GREENVILLE, S.C. — A priest at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in downtown Greenville has told parishioners that those who voted for Barack Obama placed themselves under divine judgment because of his stance on abortion and should not receive Holy Communion until they’ve done penance.

USA Today

Why is this the fellow running through my mind right now?

(Warning: There is some colorful language in the clip)

RALEIGH – Campus police say they will not bring charges against four students who admitted spray-painting racist graffiti aimed at President-elect Barack Obama in the Free Expression Tunnel at N.C. State University.

Citing privacy laws, university officials declined to name the four. Even without criminal charges, they could face action by the university, including expulsion.

The U.S. Secret Service assisted in the investigation, said Jon Barnwell, spokesman for the NCSU police. The federal agency was involved because of the threatening nature of the graffiti, which said “Shoot Obama” and “Kill that n—–.”

Secret Service agents searched the residences of the four responsible and determined there was no actual threat to Obama, Barnwell said.

Campus investigators consulted with the Wake County District Attorney’s office before dropping the investigation of a potential hat crime, Barnwell said. “They said that while offensive, it was a free-speech issue,” he said.

The News & Observer

Bottom line, that’s exactly what it is.  It’s a free speech issue.  There was no crime here.  It’s ignorant and immature and hateful, but this is the “Free Expression Tunnel” and they freely expressed what they evidently felt.  If the university is going to have something like that then they shouldn’t be shocked when someone expresses a view that most people would abhor.

I’m a huge supporter of the First Amendment, but even I realize that there are some common sense limits to that.  These students should get some kind of reprimand, but I don’t think they should be expelled from the university.  I think a fitting punishment would be to go before the student body at some kind of assembly and explain why they did what they did.  The ultimate humiliation they’ll feel will certainly be more effective than kicking them out.

However, a significant number of white voters looked beyond all of that and voted for the man whom they felt was most qualified for the job. In fact, so many of them voted for Obama that he won by the largest margin of any Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson beat Barry Goldwater in 1964.

Time will tell if Mr. Obama is qualified for the job.  For now, he receives the benefit of the doubt until we can see what he’ll do and whether or not it is best for freedom and liberty.

We can all agree that bigotry is far from over. The rhetoric of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and, at times, Sen. John McCain reminds us of that. And who can forget the infamous Rev. Jeremiah Wright?

I think she made an attempt to be unbiased here, but not a good one.  Nobody can point to a single word spoken by Governor Palin or Senator McCain that was the least bit racist in nature.  The Obamabots say they did it, but they can’t tell you what it was they said.

And while she is correct that bigotry is far from over, the U.S. is the most tolerantly diverse country in the world.  Issues of racism and discrimination in this country are miniscule compared to the rest of the world including the Europeans who claim to be so enlightened.  I don’t know why it is that the media is so stunned that white people voted for Barack Obama.  There is no basis of reality to be consumed with surprise over this.  This isn’t Mississippi in 1958.  If you only got your information on racial relations in this country from the mainstream media you’d think the Klan was still going strong in every town across America.

Throughout the day Wednesday, nearly every black friend greeted me with “congratulations.” My phone buzzed with forwarded text message jokes about how white people were going to be angry that Barack Obama won.

So who has the race problem?

In some ways Wednesday was odd. We had a story in today’s paper about how whites in North Carolina supported Obama, and how he fared in predominately white districts here. Yet, it seemed as if only a handful of white voters shared their excitement after the election.

So what were we expected to do, run around like a bunch of nuts and start dancing in the streets?  Obviously, given the country’s history with black Americans it’s only natural that they would be overly ecstatic with one getting elected President, but just because there weren’t a ton of white people banging pots and pants and blowing into gold foil horns like it’s New Year’s Day doesn’t mean they weren’t excited about their candidate winning.  The assertion from Jameson is absurd and it’s this kind of careless rhetoric that keeps racial fissures open.

So Election 2008 is now over and your friendly admin of CPO can slack off for a little while now.  We saw some big changes last night around the country and also right here in the Carolinas.

North Carolina has turned blue.  By a fraction of a hair it went to Obama last night.  He earned it.  His campaign had the ground game to make it happen.

Kay Hagan predictably ousted Elizabeth Dole by a handy margin.  Dole got slaughtered with outside 527 ads and I think the “Godless” ad she ran against Hagan sealed her fate.

One Congressional seat changed hands and that was the 8th Congressional District held by Republican Robin Hayes.  This was expected to happen, but I was hoping Hayes would pull it out only because I think Larry Kissell is the wrong man for that seat.  His energy policies are an infantile fantasy that will hurt his constituents which are mostly low income.  Virginia Foxx, Heath Shuler, and Patrick McHenry easily won reelection.

In statewide races, Bev Perdue (D) narrowly defeated Pat McCrory (R) for the gubernatorial race.  This made me very angry.  It could not have been more obvious who the candidate of change was in this race.  Bev Perdue will continue the same status quo culture of corruption that has plagued Raleigh for years.  I think straight party voting caused this victory.  Likewise, State Senator Walter Dalton (D) defeated State Senator Robert Pittenger (R) in the Lieutenant Governor’s race by a slightly larger margin.

Democrat Beth Wood defeated Republican incumbent Les Merritt in the Auditor’s race which is another blow to the state.  Merritt was the only firewall defending the people from the corruption in the state legislature and now that is gone.  Roy Cooper (D), Steve Troxler (R), Cherie Berry (R), Elaine Marshall (D), and June Atkinson (D) all got reelected to their posts.  State Senator Janet Cowell (D) is now the new State Treasurer and Democrat Wayne Goodwin won the Insurance Commissioner’s race.

The Republican Party in North Carolina is extremely incompetent.

In the State Legislature Debbie Ann Clary won the race in Senate District 46 flipping that from Democrat to Republican.  In State House District 86 Republican Hugh Blackwell defeated Democratic incumbent Walter Church and in State House District 90 Republican Sarah Stevens ousted incumbent Democrat Jim Harrell.

South Carolina gave our electoral votes to John McCain last night and we were the only Atlantic coast state to do so.  Lindsey Graham easily won reelection to the U.S. Senate.  All six Congressmen won reelections to their seats as well.

In the state legislature there weren’t many changes.  Republican Kris Crawford did win reelection in House District 63.  I said last night that he lost.  Anton Gunn picked up House District 79 for the Democrats.  The District 115 race between Republican incumbent Wallace Scarborough and Democrat Anne Peterson Hutto is too close to call at this time, althought Scarborough has claimed victory.

The ballot amendment to change the Constitution to allow the state legislature to set the age of consent passed.

Here we go!  Election night begins!

1:17am – Good night everyone!  I’m off to bed.

1:08am – It is still not known whether Obama or McCain has won North Carolina, but that is irrelevant at this point.

12:53am – In South Carolina:

• Philip Lowe (R – Florence) is trailing significantly in the 60th.
• Anton Gunn (D) has flipped House District 79 for the Democrats.

12:42am – With 96 of 100 counties reporting in North Carolina, it appears the remaining races will break as follows:

• Beth Wood (D) will defeat Les Merritt (R) and become the new Auditor
• Steve Troxler (R) will defeat Ronnie Ansley (D) to be Commissioner of Agriculture
• Wayne Goodwin (D) will be the Insurance Commissioner
• The Labor Commissioner’s race between incumbent Cherie Berry (R) and Mary Fant Donnan (D) is too close to call.  Berry is leading by one percentage point.
• Janet Cowell (D) will be the new State Treasurer
• R.C. Soles (D) will remain Senator in the 8th Senate District
• Julie Boseman (D) has won reelection in the 9th Senate District
• Tony Foriest (D) has won reelection in the 24th Senate District
• It looks like Debbie Ann Clary (R) has won the 46th Senate District.  That is a Republican pick up.
• Robert Edmunds (R) will barely win reelection to the Supreme Court.

12:31pm – Dan Ramirez (R) ousted from Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners.

11:41pm – Patrick McHenry has been reelected to Congress.

11:32pm – Obama has won Colorado and Florida.  Henry Brown has won reelection to Congress.

11:26pm – McCain has won Arizona.

11:22pm – Obama has won Nevada.

11:13pm – Obama has won Oregon and Hawaii

11:07pm – It’s looking like Les Merritt is going to lose reelection.

11:03pm – Heath Shuler has won reelection to Congress.

11:00pm – Obama has won California.

10:58pm – Joe Wilson has won reelection to Congress.

10:56pm – McCain has won South Dakota.

10:54pm – Shane Massey now has a 5 point lead over Greg Anderson in SC 25th Senate District.

10:52pm – Debbie Clary is holding a one point lead over Keith Melton in NC 46th Senate District.  If Clary wins it will be a Republican pickup in the State Senate.

10:43pm – Bettie Fennell is holding a slight lead over R.C. Soles in the 8th Senate District in North Carolina.  Cherie Berry has a one point lead in the Labor Commissioner’s Race.  Les Merritt is trailing by 6.

10:41pm – Obama has won Virginia.

10:35pm – Bob Inglis, John Spratt, Jim Clyburn, and Gresham Barrett have all won reelection to Congress.

10:28pm – Bev Perdue has won the North Carolina Governor’s race.

10:26pm – Robin Hayes has lost reelection.

10:21pm -Perdue 49%, McCrory 48%

10:16pm – McCain has won Mississippi.

10:05pm – Sue Myrick has won reelection.

10:00pm – McCain has won Utah.  Obama has won Iowa.

9:59pm – McCain has won Texas.

9:50pm – Virginia Foxx has won reelection.

9:45pm – Shane Massey and Greg Anderson are neck and neck in SC Senate District 25

9:37pm – McCain has won Idaho

9:31pm – McCain has won Louisiana.

9:31pm – The Governor’s race is tightening.  Perdue 50, McCrory 46

9:18pm – Barack Obama has won Ohio and has become the next President of the United States

9:16pm – McCain has won Kansas.

8:59pm – Obama has won Wisconsin, New Mexico, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, and Michigan.  John McCain has won North Dakota and Wyoming.

8:58pm – Perdue leads McCrory 51-46.

8:55pm – Obama has won Washington

8:40pm – McCain has won Georgia

8:30pm – McCain has won Arkansas

8:24pm – Nick Mackey has huge lead in House District 99

8:14pm – Democrats are leading all state wide races in North Carolina.

8:13pm -  Obama has won New Hampshire.

8:08pm - Kay Hagan has defeated Elizabeth Dole!

8:07pm – NBC has called Pennsylvania for Obama.

8:05pm – McCain has won Tennessee.

8:04pm – 8:00pm – Obama has won Maine, Massachusetts, connecticut, New Jersey, Illinois, and D.C.  McCain has won Oklahoma.

7:51pm – McCain has won South Carolina

7:41pm – Delaware has gone to Obama

7:32pm – Dole/Hagan race too close to call.  Hagan slightly ahead.

7:30pm – McCain has won West Virginia

7:10pm – Lindsey Graham has been reelected.  That sucks.  Conley gave it a good run.

7:06pm – Republican turnout in Charlotte has been very high.

7:04pm – Obama has won Vermont.  McCain has won Kentucky.  South Carolina is too close to call!

6:45pm – Polls in North and South Carolina close in 15 minutes.

6:23pm – Obama is trailing by 2 points in North Carolina according to exit polling.

5:30pm – The first exit polls have come out for the Presidential race:

• In Ohio, Indiana, and Virginia new voters are decisively breaking for Obama
• In Ohio, Indiana, and Virginia white men are breaking for McCain
• Late deciders breaking for Obama by a small majority.

5:22pm – The McCain campaign sued the Commonwealth of Virginia today because they allege that several thousand military ballots were mailed out late and did not arrive to the soldiers on time.  A Federal judge has ordered the state to preserve the ballots for the meantime.

4:35pm – 4 and 5 hour waits in the Low Country!

4:31pm – Two Triangle polling places will extend voting tonight because of delays in balloting this morning.

2:46pm – Rick Jenkins, the Vice-Chairman of the Buncombe County Republican Party shows us all how “cultured” he is in the art of graffiti.

11:16am – The Palmetto Scoop is reporting that in Rock Hill Precinct 6, the poll workers are not allowing the poll watcher to observe the process and that poll workers are being placed right next to machines.

11:12am – A pregnant woman in Hilton Head Island went into labor this morning while standing in line to vote.

10:52am – The Glenn Reese for Senate campaign was photographed out removing campaign signs stating that Senator Reese (D-Inman) supports Barack Obama for president.  Evidently, the campaign must feel that hurts his reelection chances in heavily Republican Spartanburg County.

10:39am – A coworker of mine up in Charlotte waited over two hours this morning to vote.  The huge turn out today which will likely benefit Obama.

10:07am – I just got back from voting and waited 45 minutes.  That was longer than what I was expecting because my poll usually is pretty slow.  The line was well out the door.

But there’s more to my endorsement than Democrat vs. Republican party identification. More than conservative vs. liberal ideology. Every election purports to be “the most important in history”, but rarely is. This one though, considering the trials America faces at home and abroad, just might be. And both candidates represent starkly views of our American future. This country will be fundamentally changed with either’s’ victory on Tuesday.

Barack Obama seems to be a fine man with a great many qualities that could be put to use in service of America. His nomination was a great moment in American history and he has much to be proud of. I really do think our country is better because of Obama’s candidacy. His opponent, John McCain, is a true hero who actually lives the motto of his campaign: ‘Country First”. Agree or disagree with him, only the most jaded fool would deny McCain’s credentials as a hero and patriot.

But being president takes more than a great biography or a soaring speech. There are two major issues that the next president must address, and to address them wrongly would be nothing short of disastrous. There is no doubt in my mind that John McCain has the experience, judgment, and conviction to make the right decisions from the first day he’s sworn in.

George W. Bush hasn’t been successful in many things over the last eight years, but one thing he can claim credit for is that since September 11^th, there have been no terrorist attacks on American soil. Do you remember how you felt after September 11^th? Do you remember feeling helpless? Defenseless? Not knowing when the next terrorist attack would hit, but certain it would? Well, it’s been well over 2,500 days since, and we haven’t been hit. And don’t think Al Qaeda and friends haven’t tried, either. Like him or hate him, President Bush deserves credit for that.

But he’s been a victim of him own success. Terror attacks get news coverage. Peaceful days do not. And so we’ve forgotten that it is still a dangerous world that we live in. That Al Qaeda and Islamic Fundamentalists still seek to destroy America and kill Americans. That we cannot sit back and rest. McCain realizes this; Obama does not.

McCain advocates an offensive policy against Islamic extremism that takes the fight to were they live. He supports the wiretapping of suspected terrorists. He believes in international cooperation when needed, but isn’t afraid to go it alone when he must. Obama and the Democrats oppose most terror surveillance techniques- techniques that have, without a doubt, prevented terror attacks on American soil. And while his desire to repair American prestige abroad is admirable and needed, he strikes me as too much a “citizen of the world” (his own words) and leaves me wondering if he would take unilateral action if needed or if he would place U.N. approval ahead of American security.

In Iraq, McCain supported the Iraq troop surge before it was popular, and as a direct result of the surge, the Iraq War, once deemed hopeless, is on the verge of concluding with an American victory and a free and stable Iraq. Who would have thought such a thing was possible?

John McCain did.

Barack Obama opposed the Iraq War. With the benefit of hindsight and a little historical perspective, he may be proven prescient and correct. But he also opposed the surge, and we now know for a fact that he made the wrong decision. Had he admitted his error, his opposition would be forgivable. But he hasn’t. That’s not just stubborn- it’s insulting to the troops who have sacrificed so much to liberate Iraq. Had Obama been president in 2006, there is no doubt that his policies would have led to a U.S. loss in Iraq that would have shown American weakness, emboldened our enemies, and led to catastrophic slaughter and sectarian violence in Iraq. Worse, it’s likely that an early American withdrawal from Iraq would have led to it becoming a terrorist safe haven (like Afghanistan before 9/11) and likely would have precipitated a third Iraq War.

One point rarely mentioned is the danger of the unexpected. On September 10^th, 2001, how many of you knew where Afghanistan even was? Did you know what Al Qaeda was? The Taliban? Things change suddenly and profoundly in this world, and we need a President who knows how to react. A few months ago, Russia invaded Georgia (and if you’re wondering how Russia managed to invade the U.S. state of Georgia, and what’s become of Atlanta, you might as well stop reading right here) and John McCain immediately condemned the act and called on Russia to withdraw. The first thing Obama did was call on both sides to show restraint. Russia invaded Georgia, and Obama called on both sides to show restraint? Are you freakin’ kidding me? The next day, humbled by the less-than-enthusiastic response to his asinine moral equivalency, Obama again took to the podium and called on the United Nations Security Council to intervene. Too bad he forgot that Russia has a permanent seat on the Security Council and holds a veto over any council action. Ooops! As a U.S. Senator, isn’t it kinda like… his job, to know minor details like that? Anyways, by day three, he finally stood up and said something similar to what John McCain said in the first place.

Let’s review- it took John McCain three minutes to make the right call. It took Barack Obama three days and three different answers before finally grasping at something close to coherent. When the unexpected and unanticipated happens again, and it will, who do you trust to sit in the Oval Office?

Very simply, John McCain, with years of experience in foreign policy and having personally experienced war and its consequences, made the right decision on the surge, and has been proven right. Barack Obama was wrong on the surge, and has yet to admit his error. McCain doesn’t need time and experience to make the right calls when something happens- he’s seen it and knows it. Obama? Who knows?

The second major issue the next President will have to face is the economy, the likelihood of a U.S. and worldwide recession, and the formulation of a recovery. One these issues, the differences between the candidates are stark and clear. John McCain will lower taxes across the board; Barack Obama will raise them. Don’t be fooled by his mantra that “95% of American households will receive a tax cut”. Such would be quite an achievement, seeing as how only 40% of American households actually pay federal income taxes. When you look into his plan a little more, you realize that the “tax cut” for lower income Americans is actually a tax giveaway to them. Obama calls it a “tax cut”. Most people call it welfare.

Obama’s plan will tax the rich and give to the poor. What could possibly be wrong with that? Well, for one… what’s rich? Obama can’t seem to make up his mind. It fluctuates between $150,00 and $250,000 a year. That may seem like a lot of money, but a two-income household can make that, and if they have kids, a mortgage, and other expenses, I dare you to call them “rich”. But under Obama’s plan, they would be, and they would be taxed punitively. That’s bad economics.

The second major problem with Obama’s tax plan is that it will disproportionably tax small businesses. Big corporate CEOs don’t make $250,000 a year, but Mike, the owner of Mike’s Corner Appliance Store, or Chuck, the owner of Chuck’s Neighborhood Construction, or Joe, the Owner of Joe’s Plumbing, do. And Joe the Plumber apparently knows more about basic economics than Obama. If Joe the Plumber wants to go off on his own and start his own business, hire employees, and yes, “spread the wealth around” through free market capitalism, he runs the risk of being punished with higher taxes. So what’s the point of starting a small business in the first place?

If Obama’s tax plans become reality, existing small business will immediately feel the crunch, followed closely by you and your wallet. Faced with a choice between dwindling profits or raising prices, which do you think they’ll choose? Can’t raise prices? Then they’ll have to lay off a few employees to compensate. Hope you’re not employed by a small business.

Bottom line- we’re facing a major economic recession and Obama wants to take more money away from Main St. and send it to Pennsylvania Ave. In what way do you think that will help the economy? How will redistributionist policies make you more prosperous, and make you better able to pursue the American dream? Obama’s version of the American Dream involves taking money from those who’ve earned it and giving it to those who have not. My version of the American Dream involves being able to keep most of the money I earn while knowing that one day I might be able to make even more and not be punished for it. Obama’s enticing you with a nifty little welfare check. Personally, I’d rather have a paycheck, and I hope you do too.

John McCain understands that raising taxes during a recession could be catastrophic. That taking money away from small businesses will cost jobs. That transferring money out of the economy and giving it to Washington will help no one except Washington bureaucrats. Last year, small businesses created 100% of all new private sector jobs -100%!- and Obama wants to tax them more. It will be disastrous, and it could prolong our economic troubles for years to come.

I am not without disagreements with McCain. I do wish he was more of a small government fiscal conservative. I wish he took a tougher stand on illegal immigration. I think campaign finance reform was a well-intentioned but badly flawed idea. But in these uncertain and potentially dangerous times, there is really only one candidate who can lead America. Only one man who understands the danger we face and has the experience to confront it. John McCain has seen war, suffered in war, and knows how to win and finish wars. He understands basic economics- that high taxes prolong economic difficulties and that taxing small businesses will cost jobs.

Our country has become too polarized over the last eight years- one of many negative consequences of the Bush Administration. And perhaps my plea falls on deaf ears for my Democrat readers. But I beseech you to look beyond party labels this election. Only one man has the real world and political experience necessary to lead our county. Only one man has actually reached across party lines in bi-partisanship efforts. Only one man will enter the Oval Office and not have to face a steep and potentially dangerous learning curve. Only one man has actually accomplished things, and not simply talked about them. How easy it is to listen to Obama’s amazing speeches and soaring rhetoric and forget that he has no significant legislative accomplishments to speak of, and has less than four years of service as a part-time U.S. Senator. Obama talks; McCain does. 

On Election Day, vote for the only man who is truly qualified, ready, and able to be the President that America needs. The only man for the job is Sen. John McCain.

• President – Obviously everyone knows we’ll be choosing our next President.  I think John McCain is going to carry both North and South Carolina, North by a hair and South easily, however I think Barack Obama will end up becoming the next President.
• NC US Senate Race – This has been a brutal race between Elizabeth Dole and Kay Hagan.  I think Hagan is going to emerge the victor in this in no small part by the Dole campaign’s “Godless” ad.  I think that hurt Dole more than Hagan.
• NC Gubernatorial Race – Another nail biter, but I think and pray that Pat McCrory ends up the next governor and I am going to make a very bold prediction here.  I think his Lt Governor will end up being Democrat Walter Dalton, not Pittenger.  McCrory has been leading by three or four points in the last few polls that have come out.  If people really are change oriented as they claim then McCrory should prevail.  He is the candidate of sorely needed change in Raleigh.
• NC 5th Congressional District – Virginia Foxx has received a tougher than anticipated challenge from Roy Carter, but I think Foxx will be reelected.
• NC 8th Congressional District – If Robin Hayes pulls out a reelection victory Tuesday night I will be stunned.  I just don’t see it and I think that Larry Kissell will be the 8th District’s new Congressman.  I think this will be the only Congressional District to flip in both states.
• NC Auditor General – I think Les Merritt will be okay, but it will be a close victory.  As I have stated in recent days, voters would be doing a disservice to themselves by replacing him.  He is the only watchdog the people have had against the majority party in Raleigh.
• NC Labor Commissioner – I think Cherie Berry is going to lose.  I think people will make a mental connection between Labor Commissioner and a soured economy.  They have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but when you think of a bad economy you think of job losses, hence labor, and people tend to relate to Democrats better than Republicans on labor issues.
• NC Senate District 9 – I think Julia Boseman will come out on top in this one, but I still expect a close race considering the money that has been spent on it on both sides.
• NC Senate District 25 – Tony Foriest just won this seat in 2006 and faces a challenge from Rick Gunn to take the seat back for the GOP.  I think Foriest will get reelected.
• NC Senate DIstrict 46 – This is Walter Dalton’s Senate seat that he is vacating to run for Lieutenant Governor.  This should be a Republican pickup.  It’s fairly conservative and has leaned Republican for some time now, but Dalton has hung on due to incumbency and having a more conservative voting record.
• SC Senate District 10 – This is John Drummond’s seat and he decided to retire after many years in public service.  The seat is being strongly contested on both sides with Dee Compton as the Republican candidate and Greenwood Mayor Floyd Nicholson on the Democratic ticket.  This has the potential to go either way, but I think the Democrats will hold this seat.
• SC Senate District 25 – I think this will be the closest race of all of them.  Republican Shane Massey won this seat last year in a special election after the former Democratic Senator Tommy Moore resigned from the Senate for a more lucrative career opportunity.  This seat actually leans slightly Democratic, but Massey has never really stopped campaigning since he won it.  He faces Democrat Greg Anderson.  This is too close for me to make a call on how this will turn out.
• SC House District 115 – Wallace Scarborough almost lost his seat in 2006 when his challenger came within a little over 300 votes of him.  He faces another strong challenge this year from Anne Peterson Hutto, but I think Scarborough is going to hang on by a larger margin than ‘06.

North Carolina residents believe Democrats will do a better job handling most major issues facing the country — from the economy to energy to education — and overwhelmingly say the nation is off track, according to an Elon University poll released Friday.

The poll identified only two issues that were close enough to be considered tossups. On taxes, Democrats were the choice of 46.5 percent of respondents compared with 43.4 percent that selected Republicans. On the Iraq war, the survey found 46.5percent said Republicans were better suited compared with 45.3 percent that preferred Democrats.

Eight other issues favored the Democrats by comfortable margins.

The Fayetteville Observer

I still have a feeling that McCain is going to take North Carolina on Tuesday, albeit by a small margin.  I just can’t see the majority of voters in this state picking Obama.  Should Obama take the state, which likely means he’ll win the presidency, I wouldn’t be at all shocked, I just don’t think it’s going to happen.

Governor Sarah Palin

for a Road to Victory Rally

in Raleigh, NC

Saturday November 1st

The Fairgrounds
1025 Blue Ridge Blvd
Raleigh, NC 27607

Doors Open at 4:00 p.m.
Guests Must Arrive by 6:00 p.m.

For more information, please email northcarolina@johnmccain.com or call 919-323-3890

Please click here to RSVP online and print your ticket for this event

Tickets are available for printing online (see link above) and for pickup at our Raleigh Victory Office beginning at 7:00 PM today and at our North Raleigh and Durham Victory Offices beginning tomorrow at 9:00 AM.

Tickets do not guarantee entry to the event, so please make sure to arrive early. For security reasons, bags and signs are prohibited inside the venue.

Ticket Locations

Durham Victory Office
4600 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 539-5928

North Raleigh Victory Office
900 Spring Forest Road
Raleigh, NC 27609
(919) 862-6528

Raleigh Victory Office
1506 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27605
(919) 828-6423

Sen. Barack Obama will appear for a rally Wednesday morning in downtown Raleigh, the campaign announced today.

Gates open at 10 a.m. for the event, which is free and open to the public. Pre-program events will start at 11:15 a.m.

The rally will take place at the Halifax Mall in the state government complex, 300 N. Salisbury St.

The News & Observer

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — More than 1 million people have now cast a ballot in North Carolina’s early voting, surpassing the total number who voted early four years ago.

Data released Sunday by the State Board of Elections shows 1,078,710 have voted at early sites. In 2004, the state counted some 984,000 ballots during the full early voting period.

The numbers clearly favor Democrats. Of the early voters, 58 percent are registered Democrats, although the GOP argues that it can win over some of the conservative Democrats in the state who differ in ideology from their national counterparts. Just 25 percent of those voting so far are registered Republicans.

The Herald-Sun

The higher turn out among Democrats for early voting is no surprise.  They are very motivated to get out and vote for Barack Obama.  Republicans will mostly come out on Election Day and the race in North Carolina will be a nail biter in all of the statewide races.

Around 18,000 people showed up yesterday morning to hear Sarah Palin speak at the Asheville Civic Center.  According to some reports, people stood in line up to 12 hours to gain admission into the Civic Center.  That’s just insane.  There’s no way I would wait in line that long to meet a presidential or VP candidate, but the fact that so many others did is certainly not a bad thing for the McCain/Palin ticket.  Palin was greeted on stage by the song “Redneck Woman” and the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to Palin’s mother in Alaska over her cell phone.

Hello, my name is Rich Pearson and I have been active in the firearm rights movement for over 40 years. For the past 15 years, I have served in the Illinois state capitol as the chief lobbyist for the Illinois State Rifle Association.

I lobbied Barack Obama extensively while he was an Illinois State Senator. As a result of that experience, I know Obama’s attitudes toward guns and gun owners better than anyone. The truth be told, in all my years in the Capitol I have never met a legislator who harbors more contempt for the law-abiding firearm owner than Barack Obama.

If you are a dedicated gun owner that believes in the 2nd Admendment you should not vote for Barack Obama. Obama has served on the most anti-gun foundation in America and was supporting the DC gun ban before he flopped on it. I’ll believe that Bill Clinton did not have sexual relations with that woman before I believe Obama was not very good friends with William Ayers.

This is a fantastic opportunity to see Sarah Palin. Tickets will go fast.

DURHAM – Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate for president, will speak at Duke on Tuesday.

Barr will speak at 5 p.m. in room 139 of the Social Science building on Duke’s West Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

The News & Observer

Joe Biden spoke to a crowd of around 1,500 yesterday at UNC Charlotte and continued to spread the Obama campaign’s lie that the financial collapse is the result of Bush and McCain’s economic policies, when in fact it’s his own Democratic Party that bears most of the blame.  The deregulation they always point to was signed into law in 1999 under Bill Clinton and a Republican Congress.  Later attempts by Republicans during the Bush Administration to reign in Freddie and Fannie were pushed back by the Democrats, notably Congressman Barney Frank of Boston and Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut.

It’s rather astonishing that the Republican Party has allowed the Democrats to wrongly hang this around their necks, but I don’t expect much more from such a weak political party as the Republicans.  The GOP have been complete and utter wimps in Congress since Bush became President and it’s been to their undoing.

Clyburn said the nation’s financial meltdown and tumbling stock market have improved Obama’s odds here.

“I think it’s still a long shot, but it’s not as long a shot today as it was a month ago,” he said. “People are beginning to see we’ve got to have new leadership.”

The Post and Courier

Obama has as much chance of winning South Carolina as I do of getting laid by the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders tonight.  Clyburn is right about one thing, though, and that’s new leadership is sorely needed in this country, but not the Marxist leadership that Obama and Pelosi will offer the nation.

Raleigh – A group that made electronic robo-calls during the primary election telling voters to expect registration forms in the mail – after the deadline to register by mail for the primary had passed – will pay $100,000 in penalties.

Women’s Voices Women Vote is also banned from operating in the state in the next two weeks before the Nov. 4 election, Attorney General Roy Cooper’s office said.

Asheville Citizen-Times

Women’s Voices Women Vote.  Hmmm…. you think this had anything to do with the Clinton campaign and trying to stop blacks from coming out in the primary to vote for Obama?

North Carolina really is in play.

Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr is coming to the Triangle on Tuesday, Oct. 28. It will be his first appearance since May, when he attended the state Libertarian Party convention.

Barr will speak at Duke University at 5 p.m., then at UNC-Chapel Hill at 8 p.m.

He is the only third-party candidate to appear on the North Carolina ballot. Some have argued with a tight race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain that he could be a spoiler.

Barr has polled between one and five percent in North Carolina polls since September, although he is not always included.

The N&O

As much I like the Libertarian philosophy, the party made a mistake by nominating Barr. He made his bones as a big-government social conservative, and now he wants everyone to believe that he’s a “live and let live” libertarian. Really? I mean, really???