance Tuesday.

Former House Republican leader Richard K. Armey said the party's future lies with the populist coalition of small government and libertarian conservatives, evangelicals and others who have joined tea party protests and challenged the Republican establishment to shun compromise with Obama and the Democrats. After New York 23, they are threatening to topple Republicans in other states who do not toe the conservative line.

"You don't attract people with pragmatism but with commitment to principles and purpose," Armey said. Republicans, he argued, "will continue to be a small, losing tent" unless the party establishment heeds the voices from the grass roots and fields candidates who fit that mold.

But Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) cited the inherent risks to the party if it appears too narrow, rigid and intolerant. "We have to decide whether we want to be a debating society or a broad-based, center-right governing coalition," he said.

Over the next several months, The Washington Post will examine the Republicans from multiple perspectives -- the party's strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and obstacles -- as a prelude to the 2010 midterm elections.

Hitting bottom

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said the thrashing in 2008 finally forced Republicans to accept the reality that they were now the minority party. "I don't think reality had fully sunk in after the '06 midterm cycle," when Democrats recaptured the House and Senate, he said.

The 2006 and 2008 debacles laid bare the depth of the party's weaknesses. Republicans have lost the popular vote in four of the past five presidential elections. In that span, they have averaged just 211 electoral votes and a GOP nominee never won more than 286 electoral votes (270 is the minimum necessary to win the White House) -- a sharp contrast to the era when they held a virtual lock on the Electoral College. Democrats topped 350 three times in that period.

The gap between the party's strength in the South and its weakness elsewhere has become a major problem. In last year's presidential campaign, Sen. John McCain carried the South by seven percentage points. But Obama won the Northeast by 21 points, the West by 14 points and the Midwest by nine points, according to calculations by Rhodes Cook, a political analyst. McCain got 65 percent of his electoral votes in the South.

After the Republican landslide in 1994, Republicans held a majority of House seats in the South and beyond. After the 2008 elections, Republicans still hold a majority of House seats in the South, but Democrats control about two-thirds of non-Southern seats.

Republicans also face stiff demographic obstacles as they try to come back. They ran poorly among young voters in the past two elections and have seen their strength in the suburbs erode significantly. Their biggest demographic challenge is the changing face of the nation. Last year's electorate was one-quarter minority and is becoming less white with each election.

There is little prospect of real improvement among African Americans as long as Obama is in office. Even among Latinos, Republicans have lost ground. Latinos backed Obama by better than 2 to 1, reversing gains by Bush in 2004. "The surge in young people was an anomaly, and we can get white suburban women back with the right message," Republican pollster Whit Ayres said. "If we lose Latinos en masse, it'll be really hard to get them back."

"Don't Panic"

In the months after the shellacking Obama and the Democrats administered to the Republicans last year, Gov. Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. (R-Ind.) used to tell audiences that he found the most useful advice for his party from the opening pages of Douglas Adams's book "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy": "Don't panic."

"That was sort of my starting point," Daniels said recently, "that the system seeks an equilibrium. . . . Shoot, it has only been four years and people were writing obituaries for the Democratic Party. That was foolish then. . . . I felt that this thing would come around."

Daniels is no Pollyanna. Last year he saw Indiana go for a Democratic presidential nominee for the first time since 1964 -- even as he was rolling up a record vote count en route to reelection. But he argued that many of those who voted for Obama a year ago did not vote for the agenda he has pursued as president, which Daniels dubbed "shock and awe statism."

"Those folks are available to Republicans," he added. "We're going to have to go out and earn them the way President Obama did, and it would take a different Republican Party to do it. But I wouldn't understate the significance of the way that the overreach, the attempt to aggrandize Washington even more, has cut those people loose."

Republicans are quick to count the ways in which, despite their problems, they are better off today than they were a year ago. First, Bush is no longer the lightning rod for voters' anger that he was in 2006 and 2008. "The country had Bush fatigue and the GOP paid the price," said Republican strategist Steve Lombardo. "But voters have moved on, and the Republican Party is benefiting from this."

Democrats now have taken ownership of several intractable issues including the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. GOP fundraising is up, along with the energy of rank-and-file Republicans. The economy, which hurt Republicans in 2008, turned into a plus for GOP gubernatorial candidates last week.

"I think the GOP is, by almost every metric, in better shape than the night Barack Obama won the election," said Pete Wehner, a Bush White House official.

Vin Weber, a former Republican congressman from Minnesota, recalled that Ronald Reagan managed to divide and intimidate his Democratic opposition early in 1981. Changes in the composition of the parties and a decade or more of polarized politics have made that more difficult for any president today, but even with the party on the ropes, Obama has failed to drive a wedge into the Republican coalition.

"That didn't happen," Weber said. "The Republicans united themselves very quickly. They were handed a gift by the [Democrats'] handling of the stimulus package, emanating as it did out of the House of Representatives. Basically it was just too much too fast. And you see it now across -- it's not just unity in Congress. It's unity of the Republican electorate."

Many Republicans, however, acknowledge that their comeback-in-the-making is almost entirely the result of public concern about the size, scope and pace of the changes Obama has proposed, fears that government is becoming too intrusive and that the mushrooming federal budget deficit represents a threat to the long-term stability of the economy.

As one GOP strategist, speaking on the condition of anonymity to be candid, said, "We are in better shape than in December '08, but not because of anything we did. If there is anything we could have done, we haven't done it."

The road back

Last week's elections, for all they did to raise the spirits of Republicans, offer an uncertain guide to the party's future hopes. What they showed was that Republicans are more energized than Democrats, that the coalition that brought Obama to power last year may not be there for Democratic candidates next November and that independents can be won over by Republicans running smart campaigns.

But New Jersey and Virginia both voted against the party holding the White House in the past six gubernatorial elections, and therefore are unreliable harbingers of the 2010 campaign. Whatever boosts Republicans got from Tuesday, their leaders know they have much more work to do.

As one Republican strategist from the Northeast put it, "We lack a central individual or set of individuals who can inspire the country and make them want to say yes to us, not just no to the Democrats. We have serious structural problems in reaching key parts of the electorate. We are too white, too male, too old, too out of touch."

Said RNC Chairman Steele: "The Republican Party, in order to get those folks to identify as Republicans, has to exhibit the leadership that people trusted in '94 and trusted in subsequent elections and then moved away from in '06 when they stopped trusting in that leadership."

It is difficult for the party to gain the trust of voters without a recognizable set of new faces or a more positive agenda, neither of which the public sees at this point. "We're not entitled to the majority, and we're not going to get it just because the other side stumbles -- and we shouldn't want the other side to stumble," Jindal said. "We need to earn our way back to the majority, and the way you do that is by being relevant and offering solutions that will work. But they have to address the problems the American people care about."

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who as chairman of the Republican National Committee helped lead Republicans back in 1993-94, now hopes to do the same again as chairman of the Republican Governors Association. He believes the GOP is poised for success next year, but worries that some of his fellow conservatives will drive voters away by insisting on ideological purity within the party.

"Every time a party loses, there are some people who say now's the time to get pure. Let's purify the party," he said on the day Republicans won Virginia and New Jersey. "That's 180 degrees backwards. In the American two-party system, both parties necessarily are coalitions. And when you lose, you need to go to special efforts to make everybody in your coalition feel welcome."

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who ran for president in 2008 and faced criticism that he was not conservative enough on fiscal issues, spoke more critically of those attempting to enforce orthodoxy. "How pure is pure? Who gets to make that decision?" he said. "Who is the great one who establishes for us the 10 Commandments [that say] you can't deviate from these positions or you're a RINO [Republican In Name Only]?"

To Democrats, the Republican Party leadership appears to have become followers. "The Republican Party tail is wagging the dog," Democratic strategist Bill Carrick said. "Republican Party leaders are following the lead of [Rush] Limbaugh and the wannabe Limbaughs, the grass-roots activists such as the [tea party protesters] and all the forces in their party who want a monolithically pure, hard-line conservative party. This will prevent the Republican leaders from tacking to the middle in policy, recruiting and message."

Two weeks before Tuesday's elections, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich compared conditions today with those during the 1994 cycle. Americans, he said, are more frightened now by what they see happening in Washington, but also less open to Republicans than they were in 1993. "The aftereffect of '06 and '08 is that there's not a rush to Republicans."

What could change that? The economy, for one. Voters in Virginia and New Jersey most worried about the economy voted Republican last Tuesday. If voters are as concerned about the economy next October as they were this year, Gingrich said, "You may well have [House Republican Leader John] Boehner [as] speaker."

Gingrich also pointed to McDonnell, who played down his conservative views on social issues and focused on the economy, as a model. "When Republicans like McDonnell develop a positive message and campaign intensely among minorities, that creates an acceptable Republicanism," he said.

Republican strategists say even a successful midterm elections in 2010 will not guarantee longer-term success. They point to 1982 and 1994, when the party holding the White House suffered major losses, only to rebound two years later.

Indiana's Daniels said it is appropriate that voters put the Republicans in the penalty box and that the party must prove itself before those voters will entrust them with power again. "People are going to want to know -- first of all, that you paid the price for the things you did wrong; secondly, that you learned some lessons," he said. "Then they're going to want to look and see [and ask], 'Got something new for me?' "

When that question comes, will Republicans have the right answers?



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Sources: Washington Post, MSNBC, Politico, Google Maps

Unemployment Rate (10.2%) Has Congressional Members Concerned For Their Political Careers

Congressional Members fear their jobs are next


Of all the numbers swirling around this week Capitol Hill this week – health care whip counts, CBO estimates, winning and losing margins in Virginia, New York and New Jersey – one stands out from the rest: 10.2 percent.

That’s the national unemployment rate. And lawmakers from both parties know that, if it doesn’t go down dramatically before next November, they could be adding to it themselves.

“I think anytime unemployment is high and people are concerned about their jobs, the economy, incumbents on both sides of the aisle need to be concerned,” Republican Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker said Friday. “What people care most about is food, clothing and shelter. Period. .... When food, clothing and shelter are sort of impacted, their base lives are impacted, it definitely sours the public as it should. Usually the party in power takes the brunt of that, but it affects all incumbents."

With control of the White House and Congress, Democrats have the most to lose if jobless numbers remain high. But like Corker, Democrats insist that incumbents in both parties will feel the pain.

“I think it’s bad for incumbents in general. You’d have to be a fool not to realize that,” said Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley, whose home state of Nevada has a jobless rate in excess of 14 percent. “The way our fellow citizens register their concern is at the ballot box … if the unemployment numbers don’t go down, if there’s no relief, they will express their frustration in November 2010.”

Between Friday’s numbers and the election results earlier in the week, Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) said it’s “pretty evident” now that there’s “an anti-incumbent mood out there.”

“We all need to know that, and just work hard to try the best that we can here in Washington,” he said.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from the hard-hit state from Michigan, said Friday she's "certainly open" to a second economic stimulus package to reverse the staggering unemployment rate.

"I think we all have to very much pay attention to what's happening to real families," Stabenow said when asked about the political impact of the unemployment numbers. "Everything we're doing is aimed at middle class families, helping families, turning around main street."

But Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan, who faces reelection in the red state of North Dakota, said Friday that a second economic stimulus package isn't the way to go, criticizing the first package for placing a "small" emphasis on transportation and infrastructure projects that could have created more jobs.

"I think health care is important, climate change is important, I think by far the most important issue for this country is lifting the economy and putting people to work," Dorgan said. "This is not about a stimulus, it's about the right kind of policies to incentivize small and medium sized businesses to create jobs."

Republicans argue that an unemployment rate higher than it has been in more than a quarter of a century is evidence that the Democratic agenda isn’t putting Americans back to work. They say the situation will be made worse if Congress and President Obama enact a health care overhaul that will require $1 trillion in tax hikes and entitlement cuts to expand insurance coverage.

“Ten-point-two now makes it hard for the majority to sell their agenda,” said Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, the top Republican on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

“All I know is that Speaker Pelosi is trying to force her members to vote for a bill that the American people have soundly rejected,” added House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Democrats counter that their agenda has kick-started a recovery n Wall Street, even if it hasn’t trickled down to the job market yet, and that Republicans are putting what they’ve begun at risk.

Still, they’re anxious to show they are working on new solutions to help Americans who are out of work.

“With the unemployment rate at 10.2 percent, the highest since the early 1980s, Congress should consider a range of job-creation policies including a jobs tax credit bill I plan to introduce,” Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) said. “While a jobs tax credit wouldn’t fix all the challenges businesses face, it would be an effective tool in helping some firms hire more workers. Job creation must be a top priority for Congress and I will continue to look for ways to help get Americans back to work.”

For Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), who has a safe seat, the answer is to get more stimulus dollars flowing.

“We’ve got to push getting those stimulus dollars out that are clogged in the system,” she said.

Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) said a new highway bill would help immediately with job creation.

Democrats will focus even more on job creation once Congress finishes the debate on health care, said Sen. Mark Begich, a freshman Democrat elected from deeply Republican Alaska in 2008.

If at this time next year the public doesn’t think Congress is doing enough on the economy and jobs, he said, Democrats will be in trouble.

"If we are working hard, showing we're trying to move the economy in the right direction, working on creating long-term jobs and rebuilding this economy, I think the American people will recognize that," Begich said. "If we are not doing anything or we're limiting what we're doing and the rate is maybe inching a little bit, that becomes problematic."






Democrats see lessons in defeat of Creigh Deeds


Faced with the choice of running as an unapologetic Democrat in a state trending toward his party or keeping his distance from Washington in the fashion of a generation of Southern Democrats, Creigh Deeds tried to do both.

The result: the worst drubbing a Virginia gubernatorial candidate has received since 1961.

As Democrats try to glean lessons from Tuesday’s election losses, Deeds’s case offers a vivid example of the difficulties that their candidates from Republican-leaning or swing states will face heading into the midterm elections.

The quandary is how to motivate the so-called surge voters who flocked to the polls, often for the first time, to elect President Barack Obama while also not angering the independent voters who are increasingly wary of the policies coming out of the capital and, according to exit polls, moved sharply to the GOP in both the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial contests.

It was a challenge — energizing the base without losing swing voters — that paralyzed Deeds, sparked internal debates within his campaign and ultimately haunted his candidacy.

Running in a rapidly changing state that has seen a Democratic ascendancy capped by Obama’s victory there last year, Deeds was urged, immediately after he won the nomination in June, by Democratic National Committee Chairman and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine to link himself to the president, according to a senior Democratic official.

“I always thought the path to victory was to embrace the president and thereby energize the tremendous amount of supporters of the president in Virginia, particularly because it was going to be a low-turnout race,” Kaine said in an interview.

“The campaign strategy was to embrace the president as much as realistically possible,” insisted a top campaign official.

Campaign manager Joe Abbey noted that soon after the primary, the campaign had Obama send an e-mail to his Virginia supporters, welcomed Vice President Joe Biden to the state for a fundraiser and touted their support from the president in radio ads.

But as the summer went on, and support for health care reform foundered in the face of the raucous August town halls, Deeds’s advisers saw a changing political climate. “Independents slid away nationwide,” said Mike Gehrke, the campaign’s communications director.

Inside Deeds’s headquarters, some of his advisers grew nervous.

“As Obama took a summer nose dive in polls, the campaign misread that and freaked out,” said a senior Virginia Democrat close to the campaign. “They decided that on these key issues that were killing us with independents, we had to do everything to distance ourselves.”

Some of his aides argued for a more unapologetic approach, noting that, as Kaine declared after Obama’s win in the state, “Ole Virginny” was no more. With Democrats on the march in Virginia, there was no need to cower in fear of being pegged as a liberal.

On issues such as health care and energy where his Republican opponent Bob McDonnell tied him to Washington, Deeds could have responded by going on the offensive and accusing his rival of wanting to do nothing to expand coverage or find pro-growth solutions to climate change, said strategists in this camp.

“There was a way to keep the base engaged without pissing off independents,” said an adviser.

Kaine was also an advocate for not watering down the message. “I don’t think there’s a problem with just [saying], ‘Hey, gosh I’m a Democrat, and I’m proud of it, and let me tell you why,’” he said. “I don’t think you need to back away from it at all.”

But, seeing swing voters flee the Democratic Party, that’s not what Deeds did.

For years, Virginia Democrats ran in a way that emphasized the “Virginia” over the “Democrat,” always careful to not be identified with the more liberal national party. Hailing from rural Bath County, along the West Virginia border, this was the background from which Deeds came up in local and then state politics.

“For a lot of these guys like him, it’s just in their political DNA [to avoid being depicted as national Democrats],” lamented a senior Deeds official.

So when he was asked at a September debate if Obama was his kind of Democrat, Deeds struggled.

“I’m a Creigh Deeds Democrat,” he replied, even while acknowledging his support for the president on many issues.

At a debate the following month — frustrated by the unrelenting attacks by McDonnell and outside groups that portrayed him as supporting cap and trade — Deeds grew angry, shot back that he did not support the legislation before Congress and accused McDonnell of lying — a violation of Virginia’s decorous campaign rules.

And in the final debate, he hurt himself again by suggesting that he may support Virginia’s opting out of any public health care plan, a statement that drew howls from liberals.

In an interview with POLITICO and ABC 7/WJLA-TV in early October, Deeds voiced the challenge himself: “Frankly, a lot of what’s going on in Washington has made it very tough.”

A Deeds adviser said the notion that the campaign ran from Obama “is just not true.”

But he said the campaign had to carve out some separation from the national party on issues that were showing up in their polling as political losers — like cap and trade.

In August, the campaign conducted a poll of the Obama “surge” voters. They were found to be young, mostly well-educated, largely located in Tidewater and suburban Washington, the two population centers in the state — and disconnected from state issues. They also lacked land lines and watched little local news.

“They don’t acquire political information in ways that average voters do,” said a senior Deeds official. “So we had a content problem and delivery-of-message problem.”

But they were found to be in favor of abortion rights and culturally liberal. So in an effort to appeal to both swing voters and the Obama set, the campaign launched an offensive that focused on a graduate school thesis that McDonnell wrote that was derisive of working women and gays.

“We tested it,” said Abbey, the manager. “And it seemed to be a way to kill two birds with one stone.”

Along with focusing on McDonnell’s opposition to abortion, the idea was to shock both middle-aged, centrist suburbanites and disengaged young liberals out of their political slumber and give them a reason to tune in. They won some support from the effort but were unable to pivot to a broader message. “There just wasn’t a second act,” said an aide.

Part of the problem was that cultural issues were simply not on the minds of an electorate consumed with economic issues and local matters such as roads and schools. And those were precisely the topics McDonnell focused on. “McDonnell ran as the moderate Democrat,” quipped a White House official.

Further, and beyond his own hedging on health care and energy, Deeds did little to inspire the Obama loyalists. “It’s fair to say we didn’t put out enough of a positive message to capture their imagination,” said Kevin Mack, a top Deeds adviser.

Ultimately, Deeds hugged the president, airing a last-gasp ad that featured Obama singing his praises and appearing with him in Norfolk a week before the election. But by then, the race was out of hand.

Virginia is a unique state — Gehrke quipped that it was like “Connecticut and Alabama smashed together” — but the president’s approval ratings there are similar to what they are nationwide.

Other states present similar political terrain — a mix of conservatives and liberals with a majority of moderates. And now other Democrats will grapple with the same challenge of appealing to independents souring on the party and Obama loyalists.

“Deeds handled both poorly,” said a Virginia Democrat close to the campaign.

Asked what advice could be offered to Democrats running in circumstances like that of Deeds, this Democrat said to run to Obama, not from him: “You’re going to own him anyway.”



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Sources: Politico, Google Maps

Anthony Foxx's 1st Agenda: Climate Change Agreement...No Jobs? See, I Told Ya Charlotte

So Anthony Foxx's first priority is signing a Climate Change Agreement. Hmmm, how convenient for him.

The Charlotte Observer doesn't want to admit that their Editorial Staff may have endorsed the wrong Mayoral Candidate.

A Candidate whose First Priority should be saving JOBS and attracting Businesses NOT signing a Climate Change Agreement.

For the Charlotte Observer staff to admit they were wrong would no doubt cause them to lose even more Subscribers.

As you continue reading the contents of this post notice how Mayor-Elect Anthony Foxx doesn't mention doing anything immediately to save Jobs or attract Businesses to this region.

Foxx recently told WSOC-TV reporters he plans to pull together a Bi-Partisan panel for the purpose of getting public input about how to accomplish this task. (Doesn't this sound like Pres. Obama?)

Interesting. I wonder if he will invite John Lassiter to join this "Bi-Partisan" panel.

That's fine but what is Anthony Foxx's personal Agenda for saving Jobs or attracting new Business to Charlotte?

Doesn't he already know how to do this?

Excuse me but Pres. Obama has four years to turn the Economy around, Foxx only has two years to turn around Charlotte's Economy.

Furthermore if Foxx does pull together a "Bi-Partisan" panel to help straighten out Charlotte's Economy, Republicans will most likely have the best ideas on Fiscal Responsibility but he and the Charlotte Observer will make sure that Democrats receive ALL the Credit.

No offense to Pres. Obama but Foxx's conversation yesterday with the President about keeping BOFA's headquarters in Charlotte is futile.

President Obama doesn't control Bank Of America. The Share Holders and Board of Directors do.

If President Obama could control Wall Street how were the Bailed out banks able to give out huge bonuses to their employees in a Recession?

Don't you think Anthony Foxx already knows this information?

Come on the guy is a Civil Litigation Lawyer. Of course he already knows this!

Foxx just used news of that conversation with Pres. Obama as a Photo Op. (Opportunist: the kind who forgets about his Blood Cousins, middle class and low income voters)

In case Foxx hasn't read the latest news reports President Obama doesn't have time to be concerned about Charlotte's problems at the moment.

He is too busy trying to save the Democratic Party from experiencing another brutal loss during the upcoming 2010 Elections.

Signing a Climate Change Agreement is Foxx's first priority??

I told ya Charlotte and you haven't seen anything yet.

Just wait until Anthony Foxx continues to unfold his true agenda for the city of Charlotte.

Let this be a lesson learned. Next time do your own thinking instead of allowing the Charlotte Observer to blindly lead you into a political ditch.





Foxx pledges to sign climate agreement


Anthony Foxx said his first act as Charlotte mayor will be to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which incumbent Republican Pat McCrory refused to do.

More than a dozen N.C. cities have joined the campaign against global warming. By signing, the communities pledge to work toward cutting emissions of greenhouse gases to pre-1990 levels.

McCrory helped draft the measure as chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors environmental committee. But he refused to sign it two years ago because it didn't include nuclear power as an alternative energy source.

Foxx said he would put Charlotte on board "with the stroke of a pen."

Foxx outlined his plans for the city Thursday, two days after he was elected Charlotte's first Democratic mayor in 22 years. Foxx will take office Dec. 7 with a City Council that's more Democratic, with an 8-3 majority instead of 7-4. Since the city went to partisan elections in 1977, no party has had such a commanding majority.

A Democratic mayor and a five-member majority on council could alter the city's agenda over the next two years on a number of issues, from streetcars to city budgets.

Mayor Pro Tem Susan Burgess, a Democratic incumbent, was the top vote-getter Tuesday, getting nearly 5,000 more votes than Foxx. She said the council votes unanimously "99 percent of the time," and she doesn't expect significant changes.

But she added: "We won't have, of course, the McCrory vetoes that we've had to deal with in the past."

McCrory said Thursday that city government will suffer under a council tilted to Democrats.

"There isn't any balance anymore," McCrory said.

Here are a few issues the new council may consider:

Rental ordinance

Council members are scheduled to vote Monday on an ordinance that would require landlords of crime-ridden rental properties to register with the city.

Problem landlords would have to meet with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police to map out a strategy to reduce crime at their properties and could ultimately lose their ability to collect rent if crime isn't reduced.

Some Democrats, including council member James Mitchell, want all landlords to register with the city.

Foxx said he hopes the ordinance is deferred.

"I think we can strengthen it," he said. "I don't think it's the best we can do."

McCrory said he's opposed to the ordinance, in part because it expands city government. He said he might veto it.

Eastland Mall

The council has held closed sessions this fall on buying all of Eastland Mall, to make it easier for a developer to buy the entire 90-acre site and redevelop it. The city is concerned that the large number of property owners at Eastland - nearly a dozen - will make it difficult to transform the failing mall into a mixed-use center of offices, stores and houses.

Council members haven't talked about the purchase in public, and many are reportedly hesitant about such a complicated deal. But a larger Democratic presence in city government could increase the likelihood of an Eastland deal. Democratic council member Nancy Carter, who represents east Charlotte, is lobbying colleagues to invest in the blighted area.

Collective bargaining

In late October, during the height of the mayoral campaign, McCrory asked council members to oppose a bill working through Congress that would allow collective bargaining for police and firefighters nationwide - even in states that already forbid it, like North Carolina.

The item was sent to committee but will return this fall. Foxx, who had union support during the campaign, didn't take a position on the issue during the debate.

Foxx said the National League of Cities is already lobbying against the bill, and that the Charlotte City Council's voice isn't important.

"I don't know what the point is, other than to make a political point," he said.

McCrory said it's important that Charlotte's voice be heard. He said collective bargaining could have "dire consequences" for the city financially.

"We should add this as part of our federal lobbying efforts," McCrory said.

Streetcar

The streetcar debate has been settled - at least for the next year. Seven council Democrats this fall voted to override McCrory's veto of a decision to spend $4.5 million on designing the line through central Charlotte.

But in 2010, that phase of engineering work will be finished, and the council may face another fork in the road: Spend more money on designing the line or freeze the project until a funding plan is in place?

Foxx campaigned on his willingness to advance the streetcar, though he said he wouldn't raise property taxes to pay for it. Having another Democratic vote on the council could increase the chances of the streetcar advancing.

Foxx said he may make a trip to Raleigh and Washington, D.C., before he takes office to continue lobbying for transit projects, such as the light-rail extension and a commuter train to Lake Norman.

Development

In the last two weeks of the campaign, Foxx said his opponent, Republican council member John Lassiter, was beholden to developers. Lassiter said they were important to building the city and that he could work with them effectively.

One test of the new council will be revisions to the city's 1978 tree ordinance. The changes, which have been debated for more than two years, would require developers to set aside at least 15 percent of property for trees, among other changes.

The Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition has balked at some of the changes, arguing it would increase the cost to build homes and businesses. Council could vote on the revisions in the next six months.

Budget

Foxx also said he would appoint citizen advisory committees, including one on city spending. He wants the group to report on possible cost savings before the City Council adopts a new budget next spring.





Charlotte Mayor-Elect Anthony Foxx Sits Down For Exclusive Interview With Channel 9 (WSOC-TV)

Anthony Foxx, Charlotte's mayor-elect, sat down with Eyewitness News anchor Scott Wickersham Thursday morning for Foxx's first live TV interview since Tuesday's election.

Foxx made history Tuesday, becoming the youngest man elected as mayor in Charlotte. He's also poised to become Charlotte's first new mayor in 14 years and only the second black mayor in Charlotte.

Tuesday's election changed the dynamics of Charlotte politics. Democrats now have a 8-3 majority on City Council and Foxx, a Democrat, has the mayoral power to veto. Foxx said the change is significant but the job of mayor is to represent everyone in the city, not just Democrats.

Part of Foxx's campaign promise included putting together a bipartisan group to go through the city budget, line-by-line. Thursday, Foxx said he is still committed to that goal and trying to find savings in the budget for the Queen City.

Foxx said his first priority is working to retain current jobs while recruiting new ones. He said Charlotte will have to work harder to retain jobs this year than in years past.

The White House called Foxx Wednesday. The mayor-elect spoke with President Obama, mostly about keeping the financial services industry in Charlotte. There have been fears that Charlotte could lose the Bank of America headquarters. Foxx said it's necessary to continue forward with confidence in Charlotte as a good place to live and do business. He also said to remember Charlotte is not a one-trick pony; the Queen City has other strengths to draw from and must continue to diversify.

Foxx also addressed the city's relationship with Raleigh. He is currently serving as Chair of the City Transportation Committee and has worked with Raleigh. Foxx said he spoke with Governor Bev Perdue Wednesday about how to support I-485 and other projects going forward.

As the interview concluded, Foxx admitted he doesn't know what the next year holds for Charlotte, but the he will work for the city and utilize the strengths of those with talent to deliver on promises he's made.





W.H. feels pressure on jobs, spending



Caught between Tuesday’s election results and Friday’s unemployment numbers, the White House faces increased pressure to slow spending next year but also to produce more Main Street jobs to match Wall Street’s recovery.

Going into the 2011 budget cycle, the administration now appears on course to impose close to a freeze on new discretionary appropriations after the double-barrel increases in 2009 and 2010. The costs of the Afghanistan war are a wild card, but even before the polls closed Tuesday, White House Budget Director Peter Orszag was talking up deficit reduction in New York, and his earlier guidance to agencies calls for alternatives that assume a freeze at 2010 funding levels, or a 5 percent reduction.

Republicans warn that President Barack Obama can’t ignore what they see as Tuesday’s backlash against the “overspending” and “overgovernment” in his first year in office. “The Obama administration would do well not to underestimate the intensity of voter opinion on these issues — or the impact they have on independent voters,” Republican pollster Neil Newhouse told POLITICO.

Matched against this sentiment is the increased frustration among Democrats over the jobs outlook — and a continued stalemate with the White House over funding for highway construction.

The Labor Department will release new monthly numbers Friday, and Democrats anticipate no improvement over September’s 9.8 percent unemployment rate. “We face a long road back,” said Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.).

To help the jobless through the holidays, Congress sent Obama a bill Thursday that would add up to 20 weeks in assistance for those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. But the future of the highway program, hurt by a drop-off in gasoline tax revenues, remains a bone of contention.

The White House has said it wants to extend the current program only through the 2010 elections and then address increased funding. But 15 states are already so short of cash they can’t meet their 20 percent matching requirement. And that number could double next year — greatly reducing the chance to let contracts and create jobs.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) has argued for an upfront investment of $80 billion over two years to get over this hurdle.

“The concrete is cracking,” Oberstar said, laughing, hinting that the administration’s resistance is weakening. And though he denies any role in the discussions, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel keeps popping up in conversations, drawn into the fray through his ties to old House colleagues, seen in the gym or at dinner.

The big question is where the money will come from. Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) said he is prepared to round up 30 Republican votes for a plan tapping unspent stimulus funds — an idea that he said had been discussed by Emanuel with an old Chicago friend, Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.). House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey (D-Wis.) said he knew nothing of this approach and would oppose it — leaving others to look for revenues.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn is most insistent on action requiring some give from the White House.

“I’ve told the administration, I don’t care who says it, that [it] is absolutely wrongheaded,” the South Carolina Democrat told POLITICO. “We have to reauthorize that highway bill for at least four years. I would prefer five or six,” Clyburn said, even if it meant imposing a securities transaction tax on the financial community to cover the costs.

“There are some painless ways to fund the highway bill,” Clyburn said. “Transaction taxes, that’s a painless way; that’s a painless way.”

“Where are the shared contributions to all this? If you’re sitting there on Wall Street, if you’re Goldman Sachs, if you’re making all this money, if you got all this federal money [in a] bailout, and you are paying all these big bonuses to your folks, where is your contribution to this recovery? That’s why it’s painless.”

Rep. Peter DeFazio, a major player on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and a gymmate of Emanuel’s, has been drafting legislation along these lines: “Let Wall Street Pay for the Restoration of Main Street Act.” And the Oregon Democrat argues that the proposed 0.25 percent excise tax would have a negligible impact on the average investor and yield sufficient revenues to both cover increased highway funding and make a down payment toward reducing the deficit.

The financial industry is sure to fight any such levy and enjoys powerful allies, such as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). But the anti-Wall Street sentiment in Congress goes well beyond DeFazio’s populist caucus. And the administration admits it will also be looking for new sources of revenue as part of its 2011 budget, due in February.

In this context, some transaction tax could potentially be part of a compromise in smoothing out the adjustment in capital gains taxes as Congress and the president decide which of the Bush-era income taxes will survive — and which will expire.

The capital gains tax rate is slated to rise from 15 percent to 20 percent, but if House Democrats succeed in adding their surtax on the wealthy, it could be a swing of 15 percent to 25.4 percent for big investors in January 2011. That’s enough to have some officials worried about the impact on the markets as individuals cash in on gains at the end of next year, and one option would be to use transaction tax revenues to craft a gentler glide path.

Obama in the past has cast himself as a supporter of long-term investments encouraged by capital gains tax breaks. By contrast, advocates of a transaction tax argue that it would fall more heavily on frequent traders and short-term speculators.

“It would be a good thing if we could do it internationally, but those transactions are so internationally mobile you can’t do it in one country,” House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) told POLITICO. “Stocks trade on multiple exchanges. That’s one of the few where the business community has a legitimate anti-competitive argument.”






Unemployment tops 10 percent


Democrats – headed into an historic health care vote this weekend — got smacked in the face with a 10.2 percent unemployment rate in October, the government reported Friday.

The 10.2 percent figure is well above the 9.9 percent that economists expected and breaks the psychological barrier of 10 percent, breaking double digits for the first time in 26 years. It's the last headline the Obama administration wanted to see going into the House healthcare vote.

In all, employers shed 190,000 non-farm jobs last month.

The tough numbers arm House Republicans with fresh political ammo against the trillion-dollar House health care bill, which could come to a vote as early as Saturday. The GOP has been relentlessly pushing the narrative that Democrats obsessed with creating ever-bigger government at the expense of the economy.

"As unemployment tops 10 percent this holiday season, Republicans have put jobs and the economy first, and are focused on developing real solutions that will put Americans back to work," House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said. "Increasing taxes on small business, as Democrats will do to pay for government run health care, is the wrong approach."

Even thought it was a point higher than expected, the upward trend in unemployment comes as no surprise to economists and administration officials alike. Nonetheless, the increase is an uncomfortable reminder for the Obama administration that they’re facing a long string of bad headlines on the economy, despite other evidence that the economy is shaking off the recession.

There’s wide consensus that the jobless rate will surpass 10 percent before it starts to head back down, and it could remain above 10 percent well into 2010. Hiring typically lags behind other signs of economic recovery in a recession, and this recession has seen deeper job cuts than previous recessions.

It’s also sure to up the pressure on Democrats to take steps to boost job creation – all while being careful not to do anything large enough to earn the label of “stimulus,” which would suggest that the first one they did this year didn’t work.

Democrats did what they could to insulate themselves ahead of the October jobs report, clearing an extension for jobless benefits Thursday, as well as some tax breaks, including an expanded homebuyer tax credit.

“The bill will mark another step toward a boost in our economic growth and it will make critical investments for our families and our workers,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday.





Foxx tells Obama: Charlotte needs BofA


Charlotte Mayor-elect Anthony Foxx said he spoke with President Barack Obama on Wednesday about the importance of banking to Charlotte's economy, and said Thursday he thinks the White House could play a role in whether Bank of America keeps its headquarters in Charlotte.

"The federal government has some skin in the game," said Foxx, who was receiving a congratulatory call from Obama after winning Tuesday's mayoral election. "I hope there is a conversation about stabilizing the communities they serve," he added.

Foxx is among local leaders concerned that Bank of America's search for a chief executive to replace the departing Ken Lewis could lead to the uprooting of the bank's headquarters. The Charlotte Chamber and other officials said this week they have been in contact with the bank about the issue, but it's unclear whether they will have any influence on a decision normally relegated to the corporate boardroom.

The bank's board has no directors with ties to Charlotte, except Lewis. Federal regulators are also expected to have a veto on the final candidate. The worry is that if the new CEO doesn't want to live in Charlotte, the headquarters could migrate to New York, Boston or another city.

Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., said he has talked briefly with House Financial Services committee chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., about Bank of America and its jobs. "The essence of what he said to me is to assure me he's not out there to try to move Bank of America headquarters to Boston," Watt said.

Mayor Pat McCrory said he has an effort under way that involves a combination of strategies and includes players from business and government.

"The governor, the secretary of commerce, myself, the chamber and even our senators are working closely together to support Bank of America during their decision-making process," McCrory said this week. "Part of that is first respecting the process that they've got to go through ... while also selling our assets." He declined to be more specific.

Beyond public officials, two of the bank's most influential individual shareholders live in Charlotte - former CEO Hugh McColl Jr. and investor C.D. Spangler. Both declined to comment on whether they were reaching out to the bank.

"I think that whomever is made chief executive officer of the Bank of America is someone that Charlotte should welcome," McColl said in an interview. "And I would stop at the word 'welcome,' as opposed to 'welcome to town.' In other words, whining won't get us anywhere. We need to try to build a relationship."

But even the best efforts of a city and state might not be enough to dissuade a CEO who wants to make a move, experts said.

"The natural thing to do is to say, 'What changes do we need to make in our facilities? ... Maybe we can do something on the property tax side,'" said Steven Smith, director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy at Washington University in St. Louis. "But with a company the size of Bank of America, and the size of its financial troubles, we know that property taxes are hardly a major concern."

N.C. politicians have a mixed record on banding together around issues affecting local companies.

In 2001, most of the state's congressional delegation, except then Democratic Sen. John Edwards, argued in favor of a merger between United Airlines and US Airways, which has its biggest hub in Charlotte. The plan was quashed by the U.S. Justice Department.

Last year, then-state treasurer Richard Moore was the only major political voice to speak out against Wells Fargo's purchase of Wachovia, saying that an independent company was better for the state. He urged North Carolinians to write letters to a Charlotte judge who ultimately rejected a lawsuit that sought to stop the deal.

Other regions have had more luck. Senators in Minnesota, Arizona and New York have successfully pressured General Motors, which has government loans, into not closing dealerships in their constituencies. Pittsburgh almost lost the headquarters of Westinghouse Electric last year, but local, regional and state leaders worked together to persuade the company to stay, said Dewitt Peart, president of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance.

In 2004, Frank used his position on the House Financial Services Committee to pressure Bank of America into keeping a major presence in Boston following its purchase of FleetBoston Financial. After Frank and other local politicians questioned whether Bank of America was reneging on its commitment to the region, the company moved 400 wealth and investment management executives to the city.

In an interview Thursday, Frank, chairman of the committee, said he thought it was inappropriate to try to influence the choosing of a private company's CEO. But he said he "will insist on a continued strong presence in Boston in particular and New England in general."

Some in Charlotte have worried about the influence of the bank's Boston-based leaders. Consumer banking head Brian Moynihan is a former Fleet executive who is considered a leading internal candidate to replace Lewis. Three former Fleet directors are on the search committee.

Frank said he talks with the bank's Boston-based marketing executive, Anne Finucane, and other bank officials, but he hasn't contacted the board. Frank said he and Watt, also a committee member, have discussed the importance of the bank to both of their communities. "I think it's a big enough institution that Charlotte and Boston can have a significant presence," he said.

Watt said that while he's been talking Charlotte up as a place to do business, Congress won't likely influence the outcome anyway. "Because it ain't our business. It ain't our decision to make," he said. "The board has to make that decision."

Rep. Larry Kissell, D-N.C., also has been talking with Watt about the issue, his spokeswoman said. Charlotte Republican Rep. Sue Myrick has not heard that Bank of America would move its headquarters, and so has not been working on the issue, her office said.

In addition to taking Obama's congratulatory call, Foxx said he also spoke Wednesday with Valerie Jarrett, Obama's political advisor, and David Agnew, a White House liaison to mayors, and reminded them of how important banking is to Charlotte. None of them offered specific assurances of help.

Foxx is hoping that a Democratic mayor in Charlotte will yield benefits for the city, because his party is in power in the governor's mansion and in Washington.



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Sources: Politico, Huffington Post, McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, WSOC-TV, WBT, Charlotte Conservative.com, Google Maps

Democrats Are Scared! Rethinking Agenda...They Better Wake Up

Happy GOP boss. RNC chairman Michael Steele discusses the GOP's triumphs in Virginia and New Jersey, and responds to a grilling from Lawrence O'Donnell.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

What do the Voters want?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Election result: Red-state Dems worried, rethink agenda


Election Day losses in Virginia and New Jersey have congressional Democrats focused like never before on jobs — their own.

While the White House and party leaders are urging calm, Democratic incumbents from red states and Republican-leaning districts are anything but; Tuesday's statehouse defeats have left them acutely aware that their votes on health care reform and other major Obama initiatives could be career-enders in 2010 or beyond.

“I should be nervous,” said Rep. Parker Griffith, a freshman Democrat from Huntsville, Ala.

Griffith said the Democratic rank and file is “very, very sensitive” to the fact that issues being pushed by party leaders “have the potential to cost some of our front-line members their seats.”

House Democrats, forced to take a tough vote on a controversial cap-and-trade climate change bill in June, may have to vote as earlier as this weekend on the even more controversial health care bill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team have struggled to get moderates on board for that vote, and Tuesday's results won't make the task any easier.

“People who had weak knees before are going to have weaker knees now,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), a relatively liberal congressman who seemed safe in 2010 but now thinks a Republican challenger might feel emboldened by Tuesday’s election results.

Democratic Sen. Jim Webb — who watched Republican Bob McDonnell and other statewide candidates erase years of Democratic gains in his home state of Virginia — said Tuesday’s results show that Republicans are “energized from what happened last year” but also that “people up here on our side need to get their message straighter, too.”

Party leaders put their best face on Tuesday’s results.

Pelosi, pointing to Democratic House victories in special elections in New York and California, said: “We won last night.”

The office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid circulated an analysis arguing that “gubernatorial races are primarily about local issues,” and that it’s therefore “hard to draw any direct comparisons between what happened in New Jersey and Virginia and what will happen in Congress.”

But some Democrats weren’t buying the spin.

“We got walloped,” said Sen. Mark Warner, the junior Democrat from Virginia.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said it was “nonsense” to suggest that the results in New Jersey and Virginia represented a referendum on President Barack Obama. To the contrary, he argued that the results meant that Democrats should redouble their efforts to “make sure we deliver on the promises of the last election.”

But if Tuesday’s results leave red-state Democrats nervous about health care reform, a climate change bill and regulatory reform, it’s going to be harder — not easier — for Van Hollen and his leadership colleagues to develop that record of legislative accomplishment.

And that’s certainly where things seemed to be headed Wednesday. As Pelosi’s office ordered members to stay in town for a possible Saturday night House vote on health care, other Democrats were suggesting that it's time to take the foot off the gas.

As members came to grips with the election returns, Rep. Frank Kratovil Jr. (D-Md.) said he wants “as much time as I possibly can [have] to review both sides and make the best decision I can make” on the health care bill.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a big swing vote for Democratic leaders, said Tuesday’s elections should tell Democrats that their “agenda needs to be patterned towards” the economy.

“People need to be saying slow it down and don’t add more to the deficit,” Nelson said. “And what have many of us been talking about? We don’t want to see anything added to the deficit unless there’s cost containment.”

On health care, Nelson said: “Let’s see coverage extended, … but at what cost?”

Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, the lone Republican to vote for a health care bill, said Tuesday’s results should slow Democrats down on health care — and “certainly gives pause on how you approach things.”

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who’s threatened to filibuster the health care bill if it isn’t changed before it goes to a vote, said he’s sensing that public fears over the rising national debt “may affect” the Democrats’ broader agenda, noting that there’s been “a very large and quick move of independents” away from the Democratic Party and that public fears of the rising debt are at a “tipping point.”

According to exit polls, Republican gubernatorial candidates took 62 percent of the independent vote in Virginia and 58 percent of the independent vote in New Jersey.

“They’re feeling anxious and they want the government to do something to help them; they’re very worried that we’re going to spend more money,” Lieberman said. “I think one thing it says to me is that whatever we do, we better make damn sure it’s paid for.”

Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in an interview that he’s not concerned about next year’s races, calling Tuesday’s results a “mixed bag” that was not the result of Obama’s agenda.

But Menendez added: “We need to be focused like a laser beam on the question of the nation’s economy and the issues of how we best can create jobs. That’s the laser-beam approach. If we do that, we’ll be fine next year.”

Other Democrats said not advancing health care legislation is not an option, with Karin Johanson, a former DCCC executive director, saying it would “be foolish” if Tuesday’s results had a chilling effect on the health care debate.

“I think people have to keep in mind that we will be judged on if we get a good thing going,” said Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.). “I think failure to get anything done will counted as a huge black mark against us, and rightfully so.”

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said the gubernatorial results said more about Virginia and New Jersey than they did about Congress. But still, she said she is well aware that voters are feeling anxious about what the Democrats are doing on Capitol Hill.

“They’re very concerned about some of the actions that are occurring here in D.C., and we have got to be very sensitive to the fragile economic recovery that’s underway,” she said.






"We got walloped!"


Two big questions loom in the wake of the 2009 elections. The first is whether Barack Obama learned anything new about American voters. The second is whether American voters will soon learn something new about Obama.

For a president who likes always to convey confidence and cool, the returns will test his willingness and capacity for self-critique and self-correction.

So far, Obama’s White House has responded to the results — flaming defeats for Democratic gubernatorial nominees in Virginia and New Jersey, along with better news in the N.Y. 23 special congressional election — exclusively with self-justification.

Obama himself did not mention the elephant in the room Wednesday in public appearances in Wisconsin. His silence came even though he had immersed himself heavily in the New Jersey race in particular, only to see incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine lose a traditionally Democratic state.

National polls for months have shown deep unease among independent voters about Washington spending and about the expansiveness of Democratic proposals. So it was not fully a surprise when, in both New Jersey and Virginia, these voters swung wildly from Obama in 2008 to Republicans this time, according to exit polls.

White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Tuesday’s results do not suggest any need for political repositioning or policy reappraisal.

“The CW in town has focused on the governors’ races, but the most portentous event was the New York 23rd because it exposed a major fissure in the Republican Party.”

But what if independents abandon 2010 congressional Democrats the same way they fled Corzine and Virginia Democrat Creigh Deeds?

“If the Earth stops turning, we are all going to die, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” said Axelrod. Turning more serious, he said he would tell anxious Democratic candidates, “I understand that there might be some nervousness, and that’s understandable, but we are doing the right things. The best move politically is to show more and more success governmentally.”

Axelrod also emphasized that the winner of the New York House race, Bill Owens, “ran by embracing the president.”

In previous elections, he warned, embattled candidates have learned that “the history of running away from a president is not very good. ... That’s the first thing I’d tell” Democrats in competitive seats this year.

The cheerful public line from the White House carried an echo of Obama’s immediate predecessor, George W. Bush, another president whose political operation reported sunny skies no matter the weather.

Uncertain for now is whether Obama and his political team actually believe their talking points. That will become clear only over coming days and weeks if Obama recalibrates his rhetoric or the substance and pacing of his agenda, particularly on his politically volatile proposals to overhaul health care and impose new regulations to curb greenhouse gases.

But whatever Obama decides, it is clear he must grapple with something new: a sharp divergence of views in his party about the significance of Tuesday’s results. Many activists said the problem was with Democrats such as Deeds who did not more fully embrace Obama.

Notably, however, few of these people were Democratic politicians who run in competitive districts.

Particularly in Virginia — which in recent years has emerged as an emblematic swing state — most Democratic politicians Tuesday night and Wednesday were frank in seeing worrisome trends and eager to see Democrats, starting with Obama, do more to emphasize fiscal responsibility.

In contrast to the Obama’s team sanguine analysis, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told POLITICO, “We got walloped.”

Many Democratic politicians and operatives publicly and privately say Obama’s “big bang” strategy — trying to move several major policy initiatives in his first year — has also caused independent voters to question whether he is sufficiently focused on their primary concern, reviving the stagnant economy.



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Sources: Politico, MSNBC, Google Maps

Charlotte Leaders Give Harry Jones A Bonus, Cut Mental Health Care...Vote No Next Elections!

Charlotte Politicians especially the Democrats, think just because Anthony Foxx recently slid into Mayor McCrory's seat, everything will be smooth sailing from here on out.

Their arrogant behavior demonstrated by giving Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Harry Jones a $38,000 Bonus he does NOT deserve, proves Charlotte's Leaders actually think they rule the roost and that Voters are Stupid!

Notice how they didn't approve of Jones' bonus until AFTER Foxx won the Mayor's race. Sneaky bunch aren't they?

If Charlotte Politicians were bold and arrogant enough to pull this stunt, voters can be assured that when they get some more Stimulus Funds into their hands its going to be wasted on experiments and junk just like in the past.

Nothing valuable or helpful to Constituents. No, instead that money will be wasted fulfilling personal Political Favors and other junk, along with more Property Tax Increases for voters (low income and middle class citizens only) of course.

Well guess what people??

In case you've missed the latest news reports Democrats recently lost important races in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City!

NY-23 was just a mercy win, not anything to really brag about.

Perhaps Charlotte's Leaders aren't aware of this fact but Virginia is a key state for Political victory.

Voters who were fed up with status quo drama and broken campaign promises showed their displeasure at the polls on Super Tuesday 2009.

If Anthony Foxx does a poor job (I hope he doesn't) and if Pres. Obama doesn't get this country's High Unemployment Rate (10% and rising) situation under control, Democrats will NOT survive another sweeping victory like 2008 for a long time!

This includes North Carolina because Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) is looking pretty good to voters right about now. Including Democrat voters.

Only a few dumb diehards are still voting Straight Tickets or along strict Partisan party lines.

There are now more Dems voting for Republicans, more Republicans voting for Dems, more Black voters casting ballots for White Candidates and Independent Voters doing their own thing.

Do Charlotte's Leaders really think that Dirty Politics, the Charlotte Observer, Law degrees, Fraternity brothers or Sorority sisters will be able to save them during the next two elections if they continue this Tax and Spend, Public Corruption, Cronyism crap?

Do they also really think Partisan Politics is the answer to longevity in Public Office?

If Charlotte Politicians especially Dems, really believe those false ideologies I have some swamp land in Florida I want to sell them. Ha Ha!

So....

If Charlotte's Leaders especially Dems, keep up their same status quo stupidity, during the next two elections (2011 & 2012) NOT even Black Voters are going to support them.

You think that Voters, especially Black Voters are stupid??

Just ask former Greensboro Mayor Yvonne Johnson or Creigh Deeds.

While your at it also check out the Atlanta Mayor's Runoff election scheduled to take place this December between Caucasian candidate Mary Norwood and African-American candidate Kasim Reed.

People are tired of Status Quo Politics!

Charlotte Leaders you better wake up and stop being Arrogant or your days in Public Office will be short lived.

Here's a word to the wise: "He who laughs first, laughs last".




Atlanta's Mary Norwood will face Kasim Reed in a Runoff election December '09. If elected she will become Atlanta's first White Mayor since the 1970's.










Jones gets bonus but total pay is same


Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones will receive a $38,400 performance bonus, but his total compensation remains the same as last year, under a deal unanimously approved Wednesday by county commissioners.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Commissioners praised Jones for, among other things, leading the county during a difficult economic time.

The "pay-at-risk" money - which commissioners have in previous years called a performance bonus - is part of an overall $302,854 compensation package. It also includes $215,655 in base salary.

The pay plan keeps Jones' compensation the same as in 2008-09, though a board committee determined he actually would have been due more money this year, said commissioner Dumont Clarke.

Jones, however, asked that his pay be kept level. "That was his request," said commissioners' Chairman Jennifer Roberts. He "wants to be treated like all the other county employees." The county didn't award any merit raises this year.

Jones' evaluation has been in the works for weeks, with talks largely being kept private initially as allowed by state law.

But some commissioners acknowledged last month that paying the money could raise questions in light of steep budget cuts across the county. Two other local public officials - Charlotte City Manager Curt Walton and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Peter Gorman - declined merit raises or bonuses for themselves and staff to help save money.

Jones is eligible for a higher bonus than Gorman or Walton, up to 30 percent of his base salary.

Commissioners Chair Jennifer Roberts said the board had a "difficult conversation" about the pay plan because of the economic conditions.

Still, commissioners also have said they wanted to reward Jones for meeting goals previously outlined by the board.

Clarke said Jones told commissioners earlier Tuesday evening that 2008-09 was both his most challenging and best year as manager.

Roberts said Jones "has done a very, very good job, an excellent job as manager in a very difficult year." She cited Jones' work addressing budget cuts because of falling tax revenues and his work on the Critical Needs Task Force to help address social services needs in the community.

But the county also faced questions about inadequate accounting at the Department of Social Services, including an investigation into possible misused money in a charity program for Foster Children. The county announced steps to help shore up practices within DSS, including putting its finances under control of the main county finance department.

Mecklenburg has offered bonuses to the manager for years, but decided five years ago to restructure the pay system to reflect a CEO-style package of a base salary with another piece of pay tied to performance.

Under the plan, Jones is eligible for a bonus of up to 30 percent of his annual salary based on a series of criteria, including how well the county performs on annual goals and a management plan approved by commissioners. Based on his current salary, he could have received a bonus up to about $65,000 this year.

Jones has not received the full bonus since commissioners approved the new pay structure in 2004.

Clarke said Jones' performance in the past year earned him more money. He said he's being paid about 10 percent less than what his performance score called for.

Cuts in mental health

Also on Tuesday, commissioners approved about $2.76million worth of service cuts to the county's Area Mental Health department because of reduced money from the state. The state cuts were actually larger, but county staff has promised $3.7 million to help make up the gap.

Jones said he hasn't yet identified where the money would come from.




Bill Knight wins Greensboro Mayoral race


The City Council just got a lot more conservative — starting with the guy at the top.

First-time mayoral candidate Bill Knight ousted incumbent Yvonne Johnson in Tuesday’s City Council election.

The victory is the first by a challenger over an incumbent mayor since voters began electing the mayor at-large in 1973.

Knight ran on a platform of Fiscal Conservatism and cleaning up the city’s police department. He will lead a council that, in the course of one election, now has a supermajority of registered Republicans.

“The voters spoke to change,” Knight said.

About 18 percent of the city’s registered voters turned out for the election, which included the nine Greensboro City Council seats and one bond referendum.

Candidates, their campaign staffers and supporters were tense Tuesday night as the results from the city’s 106 voting precincts rolled in.

The race between the mayoral candidates was close. Johnson, who has served one term as mayor, congratulated Knight when it became clear he would win.

His margin was 935 votes out of the 34,347 cast in complete but unofficial results.

Johnson has caught criticism over the chaos that has been a mainstay of City Council the last two years. But she was still pitting her 16 years of experience on the City Council against Knight, 70, who has never held political office.

Knight was surrounded by giddy supporters and family Tuesday.

“I am struck by the significance of this,” he said after the hubbub died down. “Four months ago, no one knew me.”

Knight, a retired certified public accountant, has promised to cut tens of millions of dollars from the city budget — an appealing prospect for voters who are disappointed that Greensboro has the highest tax rate among large North Carolina cities.

“I want an efficient city government. Let’s remake what a municipal government is all about,” Knight said.

Knight also has been a supporter of former police chief David Wray, who resigned in 2006 after accusations that his department was improperly investigating its black officers.

Some in the crowd were celebrating a conservative victory for the city, although the City Council is a nonpartisan board.

Bill Burckley, a political consultant who worked for Knight’s campaign, attributed Knight’s win to a low turnout in the city’s predominantly black precincts in east Greensboro.

Karen Bragg, a District 1 voter and Johnson poll worker, said the mayor’s campaign had worked hard, but there may have been a feeling of complacency among supporters.

“If people don’t come out, this is what happens,” Bragg said. “No slight against Bill Knight. It’s just not what I expected.”

McArthur Davis, who worked on Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small’s campaign, said Johnson’s loss was backlash from some white voters who felt alienated by the city’s black leaders.

“With a low turnout in east Greensboro, that was enough,” Davis said. “Greensboro just took a huge step back to reject a person with 16 years’ experience.”

Councilman Robbie Perkins, a Republican who often voted with Johnson, said her loss was likely part of a national reaction to liberal victories.

Last year, Guilford County voters decisively elected Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain, 142,101 to 97,718.

“There’s a political pendulum in this country,” Perkins said. “In the fall, it swung one way, so we’re seeing it swing back now. That first swing was a strong swing, and now that it’s swinging in the other direction, we’re going to see that reflected in our communities as well.”

Johnson said she is not certain what she will do now.

“I’m just happy I’ve had the opportunity to serve the city for two years,” she said.

The new City Council will be sworn in Dec. 1. Their terms will last two years.



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Sources: MSNBC, Richmond Times Dispatch, McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, Under The Dome, News Record, My Fox8, My Fox Atlanta, Youtube, Google Maps