polifrog
...for vetting Bill Randall far beyond anything Obama endured from the national press.
Bernie Reeves, doing the job the press will not.
Thank you, Bernie.
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Showing posts with label Bernie Reeves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bernie Reeves. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Bill Randall Wins (NC-13) Runoff...
polifrog
According to WWRL...
With 78% reporting
Randall......57%
Reeves......43%
Now comes the real work. Brad Miller.
Polifrog has plans for this beyond a trifling blog.
Lastly, many thanks should go out to Bernie Reeves for vetting Bill Randall far beyond anything Obama endured from the national press.
Update:
Final Vote totals
Bill Randall..............3788........59%
Bernie Reeves..........2639........41%
................................6427 total votes is a poor showing even for a runoff.
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According to WWRL...
With 78% reporting
Randall......57%
Reeves......43%
Now comes the real work. Brad Miller.
Polifrog has plans for this beyond a trifling blog.
Lastly, many thanks should go out to Bernie Reeves for vetting Bill Randall far beyond anything Obama endured from the national press.
Update:
Final Vote totals
Bill Randall..............3788........59%
Bernie Reeves..........2639........41%
................................6427 total votes is a poor showing even for a runoff.
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Randall vs Reeves Runoff Returns - as of 7:55 PM -
polifrog
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U.S. House District 13 GOP - Runoff
59 of 196 precincts - 30%
William Randall, GOP.....1,960 ..... 60%
Bernie Reeves, GOP.......1,285 ..... 40%
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Monday, June 21, 2010
(NC-13) Runoff Prediction - Bill Randall , Bernie Reeves
polifrog
Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves have been pitted against one another due to NC election rules that trigger a runoff between the top two vote receivers if no candidate clears the required 40% minimum.
There have been two debates. One attended by the public and one televised. Both were reviewed by Polifrog here and here. The first was quite cordial while the second was significantly more contentious due to Reeves' series of attacks, a tactic the Reeves Campaign began to employ after the first debate. As a result the past month has seen a series of fair criticisms punctuated by character attacks on Bill Randall by Bernie Reeves. In both debates Reeves showed either flashes of anger (to guffaws in the crowd) or moments of clear frustration.
By contrast, there have been no attacks on Reeves by Randall and no anger or frustration expressed by Randall. Polifrog, though, has become concerned with Randall's over reliance on pat, seemingly memorized answers to questions, while at the same time often stumbling through answers to questions that are outside the normal pap candidates endure. A perfect example of this was Randall's recent flap over what the press characterized as an accusation of collusion between BP and the Government to cause the Gulf oil spill. Of course, Randall made no such accusation. His fumbling through his answer, though, allowed for an easy twisting of his words into something he did not intend.
Reeves has many traditional strengths. Money (as compared to Randall), old establishment experience in Carter Wrenn, and what Polifrog believes is an often overlooked support in the local press due to Reeves' long history as a part of the journalism business in Raleigh. This strength was best employed by Biesecker in his spin on the Randall BP/Government collusion statements as pointed out by Polifrog here.
Randall's strengths are fewer but perhaps more influential. He seems to have the excitement of the people at his back. Polifrog has watched this excitement daily through google alerts which admittedly became biased after Randall's BP statements, but prior to which Randall dominated in terms of hits. Not only does he have the excitement of the people, but he has history at his back as well. It seems a new type of republican is sweeping into office due to the disappointment that was the republican congress during the Bush years and the shock of the Obama agenda. Reeves seems, fairly or unfairly, tied to that disappointing congress under Bush while Randall has successfully tied himself to the energized Tea Party movement.
For these reasons Polifrog calls it, and not without reservation, for Bill Randall.
Related posts by Polifrog
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Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves have been pitted against one another due to NC election rules that trigger a runoff between the top two vote receivers if no candidate clears the required 40% minimum.
There have been two debates. One attended by the public and one televised. Both were reviewed by Polifrog here and here. The first was quite cordial while the second was significantly more contentious due to Reeves' series of attacks, a tactic the Reeves Campaign began to employ after the first debate. As a result the past month has seen a series of fair criticisms punctuated by character attacks on Bill Randall by Bernie Reeves. In both debates Reeves showed either flashes of anger (to guffaws in the crowd) or moments of clear frustration.
By contrast, there have been no attacks on Reeves by Randall and no anger or frustration expressed by Randall. Polifrog, though, has become concerned with Randall's over reliance on pat, seemingly memorized answers to questions, while at the same time often stumbling through answers to questions that are outside the normal pap candidates endure. A perfect example of this was Randall's recent flap over what the press characterized as an accusation of collusion between BP and the Government to cause the Gulf oil spill. Of course, Randall made no such accusation. His fumbling through his answer, though, allowed for an easy twisting of his words into something he did not intend.
Reeves has many traditional strengths. Money (as compared to Randall), old establishment experience in Carter Wrenn, and what Polifrog believes is an often overlooked support in the local press due to Reeves' long history as a part of the journalism business in Raleigh. This strength was best employed by Biesecker in his spin on the Randall BP/Government collusion statements as pointed out by Polifrog here.
Randall's strengths are fewer but perhaps more influential. He seems to have the excitement of the people at his back. Polifrog has watched this excitement daily through google alerts which admittedly became biased after Randall's BP statements, but prior to which Randall dominated in terms of hits. Not only does he have the excitement of the people, but he has history at his back as well. It seems a new type of republican is sweeping into office due to the disappointment that was the republican congress during the Bush years and the shock of the Obama agenda. Reeves seems, fairly or unfairly, tied to that disappointing congress under Bush while Randall has successfully tied himself to the energized Tea Party movement.
For these reasons Polifrog calls it, and not without reservation, for Bill Randall.
Related posts by Polifrog
- Debate 1 -- NC-13 -- Impressions
- Video of Runoff Debate Between Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves
- Bill Randall -- Plagiarism?
- A Response to Carter Wrenn's Fair Tax Attack on Bill Randall
- Debate 2 - Bernie Reeves vs. Bill Randall Impressions 1
- Debate 2 - Bernie Reeves vs. Bill Randall Impressions 2
- NC-13 - Bernie Reeves' Friends in the Press Have His Back - Dump on Randall
- Bernie Reeves and His Fickle Friends in the Press
- ***Carter Wrenn and Bernie Reeves Skirting Privacy Law on Randall's MBA***
- Randall's MBA Confirmed -- Reeves' Sullied Campaign Confirmed
- Bernie Reeves and the Press -- The Only Conclusion is Collusion
- Bill Randall, Bernie Reeves and the Gulf Oil Spill
- Bill Randall Responds to the Biesecker Spin on his BP Comments
- Gulf Oil, Bill Randall, Bernie Reeves, BP, and a Quickly Nearing Election
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Sunday, June 20, 2010
Gulf Oil, Bill Randall, Bernie Reeves, BP, and a Quickly Nearing Election...
polifrog
Reeves' fair criticism.
Polifrog has found the Bernie Reeves, Bill Randall primary disappointing. It may seem pollyannish but Polifrog believes the sort of character attacks Bernie Reeves has engaged in has no place in a primary. Bernie Reeves has not only weakened Bill Randall, but himself while attempting to secure the Republican nomination. This has unfortunately forced Polifrog to attempt to blunt Reeves' more unfair attacks on Bill Randall as Polifrog feels that such attacks ultimately only serve to strengthen Brad Miller.
Bill Randall, in contrast, has run a clean, although more recently, gaffe prone campaign. Currently Bill Randall has been under national fire for comments made in reference to the BP oil spill in which he questioned whether collusion between BP and the government may have caused the spill. Bernie Reeves by way of NBC17 responded to Randall's comments thusly;
With a few quibbles in reference to Reeves' needless characterization of Randalls comments as something akin to an accusation as mentioned here, Polifrog feels that Reeves' response to Randall's comments in total has not risen to the level of an accusation and is in the realm of fair criticism.
This has been a misstep only Bill Randall can repair, unfortunately for Randall the runoff election is only days away.
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Reeves' fair criticism.
Polifrog has found the Bernie Reeves, Bill Randall primary disappointing. It may seem pollyannish but Polifrog believes the sort of character attacks Bernie Reeves has engaged in has no place in a primary. Bernie Reeves has not only weakened Bill Randall, but himself while attempting to secure the Republican nomination. This has unfortunately forced Polifrog to attempt to blunt Reeves' more unfair attacks on Bill Randall as Polifrog feels that such attacks ultimately only serve to strengthen Brad Miller.
Bill Randall, in contrast, has run a clean, although more recently, gaffe prone campaign. Currently Bill Randall has been under national fire for comments made in reference to the BP oil spill in which he questioned whether collusion between BP and the government may have caused the spill. Bernie Reeves by way of NBC17 responded to Randall's comments thusly;
"I don't think this conspiracy theory is doing the country any good, it's not doing the cleanup or the investigation of the spill any good. And it's certainly not doing any good for our campaign. And I just don't think it helps Bill," he said.
With a few quibbles in reference to Reeves' needless characterization of Randalls comments as something akin to an accusation as mentioned here, Polifrog feels that Reeves' response to Randall's comments in total has not risen to the level of an accusation and is in the realm of fair criticism.
This has been a misstep only Bill Randall can repair, unfortunately for Randall the runoff election is only days away.
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Thursday, June 17, 2010
Bill Randall Responds to the Biesecker Spin on his BP Comments
polifrog
The press is characterizing this as a back-down. It is only a back-down in the sense that Randall did not reaffirm the press spin of his previous statements regarding the Gulf Spill.
The press (read Michael Biesecker of the NewsObserver.com whose story the AP ran with) spun the statements as an accusation rather than the ruminations they were.
Another piece by Michael Biesecker on the Randall/BP statements that hints at Biesecker's biases on Bill Randall's statements can be found here and is titled the less than honest: In video, Randall says Feds and BP spilled oil on purpose. Randall never said what the title suggests, but it helps Bernie Reeves if people think he did.
The ties between and Bernie Reeves and Michael Biesecker have been explored before by Polifrog here and in The Only Conclusion Is Collusion. Without Bill Randall's most recent BP statements, though, the suspected Bernie Reeves and Michael Biesecker collusion has been only mildly effectual. Politicians should never ruminate, but fortunately for Bernie Reeves, Bill Randall, being a political rookie, did just that. And fortunately for Reeves, he had a Biesecker megaphone.
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The press is characterizing this as a back-down. It is only a back-down in the sense that Randall did not reaffirm the press spin of his previous statements regarding the Gulf Spill.
The press (read Michael Biesecker of the NewsObserver.com whose story the AP ran with) spun the statements as an accusation rather than the ruminations they were.
Another piece by Michael Biesecker on the Randall/BP statements that hints at Biesecker's biases on Bill Randall's statements can be found here and is titled the less than honest: In video, Randall says Feds and BP spilled oil on purpose. Randall never said what the title suggests, but it helps Bernie Reeves if people think he did.
The ties between and Bernie Reeves and Michael Biesecker have been explored before by Polifrog here and in The Only Conclusion Is Collusion. Without Bill Randall's most recent BP statements, though, the suspected Bernie Reeves and Michael Biesecker collusion has been only mildly effectual. Politicians should never ruminate, but fortunately for Bernie Reeves, Bill Randall, being a political rookie, did just that. And fortunately for Reeves, he had a Biesecker megaphone.
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Bill Randall, Bernie Reeves and the Gulf Oil Spill...
polifrog
Wow! Polifrog hits the road for a few days and the oil hits the fan!
It appears that Bill Randall has pulled the tail of the BP cat one too far. The first half of his statement seemed rational enough. The second half, during which Randall pondered the possibility that collusion between BP and the government lead to a deliberate small leak that got out of hand, was, as far as Polifrog is concerned, out of hand.
Here is a complete video of Bill Randall's statement.
Unfortunately, Bernie Reeves being Bernie Reeves seems unable to stand aside, hold back on attacks, and let Randall inflict damage upon himself. Bernie Reeves appears to hope for some of that damage to spin his way and in that end has distorted Randall's words nearly to the point of lying about what Randall has said. Below is Bernie Reeves distorting what Randall said with a highly edited video of Randall's statements from the Reeves Campaign website:
Of course video distortion was not mischaracterization enough for Reeves. Bernie Reeves' blog entry on the topic on his campaign website is entitled:
And Reeves' buddy in the press, mbieseck, posted an equally dishonestly titled entry on newsobserver.com (blogs) titled
How are either of these similarly misleading titles true considering the unedited video above? Of course, neither are true. Evidence of this is in the body of mbieseck's piece as Randall is quoted as saying:
This sounds like a question to Polifrog and unless Reeves believes some questions should not be asked Reeves should remember his own words,
Wow! Polifrog hits the road for a few days and the oil hits the fan!
It appears that Bill Randall has pulled the tail of the BP cat one too far. The first half of his statement seemed rational enough. The second half, during which Randall pondered the possibility that collusion between BP and the government lead to a deliberate small leak that got out of hand, was, as far as Polifrog is concerned, out of hand.
Here is a complete video of Bill Randall's statement.
Unfortunately, Bernie Reeves being Bernie Reeves seems unable to stand aside, hold back on attacks, and let Randall inflict damage upon himself. Bernie Reeves appears to hope for some of that damage to spin his way and in that end has distorted Randall's words nearly to the point of lying about what Randall has said. Below is Bernie Reeves distorting what Randall said with a highly edited video of Randall's statements from the Reeves Campaign website:
Of course video distortion was not mischaracterization enough for Reeves. Bernie Reeves' blog entry on the topic on his campaign website is entitled:
Randall’s Conspiracy Theory: Says BP Officials and Federal Government Colluded on Oil Spill Caused The Accident In The Gulf
And Reeves' buddy in the press, mbieseck, posted an equally dishonestly titled entry on newsobserver.com (blogs) titled
In video, Randall says Feds and BP spilled oil on purpose
How are either of these similarly misleading titles true considering the unedited video above? Of course, neither are true. Evidence of this is in the body of mbieseck's piece as Randall is quoted as saying:
...Is there a cover up going on? I'm not saying there necessarily is. But I think there's enough facts on the table for people that (they) really need to do some investigative research and find out what went on with that and get a subpoena of records and everything else."
This sounds like a question to Polifrog and unless Reeves believes some questions should not be asked Reeves should remember his own words,
...it was a fair question...
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Friday, June 11, 2010
Bernie Reeves and the Press -- The Only Conclusion is Collusion:
polifrog
While researching Carter Wrenn and Bernie Reeves Disrespecting Privacy: MBA Polifrog noted that the newsoberver.com (blog) post on Randall's MBA was posted only 2 hours after Carter Wrenn broke the story and had a surprising amount of researched information considering the late hour. Polifrog set it aside as it was not germane to post at the time.
This post intends to carry that neglected observation forward.
In a previous post Bernie Reeves and His Fickle Friends in the Press Polifrog asserted that Bernie Reeves holds an advantage in the press over Bill Randall. Some have questioned,though, Polifrog's claim that such an advantage exists as no concrete link was provided.
Although, it seems an obvious assumption such links exist, as:
demonstrable proof is of a higher threshold and Polifrog believes it should be met.
Proof of this connection can be found in the Bernie Reeves/Bill Randall MBA drama of the last couple of days in which Bernie Reeves accused Bill Randall of falsely claiming an MBA.
The first publication of this accusation seems to be Carter Wrenn's Does He Or Doesn't He? at 8:03PM Wednesday. One would think that this sort of information would have been broken on the Bernie Reeves campaign website. It was not; the Bernie Reeves campaign website references Wrenn's attack on Bill Randall and not the other way around. Carter Wrenn posted the attack at both talkingpolitics.com and at The Reeves Campaign website.
The next publication of the Randall MBA attack came just 2 hours later at 10:04PM Wednesday at the NewsObsever.com (blogs) and was penned by mbieseck. The same piece was then officially published again seven hours later by Staff Writer Michael Biesecker at newsobserver.com 4:57AM Thursday Morning, presumably the same person.
According to Biesecker:
Are we to believe that in the two hours (8PM to 10PM) between Carter Wrenn's attack on Randall and the newsobserver.com Biesecker piece that a newsobserver.com reporter contacted Bill Randall and a National-Louis spokesman? At that late hour? Mind you, school administration officials or people of authority are unlikely to work past 5:00 and with the timezone changes taken into account, the latest National-Louis University could likely have been contacted by the reporter was 6:00pm eastern time. That would have been 2 hours prior to Carter Wrenn's breaking of the Randall MBA story via talkingpolitics.com.
Unless Biesecker is prescient, how did he know to call National-Louis University prior to Wrenn's Randall MBA attack?
Could it be that the only conclusion is collusion, that the newsobserver.com and the Bernie Reeves campaign conspired to attack Bill Randall by sharing information prior to the publishing of multiple articles in the late hours of Wednesday and the small hours of Thursday in an effort to increase the effectiveness of the attack?
It certainly seems likely.
The posting of essentially the same article twice in the newsoberver.com under different locations within the site, once at talkingpolitics.com, and once at the Bernie Reeves Campaign website undoubtedly makes an impression on google and would clearly spread the word more effectively true or not.
Polifrog hopes to be proven wrong and be able to write as Bernie Reeves recently wrote in reference to his failed Randall MBA attack:
As an aside, Polifrog called National-Lewis University this afternoon during the 4:00 hour to experience their policy toward questions posed to the University. The University's policy is not to answer questions verbally and required Polifrog to submit the question via e-mail, presumably for clarity and to have a written record. This is time consuming, and as of the 9:00 hour Polifrog has yet to receive a reply.
Edited for clarity.
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While researching Carter Wrenn and Bernie Reeves Disrespecting Privacy: MBA Polifrog noted that the newsoberver.com (blog) post on Randall's MBA was posted only 2 hours after Carter Wrenn broke the story and had a surprising amount of researched information considering the late hour. Polifrog set it aside as it was not germane to post at the time.
This post intends to carry that neglected observation forward.
In a previous post Bernie Reeves and His Fickle Friends in the Press Polifrog asserted that Bernie Reeves holds an advantage in the press over Bill Randall. Some have questioned,though, Polifrog's claim that such an advantage exists as no concrete link was provided.
Although, it seems an obvious assumption such links exist, as:
Networking, making friends, owing favors and having favors owed in return are all steps in a dance when doing business and Reeves has been a part of that dance for quite some time.
demonstrable proof is of a higher threshold and Polifrog believes it should be met.
Proof of this connection can be found in the Bernie Reeves/Bill Randall MBA drama of the last couple of days in which Bernie Reeves accused Bill Randall of falsely claiming an MBA.
The first publication of this accusation seems to be Carter Wrenn's Does He Or Doesn't He? at 8:03PM Wednesday. One would think that this sort of information would have been broken on the Bernie Reeves campaign website. It was not; the Bernie Reeves campaign website references Wrenn's attack on Bill Randall and not the other way around. Carter Wrenn posted the attack at both talkingpolitics.com and at The Reeves Campaign website.
The next publication of the Randall MBA attack came just 2 hours later at 10:04PM Wednesday at the NewsObsever.com (blogs) and was penned by mbieseck. The same piece was then officially published again seven hours later by Staff Writer Michael Biesecker at newsobserver.com 4:57AM Thursday Morning, presumably the same person.
According to Biesecker:
Wednesday evening, Reeves' campaign provided a copy of e-mailed reply from the clearinghouse saying that Randall had been enrolled at National-Louis, which offers courses over the Internet, from 2004 to 2006, but that he did not earn a degree.
...
Reached by a reporter, Randall said any suggestion he did not earn an MBA is "ridiculous."
...
A spokeswoman for National-Louis reached by Dome late Wednesday said she could not immediately confirm whether or not Randall earned a degree at the institution. She said a definitive check of the university's records would be completed Thursday.
Are we to believe that in the two hours (8PM to 10PM) between Carter Wrenn's attack on Randall and the newsobserver.com Biesecker piece that a newsobserver.com reporter contacted Bill Randall and a National-Louis spokesman? At that late hour? Mind you, school administration officials or people of authority are unlikely to work past 5:00 and with the timezone changes taken into account, the latest National-Louis University could likely have been contacted by the reporter was 6:00pm eastern time. That would have been 2 hours prior to Carter Wrenn's breaking of the Randall MBA story via talkingpolitics.com.
Unless Biesecker is prescient, how did he know to call National-Louis University prior to Wrenn's Randall MBA attack?
Could it be that the only conclusion is collusion, that the newsobserver.com and the Bernie Reeves campaign conspired to attack Bill Randall by sharing information prior to the publishing of multiple articles in the late hours of Wednesday and the small hours of Thursday in an effort to increase the effectiveness of the attack?
It certainly seems likely.
The posting of essentially the same article twice in the newsoberver.com under different locations within the site, once at talkingpolitics.com, and once at the Bernie Reeves Campaign website undoubtedly makes an impression on google and would clearly spread the word more effectively true or not.
Polifrog hopes to be proven wrong and be able to write as Bernie Reeves recently wrote in reference to his failed Randall MBA attack:
...it was a fair question...[Added] Consider the influence of a man willing to collude with the power of media. Then imagine the governance of the same man as a seated congressman able to collude with government.
As an aside, Polifrog called National-Lewis University this afternoon during the 4:00 hour to experience their policy toward questions posed to the University. The University's policy is not to answer questions verbally and required Polifrog to submit the question via e-mail, presumably for clarity and to have a written record. This is time consuming, and as of the 9:00 hour Polifrog has yet to receive a reply.
Edited for clarity.
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Randall's MBA Confirmed -- Reeves' Sullied Campaign Confirmed
polifrog
A local beclowning has occurred.
According to the NewsObserver.com
All that Bernie Reeves has accomplished in this attack on Randall is to besmirch his own campaign, allow Carter Wrenn to once again embarrass himself, and tarnish the reputation of their informant Kent Clizbe. Patience would have averted this event for Reeves.
Bernie Reeves, in the Randall MBA attack, has shown himself to be the type of politician who is not only willing skirt privacy laws to attain information, but then use that information to tarnish a private citizen in his quest for political power. Further, Bernie Reeves has defined himself as the sort of old school politician that the conservative party sorely needs to move beyond.
And what are the Tea Party crowds, but an expression of Americans who wish to pull the best out of not just the Republican party, but the Democrat party as well in an effort to leave the worst like Bernie Reeves behind.
We need a Cincinatus, not a Bernie Reeves.
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A local beclowning has occurred.
According to the NewsObserver.com
National-Louis spokeswoman Jill Talabay confirmed to Dome Thursday evening that Randall did graduate from the school, which is based in Chicago.
All that Bernie Reeves has accomplished in this attack on Randall is to besmirch his own campaign, allow Carter Wrenn to once again embarrass himself, and tarnish the reputation of their informant Kent Clizbe. Patience would have averted this event for Reeves.
Bernie Reeves, in the Randall MBA attack, has shown himself to be the type of politician who is not only willing skirt privacy laws to attain information, but then use that information to tarnish a private citizen in his quest for political power. Further, Bernie Reeves has defined himself as the sort of old school politician that the conservative party sorely needs to move beyond.
And what are the Tea Party crowds, but an expression of Americans who wish to pull the best out of not just the Republican party, but the Democrat party as well in an effort to leave the worst like Bernie Reeves behind.
We need a Cincinatus, not a Bernie Reeves.
out
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Carter Wrenn and Bernie Reeves Disrespecting Privacy: MBA
polifrog
In recent months Carter Wrenn has been more interested in making attacks on Bill Randall than doing his homework. As a result he embarrassed himself with a poor description of the Fair Tax as pointed out by Polifrog in this thread.
Now Carter Wrenn has a new line of attack and it appears "Bernie's friend", as Cater Wrenn refers to the individual who has been busy verifying Randall's MBA, has done quite the investigation of Randall this time around, but have Carter Wrenn and Bernie Reeves done their due diligence?
According to Carter Wrenn:
But...
According to the National Student Clearinghouse web site's terms and condition from which Carter Wrenn's proof originates:
According to Carter Wrenn, "Bernie's friend" is the recipient of his proof from the National Student Clearinghouse. In that reply from the National Student Clearinghouse "Bernie's friend", is named as Kent Clizbe (kent@cameronhalifax.com) and that it was he who requested Randall's MBA information from the National Student Clearinghouse.
Under what authority did Kent Clizbe request this information? Polifrog doubts the existence of such authority in this instance and,in fact believes it likely that Kent Clizbe abused his privileges as a "Requestor".
Simply put, the above conditions that were agreed to by Clizbe for retrieving Randall's school records from the National Student Clearinghouse were probably not met by Clizbe.
Polifrog also was curious if the odd name "Clizbe" was real. As it turns out, the name is real, and the fact that it is odd is convenient. With the name and e-mail address supplied by Carter Wrenn, Polifrog commenced with some mild google-fu...
This is Kent Clizbe:
On this page the name and e-mail (bottom) match those on the National Student Clearinghouse e-mail provided by Carter Wrenn. Also provided on the page is a photo and a short biography. He has been or is a head-hunter for Cameron Halifax Associates. This is not a surprise considering the information he handed over to the Reeves campaign.
Clizbe is employed by or owns Cameron Halifax. The first thing listed on Cameron Halifax's website is their commitment to:
So there it is. The information flowed from the sullied hands of Kent Clizbe, a self described "ex-CIA operations officer" with a history of working intelligence positions and, like Bernie Reeves, is an author and media friend, to the hands of Carter Wrenn and to what has become a political attack machine, the Reeves campaign. And why?
To attack a private citizen by the name of Bill Randall. Remember Joe the Plumber.
Polifrog hopes, though, this is not an example of governance by Bernie Reeves.
Finally, this is without question another embarrassment for Carter Wrenn.
Carter Wrenn (top left), Bernie Reeves (top right) and Kent Clizbe (bottom)
Edited for clarity.
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In recent months Carter Wrenn has been more interested in making attacks on Bill Randall than doing his homework. As a result he embarrassed himself with a poor description of the Fair Tax as pointed out by Polifrog in this thread.
Now Carter Wrenn has a new line of attack and it appears "Bernie's friend", as Cater Wrenn refers to the individual who has been busy verifying Randall's MBA, has done quite the investigation of Randall this time around, but have Carter Wrenn and Bernie Reeves done their due diligence?
According to Carter Wrenn:
Bill Randall says he has an MBA from National Louis University, but National Louis University says he doesn’t.Wrenn's proof can be found here.
But...
According to the National Student Clearinghouse web site's terms and condition from which Carter Wrenn's proof originates:
FOR DEGREE AND HISTORICAL ENROLLMENT VERIFICATIONSPolifrog wonders just what products, services or employment is dependent upon Bill Randall possessing an MBA. We know those who hold a seat in congress are not dependent on having an MBA to hold their seat, and a seat in congress is the employment Bill Randall seeks. Just how were the requirements above met by "Bernie's friend" so that he could gain access to Randall's records?
Individuals, employers, employment agencies, background screening firms, and similar organizations and entities that act on behalf of these organizations are eligible to request verification of specified degree and enrollment information through the Clearinghouse ("Requestors").
Acting as agent for educational institutions, the Clearinghouse agrees to verify an individual's degree and other educational achievements, including dates of attendance, in a post-secondary educational institution in accordance with this Agreement. In order to verify a subject's dates of attendance, degrees, and other educational achievements, the Requestor must certify that the student has applied for or received products, services or employment that depend upon verification of degree and/or enrollment.
According to Carter Wrenn, "Bernie's friend" is the recipient of his proof from the National Student Clearinghouse. In that reply from the National Student Clearinghouse "Bernie's friend", is named as Kent Clizbe (kent@cameronhalifax.com) and that it was he who requested Randall's MBA information from the National Student Clearinghouse.
Under what authority did Kent Clizbe request this information? Polifrog doubts the existence of such authority in this instance and,in fact believes it likely that Kent Clizbe abused his privileges as a "Requestor".
Simply put, the above conditions that were agreed to by Clizbe for retrieving Randall's school records from the National Student Clearinghouse were probably not met by Clizbe.
Polifrog also was curious if the odd name "Clizbe" was real. As it turns out, the name is real, and the fact that it is odd is convenient. With the name and e-mail address supplied by Carter Wrenn, Polifrog commenced with some mild google-fu...
This is Kent Clizbe:
On this page the name and e-mail (bottom) match those on the National Student Clearinghouse e-mail provided by Carter Wrenn. Also provided on the page is a photo and a short biography. He has been or is a head-hunter for Cameron Halifax Associates. This is not a surprise considering the information he handed over to the Reeves campaign.
Clizbe is employed by or owns Cameron Halifax. The first thing listed on Cameron Halifax's website is their commitment to:
The highest level of service. Utmost confidentiality.Apparently this "utmost confidentiality" does not apply to individuals named Bill Randall or is it intended to cover the actions of Kent Clizbe. So, not only did Kent Clizbe not have authority to retrieve Randall's MBA information from the National Student Clearinghouse, but he violated Cameron Halifax Associates' confidentiality by passing it on to the Reeves campaign. For its part, the Reeves campaign seems to believe that laundering ill-gotten personal information through Kent Clizbe protects the campaign from the acquisition of improperly acquired personal information.
So there it is. The information flowed from the sullied hands of Kent Clizbe, a self described "ex-CIA operations officer" with a history of working intelligence positions and, like Bernie Reeves, is an author and media friend, to the hands of Carter Wrenn and to what has become a political attack machine, the Reeves campaign. And why?
To attack a private citizen by the name of Bill Randall. Remember Joe the Plumber.
Polifrog hopes, though, this is not an example of governance by Bernie Reeves.
Finally, this is without question another embarrassment for Carter Wrenn.
The Cabal
Edited for clarity.
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Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Bernie Reeves and His Fickle Friends in the Press...
polifrog
Earlier in NC-13 - Bernie Reeves' Friends in the Press Have His Back...Dump on Bill Randall Polifrog wrote:
I thought I would explore the thought that Bernie Reeves has the press at his back and how that might affect him in the general election.
I believe it is intuitive that a man who,
has spent much of his time with his peers in the press. Networking, making friends, owing favors and having favors owed in return are all steps in a dance when doing business and Reeves has been a part of that dance for quite some time. This gives Reeves an edge in the primary, but unfortunately Reeves is relying on that edge to the point of overconfidence.
Reeves has, in both debates, either revealed flashes of anger or thinly veiled frustration. Some see this as an example of a bloated ego or arrogance, but I tend to believe that arrogance can be earned and Reeves, with his success in business, has more than earned the right to be arrogant from time to time. No, I believe Reeves' flashes of anger and frustration speak to something more problematic.
Reeves is press savvy, shrewd, and has cornucopia of knowledge from which to draw. He should know well what the press does to conservative politicians who let anger slip through the lenses of a camera. Such emotions from conservatives do not get labeled as godly passion by the press. Conservatives are, instead, vilified for expressing anger, yet there he is at the first debate defiantly looking down a press camera with anger! What is it in him that would allow that?
The answer is that Reeves finds too much comfort in his business friends in the press. Although, they are currently willing to look the other way when reporting on Reeves' debate performances against Randall, the press is fickle and the connections Reeves seems to be currently relying on to protect him from himself will likely be overlooked in a debate with Brad Miller.
This is my fear: that Reeves has grown too dependant on a friendly press during the primary and, as a result, has become emotionally gaffe prone. In the general, Reeves' once accommodating press friends will savage him over those gaffes in an effort to protect Miller.
In the end Reeves is not a liberal, will not have the press at his back and as a result his loose cannon personality will make him a weaker candidate in the general election than Bill Randall. Unfortunately, I am not convinced Reeves has the ability to gain control over his frustrations and even if he were get that control, I doubt he has time enough to rework his image.
out
Earlier in NC-13 - Bernie Reeves' Friends in the Press Have His Back...Dump on Bill Randall Polifrog wrote:
It must be nice being Bernie Reeves, an inside-the-beltway politician steered by old timers like Carter Wrenn. I suppose it is made all the sweeter when you've had decades to make the media connections only a local media mogul can, connections that are willing to support your political interests when the time is right. Heck, it might make Reeves feel a little like a liberal with the press at his back, but that is an argument for another time.
I thought I would explore the thought that Bernie Reeves has the press at his back and how that might affect him in the general election.
I believe it is intuitive that a man who,
...started the Spectator, Metro Magazine, The Triangle Business Journal and the Raleigh Spy Conference,...
has spent much of his time with his peers in the press. Networking, making friends, owing favors and having favors owed in return are all steps in a dance when doing business and Reeves has been a part of that dance for quite some time. This gives Reeves an edge in the primary, but unfortunately Reeves is relying on that edge to the point of overconfidence.
Reeves has, in both debates, either revealed flashes of anger or thinly veiled frustration. Some see this as an example of a bloated ego or arrogance, but I tend to believe that arrogance can be earned and Reeves, with his success in business, has more than earned the right to be arrogant from time to time. No, I believe Reeves' flashes of anger and frustration speak to something more problematic.
Reeves is press savvy, shrewd, and has cornucopia of knowledge from which to draw. He should know well what the press does to conservative politicians who let anger slip through the lenses of a camera. Such emotions from conservatives do not get labeled as godly passion by the press. Conservatives are, instead, vilified for expressing anger, yet there he is at the first debate defiantly looking down a press camera with anger! What is it in him that would allow that?
The answer is that Reeves finds too much comfort in his business friends in the press. Although, they are currently willing to look the other way when reporting on Reeves' debate performances against Randall, the press is fickle and the connections Reeves seems to be currently relying on to protect him from himself will likely be overlooked in a debate with Brad Miller.
This is my fear: that Reeves has grown too dependant on a friendly press during the primary and, as a result, has become emotionally gaffe prone. In the general, Reeves' once accommodating press friends will savage him over those gaffes in an effort to protect Miller.
In the end Reeves is not a liberal, will not have the press at his back and as a result his loose cannon personality will make him a weaker candidate in the general election than Bill Randall. Unfortunately, I am not convinced Reeves has the ability to gain control over his frustrations and even if he were get that control, I doubt he has time enough to rework his image.
out
Sunday, June 6, 2010
NC-13 - Bernie Reeves' Friends in the Press Have His Back...Dump on Bill Randall
polifrog
It must be nice being Bernie Reeves, an inside-the-beltway politician steered by old timers like Carter Wrenn. I suppose it is made all the sweeter when you've had decades to make the media connections only a local media mogul can, connections that are willing to support your political interests when the time is right. Heck, it might make Reeves feel a little like a liberal with the press at his back, but that is an argument for another time.
The News & Observer article, Who will Battle Brad Miller? Has already popped up here and here. It will undoubtedly continue making the rounds with Dennis Berwyn's help as it unsurprisingly casts Reeves in a flattering light.
The article begins:
Apparently the author believes only Reeves is "smart, quick-witted, irreverent" as, according to the author, all those qualities are in jeopardy due to the surprising success of Bill Randall. What a shame, the success of a Tea Partier is apparently not story enough or exciting enough for Christensen.
The author continues with this glowing description of Bernie Reeves:
While still in campaign mode for Reeves, all the author can muster for Randall's bio is:
and in the next paragraph refers to Randall as "some newbie". Note the terms "some newbie" were not in quotes in the article, so the terms were used at the author's discretion. Also note, this description of Randall is nearly the same attack made repeatedly by Reeves on Randall in the last debate.
Christensen even went on to quote Reeves with the longest quote of the article which was not surprisingly the same attack on Randall again.
Of course, even though he was rightfully accused of being patronizing, there was no mention of Reeves' thinly veiled anger during the moment of the quote. Friends in the press have a way of omitting such unpleasantness when they find it in their interest.
With all manor of tools available to him as a journalist, the only quote Christensen could find for Randall that fit the space he was willing to give was:
out
It must be nice being Bernie Reeves, an inside-the-beltway politician steered by old timers like Carter Wrenn. I suppose it is made all the sweeter when you've had decades to make the media connections only a local media mogul can, connections that are willing to support your political interests when the time is right. Heck, it might make Reeves feel a little like a liberal with the press at his back, but that is an argument for another time.
The News & Observer article, Who will Battle Brad Miller? Has already popped up here and here. It will undoubtedly continue making the rounds with Dennis Berwyn's help as it unsurprisingly casts Reeves in a flattering light.
The article begins:
For those of us who get tired of poll-driven empty rhetoric, the idea of two smart, quick-witted, irreverent Raleigh boys ideologically jousting this fall sounded like high political entertainment.
But it is by no means certain that Bernie Reeves, the editor of Metro Magazine and conservative columnist, will get a chance to challenge 13th District Democratic Rep. Brad Miller in November. Reeves is in a tough Republican primary runoff with Bill Randall, a retired Navy command master chief from Wake Forest, who has been active in the tea party movement.
Apparently the author believes only Reeves is "smart, quick-witted, irreverent" as, according to the author, all those qualities are in jeopardy due to the surprising success of Bill Randall. What a shame, the success of a Tea Partier is apparently not story enough or exciting enough for Christensen.
The author continues with this glowing description of Bernie Reeves:
Reeves is the inside-the-Beltline candidate who is a Raleigh fixture. He started the Spectator, Metro Magazine, The Triangle Business Journal and the Raleigh Spy Conference, and has been denouncing creeping socialism for as long as most of us can remember.
He has the backing of much of the old Jesse Helms crowd, including such key strategists as Tom Ellis and Carter Wrenn.
While still in campaign mode for Reeves, all the author can muster for Randall's bio is:
Randall, a native of New Orleans, is outside the Beltline, representing the new wave of suburban voters who make up a significant portion of the Republican Party.
and in the next paragraph refers to Randall as "some newbie". Note the terms "some newbie" were not in quotes in the article, so the terms were used at the author's discretion. Also note, this description of Randall is nearly the same attack made repeatedly by Reeves on Randall in the last debate.
Christensen even went on to quote Reeves with the longest quote of the article which was not surprisingly the same attack on Randall again.
"When I talk about the people who live here, it's because I know them," Reeves said. "You've lived here 18 months. What right do you have to make pronouncements about the mores and activities if you don't know the history, you don't know the culture, you don't know the businesses? You might know the geography from your travels. That's the extent of it."
Of course, even though he was rightfully accused of being patronizing, there was no mention of Reeves' thinly veiled anger during the moment of the quote. Friends in the press have a way of omitting such unpleasantness when they find it in their interest.
With all manor of tools available to him as a journalist, the only quote Christensen could find for Randall that fit the space he was willing to give was:
"I believe we need to go away from politics as usual," Randall said.Well, I believe we need to go away from journalism as usual and you can quote Polifrog on that!
out
Friday, June 4, 2010
(NC-13) Debate 2 - Bernie Reeves Vs. Bill Randall - More Impressions
polifrog
Previous comments on this debate are here.
Some observations only come with time...
Debates between politicians are nothing like debate club debates. They are scored entirely different. School debates are decided on facts, knowledge and points scored while debates between politicians rely more heavily on impressions. Bernie Reeves appears to be unaware of this.
Bernie Reeves has an admirable ability to effortlessly pull information from the recesses of his mind. I envy him for it, as I don't have the ability myself, and further, I find myself at a total loss in impromptu situations. He is at home in those situations and thus has an undeniable edge going into any debate. Why, then, did he go on to loose this debate?
I believe the answer is multi layered.
It begins with a trait that appears to be a strength initially, but in the hands of Reeves' works to his detriment. That trait is his seemingly unlimited well of knowledge. In nearly every answer to almost all questions posed Reeves has a wealth of facts and history that he can not help but put on parade. Perhaps more accurately, he can't help but put himself on parade. Unfortunately, there are no short answers for Reeves.
The result is that he often looses himself in the eddies of his learning as he winds his way through his answers. He does not seem to know how to pare his answers down to....answers. Coherent understandable answers are the root of a win. When Reeves looses himself, he looses his audience.
In the end, attendees are treated to a stampede of facts and history that attempt to answer the question, but in the end only hide Reeves' answers (which are there) in a needless cloud of knowledge.
I imagine it is frustrating to Reeves to loose to Randall, a man who debates in short memorized answers. Unfortunately, from that frustration is born Reeves' irritation with Randall's sometimes pithy answers. Pithy answers have their place, though, as they get to the point with a thud and voters like that.
Memorized answers or, at least, some debate preparation would give much need structure to Reeves' free wheeling impromptu debating style and lend Reeves some control over the lasting impression of the debate.
out
Previous comments on this debate are here.
Some observations only come with time...
Debates between politicians are nothing like debate club debates. They are scored entirely different. School debates are decided on facts, knowledge and points scored while debates between politicians rely more heavily on impressions. Bernie Reeves appears to be unaware of this.
Bernie Reeves has an admirable ability to effortlessly pull information from the recesses of his mind. I envy him for it, as I don't have the ability myself, and further, I find myself at a total loss in impromptu situations. He is at home in those situations and thus has an undeniable edge going into any debate. Why, then, did he go on to loose this debate?
I believe the answer is multi layered.
It begins with a trait that appears to be a strength initially, but in the hands of Reeves' works to his detriment. That trait is his seemingly unlimited well of knowledge. In nearly every answer to almost all questions posed Reeves has a wealth of facts and history that he can not help but put on parade. Perhaps more accurately, he can't help but put himself on parade. Unfortunately, there are no short answers for Reeves.
The result is that he often looses himself in the eddies of his learning as he winds his way through his answers. He does not seem to know how to pare his answers down to....answers. Coherent understandable answers are the root of a win. When Reeves looses himself, he looses his audience.
In the end, attendees are treated to a stampede of facts and history that attempt to answer the question, but in the end only hide Reeves' answers (which are there) in a needless cloud of knowledge.
I imagine it is frustrating to Reeves to loose to Randall, a man who debates in short memorized answers. Unfortunately, from that frustration is born Reeves' irritation with Randall's sometimes pithy answers. Pithy answers have their place, though, as they get to the point with a thud and voters like that.
Memorized answers or, at least, some debate preparation would give much need structure to Reeves' free wheeling impromptu debating style and lend Reeves some control over the lasting impression of the debate.
out
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
(NC-13) Debate 2 - Bernie Reeves vs. Bill Randall -- Impressions
polifrog
First off, thanks go to The League of Women Voters and NBC-17. This was a televised debate and my concerns about living outside the viewing area were not realized thanks to the nearly immediate posting of the debate here by mync.com.
Again in this debate, as the last, Bernie Reeves and Bill Randall agreed on far more than they disagreed. This leaves more room to comment on impressions rather than substance.
Bernie Reeves was feisty from the opening. He attacked Randall on the plagiarism issue with such ferocity that he lost track of his limited number of rebuttals. I suppose his strategy was to throw Randall off his game. He failed at this and was left with little rebuttal time to use later.
Randall responded to the attacks as only one can in his position. He took responsibility for staffing errors and denied an argument by Reeves in which Reeves conflated two issues in an effort to create the appearance that Randall was attempting a cover up.
Although, this exchange burned through Reeves limited rebuttals, Reeves refused to be constrained to simply answering the questions; he is, after all, skilled in verbiage. While answering questions not only did Reeves repeatedly frame Randall's arguments in his own preferred words, he also incorporated rebuttals in his answers. As Randall later pointed out to the moderator, the agreed upon debate rules did not allow for that, but for an establishment politician like Reeves rules don't matter.
And for Reeves, this is a problem. Whether it is a heckler in the crowd, as in the previous debate, or debate rules that impede him in this debate, Reeves visibly rankles. His frustration is so great that he can't even hide it from the cameras. In response he flouted the agreed upon rules of the debate.
As with Pelosi, for Reeves rules are not so much a guide to decorum as a hurdle to clear whether over under or around.
Would Reeves truly have a cleansing effect on congress?
out
First off, thanks go to The League of Women Voters and NBC-17. This was a televised debate and my concerns about living outside the viewing area were not realized thanks to the nearly immediate posting of the debate here by mync.com.
Again in this debate, as the last, Bernie Reeves and Bill Randall agreed on far more than they disagreed. This leaves more room to comment on impressions rather than substance.
Bernie Reeves was feisty from the opening. He attacked Randall on the plagiarism issue with such ferocity that he lost track of his limited number of rebuttals. I suppose his strategy was to throw Randall off his game. He failed at this and was left with little rebuttal time to use later.
Randall responded to the attacks as only one can in his position. He took responsibility for staffing errors and denied an argument by Reeves in which Reeves conflated two issues in an effort to create the appearance that Randall was attempting a cover up.
Although, this exchange burned through Reeves limited rebuttals, Reeves refused to be constrained to simply answering the questions; he is, after all, skilled in verbiage. While answering questions not only did Reeves repeatedly frame Randall's arguments in his own preferred words, he also incorporated rebuttals in his answers. As Randall later pointed out to the moderator, the agreed upon debate rules did not allow for that, but for an establishment politician like Reeves rules don't matter.
And for Reeves, this is a problem. Whether it is a heckler in the crowd, as in the previous debate, or debate rules that impede him in this debate, Reeves visibly rankles. His frustration is so great that he can't even hide it from the cameras. In response he flouted the agreed upon rules of the debate.
As with Pelosi, for Reeves rules are not so much a guide to decorum as a hurdle to clear whether over under or around.
Would Reeves truly have a cleansing effect on congress?
out
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Debate 2 -- Bernie Reeves vs. Bill Randall (NC-13)
polifrog
Debate impressions posted here.
This is to be a televised debate by NBC-17 in conjunction with the League of Women Voters.
When...........................June 2, 2010 from 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Length.........................1 hour
On line version.............http://www.mync.com/
Submit Questions to.....myvote@wncn.com
It appears that residents of the city of Raleigh have an advantage over those in the rest of district NC-13, in that the broadcaster does not cover the entire area.
However, the debate will be posted online here.(mync.com)
Remember to vote on June, 22.
Vote date edited.
out
Debate impressions posted here.
This is to be a televised debate by NBC-17 in conjunction with the League of Women Voters.
When...........................June 2, 2010 from 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Length.........................1 hour
On line version.............http://www.mync.com/
Submit Questions to.....myvote@wncn.com
It appears that residents of the city of Raleigh have an advantage over those in the rest of district NC-13, in that the broadcaster does not cover the entire area.
However, the debate will be posted online here.(mync.com)
Remember to vote on June, 22.
Vote date edited.
out
Friday, May 28, 2010
Bill Randall -- Plagiarism?
polifrog
Although, lifting the eloquent words of another when you yourself don't carry a similar mastery of language is a human tradition when conveying thoughts and ideas that match your own, politics is the wrong forum. This is not a movie and there is no one is being wooed ... except possibly voters. Even though Scott Brown's ideas clearly match his own, this does not look good for Randall. This event shows that Randall is green and not as polished at conveying an image as Reeves. Reeves' experience in this shows in his writing if not in public speaking.
Equally as true is the fact that this does not look good for Bernie Reeves. He could have handled this more professionally and not have provided leftist hacks like Bob Geary (indyweek) material with which to sharpen his snark and smear Conservatives.
(Bold added but not the spelling errors)
It takes an extrema leftist to deem the words from a moderate like Scott Brown "right-wing dogma".
Thanks Bernie Reeves, your a professional and a credit to your party. Yes, Polifrog is practicing snark.
Bernie Reeves will not earn the votes of the Tea-Party folks he wishes to woo from Bill Randall with these tactics. These are the tactics of an entrenched politician. These are the tactics that make politics a dirty word and part of why Tea Party members long for fresh representation.
In short, Reeves colors himself an entrenched politician and harms the liberty of the people by empowering Brad Miller in his less than professional attacks. Randall has similarly harmed the people by allowing this gaffe to occur.
Color Polifrog disappointed.
out
(corrected for awkwardness)
Although, lifting the eloquent words of another when you yourself don't carry a similar mastery of language is a human tradition when conveying thoughts and ideas that match your own, politics is the wrong forum. This is not a movie and there is no one is being wooed ... except possibly voters. Even though Scott Brown's ideas clearly match his own, this does not look good for Randall. This event shows that Randall is green and not as polished at conveying an image as Reeves. Reeves' experience in this shows in his writing if not in public speaking.
Equally as true is the fact that this does not look good for Bernie Reeves. He could have handled this more professionally and not have provided leftist hacks like Bob Geary (indyweek) material with which to sharpen his snark and smear Conservatives.
So goes the runoff campaign in the Republican primary for Congress in the 13th District, NC. Awaiting the winner: Democratic Rep. Brad Miller, who must be chortling at Randall's plight.
Question: Is it plagiarism when you recite someone's else's right-wing dogma virtually word for word? Sometimes adding "Simply put" in front of the lifted phrases?
(Bold added but not the spelling errors)
It takes an extrema leftist to deem the words from a moderate like Scott Brown "right-wing dogma".
Thanks Bernie Reeves, your a professional and a credit to your party. Yes, Polifrog is practicing snark.
Bernie Reeves will not earn the votes of the Tea-Party folks he wishes to woo from Bill Randall with these tactics. These are the tactics of an entrenched politician. These are the tactics that make politics a dirty word and part of why Tea Party members long for fresh representation.
In short, Reeves colors himself an entrenched politician and harms the liberty of the people by empowering Brad Miller in his less than professional attacks. Randall has similarly harmed the people by allowing this gaffe to occur.
Color Polifrog disappointed.
out
(corrected for awkwardness)
NC-13 --Brad Miller-- Endorsements
polifrog
Not good news for Randall...
out
Not good news for Randall...
Dan Huffman and Frank Hurley, who were eliminated in the Republican primary contest for the party's nomination to face Democrat Brad Miller in the general election for North Carolina's 13th Congressional District, have announced their endorsement for Bernie Reeves over Bill Randall in the party runoff.Via yesweekly...
out
Friday, May 14, 2010
Runoff Debate Between Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves for Brad Miller's Seat NC-13
polifrog
My son took these videos of the closing remarks by both Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves at their runoff debate on May 13, 2010.
Debate Impressions Here.
Bill Randall:
Bernie Reeves:
Two good men to choose from.
Better quality video of the debate via ubetcha13 is slowly making its way to youtube....
Part 1:
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
out
My son took these videos of the closing remarks by both Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves at their runoff debate on May 13, 2010.
Debate Impressions Here.
Bill Randall:
Bernie Reeves:
Two good men to choose from.
Better quality video of the debate via ubetcha13 is slowly making its way to youtube....
Part 1:
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
out
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Randall / Reeves Debate -- NC-13 -- Impressions
polifrog
Tonight I met both Bernie Reeves and Bill Randall. They are competing for the seat (NC-13) currently held by Brad Miller.The photos were taken by my son Trey.
Some quick impressions.
Bernie Reeves has both a depth and mastery of the issues that I was previously unaware of. Add to that his smooth delivery and comfort in the public eye while on stage and what we have in Bernie Reeves is the makings of an excellent candidate. In only one instance did Reeves make a misstep outside his normal polish. He allowed a flash of what I, at first, deemed anger, but later feel was frustration, slip past him.
Unfortunately I feel I should speak to that issue. Reeves had a quibble with the time Bill Randall had taken to answer a question and also that Bill Randell had delivered closing statements in addition to his answer to the original question. The moment of frustration revealed itself when a Randall supporter called Reeves a cry baby or something to that effect. The person was across the room from me so the comment was indistinct. Reeves observed aloud that he must be in a room full of Randall supporters. True or not, that was the moment his frustration flared. I heard, at least one case of hushed shock. Unfortunate. It occurred to me that at that moment Reeves may have been considering a possible loss to Randall. Perhaps he simply forgot he was on camera. (Skip to the 2:00 mark through the 4:50mark in the video below.)
Bill Randall was the third person my son and I met at the event. He was greeting people at the door and he even gave my son a fist bump. Cool. My son will remember that. Bill Randall, like Reeves, is an excellent speaker. This is true, though, only when he feels he fully understands the material he is speaking to. There were, unfortunately, many times when Randall was outclassed in comparison to Reeves if one measured the differences between the two solely in terms of depth of knowledge. Randall, though, showed in each answer that he understood the fundamental principles upon which to reach the right conclusion. I saw no apparent missteps by Randall with the exception of some moderate distraction between questions.
In the end the two candidates agreed far more than they disagreed. Not a surprise. And on points scored Reeves came away with a victory.
Reeves is the more polished more establishment candidate with established supporters and is a formidable and impressive debater with knowledge on tap. Unfortunately it is that plethora of knowledge that frightens me with Reeves. He reminds me of long time representatives with a wealth of experience that, invariably, tends to lead those representatives astray. Knowledge and its mastery is not an anchor from which leadership is reliably sourced and those who choose to lead from it get lost in the greys of that knowledge and too often drift from their core beliefs.
This expressed itself in a question on oil drilling and the impact the BP oil spill has on the two candidates position on drilling. Reeves answered that he had changed his opinion and could no longer support drilling. To me he seemed to loose his anchor, and instead gave a politically expedient answer.
By comparison, Randall held strong to his conviction and expressed that we should learn from the accident and avoid repeating it in the future with the understanding that there is currently no future without oil. An answer based on conviction and deft.
In the past I would have supported Reeves without a second thought, but I feel burned by establishment conservatives. Unfortunately Reeves feels very establishment and perhaps too easily set drifting between compelling arguments.
I want conviction, a Plymouth Rock.
News 14 report here.
out
Tonight I met both Bernie Reeves and Bill Randall. They are competing for the seat (NC-13) currently held by Brad Miller.The photos were taken by my son Trey.Some quick impressions.
Bernie Reeves has both a depth and mastery of the issues that I was previously unaware of. Add to that his smooth delivery and comfort in the public eye while on stage and what we have in Bernie Reeves is the makings of an excellent candidate. In only one instance did Reeves make a misstep outside his normal polish. He allowed a flash of what I, at first, deemed anger, but later feel was frustration, slip past him.
Unfortunately I feel I should speak to that issue. Reeves had a quibble with the time Bill Randall had taken to answer a question and also that Bill Randell had delivered closing statements in addition to his answer to the original question. The moment of frustration revealed itself when a Randall supporter called Reeves a cry baby or something to that effect. The person was across the room from me so the comment was indistinct. Reeves observed aloud that he must be in a room full of Randall supporters. True or not, that was the moment his frustration flared. I heard, at least one case of hushed shock. Unfortunate. It occurred to me that at that moment Reeves may have been considering a possible loss to Randall. Perhaps he simply forgot he was on camera. (Skip to the 2:00 mark through the 4:50mark in the video below.)
Bill Randall was the third person my son and I met at the event. He was greeting people at the door and he even gave my son a fist bump. Cool. My son will remember that. Bill Randall, like Reeves, is an excellent speaker. This is true, though, only when he feels he fully understands the material he is speaking to. There were, unfortunately, many times when Randall was outclassed in comparison to Reeves if one measured the differences between the two solely in terms of depth of knowledge. Randall, though, showed in each answer that he understood the fundamental principles upon which to reach the right conclusion. I saw no apparent missteps by Randall with the exception of some moderate distraction between questions.
In the end the two candidates agreed far more than they disagreed. Not a surprise. And on points scored Reeves came away with a victory.
Reeves is the more polished more establishment candidate with established supporters and is a formidable and impressive debater with knowledge on tap. Unfortunately it is that plethora of knowledge that frightens me with Reeves. He reminds me of long time representatives with a wealth of experience that, invariably, tends to lead those representatives astray. Knowledge and its mastery is not an anchor from which leadership is reliably sourced and those who choose to lead from it get lost in the greys of that knowledge and too often drift from their core beliefs.
This expressed itself in a question on oil drilling and the impact the BP oil spill has on the two candidates position on drilling. Reeves answered that he had changed his opinion and could no longer support drilling. To me he seemed to loose his anchor, and instead gave a politically expedient answer.
By comparison, Randall held strong to his conviction and expressed that we should learn from the accident and avoid repeating it in the future with the understanding that there is currently no future without oil. An answer based on conviction and deft.
In the past I would have supported Reeves without a second thought, but I feel burned by establishment conservatives. Unfortunately Reeves feels very establishment and perhaps too easily set drifting between compelling arguments.
I want conviction, a Plymouth Rock.
News 14 report here.
out
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves to Debate Tomorrow (Thursday)
polifrog
Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves are scheduled to debate Thursday night.
More information here.
I intend to attend with my son. He is 11 and this should prove to be an excellent learning experience for him.
---If there is an internet connection available polifrog will post live comments on polifrog. I hesitate to call this live blogging, though. If there is no internet connection available there will be no posts during the debate.
---If I find that there is a link with live streaming of the event it will be posted.
---I will definitely post video and comments that night and into the small hours of the next morning.
out
Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves are scheduled to debate Thursday night.
More information here.
I intend to attend with my son. He is 11 and this should prove to be an excellent learning experience for him.
---If there is an internet connection available polifrog will post live comments on polifrog. I hesitate to call this live blogging, though. If there is no internet connection available there will be no posts during the debate.
---If I find that there is a link with live streaming of the event it will be posted.
---I will definitely post video and comments that night and into the small hours of the next morning.
out
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