PA, Friends endorsements - no surprises here
At least as far as the Durham County races go. Both PACs endorsed all three incumbents for County Commissioner (Becky Heron, Michael Page, and Ellen Reckhow), and former Planning Commission chair Don Moffit for the 4th seat on the Commission. They split on the fifth seat, with the Friends of Durham picking Josh Parker, and the People's Alliance going with Brenda Howerton.
In the DA race, the Friends went with former Assistant DA Freda Black, while the PA chose current Assistant DA Tracey Cline.
I still haven't completely sorted out my thinking on either of these contests. The current Board of County commissioners, while not quite the laughingstock of previous boards, hasn't, in my mind, kept up with the pace of Durham's growing needs. The one issue they made a big deal out of last year was the ban on roadside panhandling, which was a meaningless, ineffective gesture that sent precisely the wrong message at the wrong time. Commissioner Lewis Cheek, who pushed the measure, isn't even running for re-election. And after years of whining to the state that the Commissioners needed to be able to tap new sources of revenue, they declined to even out the property transfer tax on the ballot.
So i'm not automatically disposed to vote for the incumbents in this cycle. All three of the newcomers who received support from the two PACs are worthy candidates. (Full disclosure - I'm a financial contributor to Josh Parker's campaign.) I'm not sure about the rest of the challengers on the ballot.
As for the DA's race, while i can't say that Ms. Cline has filled me with confidence in her abilities so far, i don't think, as do some folks apparently, that being fired by Mike Nifong is all the qualification one needs to be DA in this town. It's somewhat more complicated than that.
The major disappointment for me, and probably one of the big reasons why i'm not an active member in the People's Alliance, was their support for Kay Hagan over Jim Neal in the race for the nomination to oppose Liddy Dole in November. On the one issue before the Senate right now where we really need a progressive voice, retroactive immunity for telecoms who spied on US citizens at the behest of our government, Hagan has taken precisely the wrong position*. And she's done so despite the fact that opposing immunity for telecoms is a winning position, as well the right one. She's better funded than Jim Neal is, and she's the choice of the DSCC and Chuck Schumer, but the PA can put principles ahead of pragmatism once in a while. Besides, whatever polls are out there show this race is still way up in the air, with no clear leader. If Neal manages to pull the upset, the PA loses clout; whereas if they had endorsed Neal and he lost, well, they took a principled stand and supported the true progressive.
I can understand the PA supporting favorite son Hampton Dellinger for Lt. Governor also, even if he's not the most qualified candidate running. I'm just hoping he doesn't cost Dan Besse, who is the most qualified, a shot at a runoff election, since it's unlikely that any of the candidates will get the 40% necessary to win.
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* Adding, of course i'm aware of the differences between the two candidates in regard to that "other" issue on the table, namely the US occupation of Iraq. But there's nothing pending in the Senate right now there those differences would make an immediate legislative impact. There is with regards to telecom immunity. Of course, electing a Senator who's in favor of more rapid withdrawal from Iraq would, umm, send a message, no?
In the DA race, the Friends went with former Assistant DA Freda Black, while the PA chose current Assistant DA Tracey Cline.
I still haven't completely sorted out my thinking on either of these contests. The current Board of County commissioners, while not quite the laughingstock of previous boards, hasn't, in my mind, kept up with the pace of Durham's growing needs. The one issue they made a big deal out of last year was the ban on roadside panhandling, which was a meaningless, ineffective gesture that sent precisely the wrong message at the wrong time. Commissioner Lewis Cheek, who pushed the measure, isn't even running for re-election. And after years of whining to the state that the Commissioners needed to be able to tap new sources of revenue, they declined to even out the property transfer tax on the ballot.
So i'm not automatically disposed to vote for the incumbents in this cycle. All three of the newcomers who received support from the two PACs are worthy candidates. (Full disclosure - I'm a financial contributor to Josh Parker's campaign.) I'm not sure about the rest of the challengers on the ballot.
As for the DA's race, while i can't say that Ms. Cline has filled me with confidence in her abilities so far, i don't think, as do some folks apparently, that being fired by Mike Nifong is all the qualification one needs to be DA in this town. It's somewhat more complicated than that.
The major disappointment for me, and probably one of the big reasons why i'm not an active member in the People's Alliance, was their support for Kay Hagan over Jim Neal in the race for the nomination to oppose Liddy Dole in November. On the one issue before the Senate right now where we really need a progressive voice, retroactive immunity for telecoms who spied on US citizens at the behest of our government, Hagan has taken precisely the wrong position*. And she's done so despite the fact that opposing immunity for telecoms is a winning position, as well the right one. She's better funded than Jim Neal is, and she's the choice of the DSCC and Chuck Schumer, but the PA can put principles ahead of pragmatism once in a while. Besides, whatever polls are out there show this race is still way up in the air, with no clear leader. If Neal manages to pull the upset, the PA loses clout; whereas if they had endorsed Neal and he lost, well, they took a principled stand and supported the true progressive.
I can understand the PA supporting favorite son Hampton Dellinger for Lt. Governor also, even if he's not the most qualified candidate running. I'm just hoping he doesn't cost Dan Besse, who is the most qualified, a shot at a runoff election, since it's unlikely that any of the candidates will get the 40% necessary to win.
===============
* Adding, of course i'm aware of the differences between the two candidates in regard to that "other" issue on the table, namely the US occupation of Iraq. But there's nothing pending in the Senate right now there those differences would make an immediate legislative impact. There is with regards to telecom immunity. Of course, electing a Senator who's in favor of more rapid withdrawal from Iraq would, umm, send a message, no?
Labels: 2008 elections, local politics
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3 Comments:
Dan Besse is a great guy but he doesn't have a hope in hell of beating anyone but Pat Smathers, much less a well-funded Republican for this office. He has raised little more than $100,000. However qualified he may be, he is not, unfortunately, a viable candidate.
Hampton Dellinger matches him exactly on the issues and has the support of John Hope Franklin and has raised a million dollars. That's enough for me. I don't mind that he is a pretty boy -- he is impeccable on the issues and an excellent politician and he has integrity.
As for Freda Black -- am I the only one who remembers that she was fired from the D.A.'s office for dating a criminal defendant being prosecuted by this office? WHY would anyone vote for someone with such lousy judgment? Especially in that position!
By
Parsnips, at 11:03 AM
That fundraising argument was essentially the same one that was made in Erskine Bowles' favor in 2002. For a contested primary, i don't think fundraising means a whole lot right now.
In a wave election, any Democrat is going to be capable of beating any Republican. The money will be there for the November election. I don't have any problems with Hampton Dellinger, other than the fact that he's never held any elective office before. If he wins the primary, i'll certainly be working on his behalf.
By
Barry, at 11:09 AM
Unfortunately, all the money in the world couldnt give Erskine 1/1oth of the raw political skill Hampton has. He's a natural, AND he's impeccable on the issues. I'd bet he and Dan disagree very little. You get the ideas, the passion AND the package.
Hampton's the guy.
By
DrFrankLives, at 5:51 PM
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