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Wednesday: Math test
posted at 2007-12-05 23:53 | Last modified 2007-12-06 12:08
Sorry no post last night - had to have an early night to get up at oh-dark-hundred today for an interview about John Edwards on NPR's new morning show, the Bryant Park Project. You can hear it here...but being a non-morning person, I make no promises.
Doing the numbers
The latest PPP polls didn't carry many surprises on the Dem side. Hillary Clinton regained her lead over Edwards, though since the results are within the margin of error, it's a statistical wash anyway. (According to PPP's crosstabs, 85% of their Dem respondents were over 45 - what's up with that?)
In the D Gov's race, Lt Gov Bev Perdue maintained her longtime 9-point lead over State Treasurer Richard Moore. The numbers for Lt. Gov contenders didn't really move, either. That's despite recent skirmishes and resulting media time in both races.
The Republican numbers were far more interesting. Huckabee's numbers went through the roof, while Thompson and Giuliani tanked.
The gubernatorial level was interesting, too, since this was the first poll to include Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory as a potential contender. As you'd expect, he rocked the Charlotte area, but barely registered in the rest of the state. With or without McCrory, Fred Smith held the statewide lead for a second month, though McCrory's inclusion dragged down Smith's lead over Bill Graham into the margin of error.
Another interesting tidbit from the poll: Immigration jumped to the top of campaign issues for Republicans. As of PPP's Nov 1 release, it was at third place with 16% of voters identifying it as a key issue in '08 - the Iraq War led at 33%. This month, immigration was at 26%, and Iraq was at 22%. Even with the margin of error, that's a sizable month-to-month change on both fronts.
Dems didn't see a similar shift, though the numbers show a statistically significant decline (38 to 30) in the percentage of voters identifying Iraq as their top '08 issue.
All together now
Can I just say how refreshing it is to see Sen. Elizabeth Dole, Sen. Richard Burr, and Gov. Mike Easley all on the *same page* for once on the OLF? The three signed onto a "put up or shut up" letter to the Navy regarding site selection in NC. That's available here.
Speaking of taking a stand
Dem State Treasurer candidate Michael Weisel says he and other candidates are under an email siege by anti-immigration group ALIPAC regarding the issue of illegal immigrants in NC community colleges.
System prez Martin Lancaster launched his own counter-attack, standing with Governor Mike Easley and Libertarian gubernatorial hopeful Mike Munger in supporting access for anyone who wants to further his/her education. Lancaster's letter is here.
It's also worth pointing out that the numbers put out by the right are just flat wrong. Fewer than 400 illegal immigrants are sitting in community colleges statewide, which I'd bet is lower than the system's average number of empty seats. And the AP says they're paying full tuition, which means each one is paying about $2000 more than college officials say their education actually costs.
So no, these students are not "consuming state resources," they're adding to them - and they're doing it out of pocket, since illegal immigrants don't qualify for government loans or financial aid. If you want to argue legality, go for it. But don't fake the numbers.
On a lighter note...
The official lighting of the State Christmas Tree took place tonight, kicking off a four-day frenzy holiday tours at the Governor's mansion. But there's another downtown tree with a big following, too - ...and one guy's been decorating it as a labor of love for almost thirty years. I'll have a story on it on air Thursday morning. If you missed it, I'll add a link here when I can it's here.
Comments? Drop me a line.
