Erskine Bowles for President?

They call it part parlor game, part reporting assignment. Politico has launched a presidential race of its own featuring none of the announced candidates, or President Obama.

"The public has had it with Washington and conventional politics," write editor Jim Vandehei and reporter Mike Allen. "It has lost trust and respect in the conventional governing class ... Is there a person in politics, business or entertainment who could harness the public's hunger for something new, different and inspiring?"

To start the ball rolling, they came up with five names: former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles of Charlotte, Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers, CIA Director David Petraeus, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Here's part of what they say about Bowles: "Many voters seem open to, if not hungry for, a real discussion about tough changes. Ask Republicans and Democrats alike to name a serious and responsible thinker who could lead this discussion and the name Erskine Bowles often tops the list.

"Bowles, 66, is far from an inspirational figure. In fact, he can be as dull as a butter knife in public settings. But he knows budgets, and numbers, and tough choices (he's the man who asked Dick Morris to resign in the Clinton years) and, unlike most, has slapped his name on ideas that upset leaders of both parties but excite deficit hawks on both sides.

"The Bowles pitch would rest on a rarity in modern campaigns: a very specific proposal for the tough budget choices the country should make. He came up with a truly bipartisan plan that took a real whack at America's long-term deficits, only to see the plan abandoned by Obama, who had appointed him to make those choices in the first place.

"The options outlined by Bowles and former GOP Sen. Alan Simpson were not the usual nips, tucks and other plastic surgery but, instead, clear and often painful cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other programs. The Simpson-Bowles plan uses a mix of spending cuts ($3 trillion) and tax increases ($1 trillion) to do what many of members of both parties, if given truth serum, would say Washington needs to do: save at least $4 trillion over the next decade."

Democratic dirty tricks?

Many members of Mecklenburg County's executive committee got a postcard Saturday, just before their scheduled meeting to endorse candidates for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board.

"CEC DEMOCRATIC MEETING POSTPONED" it read. "We apologize for the short notice, and will advise you once a new date has been set."

But the meeting wasn't postponed. The cards, stamped but not postmarked, were an apparent attempt to dampen turnout.

"It's definitely a dirty trick," said party chair Aisha Dew. "It's definitely someone who's not associated with the party who's trying to stop the meeting."

Despite Card-gate, around 160 members of the 300-member committee still showed up, a normal turnout.

"Oddly enough, under the circumstances, we still had a great turnout," said Dew. The party is trying to investigate the matter.

Foxx campaign rejects another debate

It looks like Charlotte voters will have just one chance to see their mayoral candidates debate this month.

The campaign of Democratic Mayor Anthony Foxx has turned down another offer to debate Republican Scott Stone.

Stone's campaign manager, Jessica Wood, extended the offer today in an email to Foxx and his campaign manager, Michael Halle. She said an Oct. 26 forum to which both had been invited was canceled, opening the date for a debate. She said Dave Wagner of WCNC had agreed to moderate a debate that would have been held at UNC Charlotte.

And if that date didn't work, she laid out six others this month as alternatives, including two Sundays.

"Unfortunately our schedule will not allow us to participate on such short notice," Halle emailed in reply. "Sunday mornings are reserved for church and Sunday evenings for family time. The other dates we have previously scheduled."

Halle said Foxx had never confirmed the Oct. 26 forum. Most of the other joint appearances are forums that will include city council candidates. The only direct face-off will be an Oct. 21 League of Women Voters debate.

Machine gun socials return to the 8th

In 2010, Republican congressional candidate Tim D'Annunzio made national headlines when he hosted a pair of machine gun socials in the 8th District.

Now Republican Vernon Robinson is picking up where D'Annunzio left off.

Robinson, from Winston-Salem, plans to run in the 8th District in 2012. He's sponsoring a machine gun fundraiser on Sept. 26 at Eagle Guns in Concord. For $50 supporters can fire a magazine of a fully-automatic submachine gun. There will be a door prize: a new AR-15.

"By hosting this event, Vernon Robinson declares his solidarity with those who enjoy shooting and owning guns," Robinson campaign director Steve Arnold said.

Robinson, who has run for office before, has a way of making news.

As a Winston-Salem alderman in 2004, he bought a one-ton granite marker with the Ten Commandments on one side and the Bill of Rights on the other and planted it at City Hall. The city hauled it away.

He ran for Congress that year in a 5th District Republican primary. Before losing a runoff to Virginia Foxx, he raised almost $3 million from a network of supporters across the country.

In 2006 he ran against Democrat Brad Miller in the 13th District. Making immigration an issue in that race, he ran a TV ad with mariachi music in the background.

"If Miller had his way," it said. "America would be nothing but one big fiesta for illegal aliens and homosexuals."

Convention kick-off rally set for Sept. 6

Organizers of the 2012 Democratic National Convention plan to hold a "year-out" rally at Time-Warner Cable Arena on Sept. 6, a year to the day before President Obama is expected to claim nomination for a second term.

Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx will be on hand, according to a source close to the convention. The event will be open to the public.

Tickets are free. For information, call 704.330.2012 or email info@clt2012.com.

The convention is scheduled to open on Sept. 3, 2012.

Veep candidate? Amid buzz, Rubio to give foreign policy address at Helms Center

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, shortlisted as a running mate by at least one GOP presidential candidate, will deliver his first major foreign policy speech next month at Wingate University.

Rubio's speech, titled "The Role of America in the World," is part of the Jesse Helms lecture series sponsored by the Jesse Helms Center. It will come on the heels of his first speech off the Senate floor and outside Florida next week at California's Ronald Reagan Presidential.

Rubio, elected last November, was recently mentioned by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as a potential vice presidential candidate along with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Rubio appeals to Republicans on many levels. He's Hispanic, from Florida and embraced by tea party activists.

“He fits every box you’re looking for when you’re looking for a VP, and then some,” Republican strategist Chip Saltsman told Politico this week. “He’s young, he’s good-looking, he’s smart, he’s done a good job his first (year) in the Senate, he’s energetic, he’s got a great family. He’s the total package in a lot of different ways. Whoever the nominee is, Marco’s gonna be at the top of a very short list.”

Former Senate candidate deployed to Afghanistan

Cal Cunningham, a former state senator who lost a U.S. Senate primary last year, is heading to Afghanistan.

Four years ago, the Lexington Democrat, a lawyer in the Army Reserve, deployed to Iraq. A senior prosecutor, he worked out of one of Saddam Hussein's old palaces. Now he's on his way to Afghanistan.

He'll be one of two lawyers working with a special operations task force and even doing “Village Stability Operations.” He writes about the new deployment on his blog.

He'll leave his wife and two children in Lexington, including the daughter born after Sept. 11, 2001.

"We were pregnant with Caroline on that horrifying September day ten years ago," he wrote. "If I can play some small role in helping make a world safer for her and for Will – and their generation – the time will be worth it. Given the stakes for our country, I am compelled to try."

Last year Cunningham lost a Democratic Senate primary runoff to Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

Big Guy likely to pass on 8th District rematch

It's no surprise that a lot of Republicans are salivating over the new 8th Congressional District.

It's not the same district that has twice elected Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell. It still runs from Charlotte east. But now there's fewer Democrat-heavy, Mecklenburg County precincts and new, mostly Republican voters in Randolph, Davidson and Davie counties.

In 2008 Barack Obama carried the current district with more than 52 percent of the vote. Republican John McCain would have carried the newly configured 8th with almost 58 percent of the vote.

So far GOP state Reps. Jerry Dockham of Davidson County and Justin Burr of Stanly County as well as former Iredell County commissioner Scott Keadle have expressed an interest. Not on the list? Harold Johnson, aka "The Big Guy" from his years as a WSOC TV sportscaster.

In 2010 Johnson won a GOP primary but lost to Kissell. Now, he says, he's "probably not" going to run. And Johnson, a longtime Statesville resident who moved to Cabarrus County to run two years ago, has moved back to Statesville.

Kissell, by the way, already has announced that he'll run again.

4:25: correction made. Johnson ran in 2010, not 2008.

N.C. Blue Dogs go for Cut, Cap & Balance

On the day they faced another hurdle to their re-election hopes, Democratic U.S. Reps. Heath Shuler and Mike McIntyre of North Carolina voted with Republicans on a bill to cut federal spending and call for a balanced budget amendment.

Shuler and McIntyre are members of the "Blue Dog" coalition of conservative Democrats. They were the only Democrats from the Carolinas to vote Tuesday for a GOP-sponsored "Cut, Cap and Balance" bill that set out strict spending limits and calls for a balanced budget amendment in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.

In separate news releases today, the group Americans for Limited Government called each man's vote "nothing short of heroic." Each, it said, is "one of the last true Blue Dogs, putting country ahead of party."

On Tuesday, Republican state lawmakers unveiled new congressional districts that put McIntyre, of the 7th District, in the 8th District with fellow Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell. And Shuler saw his 11th district get slightly more Republican.

One Republican lawmaker, state Sen. David Rouzer, today announced his candidacy for the 7th District.

Doles host McCrory fundraiser

Republican Pat McCrory will tap into some Washington coffers Tuesday night with a fundraiser at the home of former U.S. Sens. Bob and Elizabeth Dole.

The Doles will host the former Charlotte mayor at their condo in the Watergate.

McCrory is an unannounced candidate for governor, hoping for a rematch of his 2008 race against Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue.

The cost of Tuesday's reception: $4,000 a couple or $2,500 per individual.

"A lot (of people) have been invited, I'm just looking forward to seeing a lot of good friends," said Elizabeth Dole. "Pat is ... a very articulate guy with a good message."

Bowles heading to Treasury?

Politico's Mike Allen had this item in today's Playbook:

"THE BEST SUCCESSOR, if Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner takes the exit ramp this fall (after a debt-ceiling deal and the release of his white paper on corporate tax reform, but not before non-stop politicking): Erskine Bowles, White House Chief of Staff under Bill Clinton. The West Wing is a little scratchy about remarks Bowles made during Simpson-Bowles deficit commission, but he's credible and confirmable. You also have to list Roger Altman, investment banker and deputy Treasurey Secretary under Clinton, just because he always gets mentioned."

Bowles, a Charlottean, said in an email this morning that he's not interested.

"I am not interested in any full time job in the public or private sector. I am looking forward to being useful in part-time endeavors in the for profit, not for profit and public sectors of the economy."

Plus, he was leaving for the beach with his grandchildren. "Life is good," he aid, "And I'm very happy."

Late nights, short tempers

Tempers are fraying and patience is wearing at the General Assembly as lawmakers finish their third consecutive week of marathon sessions and late nights.

When House Speaker Thom Tillis tried to introduce a so-called supplemental calendar of bills at around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, GOP Rep. Edgar Starnes of Hickory stood up and objected. Other Republicans quietly cheered as Tillis gave in and adjourned the session at midnight.

"Thom said this would not be the pace if we would have to go through if he became speaker, I reminded him of that," Starnes said this morning. "It's insanity when you start trying to go to the middle of the night trying to pass legislation. There was no way we could have finished that calendar before 5 a.m."

Late-night sessions started two weeks ago with the budget and override of Gov. Bev Perdue's veto. They continued last week with crossover. And they've continued this week. Bills fly from one chamber to the other with major or minor adjustments. Committee meetings are hastily called. Members never know how long that day's or night's session will last.

Republican Rep. Ric Killian of Charlotte said other members are concerned about the pace.

"We have maintained a very, very aggressive pace," he said, "and it's taking its toll on the members."

Another veteran Republican agreed. "You're tired, you can't focus, half the time members don't know what's going on," said the lawmaker, who didn't want to be identified.

Tillis has said he's trying to stick to a promise to adjourn early. Spokesman Jordan Shaw acknowledged "it's been a breakneck three weeks."

"We're trying to be efficient," he said. "We've got to remember we're human."

UPDATE: Tillis said he and other leaders had already decided to end Thursday night's session when Starnes stood up. He defended the push to get things done, and get out.

"The deadline is driven more by our judgment that most of these matters have been fully debated in committee," he said. "Every day we're here is a day people are away from their jobs at a cost (to the state) of $40,000 a day or $1 million a month."

Perdue, McCrory dig for dollars in Charlotte

The two likely opponents in next years gubernatorial race are raising money in Charlotte this week.

Democrat Bev Perdue held a Monday night fundraiser at the home of Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers. Sponsors included investor Mark Erwin, former textile exec Crandall Bowles and Charlotte Chamber Chairman Pat Rodgers.

Republican Pat McCrory, meanwhile, will attend a Thursday night fundraiser at the home of Bank of America executive Cathy Bessant. Guests were to include House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate GOP Leader Phil Berger.

Given this week's rush to adjournment in Raleigh, neither is likely to attend.

Tillis & Berger stump for 'presumed' gubernatorial candidate

House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate GOP leader Phil Berger will take a break from the General Assembly this month to raise money for former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.

The two are scheduled to appear at a June 16 fundraiser for McCrory in Charlotte. The two have lent their names to similar events in Raleigh and Winston-Salem and are scheduled at a McCrory event tonight in Wilmington.

McCrory, who lost the governor's race to Democrat Bev Perdue in 2008, has been itching for a rematch ever since. He and the legislative leaders are mutually supportive. This week he praised the Republican budget after weighing in on it in private.

The current Senate version, unlike the first, retains money for the Charlotte light rail that McCrory has long championed.

Jack Hawke, McCrory's general consultant, said the Charlotte event could raise $200,000 for the still unannounced campaign. And so far, the former Charlotte mayor is the only Republican seriously mentioned as a candidate.

"Everywhere he goes he is kind of a presumed candidate," Hawke said.

ISO female, must love politics, long meetings

When Charlotte City Council member Edwin Peacock tried to find a woman council candidate, recently he did what a lot of men do: go to an Internet dating site.

Peacock, a Republican, filed a profile on eHarmony.

Peacock said he did it as a joke to make a point before a speech to a Republican women's group. Women, whether Democrat or Republican, tend to do well at the polls in Mecklenburg County.

"I was looking for a female, and what do people do in today's world?" he says. "They go to eHarmony or an Internet dating site."

Peacock is the only Republican at-large council member. He believes that a strong ticket would not only help him but his party.

He's not sure whether anybody responded to his eHarmony post. He filled out his profile under the name Grand O. Party and gave the county GOP web site as his own.

"It was a good joke, it got their attention," he says.

Myrick's son following her footsteps?

Twenty-four years ago, Dan Forest was a student at UNC Charlotte when his mother, Sue Myrick, was elected mayor of Charlotte.

Now he's running for office himself.

The Raleigh Republican is campaigning to be North Carolina's lieutenant governor. Though the race has stayed far below the radar, he's been speaking to GOP groups around the state.

Forest, 43, is the son of Myrick and her first husband, the late Jim Forest. He attended East Mecklenburg High School before transferring to a school in Columbia. He practiced architecture for 23 years before stepping down in late 2009 to start a political advocacy group. He left in March to start his campaign.

Filing for the office won't start until February. One other Republican, Wake County commissioner Tony Gurley, also is running.

Forest said his mother, a member of Congress since 1995, may campaign with him before its over.

"I think she will be very willing to once the time comes," he said. "She'll be in campaign mode too."

Foxx to mark his 40th with fundraiser

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx will celebrate his 40th birthday a day early tonight with a high-dollar fundraiser for his re-election campaign.

Democratic U.S. Rep Heath Shuler is scheduled to be on hand for the fundraiser at the southeast Charlotte home of Cameron and DeeDee Harris.

The couple is among 30 'Platinum" sponsors of the event each donating $4,000 to the Foxx campaign. Among the others are NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick and former county commissioner Dan Murrey, whom Foxx just named executive director of Charlotte's host committee for the 2012 Democratic convention.

Another 24 individuals or couples are "Gold" or "Silver" sponsors paying up to $2,000 each.

It's the second major fundraiser for Foxx, who has yet to formally announce a campaign for a second term. In his 2009 race against Republican John Lassiter, Foxx raised more than $640,000.

His likely Republican opponent this year, businessman Scott Stone, says he's shooting for $500,000 by Election Day. He said he's already gotten support from traditional GOP donors and members of the business community.

"They not only believe I can win, they believe with their help I will win," Stone said.

Stone plans to hold a fundraiser on his own birthday June 2. He'll be 43.

Billboard bill not popular in sponsor's hometown

N.C. Sen. Harry Brown of Jacksonville is the main sponsor of a bill sought by the outdoor advertising industry that would ease restrictions on billboards and make state law trump any local ordinances that govern them. That's not a very popular idea with at least one official in his hometown. "I don't like any proposal that removes from local government the right to regulate land use standards within their jurisdiction," says Jacksonville City Manager Richard Woodruff. The N.C. League of Municipalities, Association of County Commissioners and many other local officials oppose Brown's bill, in large part because it would override local regulations such as Jacksonville's sign ordinance, Durham's billboard ban and Charlotte's tree ordinance.

Jacksonville's ordinance, for example, says "because of their sheer size, proximity to buildings and potential to storm damage, these signs can be aesthetically undesirable, create traffic hazards and present dangers to adjoining properties."

The bill, now in the Senate Transportation Committee, also would allow advertisers to replace existing signs with digital ones and increase the area from which trees and other shrubs could be cleared around the signs.

Woodruff, a former planner, says the measure also "would create a system of regulatory ripples that could substantially affect the look and feel of your community."

Republicans pounce on Duke's convention loan guarantee

Republicans have jumped all over our report Saturday about Duke Energy Corp.'s decision to guarantee a $10 million line of credit to organizers of Charlotte's Democratic National Convention.

The GOP and other critics call it a form of corporate contribution that flies in the face of the Democrats' plan for a "people's convention." New rules for the first time ban corporate cash contributions and limit the size of individual donations.

"The DNC Reneges on its Convention Funding Promises Barely a Month after Announcing Them," a GOP press release said.

A blog on the conservative Weekly Standard was headlined: "DNC Strikes a $10 Million Deal with Cap and Trade Lobbyist." Duke supported so-called cap-and-trade legislation.

And Politico ran its version of the story, echoing a Republican spokeswoman saying the Democratic ban on corporate money was "nothing more than a PR move."

Politico quoted Democratic spokesman Brad Woodhouse. "If they think our ban on corporate contributions and our cap on individual contributions is so feckless," he said, "then they should be able to abide by the same restrictions."

National Enquirer's Edwards' tipster outs herself

As John Edwards' legal saga builds to an apparent climax at a Raleigh courthouse, the woman who tipped the National Enquirer to his affair has spilled the details in a story for the Huffington Post.

Pigeon O'Brien, who has been living in Asheville, describes how she'd been a friend of the woman then named Lisa Druck since the 1980s. After Druck changed her name to Rielle Hunter, and got involved with a man named John from North Carolina, O'Brien found herself keeping an increasingly uncomfortable secret.

Leaks spouted from various sources. Her phone rang with queries. That's when she says she decided to spill what she knew.

"I made one phone call simply to take the pressure off myself because I couldn't live with it anymore," O'Brien told me this morning.

The Enquirer contracted O'Brien to silence -- she said she doesn't recall how much she was paid -- and went on to expose the affair in 2007. The next year it disclosed that he had fathered Hunter's daughter.

A grand jury in Raleigh is reportedly near the end of a two-year investigation into whether Edwards violated campaign finance laws in covering up the affair. This week the former U.S. senator and Democratic presidential candidate added former White House counsel Greg Craig to his legal team.

Hunter has been living in Charlotte with her daughter. Edwards is holed up at home in Chapel Hill. O'Brien is watching the story unfold from the sidelines.

"I just think it's important to realize the truth comes out in a million different ways," she said.

NBC reports charges may be near for Edwards

NBC News is reporting this morning that charges may be near in the marathon federal investigation of former Democratic U.S. Sen. John Edwards.

Prosecutors are believed to have been looking into whether Edwards, a former vice presidential candidate, violated campaign laws in covering up his affair with Rielle Hunter, a former campaign videographer who now lives in Charlotte.

The federal grand jury in Raleigh that's heard evidence in the case isn't scheduled to meet again until March. But NBC reported the 2-year-old investigation is at "a decisive point."


"Sources close to the investigation say Justice Department attorneys are now conducting a final review of evidence, and an indictment could come within days or weeks," the network said. "In what could be an ominous development for Edwards, prosecutors already are making arrangements to record the sworn
testimony of a key witness for possible use in a future trial, said the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"'It would be surprising now if he wasn't indicted,' said Stephen Saltsburg, a former federal prosecutor and George Washington University law professor. 'If John Edwards was aware that the money was being paid to hide his mistress .... and it was done to help his campaign, then he's in trouble'."


Edwards attorney, Wade Smith of Raleigh, told NBC that he doesn't believe "there is evidence that John violated any election laws."

Prosecutors reportedly plan to record the testimony of 100-year-old Rachel "Bunny" Mellon. Former Edwards aide Andrew Young -- who once claimed paternity of Edwards' child with Hunter -- has written that the wealthy Mellon gave $700,000 that was used for Hunter's living expenses. He called it "Bunny money."

Bowles: Obama budget "nowhere near" what's needed

President Obama's proposed budget, out today, calls for about $1.1 trillion in spending cuts and tax hikes over the next decade to reduce the deficit and ultimately the federal debt. But for Charlotte's Erskine Bowles, the cuts go "nowhere near where they will have to go to resolve our fiscal nightmare."

That's what Bowles told the Washington Post this weekend. He co-chaired the president's deficit reduction commission that called for deep cuts in areas such as defense and entitlements, including Social Security.

Social Security, Medicare and other so-called mandatory spending make up most of the federal budget.

GOP businessman considering mayoral run

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx has been basking in a flattering spotlight since last week's announcement that the 2012 Democratic National Convention is coming to town. But before he settles in as the official host, he's got a little matter to deal with -- getting re-elected.

Foxx, a Democrat, plans to kick off his re-election bid March 10. He sent out a fund-raising letter last week, the same day the convention was announced.

So far the only Republican talking about a challenge is businessman Scott Stone, former chair of the city's Business Advisory Committee. He's also founder of the North Carolina Heroes Fund, a non-profit dedicated to supporting military families suffering financial hardships.

"Officially, I'm considering it," Stone said of a possible run. "But understanding it's going to take a lot of time energy and money to win the race. So If I'm going to run, I'm going to have to make a decision soon."

The cost of mayoral races has climbed. In 2009, Foxx raised $642,000 in his race against Republican John Lassiter. That was second only to former Republican Mayor Pat McCrory, who raised more than $800,000, most of which he transferred to his gubernatorial campaign the next year.

Stone is a relative unknown who would need money to change that. Higher profile Republicans are reluctant to take on an incumbent riding the wave of a national convention.

“I’m always keeping my options open," says city council member Edwin Peacock . "(But) you see the writing on the wall. Basically what I see now is the mayor's firmly in the lead."

Stone acknowledges that the convention "changes the dynamics."

"I don’t think it dissuades me from running," he says. "I'm concerned with the Democratic National Convention coming here there are a lot of potential costs, and someone with a business background should make sure it doesn’t bankrupt the city. Having the (convention) here is a great opportunity for the city as long as we manage the cost."

The 1st Democratic Convention flap: Charlotte barbecue

First Lady Michelle Obama found out early what a touchy subject barbecue is in these parts.

In an email announcing Charlotte as the site of the 2012 Democratic convention, she wrote that Charlotte is "a city marked by its southern charm .... and of course great barbecue."

The AP followed with a story quoting N.C. barbecue expert John Shelton Reed. "Complete the sentence," he said, "As a barbecue town, Charlotte is 1, not what it used to be; 2, like Minneapolis for gumbo; 3, good enough for Yankees; 4, not far from Shelby."

POLITICO piled on. "The gaffe was enough to make you wonder whether the White House had simply cut and pasted Southern clichés to create the first lady's announcement," in a story picked up by the Drudge report.

"A Fox News website also implied that Obama's praise for barbecue was at odds with her push for healthy eating, noting in a Fox Nation blog post: 'Studies show a barbecue meal weighs in at around 2,500 calories'."

Finally today, the group Media Matters joined the fray.

"The stupidest 'story' you’ll encounter all day is the Drudge-hyped 'gaffe' allegedly committed when an email announcement that next year's Democratic National Convention will be held in Charlotte mentioned 'great barbecue'," it said, noting that even if you have to go to Shelby or Lexington for barbecue, that's not far away.

Said Media Matters: "It's like mocking someone for saying that while visiting Los Angeles, they plan to visit Disneyland. Ha! Disneyland is in Anaheim, not L.A.! Or that a visit to New York City might involve catching a Jets game. Ha! They play in New Jersey!"

The picture above, by the way, shows the Obamas at a N.C. barbecue restaurant. In Asheville.

Watt: Dems could take back House

U.S. Rep. Mel Watt today defended his support for controversial tax cuts and said he "wouldn't be surprised" if Democrats regain the House in 2012.

"I'm not here to predict we will," the Charlotte Democrat told the Uptown Democratic Forum. "But I wouldn't be surprised."

Watt suggested numbers that might bode well for his party as it tries to regain the 25 seats it needs for control:

-- 54 Republicans won with less than 55 percent of the vote.
-- 61 won districts President Obama carried in 2008.
-- And 14 of them won districts carried by both Obama in 2008 and Democrat John Kerry in 2004.

He defended the 2010 health care law, which the new Republican-controlled House has voted to repeal. And he defended his vote in December for a bill that extended tax cuts for wealthy Americans. Many liberals opposed the bill.

Watt pointed to parts of the bill that extended unemployment benefits and cut the payroll tax for a year.

"It had a lot more in it for everyday, average working people than it did for rich people," he said.

Party candidate hosts fundraiser -- while he still can

State Rep. Bill Faison, who is running hard for the chairmanship of the N.C. Democratic Party, will host a party fundraiser tonight -- while he still can.

Faison, of Orange County, is organizing a fundraiser at state party headquarters tonight. Co-sponsors include 14 Democratic legislators. Invited guests include Gov. Bev Perdue, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and other state officials.

In the invitation, Faison said he was having the fundraiser to beat a ban on lawmakers raising money from lobbyists and political action committees. Legislators are barred from doing that once the session starts next week.

"I will be hosting a fundraiser aimed at PACs and Lobbyists to raise money for the North Carolina Democratic Party," Faison wrote. "As many of you know, ethics laws were passed a few years ago to significantly crack down on improper contributions to members of the General Assembly ... To make sure that this will not hurt my ability to serve you as the next Party Chair I decided to get their money in early."

Faison is running against Statesville lawyer David Parker and party activist Dannie Montgomery of Anson County. The election is Jan. 29.

Rivals: Hayes 'establishment' candidate to lead GOP

Two rivals for chairman of the N.C. Republican Party are calling former U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes the "establishment" candidate.

Tim Johnson, currently the party's vice-chair, said he expects to get tea party support in his bid for the top job. And Marcus Kindley, former Guilford County GOP chairman, said he's hoping to win grass-roots support.

The GOP state executive committee meets Saturday in Raleigh to name someone to fill the remaining six months of Tom Fetzer's term. Fetzer is resigning to start a consulting business.

"This is a classic case," Kindley said today. "We have the guys in Raleigh, they sat down and decided who they wanted to run.”

Johnson, meanwhile, said of his own support, "the vast amount is coming from Tea Party groups." He has spoken to Tea Party rallies in Charlotte and elsewhere.

"They truly were the ones that allowed Republicans to win and recapture the General Assembly the first time in 140 years," he said.

It's unclear how many Tea Partiers will be among Saturday's voters. The executive committee is made up of local and regional party leaders.

Hayes could not be reached. But his campaign manager, Jennifer Behr, said he expects to win.

"Robin’s got support from across the board," she said. "He's not in this because somebody handpicked him …. He realizes that this is just a job that he’s cut out for and now is his time and he’s seizing the opportunity.”

N.C. native in line for Gibb's White House job?

Raleigh native Brad Woodhouse, communications director for the Democratic National Committee, is being mentioned as a possible replacement for White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

Gibbs, a graduate of N.C. State, said today he'll step down as press secretary.
The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza writes that Woodhouse, 43, could be on a shortlist of candidates for the job. "Southern, wry and politically minded, Woodhouse and Gibbs are personal friends," Cillizza writes. "Woodhouse is eminently quotable and has strong relations with the national press corps thanks to years of flacking for candidates and campaigns. The one knock on him? He might be too political for the official White House staff."

Woodhouse and Gibbs worked together in former Rep. Bob Etheridge's office. Woodhouse also was a spokesman for Erskine Bowles' 2002 U.S. Senate campaign.

Woodhouse isn't the only member of his family in the political spotlight. His brother Dallas is director of the N.C. chapter of the conservative Americans for Prosperity. They've sparred publicly over issues like President Obama's health care proposal, including during a joint appearance last year on CNN.

“You cannot have an honest debate with folks like my brother on this issue,” Brad told CNN host John Roberts.

“It’s simple that the president is losing this debate," Dallas responded. "You know he’s losing this debate when people like my brother and the White House start attacking hard-working, tax-paying citizens as mobsters.”

Dulin: Foxx 'overly partisan' in convention comments

Republican city council member Andy Dulin hit Democratic Mayor Anthony Foxx today over comments Foxx made about the prospect of landing his party's national convention.

Charlotte is vying with Cleveland, Minneapolis and St. Louis for the 2012 Democratic convention.

Today's Observer picked up Foxx's comments to the National Journal this week. In advocating for Charlotte, the mayor said bringing the convention to the South would give the party "an opportunity to take the fight right into the heart of where folks have always thought the Republican Party had an advantage."

"With this one quote, the Mayor has changed dramatically my trust of his true intentions," Dulin said in an email to the Observer.

"Is he selling Clt to fill hotel rooms and fill our restaurants and bring economic vitality to Clt, while advancing our entire city’s brand or is he playing along with dem politics to advance his stature with the Obama admin. Is he in this for all of Clt or is he really trying to bring 'the fight into the heart of where folks have always thought the Republican Party had an advantage.' Which is it. That’s a very legitimate question."

Dulin prefaced the comment by saying he has supported pursuit of the convention as "a bi-partisan effort to advance Clt as a city and not Clt as a battle ground for The Mayor’s political advancement."

Foxx said "absent context Andy raises a fair question."

"But with context I was making the point that the Democratic National Convention had not been in the South since 1988. I mentioned that was one of many reasons Charlotte would be a good choice."

While the convention would be an economic boost, he added, "I really doubt the economic benefit analysis, which all the cities can claim, will be the only consideration."

Cantor: The 8th District is 'a majority-maker'

Republican Harold Johnson got a boost today from one of the House's ranking GOP leaders.

Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia headlined a fundraiser for the 8th District candidate at Charlotte's Fireman's Hall. Before the luncheon, the two spoke to two reporters at a news conference.

Cantor, who is going around the country stumping for GOP candidates, called Johnson's race against incumbent Democrat Larry Kissell "a majority-maker."

"This race is critical to our obtaining a majority," he said.

Cantor said Kissell had "cast his lot with (Speaker) Nancy Pelosi."

"He has demonstrated his willingness to go along with a destructive policy," he said.

The two split only when I asked Johnson about TV ads that criticize his support for the so-called Fair Tax. Advocates of the Fair Tax would abolish the federal income tax and Internal Revenue Service and repeal the 16th Amendment that authorizes them. They would replace it all with a 23 percent national sales tax.

"What this tax would do is eliminate the income tax as we know it and the IRS," Johnson said. If it comes to a floor for a vote, I would be there."

He'd be there without Cantor, who said he opposes the Fair Tax. "I'm a support of refining the tax code to make it simpler," he said.

Johnson and Cantor did agree on their opposition to "card check" legislation that would make it easier for labor unions to organize. Kissell is a co-sponsor of the legislation. Cantor and Johnson made their comments standing virtually atop a marble slab engraved with the local of Local 666 of the International Association of Firefighters.

"I sort of realized the irony," Cantor said later.

Leading Republicans cry foul on judge's claim to have support from 'leading Republicans.'

Mecklenburg Republicans are accusing a District judge of deceiving voters by claiming to have been endorsed by "leading Republicans."

Judge Tim Smith, a Democrat, sent Republicans and unaffiliated voters thousands of fliers headlined, "Why do leading Republicans believe Judge Tim Smith is the right choice?"

"The mailer was clearly meant to deceive Republican voters into believing that Tim Smith has the support of the Republican Party and conservative leaders across Mecklenburg County," the party said in a statement. "This is simply not true."

Though judicial races are nominally non-partisan, both parties are promoting their own candidates. Mecklenburg Republicans support Smith's opponent, Matt Osman.

GOP vice chair Claire Mahoney said she's concerned about the party being associated with Smith "in any shape, manner or form." Smith, elected in 2006, has been reprimanded twice by the Judicial Standards Commission.

"There really wasn't an intent to mislead anyone," Smith said. 'They can go to my Web site and see the list of supporters I have, and if they have time they can pull up the registrations of the nearly 1,000 on there and they'll find that a lot of them are Republicans."

Asked who among them would be considered "leading Republicans," Smith named several supporters, none of whom are well-known Republicans. The most prominent former Republican among his endorsers is one-time Charlotte Mayor Eddie Knox, who is now unaffiliated.

"They're are some leading Republicans who support me," Smith said, "but who prefer to remain anonymous."

Johnson shooting for cash with Young Guns

Republican 8th District candidate Harold Johnson is going to Washington this week to meet with GOP officials -- and replenish his campaign coffers.

Johnson, 69, is one of 26 "Young Guns" invited to meetings with House Republican leaders and GOP donors from Tuesday to Thursday.

Johnson was named this month as one of the 78 candidates in the Young Guns program.

Johnson spokesman Bryan Holladay said the candidate will meet with donors who can help him offset Democratic spending in the race. The Democratic Congressional Campaign committee and state Democratic Party have spent at least $300,000 on TV ads in support of Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which has spent $128,000 against S.C. Democrat John Spratt, has yet to weigh in on Johnson's behalf. An independent conservative group, Americans for Job Security, has spent $550,000 against Kissell.

Free Market Warrior meets Dr. Seuss

Loren Spivack has made a career of selling conservative-themed novelties, from bumper stickers to bobbleheads. Now the so-called "Free Market Warrior" has gone into publishing.

Spivack was in Rock Hill today handing out copies of his book, "The New Democrat" by "Dr. Truth." It's designed to look like Dr. Seuss' "Cat in the Hat," it features President Obama as the cat.

Dedicated to Glenn Beck ("Who inspires us all"), the book is a rhymed parody of the Obama administration. ("Our Founding fathers / Would turn over in their graves /If they could see now / How their successor behaves.)"

Spivack gave a copy to RNC Chairman Michael Steele in Rock Hill. To see more about the $20 book, go to http://www.obamaparody.com/.

Pelosi grabs Carolina headlines

A week after a Republican "Fire Pelosi" bus tour rolls through North Carolina, Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi herself comes to South Carolina.
Pelosi, of San Francisco, will speak to the Charleston NAACP on Sept. 25.

Tomorrow night in Fayetteville, Republican Congressional candidate Harold Johnson will join national GOP chairman Michael Steele on the "Fire Pelosi" tour. Earlier, Steele will hold a similar rally in Raleigh with two Triangle-area GOP candidates.

Pelosi has been red meat for Republicans. Recent national polls put Congressional job approval as low as 21 percent.

D.A. candidate returns -- and debates

Republican Andrew Murray returns Thursday from a two-month stint with the U.S. Coast Guard, just in time for a candidate forum with Democratic opponent Michael Barnes.

Not long after he returns, Murray will join Barnes at the NAACP/John S. Leary Bar forum at Little Rock AME Zion Church, 401 N. McDowell Street. It also features candidates for Superior and District Court judge.

The forum runs from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Murray, who has spent 30 years in the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserves, was called to active duty in July to help with cleanup efforts from the BP oil spill.

This will be the first forum in months for the two D.A. candidates.

Pro-business group weighs in against Kissell

In what would be the first outside involvement in the 8th District congressional race, a pro-business group called Americans for Job Security plans to start running $600,000 worth of TV ads against Democratic U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell.

It also plans to spend $800,000 on ads against Rep. Bob Etheridge in the 2nd District. The 30-second ads are scheduled to start Tuesday.

The ads, which will run for a month, are expected to criticize their votes for the federal stimulus and other programs.

"Government spending is crippling the economy," said Steve DeMaura, the group's president. "Washington has refused to listen to the people of North Carolina and job creators across the country. When we said 'no' to the so-called stimulus package because it would ultimately threaten job creation, Rep. Larry Kissell voted 'yea.'"

DeMaura told FactCheck.org that as of mid-August, his group had spent $6.3 million on the 2010 elections. In the S.C. GOP gubernatorial primary, it attacked Gresham Barrett, who lost a runoff to Nikki Haley.

Kissell spokesman Christopher Schuler said the campaign is puzzled by the attack.

"The Congressman has a lengthy record of standing up for small businesses time and time again," he said. "That's why the Chamber of Commerce thanked him for his vote for the stimulus, his vote against cap and trade, and his votes against the healthcare bill.

"You can look at last week's groundbreaking at Celgard to see that the Stimulus is creating jobs here in North Carolina."

Dueling polls in the 8th District

Republican Harold Johnson's campaign is touting a new internal poll that shows him narrowly trailing 8th District Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell by 5 percentage points. "This is a real shot in the arm for all of us," Johnson said. "Obviously this race is very competitive."

Not surprisingly, the poll differs from an internal poll for Kissell two weeks ago that showed the freshman Democrat with a 17-point lead.

Both surveys suggest the race is running counter to national and state trends, at least for now.

Recent polls on RealClearPolitics.com show Republicans with a lead of as many as 13 points on the generic Congressional ballot. Raleigh's Public Policy Polling found voters favor Republicans in generic legislative races by eight points.

Despite the absence of an independent poll, the 8th District is considered North Carolina's only real toss-up contest by many analysts.

Kissell spokesman Christopher Shuler dismissed the latest GOP poll. It was done by Public Opinion Strategies, the same company that showed Kissell trailing Republican Rep. Robin Hayes a few weeks before the 2008 election. Kissell won by 10 percentage points.

Shazam! Even Sheriff Andy takes a hit in poll

Poor 'ol Andy. According to the latest from Raleigh's Public Policy Polling, even Andy Griffith isn't going unscathed this election year. Here's polling director Tom Jensen:

"You know how bad things are for Democratic political figures these days? Even Andy Griffith's poll numbers have seen a significant decline in the last 2 years.Our latest North Carolina poll found Griffith at 44/22 in the state for a net favorability of +22. That represents a 25 point decline from June of 2008 when Griffith was at a net +47 (56/9.) There's not much doubt that it's Griffith's forays into politics, most recently in support of the health care bill, that are driving down his poll numbers. His 53% favorability with Democrats right now is only slightly down from 57% in the June 2008 poll. But with Republicans he's dropped all the way from 57% to 35%. He's only barely on positive ground with GOP voters, as 31% of them see him unfavorably.Of course Bev Perdue, Kay Hagan, and Richard Burr would all die to have Griffith's poll numbers. They may be down but North Carolinians still like him a whole lot better than any elected official in the state."

Johnson rebuts Kissell poll

Republican congressional candidate Harold Johnson today dismissed a poll done for his rival, Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell, calling it "a desperate move."

The internal campaign poll, by a Democratic firm, showed Kissell with a 17-point lead over Johnson and wider spread over Libertarian Thomas Hill. Kissell highlighted the survey in a fundraising letter last week.

"I'm putting no stock in it," Johnson said today at a GOP rally in east Charlotte. "It's a desperate move to convince people they should forget (Democratic House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi, forget his vote for stimulus."

In his fundraising letter, Kissell quoted from an article about the poll in Roll Call, a Capitol Hill paper. "Kissell said Thursday that while it was nice to have a favorable snapshot of the race, he has no plans to slow down on the campaign trail," the article said.

NRCC targeting Spratt but not Kissell?

In what it calls the "first wave" of its fall plan to take back the House, the National Republican Congressional Committee today released the 40 districts where it has reserved $22 million of air time.

South Carolina's 5th District is on the list. North Carolina's 8th is not.

Democratic U.S. Rep. John Spratt of York faces Republican Mick Mulvaney of Lancaster County in what's expected to be a hard-fought battle.

Democratic incumbent Larry Kissell, whose 8th District stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville, faces Republican Harold Johnson.

"I'm not concerned about that," Johnson said today. "We had an excellent day of fundraising. We had a very good week last week. We're moving forward ... I know this is a very close race."

Last month the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reserved $871,000 in airtime on Charlotte stations for Spratt and Kissell. It was part of $7.7 million in TV time reservations the campaign group has made on behalf of Democratic House incumbents. The DCCC has reserved an additional $290,000 in S.C. markets for Spratt.

Rappin' with Alvin

He doesn't know who did it, but Alvin Greene likes it.

The 3-minute rap video called "Alvin Greene is on the Scene" is getting some buzz, and some views on YouTube.

The video features shots of the S.C. Democratic U.S. Senate nominee from early TV interviews to last week's speech in his hometown of Manning. Credits at the end say Greene produced and directed the video. Which is not exactly true.

"We didn't do that, but it is good and it is worth mentioning and passing along," Greene told me this afternoon.

Greene is a man of few words but big ambitions. "My campaign," Greene said, "is about ending the recession." How?

"Like I've been mentioning before, with real solutions and real issues that are important to Americans in their day-to-day life, jobs education and justice," he said. "I have real plans and my opponent has nothin'."

Ian Headley, a spokesman for Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, declined to comment on that.

But, he said, "We have no plans for a DeMint rap video."

DCCC reserves air time for Kissell and Spratt

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has reserved $871,000 in airtime on Charlotte stations for two Democrats considered vulnerable, according to today's Hotline on Call.

The online tip sheet says it's part of $7.7 million in TV time reservations the campaign group has made on behalf of Democratic House incumbents.

The DCCC has reserved an additional $290,000 in S.C. markets for Spratt.

The group had $33.7 million in the bank at the start of this month, about twice as much as its Republican counterpart.

Charlotte brings on consultants in effort to land 2012 Democratic convention

In its bid to land the 2012 Democratic National Convention, the City of Charlotte is bringing on two people very familiar with the Democratic National Committee.

Hired as consultants are Tom McMahon, former executive director of the Democratic National Committee, and Karen Finney, former communications director for the DNC.

The hirings are expected to be announced by Mayor Anthony Foxx at a 5 p.m. news conference at the Charlotte Chamber.

McMahon was the DNC's executive director from 2005-2009. Finney frequently appeared on TV news shows as a party spokeswoman.

Poll: Obama could drag down N.C. Democratic legislative candidates

A new survey by Raleigh's Public Policy Polling suggests that President Obama could hurt N.C. legislative candidates this fall.

The poll by the Democratic-leaning firm shows Obama's approval in the state is 46 percent while disapproval is 50 percent. But, says polling director Tom Jensen, "The big concern for Democrats at the state level is that voters unhappy with Obama are planning to vote Republicans for the Legislature this fall by a margin of 80-6."

Republicans are optimistic about winning either the House or Senate or both this fall.

The PPP poll comes out the same day as a new Washington Post/ABC News poll that shows public confidence in Obama at a new low.

Andrew Young: Elizabeth Edwards 'not facing the facts and not taking responsibility'

It's no secret that there's little love lost between Elizabeth Edwards and her husband John' s former aide, Andrew Young. Now Young has responded to Edwards' appearance Wednesday on the "Today" show.

Answering a question from Matt Lauer, Edwards dismissed Young's tell-all book, "The Politician."

"I wasn't particularly worried about anything Andrew Young said," she told Lauer. "His -- I don't mind saying that his book is just -- it's not that he didn't have a good story to tell, he did. But it's so filled with lies that ... I don't consider it having any bearing whatsoever on the truth, particularly with respect to me."

Young responded in an email to the Observer.

"As much as I admire Elizabeth's resilience and understand her pain, I am disappointed that she
is not yet facing the truth about the scandal that hurt so many people, and our country. She is not facing the facts and not taking responsibility for her role in constructing the myth of John Edwards and enabling him to carry on a terrible deception. Instead she continues to blame others and presents versions of events that are distorted. This approach -- an attempt to manufacture reality and deny responsibility -- set the stage for the Edwards debacle and only makes people feel even more cynical about our leaders and politics as it is practiced today.

"Having admitted she has not read my book, Elizabeth nevertheless declared it is inaccurate and false and that I present myself as a hero. Anyone who has read The Politician, or has seen me discuss my mistakes and failures in many interviews knows that I do not consider myself a hero. I am a man trying to share what I have learned about politics, human nature, and myself with the hope that the truth will benefit us all.

"Because of performances like yesterday, people are too quick to write this scandal off as just a soap opera. But there are powerful lessons that John and Elizabeth could teach this country, not about the two Americas - that opportunity is gone. But they could help us learn about the allure of the White House, the pitfalls of being in a position of such great power and how we can improve the current election system so a scandal like this doesn't jeopardize the presidency again."

Harold Johnson is no Young Gun

Republican Harold Johnson, who turns 69 on Friday, is no Young Gun.

Politico reported that the National Republican Congressional Committee has picked 16 candidates for the top tier of its “Young Guns” program, an effort that helps chosen House challengers with fundraising and other campaign support.

"The fresh additions to the NRCC’s list provide the most specific look yet at the House GOP’s highest-priority targets for the 2010 cycle," Politico said. "With the 16 additional names ... the “Young Guns” list includes a total of 39 candidates – exactly the number of seats Republicans would need to take back control of the House this November ...

"Several Republicans competing for vulnerable seats did not get the “Young Guns” promotion. North Carolina House candidate Harold Johnson, for example, whom House Republican leaders backed in a primary for Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell’s seat, has not cleared the bar yet."

Johnson could not be reached.

“As demonstrated by his resounding primary victory, Harold Johnson is running an excellent campaign," said NRCC spokesman Andy Sere. "We fully expect him to reach the next level in due time as he replenishes his campaign coffers and gears up for the general election.”

D'Annunzio: 'A man without a country'

It may take Tim D'Annunzio a while to get over Tuesday's loss to fellow Republican Harold Johnson in the 8th Congressional District runoff.

On election night, the disappointed Hoke County businessman said he couldn't endorse Johnson "and his under-handed campaign tactics." Today he also lashed out at his party on his blog called "Christ's War."

"I am a man without a country," he wrote. "The numbers are in and you are found wanting.There is nothing left. It has been made void and without shape. I am a pilgrim in search of a new world.

"All the scriptural code talk aside (you know Daniel 5, Genesis 1 and Hebrews 11), the only difference between the Republican Party and the Democrat Party is the speed with which they will take us to hell.The brakes are off - full speed ahead."

Poll: Johnson fares better against Kissell than D'Annunzio

A new survey by Public Policy Polling shows Republican Harold Johnson would give Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell a stronger challenge in the fall than Tim D'Annunzio.

Kissell leads both Republicans in hypothetical match-ups, but leads D'Annunzio by a much wider margin.

The poll also showed Kissell with "a steep decline" in his approval numbers since January. Johnson and D'Annunzio face off in a Tuesday runoff.

Tom Jensen, a spokesman for the Democratic-leaning firm from Raleigh, said D'Annunzio has been hurt by critical stories since the May 4 primary, including criticism from GOP officials. In th poll, 39 percent said their opinion of him had grown more negative since the first primary.

"The various controversies that have cropped up around D'Annunzio over the last six weeks have been devastating for his poll numbers," Jensen said on his blog.

PPP is expected to release head-to-head numbers in the GOp race on Wednesday.

Two Queens profs win on legislative gameboard

It's been a staple of civics classes: a simple chart of how a bill becomes law in Washington. But the chart never explained the real process.

Now two Queens University of Charlotte professors have won an award from a national award from the Sunlight Foundation for devising a chart that shows a complex process in a simple way.

Modeled on a game board, the chart -- called "How Our Laws Are Made" -- was designed by Mike Wirth, an assistant professor of new media design, and Suzanne Cooper Guasco, Chair of the History Department.

Their graphic has been mentioned in The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, the Atlantic and on Comedy Central, where it was headlined: How a mash-up of Pig Lips and Cow Anus Becomes a Delicious Sausage (or How a Bill Becomes a Law.)

Wirth says he came away with a better understanding of the legislative process.

"I guess I thought like most Americans that this was a slow and convoluted process," he says. "But it's an efficiant process, as efficient as democracy can get. Barring any better style of government coming out, I think this might be the best way to go about it.