richard moore

Rob Christensen has a good story on Richard Moore this morning. You should read it. Mr. Moore says he's giving up politics for now, which is too bad. Our national and state government could well benefit from someone as knowledgeable as he is when it comes to financial matters.

Thank you, Treasurer Moore.

Via email.

Dear Friend,

As you know, Bev Perdue and I had a tough, spirited primary campaign. And while the outcome was not what we had hoped for, one thing is clear: the differences between Bev Perdue and me pale in comparison to our differences with Pat McCrory.

Our country and our state are at a crossroads. This November's election will have a dramatic impact on how we meet the many challenges facing us. So many of the issues that Bev and I both believe in – economic opportunity for all North Carolina families ... world-class public schools…health care for every child in our state ... and securing our energy future – are at stake in this election.

Help me out, BlueNC, font of information that you are.

I'm looking to expand my most recent blog post.

I know that Richard Moore "believe[s] that there is Biblical evil that lives among us, and for some crimes you give up the right to be here on Earth with the rest of us," (source) and that Beverly Perdue "support[s] capital punishment as an option, but...also favor[s] the current moratorium [then] in place while constitutional issues are being studied." (source)

How do your (least) favorite candidates feel about the death penalty?

With her campaign tottering on the brink of disaster a few weeks ago, Hillary Clinton set an increasingly desperate course in pursuit of her presidential aspirations. She participated in and condoned the smearing of her honorable opponent, by joining Republicans and their media whores in a full-scale war of trivial pursuit. She has sifted through Obama's every word in search of nuggets to exploit, painting a grossly distorted picture of a dedicated public servant, casting doubts about his integrity and patriotism, and demonstrating to my complete satisfaction that there is nothing she wouldn't do to win the nomination. Her campaign has been an ugly, vicious affair, a steady stream of lies about Obama and about her own meager accomplishments as First Lady.

I'm glad to see, as we're getting closer and closer to May 6, that posts pointing out the real differences between candidates are making it to the front page. As I write, there are a couple of what I'll call "clarifying" posts on the presidential candidates, and I've read the posts of the past week or so outlining careful analyses of the U.S. Senate race candidates. I hope this new comfort level with stating truths will extend to the governor's race too. In my opinion, there's plenty of room to state truths and to "clarify" in that race.

Last week, Bev Perdue announced that she wouldn't run any negative ads through the rest of the primary. I was one of those who applauded that decision, both for the good of the party and for her own good.

A bittersweet story today in the News and Observer is guaranteed to ratchet up debate in the gubernatorial race. Here's my take on where things stand.

McCrory: No moratorium.
In his continuing lurch toward the extremist right wing base of Jack Hawke's shrinking Republican Party in North Carolina, Myers Park Pat McCrory insists that there be no moratorium on the death penalty. Despite mountains of evidence that capital punishment is pretty much a stacked deck against poor people and blacks, McCrory stands with a straight face in front of his white Republican donors and says he will oppose ANY moratorium on the death penalty. It's all part of his plan for "safety and security," unless you happen to be a poor, black man like Glen Chapman.

Richard Moore: No moratorium.
His reasons may be different, but Richard Moore comes down in the same place as McCrory. Moore cites his time as a federal prosecutor, saying that he believes it is necessary for some crimes.

"I do believe in capital punishment," he said. "I do believe that there is biblical evil that lives among us and for some crimes you give up the right to be here on the Earth with the rest of us."