Hillary protesters greet Dean in Charlotte

Around two dozen Hillary Clinton supporters, some carrying signs saying "Dump Dean," attempted to shout down Democratic national chairman Howard Dean during an appearance in Charlotte today.

The protesters, who described themselves as members of a group called "Charlotte Front and Center," shouted and waved signs as Dean spoke to about 150 people at a voter registration rally on West Boulevard.

The demonstrators said they were protesting what they said was a decision not to put Clinton's name in nomination at next month's Democratic convention.

Dean was briefly drowned out by shouts such as "I own my vote."

"I'm gonna let these folks shout a little bit because I can't hear you folks," Dean said, pausing his speech for a short time.

"There will be a roll call vote at the convention if Hillary Clinton wants one," he went on. "We all respect each other and we certainly respect Sen. Clinton. This is a unified party. It is not easy to be on the losing side and I know ... because four years ago, I was on the losing side."

The shouts continued intermittently. When Dean mentioned what he called "the biggest job for President Obama," protesters shouted "He's not president!"

Dean went on to urge the larger crowd of Democrats to help register what he said is an estimated 1 million unregistered North Carolinians.

Speaking to reporters later on his bus, he dismissed the protesters.

"I'm not sure all of them are Clinton supporters," he said. "I think some of them are having fun at the Democrats' expense. I think shouting through somebody's speech is low-class."

(The photo is from the group's Web site.)

Did Edwards' VP chances take tabloid hit?

As the handicapping of vice presidential candidates continues, Democrat John Edwards has kept alive speculation that he’s in the running.

“I'm not seeking the job,” he told reporters in Denver this week. “But anything Senator Obama would ask me to do in his campaign or presidency I would consider seriously.”

But has a tabloid newspaper sunk any chances he had?

For two days, reactions to a story posted this week by the National Enquirer have spilled into the blogosphere and at least one network TV show.

The Enquirer, which months ago alleged an affair by former N.C. senator, this week said its reporters caught him having a rendezvous with the woman, Rielle Hunter, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.

The paper said Hunter had two rooms at the hotel Monday night. It said a team of reporters watched Edwards go into the hotel at 9:45 p.m. and then ambushed him on his way out at 2:40 a.m. when, it said, he ducked into a bathroom.

The paper published no photos or no eyewitness accounts beyond those of its reporters. A hotel spokeswoman declined to talk about the alleged incident Thursday, citing a “non-disclosure policy.”

Asked about the allegations in Houston Wednesday, Edwards said, “ “That's tabloid trash. They’re full of lies. I’m here to talk about helping people.”

But the political damage may have been done.

“Many a vice presidential candidate has been doomed by rumors, ones that have both been true and untrue,” Chuck Todd, NBC’s political director, told the Observer. “The Obama camp loves to call him ‘No Drama Obama.’ He’s not picking somebody that provides drama, no matter how true or untrue the allegations.”

Or, as an Opinion blog on the L.A. Times web site said Wednesday, “Barack Obama's VP shortlist might have gotten shorter.”

Don Fowler of Columbia, a former Democratic National Chairman, agreed.

"Any kind of report like this, unless there is some absolute proof that it is not true, will be believed by some people," he said, "and the degree to which it seems to have credibility will be believed by more people. And when you select somebody to be vice presidential candidate the number one rule of everything is, you sure as hell don't want somebody who will hurt you."

The Enquirer story was mentioned Wednesday night on CNN’s Glenn Beck show. But for the most part, the mainstream media has ignored it. Bloggers have taken note.

Slate’s Jack Shafer called it a double standard, and contrasted it with press coverage of Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, who was arrested arrested at an airport last year “for playing footsies in a toilet stall.”

To Enquirer editor David Perel, the blogosphere is closer to the mainstream than traditional media.

“‘Mainstream’ media is a misnomer, the amount of attention the story is getting online is huge,” he told me Thursday. “Basically, new media is leading the way on this, and that’s going to continue to happen.”

I asked Perel about photos or eyewitness accounts. He wouldn’t talk about that.

“Well, stay tuned, that’s all I can say,” he said. “Everything’s done incrementally. So I’m not going to tell you exactly what our process is. Perhaps my time frame is different than your time frame. I’m not worried about the rest of the media. I’m worried about us.”

Perel called it “an extremely difficult story to work.

“We wanted to continue with it until we found a smoking gun. I basically wanted to catch him in the act and that’s what we did. Got day and date, time and place.”

Fowler suggested the story could hurt Edwards more than other politicians.

"If you had this rumor about Bill Clinton it probably wouldn't cause a ripple," he said. "But given John Edwards and his public relationship with his wife, something close to a model of the perfect family and their perfect relationship, it would hurt that much more."

Hagan, Dole and the war for vets

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan spent nearly an hour today listening to Charlotte-area veterans talk about their problems getting health care and other benefits.

One told her about having to get up at 3 a.m. to catch a Greyhound bus to the V.A. hospital in Salisbury. Another talked about the 14,000 pending claims by N.C. veterans backlogged at a V.A. office in Winston-Salem.

"People are frustrated because Washington is broken," Hagan said after meeting the 30 or so vets at American Legion Post 380. It was her third town hall meeting with vets.

Her appearance came a day after her opponent, Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole, announced her own “Veterans for Dole" steering committee. A statement that accompanied the announcement touted veterans' legislation she has supported, including a military and veteran health care bill.

Asked to describe Dole's record, Hagan said, "I don't think she's hearing the same complaints I'm hearing.

"Let me put it this way, my record will be a lot better."

Said Dole spokesman Hogan Gidley: “When it comes to providing for and supporting the military, Elizabeth Dole is second to no one. . .except perhaps her own husband. Frankly, I’m embarrassed for Kay Hagan that she suggested otherwise.”

DNC, RNC drives coming to NC

Democratic national chairman Howard Dean brings his voter registration drive to North Carolina Friday, with stops in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte.

It's part of a "Register for Change" bus tour that started in Crawford, Texas, and is traveling the country leading up to next month's Democratic convention in Denver.

Dean will rill into Charlotte for a 3:30 p.m. event at the Margery Thompson Professional Development Center, 428 West Boulevard.

Meanwhile, Republican national chairman Mike Duncan today has begun his own “Victory 2008 Tour.” He'll meet with state GOP leaders and talk about John McCain's campaign. That tour also is scheduled to stop in North Carolina, though no schedule has been released.

McCain and the press

I went by a Veterans for McCain rally today at Freedom Park, where about 50 vets listened to remarks from one of John McCain's fellow POWs and watched a video about the Arizona senator's war-time experiences.

Lee Teague, the chairman of the Mecklenburg County GOP, noted the handful of reporters in the room. He was surprised, he said, because he thought they were all traipsing around the world with Barack Obama.

Obama's trip to Iraq and Afghanistan has drawn more attention than similar trips by McCain. News anchors and big-name reporters are all aboard. It all lends itself to the kind of caricature of a media love fest that Saturday Night Live lampooned during the primary.

Now the McCain campaign is laughing back.

The campaign is staging a contest to see which of the two "The media loves Obama" videos people prefer.

"The media is in love with Barack Obama," a campaign statement said. "If it wasn't so serious, it would be funny."

Perdue doubles McCrory in fundraising

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bev Perdue has twice as much money in her campaign account as Republican Pat McCrory, after doubling his take in second quarter fundraising.

New reports show Perdue raised $2.3 million during the quarter to McCrory's $1 million. Perdue had $1.4 million on hand compared to McCrory's $700,000.

Perdue, the lieutenant governor, raised twice as much as Democrat Mike Easley had in 2000, when he also ran for governor the first time.

But McCrory's fundraising compares favorably to that of the last two GOP nominees, Patrick Ballantine in 2004 and Richard Vinroot in 2000. Both Republicans lost to Easley.

“We are very pleased with the strong support our campaign has received from across the state," said Richard Hudson, campaign manager for the Charlotte mayor. "He will have the financial resources necessary to win in November."

Easley sends plane for funeral guest

Former Republican Gov. Jim Martin got a free ride to Jesse Helms' funeral Tuesday -- courtesy of Democratic Gov. Mike Easley.

Easley's office offered Martin a ride aboard the jet the governor often uses on state business. Flight records show the Cessna Citation picked Martin up in Concord in the morning and flew him back after the funeral.

"I was happy to accept that, it saved a couple hours each way," Martin said. "I thought it was a nice gesture."

The two round-trips took less than two hours, according to flight records. The 8-passenger plane costs $770 per hour to operate, according to a spokeswoman for the state Department of Commerce, which owns it. Martin appeared to be the lone passenger.

Easley spokesman Seth Effron said the Democratic governor offered the plane "as a matter of protocol and professional courtesy to the former governor because this was a matter of state.”

Former Gov. Jim Holshouser also attended the funeral, as did other mourners from Charlotte.

Asked how taxpayers might view the trip, Martin said, "If taxpayers would object to that, it probably won't happen again. But I thought it was very thoughtful of (Easley)."

Obama, Helms and symbols

The crowd that came to hear Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Monday filed into a Charlotte middle school past an American flag flying at half-mast.

The flag was lowered to commemorate Friday's death of North Carolina's longtime U.S. senator, Jesse Helms.

Though plane trouble force Obama to cancel, the irony of the first black presidential nominee scheduling a visit to Helms' home state on the eve of his funeral wasn't lost.

"Sen. Helms represented ... views and perspectives that were wrong-minded, that represented the last century," Jennifer Roberts, chair of the Mecklenburg County commissioners, told the crowd. "We are moving from a politics of division to a politics of unity and the future."

After days of retrospectives about Helms, the Washington Post today re-ran a column that political columnist David Broder wrote about the senator on the occasion of his 2001 retirement announcement.

ISO convention bloggers

Are you a Carolina blogger planning to attend either the Democratic convention in Denver or the Republican convention in Minneapolis?

If so, let me know. Both parties plan to accommodate bloggers. For possible stories, we'd like to get in touch.

Let me know by posting here or emailing jmorrill@charlotteobserver.com.

New NC polls: Good news for both parties

The good news for Republicans in two new polls: Their candidates are ahead.

The good news for Democrats: But not by that much.

A new poll by the conservative Civitas Institute shows Republican presidential candidate John McCain and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole leading opponents Barack Obama and Kay Hagan. Republican Pat McCrory is virtually tied with Democrat Beverly Perdue in the governor's race.

But in a state George W. Bush twice won with 56 percent, Obama trailed McCain by only four points in the poll. Hagan trailed Dole by 10.

A poll of voters in the 10th Congressional District by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling shows GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry leading Democrat Daniel Johnson 49 percent to 38 percent.

But McHenry won the heavily Republican district in 2006 with 62 percent of the vote to 38 percent for his Democratic challenger.

PPP also found McCrory with a 25-point lead over Perdue in the district.

Turnout was so low that ....

Of the 2,200 people eligible to vote in Mecklenburg County's Precinct 141, only one showed up for Tuesday's Democratic runoff for labor commissioner.

Turnout was a dismal .84 percent throughout the county. Statewide it was under 2 percent.

At least the lone voter in Precinct 141, at the University City library, didn't have to stand in line. Neither did the single voter in Precinct 28 or, for that matter, in any of the county's other 193 precincts.

In the commissioner's race, Mary Fant Donnan walloped John Brooks 86 percent to 14 percent in Mecklenburg. Statewide she won with 68 percent.

Donnan faces Republican incumbent Cherie Berry in November.

Burr blasts Obama on energy

Speaking for Sen. John McCain's campaign, Sen. Richard Burr today called Democrat Barack Obama's energy proposals "ludicrous."

"I'm not sure he’s done anything but mirror the inaction of the Democratic leadership in Congress," said Burr, an N.C. Republican.

Burr joined McCain's energy adviser in an afternoon conference call with reporters. They spoke as McCain, campaigning in California, called for greater energy efficiency. The candidate appeared with Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who opposes offshore oil drilling, which McCain supports.

Burr said he supports McCain's call to end a federal moratorium on such drilling and let states decide whether to allow it off their coasts.

"I leave it up to the people of North Carolina, to the leadership of North Carolina," Burr said. "I hope they feel a responsibility to do what I think technologically can be done with very little risk."

Cheney: Not aiming at 'shotgun social'

Gaston County Republicans may be breathing a little easier. Vice President Dick Cheney won't be attending tomorrow's Shotgun Social near Gastonia.

The Gaston County GOP invited Cheney to what party officials call the first shotgun fundraiser in North Carolina.

For $80, participants can shoot at clay targets. Non-shooters pay $30.

In 2006, Cheney accidentally shot a friend in the face while hunting in Texas.

Neil Moore, the Gaston GOP chairman, said he's not surprised that the vice president won't be attending an event where, after all, everybody is armed.

"It would take a small army of Secret Service to block off the area," Moore said.

The shotgun social will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Kings Pinnacle Development on Unity Church Road. For tickets, call 704-868-3330.

Belk story: An 'obvious hack piece?'

After my story on Bill Belk's campaign for district court judge ran Sunday, a friend forwarded this thread from a reader who obviously didn't like it.

The person -- identified only as "frumious bandersnatch" -- is looking for help in writing a letter to the editor. She calls herself a friend of Belk (after meeting him "a handful of times") and wants to correct what she sees a hack job.

So if you want to see how sausage (or a letter to the editor) is made, or if you have some advice for her, check out the link. To help her, leave any advice right here.

Hayes' jobless vote: Good politics?

Most House Republicans voted Wednesday against a bill to extend unemployment benefits by three m0nths. The bill fell three votes short of the two-thirds required for passage.

Voting with every Democrat -- and just 48 other Republicans -- for the measure was Republican Rep. Robin Hayes, who represents North Carolina's 8th District.

Voting to extend unemployment benefits is good politics, particularly in a district hit hard by the economic downturn and a vanishing textile industry. It's probably no coincidence that of the 10 Republicans in races rated as toss-ups by the Cook Political Report, seven -- including Hayes --- joined Democrats in supporting the bill.

The vote also gives Hayes ammunition in his latest attack on Democratic opponent Larry Kissell. In a new ad, he's criticized Kissell for not paying payroll taxes for his campaign workers.

“Extending unemployment benefits is the right thing to do, but we have to realize that these benefits are primarily funded by employers who pay taxes into the trust fund,” Hayes said in a news release today. “Larry Kissell wants to be in congress so he can vote on issues like unemployment benefits. But his campaign has manipulated the system to avoid paying the taxes that fund these unemployment benefits. The irony here is so thick you could cut it with a knife.”

Kissell's campaign says all of its employees have been treated as independent contractors who pay their own taxes, although field workers hired this month will be full-time employees whose taxes will be paid by the campaign.

ADDENDUM

Another Republican who voted to extend jobless benefits was Rep. Patrick McHenry of Cherryville. Unemployment rates in 9 of his ten 10th District counties exceed the state average.

McHenry also faces what could be a tough fight against Democrat Daniel Johnson.

Gov candidates debate debates

Democrat Bev Perdue agreed today to five debates with Republican Pat McCrory. For McCrory, that's not enough.

Perdue's campaign said she'll debate five times starting June 21 in Atlantic Beach before the N.C. Bar Association. The other debates are spread out, ending with an Oct. 15 face-off in Charlotte.

"We've agreed to five debates, it's more than any recent gubernatorial campaign in North Carolina," says Perdue spokesman David Kochman. "It provides a very aggressive schedule and good opportunity for voters to hear about the candidates."

McCrory has agreed to seven debates, says his manager, Richard Hudson.

“Pat has agreed to debate anywhere and everywhere,” he says. “Let’s get on with the discussion of the issues so the voters of North Carolina can make an educated choice for the person to lead this state.”

McCrory questioned why Perdue didn't list events sponsored by the N.C. Press Association and the N.C. Association of Broadcasters. Kochman said she'll be at the press association event, though it's not a debate.

As for the broadcasters' gathering, he said, "We've accepted five debates. Unfortunately we can't accept every invitation that comes our way."

The debates both sides have agreed to:
-- 6/21: North Carolina Bar Association, Atlantic Beach.
-- 8/19: WTVD, Durham.
-- 9/9: Capital Broadcasting/WRAL, Raleigh.
-- 9/19: Public School Forum/Education: Everybody's Business Coalition,
Cary.
-- 10/15: Charlotte-Mecklenburg League of Women Voters/WSOC/WTVI,
Charlotte

The Heimlich heard round the world

It's hard for a candidate for lieutenant governor to get much attention in his own state, let alone anywhere else. But N.C. Republican Robert Pittenger has found himself on national TV and newspapers around the world.

And all he did was choke.

Pittenger was eating lunch at Saturday's GOP convention in Greensboro, sitting next to U.S. Rep. Howard Coble across a dais from former presidential candidate Mick Huckabee, the luncheon speaker. Coble said something funny, Pittenger started laughing and choked. As others sat around, Huckabee rushed over and gave him the Heimlich, saving the day if not more.

The account brought a brief mention in Sunday's Observer. But it brought Pittenger and Huckabee on "Fox & Friends" Monday morning and mentions on other network newscasts, including MSNBC's "Hardball."

The story was carried by The Australian ("Huckabee saves fellow Republican from choking"), The New Zealand Herald ("Huckabee is Heimlich hero"), and was picked up by Agence France-Presse, among others.

Huckabee, who had trained as an emergency medical technician, told ABC News it was the third time he'd saved someone from choking by using the Heimlich.

Said Pittenger: "I am not coordinated enough to laugh and swallow at the same time."

Who do you like for veep?

John Edwards, if he was ever in the running as Barack Obama's running mate, probably isn't now. There's some good reasons in this NYT blog.

But who is? Or should be? Not just for Obama, but Republican John McCain.

On the Republican side, two Carolinians -- Sen. Richard Burr of Winston-Salem and S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford -- have been mentioned. So have Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Lousiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Democrats mentioned include a pair of women governors: Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Janet Napolitano of Arizona. And there's always senators like Evan Bayh of Indiana or Joe Biden of Delaware.

Who do you think the candidates should choose?

Rucho-Dulin: 'The gentlemanly thing'

There was no love lost this spring between Republicans Andy Dulin and Bob Rucho. Their N.C. Senate contest was one of the nastiest -- and definitely most expensive -- primary races around.

But both Republicans tried to put that behind them Wednesday night when Mecklenburg GOP officials met to recommend Rucho's appointment to the Senate seat of the newly retired Robert Pittenger.

"Our contest was heated and it still hurts that I lost," says Dulin, a member of the Charlotte City Council. "But it's time to move on. And for the good of this community as a whole, we to have cohesion between Raleigh and the city council. That, plus from the Republican side, we've got a lot of important work to do (for the fall)."

Dulin calls his nomination "the gentlemanly thing to do." Rucho calls Dulin "very gracious."

But the Matthews dentist still has a complaint against Dulin at the state board of elections over Dulin's campaign finances.

Rucho still has to be formally appointed to the Senate seat by Gov. Mike Easley. He faces no Democratic opposition this fall.

McCain calls for a series of town halls

Presidential debates are usually carefully orchestrated, with high-profile surrogates negotiating everything from the location and audience to the color of the backdrop. Republican John McCain wants to change that.

This morning, in a letter to Democrat Barack Obama, he proposed a series of town meetings starting next week in New York City.

"I propose that these town hall meetings be as free from the regimented trappings, rules and spectacle of formal debates as possible," he wrote. "And that we pledge to the American people we will not allow the idea to die on the negotiation table as our campaigns work out the details."

McCain said he envisions weekly meetings around the country until the Democratic convention starts in late August. He suggested he and Obama fly together to the first meeting "As a symbolically important act embracing the politics of civility."

He said he modeled the idea on an a 1963 agreement between President Kennedy and Republican Barry Goldwater. Kennedy's assassination, of course, ended the possibility.

UPDATE 3:30
McCain communications director Jill Hazelbaker says there's "an agreement, in spirit, between the McCain and Obama campaigns to participate in joint town hall appearances. Earlier this afternoon, the respective campaign managers spoke; they both expressed a commitment to raising the level of dialogue, and they will be in close contact as we work together to make this idea a reality."

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Obama's campaign returns to Charlottte Thursday with its National Voter Registration Drive. Campaign workers and volunteers will meet at Obama's old headquarters at 7 p.m. at 1523 Elizabeth Ave.