Gordon Smith's blog

Howard Dean will step down as head of the Democratic National Committee at the end of the year. I followed his election to the post in 2005, when a field of party insiders were rebuffed by party delegates ready to do something besides lose to the Republicans.

Dean marshalled the 50 state strategy:

Rather than focusing just on swing states, Dean proposed what has come to be known as the 50-State Strategy. The goal, the DNC says, is for the Democratic Party to be committed to winning elections at every level in every region of the country, with Democrats organized in every single voting precinct in the country.

While it sounds obvious in today's political climate, the idea of putting resources into states like North Carolina was considered foolish and wasteful. Dean didn't heed the naysayers, and less than four years later, Democrats have wrested the White House and Congress from the hands of those promising a "permanent Republican majority".

Watauga Watch has the story.

The lone Republican on the Forsyth board, Jerry Jordan, denounced the state Board and called their requirement to extend voting hours "unconstitutional" and "un-American," but (get this) "then surprised people by voting in favor of the extension."

Hint: It requires all of us to do something

Governor Sarah Palin was prayed over by an Alaskan preacher to protect her from witches, but he ought to have thought of zombies as well. She's coming to Asheville, North Carolina tomorrow afternoon, and her visit coincides with our city's Annual Zombie Walk.

World Zombie Day:

"World Zombie Day™ is the day that all ghouls from Kentucky to Kokomo, from Atlanta to Afghanistan, from Washington to Wales, and from Pittsburgh to Puerto Rico can celebrate together in a near orgy of blood covered bliss!!
[...]
World Zombie Day™ will be a day when all fans of zombie culture can join together. There will be an international charity event done throughout the cities involved to help alleviate world hunger, and this will be a first.
[...]
The participating living dead are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to each zombie walk starting point. A mass effort will be taken on worldwide to prove that charity, goodwill, and zombie love can flourish in every nation regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, or religion, and that no matter where or how we die…

WE WILL COME BACK!!!"

{Click here to see Ashvegas' photos from Asheville's 2007 Zombie Walk}

Ashtoberfest's Third Annual Zombie Walk begins in Asheville's Montford Park with music and then shambles through downtown on their way to a party at the Coxe Ave. Asheville Brewing Company. When Dan Burrello heard that Sarah Palin was coming to town, he wisely got out in front of it:

It's all the rage among the Bush loyalists and Rovian political adherents to call their political adversaires anti-american. Michelle Bachman famously did so and earned herself enormous scorn manifesting in a million dollars going to her opponent, El Tinklenberg. Robin Hayes then smeared an entire political philosophy by saying that "liberals hate real Americans".

Now we hear that Virginia Foxx (NC-05) has hopped on the McCarthy Train.

I hope all of you BlueNCers will take the time to create voter guides for your counties. While most folks know how they'll vote for President, Senate, House, and Governor, the down-ticket races can remain a mystery. School Boards, Judges, Commissioners, and other positions have enormous bearing on people's lives.

Here's the Scrutiny Hooligans Voter Guide for Buncombe County

The Citizen-Times comes out strong:

Dole's lack of assertiveness, her hesitation and changed positions on issues like an outlying landing field near a national wildlife refuge and offshore oil drilling, her failure to use her position on the banking committee to more effect in averting the current economic crisis and her too-frequent absence from the state have distanced her from her constituents.

Her opponent, Kay Hagan, has represented Guilford County in the state Senate for 10 years, chairing the powerful budget committee for the past five years. The non-partisan North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research named Hagan one of North Carolina's “Ten Most Effective Senators” during her last three terms.
[...]
"The disillusionment with the president can't be discounted as a factor in Dole's re-election struggle, but her real Achilles heel can be found in her own failure to meet the expectations North Carolinians had for her.

Dole has failed to translate her knowledge and experience into the kind of clout and activism that would make her a force in the Senate."

{c/p @ ScruHoo}

After driving like a banshee hopped up on DayQuil and Amp, I rolled into the annual Vance-Aycock Dinner at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina hoping to catch a glimpse of Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. The event was filled to the gills with every candidate and party insider you can imagine. I’ll get lots of photos up at some point, but the star of the show was the rumor that Obama would appear at the dinner. I expected to wait two hours for Obama to come in after the keynote speaker, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, but I was happily surprised when a cluster of national press corps folks formed a rampart at the rope line leading to the stage. In just a couple of minutes, out strode Barack Obama. I shot as much video as the Canon Powershot would allow and bolted out of the Grove Park to upload it at Chez Arratik. Now I’m gone again, back to see what’s what.

The video will be posted here as soon as it processes through the UToobz. For photos check out Scrutiny Hooligans and Ashvegas.

UPDATED with video after the jump

Barack Obama is coming to Asheville for his debate preparation. The next Presidential debate is in Nashville on Tuesday night. While no details about his schedule have been released to the public, there have been plenty of watchful eyes. Here are the rumors:

- Secret Service was all over the Grove Park Inn yesterday. Obama will likely be staying at the Grove Park Inn.

- The Vance-Aycock Dinner will be held Saturday night at the Grove Park Inn. Obama will likely make an appearance there.

- He may be staying at Governor Easley's "Western Residence", which goes almost entirely unused.

All you Ashevillains keep an eye out for Obama, and let us know what you learn!

UPDATES AFTER THE JUMP!

The gasoline shortage continued today, with more mountain schools closing, the city and county government in Buncombe closing, business closing because their employees can't make it into work.

A posse of politicians held a presser in Asheville today, and Republican representative Charles Thomas (116) explained that, in addition to problems with refineries and with the Colonial pipeline, distributors are withholding gas from truckers who are willing to bring it up the mountain. He said that the gasoline suppliers are "begging us to regulate them". When you have a Republican openly threatening to regulate an oil industry, you know the crisis has gone to unimaginable depths.