Greensboro -- Your blogger and her husband, Rob, immensely enjoyed this weekend's Conservative Leadership Conference sponsored and run by the John W. Pope Civitas Institute. Speakers were top-notch and the event was an excellent chance to catch up with like-minded friends from across North Carolina.
We will report more specifically on the events on Monday but if you missed it, you missed insightful commentary and a chance to hear some of the brightest conservative minds in the nation. This was the third annual event and your blogger has this on her must-attend-list each year! So should you!
When we think of politics, it's hard not to hear rumors. For example, many sources have indicated that NC Gubanatorial candidate, Bill Graham, may be running in name only.
Word on the street is that Graham has formed an alliance with fellow candidate, Pat McCrory, the longtime Charlotte mayor.
The Republican gubernatorial debate Friday night seemed to play this out, as Graham merely went through the motions. He didn't go on the offensive, as did state Senator Fred Smith and former state Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr .
The four candidates stated that they liked one another and that losing three will back the winner after the primary, but that didn't prevent Smith and Orr from going after front-runner McCrory (left). Smith seemed to be losing his voice after more than two years on the campaign trail. Actually he sounds a bit like your blogger's two-year old son, with a very high pitch.
Meanwhile, McCrory continued to look like a candidate out of central casting, though without the conservative credentials.
The debate, broadcast live on www.stategovermentradio,com, WPTF-AM in the Triangle, and WSJS-AM in the Triad, was fun and interesting, even though the candidates had debated nearly 100 times previously.
Your blogger is not the only one wondering why Senator Smith (left, relaxing before the debate) spent millions on his "100 county Bar Be Que tour" and has only recently begun airing television ads. Lee Greenwood is earning his keep alongside Smith by participating in a series of concerts.
Smith addressed it without prompting in the debate, saying that he believes in getting to know the voters, even though it meant a great deal more work. He simply likes meeting folks, he added.
Should Smith have conducted a days-of-yesteryear campaign, or should he have used the more modern approach via TV ads, as has McCrory? Has this cost Smith the nomination?
The Charlotte mayor is getting excellent advice from consultant Jack Hawke, as his ads are sharp and well-produced, but only the voters will tell on May 6th.
Your blogger would hate to see a moderate take the Republican nomination, but she would be in perpetual pain, should Beverly Purdue spend four to eight years as our governor. Thus, who can defeat the Lt. Governor?
Your blogger grew up in New Bern, the beautiful, adopted hometown of Perdue. This blogger had her bratty kids in the YMCA camp where she worked during one summer, between her Junior and Senior years of high school. Your blogger saw Perdue frequently over the course of her formative years and is aware of incidents that have yet to be reported by the regular news media. Perdue is like a rock star down east, but it was not always so.
When this blogger was a senior in high school, Perdue decided to run for the state house. The going for her was tough, as the good-ole-boy establishment didn't appreciate a woman butting in on their good times. Little did they realize, that she could hang with the best (or worst) of them.
On the campaign trail, Perdue told of being a "coal miner's daughter" even though her wealthy family in Grundy, Virginia owned the mine, lived well, and traveled on personal jets. Perdue had to virtually buy the election, but she prevailed and hasn't showed signs of slowing since. It seems that her destiny has been the governor's mansion and she won't let anyone get in her way. Perdue is sweet and friendly on the surface, but is tough as nails underneath, and plays hardball.
Without going into the ugly details, your blogger feels that we must not elect Beverly Perdue as our next governor, though we feel that Perdue will win the Democrat primary easily. Here at KCC, we have a saying, "Poor, poor Richard Moore" and that's really too bad, both for us and for him.
Thus we must ask, which, if any, GOP candidate can truly beat Perdue and go up against her massive eastern North Carolina machine?
Perdue has gone through coastal NC sucking up money like a hurricane engulfs mobile homes. Many would-be donors to other candidates (including Republicans) had nothing left over to give.
Thus, would our best candidate be someone with a moderate/liberal record who supports Tax Increment Financing Bonds and Certificates of Participation but who is the front-runner? McCrory looks good, sounds good, and is fun to talk with. Do we want to run a moderate/liberal (McCrory) against an out-of-the box tax and spender (Perdue)? Would there be enough of a distinction in what could be a Democrat year?
Do we even HAVE a true conservative in the GOP primary? Smith's voting record is a bit to the center and Justice Orr's campaign on education is not towing the conservative line.
Orr (left) seems to be the candidate most to the right, especially on corporate welfare, but has not shown he can raise substantial funds. Your blogger has worked on several of Orr's campaigns, beginning with his first Court of Appeals race, during her college years, and likes him personally. We do worry about his appeal to potential donors.
If Orr does not win the primary, we hope that he will step up and take some sort of leadership role in the NC Republican Party. He is definately the brightest of the four, and we need him to continue to be involved in a leadership role.
Can the North Carolina GOP match the fundraising of Perdue? Will rank and file Republicans fell compelled to empty their pockets in what could be a small recession this summer?
The entire race is personally troubling to this KCC, knowing the players on all sides, including family members of Perdue, including her nieces and nephews who are fine people.
The one thing we ARE certain about is that we expect an excellent CLC next year. In 2009, the Conservative Leadership Conference returns to Raleigh, (along with the GOP state convention, a few weeks later).
The folks at Civitas, lead by Col. Francis DeLuca (USMC-retired) and conference organizer Jason Bennett, put together an informative event, and this blogger is already looking forward to it.
Bravo Civitas!!! Thanks to everyone on their fine staff for another excellent Conservative Leadership Conference!
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