Political observers have marveled at the internet savvy that has propelled the presidential campaign of Barack Obama. The social networking site My.BarackObama.com has inspired people to give millions of dollars, create events, sign up for updates…just get involved.
And the architect is Chris Hughes who was raised in Hickory.
The 24-year old Hughes was the subject of a New York Times article this week. He left Hickory to attend the prestigious Andover boarding school and later attended Harvard where he roomed with Mark Zuckerburg, the chief executive of Facebook. Hughes and Zuckerburg and two others founded Facebook. It has become a social networking phenomenon.
Hughes’ title with the Obama campaign is “online organizing guru.”
88TH DISTRICT POLL: Hard work and consistent constituent service appears to be paying off for Rep. Ray Warren. A poll of the district which includes all of Alexander County and some 33,000 in Catawba County, all in Hickory, indicates Warren has strong name recognition and favorable rankings. The poll was taken June 25-30 with over 400 respondents who are registered voters.
At a time when voters nationally and in North Carolina are generally negative toward elected officials in either party, Warren has broken through and gained an impressive 49 percent positive-21 percent negative rating, with 30 percent unable to rate his performance. Despite a plurality of registered Republicans in District 88, voters are equally negative toward both parties in the Legislature: Democrats 32 percent positive, 52 percent negative and Republicans only 30 percent positive and 48 percent negative. Warren’s opponent in the fall election, former Rep. Mark Hollo, and his ally, Rep. Mark Hilton, are not well known in the district and received big net-negative ratings.
Across the district, Warren has 75 percent recognition. In Alexander County, where he served as sheriff for more than 20 years, his recognition is 88 percent with a positive 61 percent positive to 7 percent negative. In Hickory, his name recognition is 59 percent, with 29-9 percent positive. Warren’s lowest scores are with voters over 65 years of age, women under 50, and college-educated voters. But he has the solid backing of younger voters and non-college educated men. Hollo is stronger with women under 50, but has high negatives with other groups across the board.
PRESIDENTIAL CHOICES: Not surprising, McCain leads in the district 47 to 39 percent, with 14 percent undecided. The race is died in Hickory where Obama leads among unaffiliated voters and college women. Seniors in the district favor McCain 51-32 percent.
GOVERNOR RACE: Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory has a significant lead over Democrat Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue in the district: 50-35 percent. Unaffiliated voters are largely undecided in the governor race, with college women more inclined to Perdue. College men move to the Republican camp, 46-38. McCrory’s name recognition through the Charlotte region is an asset, while Perdue’s strength is in the east and Piedmont Triad cities, along with Asheville and Wilmington.
More poll details will be discussed in future editions of Informer.
WE HAVE A BUDGET: Legislators Monday and Tuesday approved a $21.4 billion budget, with modest salary increases for teachers and state employees. Only 21 Republicans in the House, including Rep. Mark Hilton, voted against the budget. The 14 senators who voted no included Austin Allran of Hickory and Jimmy Jacumin of Burke. Both are never involved in budget deliberations and rarely sponsor meaningful bills.
During the final days, the lawmakers cut over $70 million from the General Fund, and pulled another $851 million for “economic development” to be financed by Certificates of Participation bonds for higher education construction projects. This allowed $658 million to be used for salary increases. Another $45 million was put in the “rainy day” fund or reserves account. The spending plan also includes $271 million as the second installment to take Medicaid off the backs of counties.
Rep. Bill Owens, chair of the Rules Committee and a senior member of the House leadership team, defended the borrowing of funds for the campus projects which allegedly will create “thousands of jobs” mostly in the Triangle area. Growth in North Carolina over the next 20 years will equal the current population of South Carolina, he said. Think about the infrastructure demands that will put on the state, he argued.
CLELAND FOR JOHNSON: Former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, a triple amputee as a result of service in Vietnam, will visit the 10th Congressional District August 23 to help Daniel Johnson in his bid for congress. Ironically, Cleland will be in the district on the anniversary of Johnson’s naval accident which resulted in the loss of his legs. Several funds-raising functions are being planned, including one in Newton.
131 INTERSTATE EXIT: On page 151 of the state budget document is a special provision that attempts to keep Conover Exit 131 on I-40 open. The language requires the State DOT to apply for a permit from Federal authorities before it closes any exit. The ball has been tossed to federal authorities which channel millions of dollars to the state DOT and lawmakers did not want to jeopardize those funds. The provision was instigated by Rep. Warren who had hoped stronger restrictions could be imposed. The issue now tests the influence of Rep. Patrick McHenry with the Bush administration. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a former U.S. Transportation Secretary, also has been asked to stop the closing.
