Politics
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It took a little time for the word to get around but my Hacked by Mitt Romney Facebook page has now gained 218 fans. Just this week the page gained 50 new Likes. Of course, we will have to trust Facebook that these are actual people and not fake users.
I’ve posted some of the more interesting stories people have shared but new ones continue to come in. Can all these people be wrong?
I received this response today on a post from another blog about Mitt Romney’s Facebook hacking (emphasis mine):
I told my husband that I have been seeing friends of his that we KNOW would never vote for Romney “like” him on facebook. We are discussing this while family is visiting and then my husbands father tells me that he saw I had “liked” Romney on facebook a couple of weeks ago. I would know if I had done this. I would rather eat a hand full of stink bugs. I do not like this one bit.
Here’s another look at Tony Tata’s firing. I have to say as likable as the General is, I think his lack of experience in education was one of his biggest flaws.
I’m hoping the board can find a Bill McNeal type to be the new superintendent.
It is telling that the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Wake County Tax Payer’s Association, Wake County Republican Party, and Tea Party members of the BOE are supporting Tata. They are calling the firing a partisan distraction. Nonsense. First, a vote along party lines isn’t necessarily a partisan vote, and not all partisan decisions are necessarily bad decisions. Second, how is it a “distraction” to ensure WCPSS has a qualified, effective superintendent?
via Broadie Tata fired by Wake County school board | Parents Across America.
My letter to the editor ran in today’s N&O.
Horse sense
Contrary to what the N.C. GOP would have you believe, you won’t find any horses on Raleigh’s 80 miles of beautiful greenways. What you will find are citizens of all political stripes appreciating one of Raleigh’s more popular and unique amenities.
While the N.C.GOP has backed off a bit for implying Sig Hutchinson “raised taxes” (which is, um, interesting as he’s never held public office before), it has not apologized for insulting our city by calling greenways “horse trails.”
(Looks like they didn’t fix my typo, where I wrote “support” instead of “supported.” Oh well.)
I found out last night that Gus Gusler, owner of Raleigh’s Player’s Retreat, discovered to his surprise that he was now a fan of Mitt Romney’s Facebook page. Anyone who knows Gusler knows how ludicrously improbable it is that he chose to do this willingly.
“I wouldn’t vote for that empty suit phony for dog catcher,” Gusler says.
Still hoping that the media starts taking this Mitt Romney Facebook hacking seriously.
I took a swipe at the N&O for its coverage of the firing of Tony Tata the other day and I stand by my criticism. If I’m going to point out the bad, though, it’s only fair that I should also praise the good.
Editorial page editor Steve Ford took up the issue in his column today and does so with a fairer, far more deft touch than most anything else I’ve read in the paper. Ford’s sober consideration of the issue was what I’d been looking for from the newspaper.
That I can say this even while not necessarily buying into every point he makes shows Ford struck the right balance. More of this, please.
Campaign consultant Perry Woods, who often pops up to assist Democratic candidates hereabouts, does his best to rebut the notion that the firing of Wake County school superintendent Tony Tata was an exercise in partisanship.
In a letter that we ran yesterday, Woods – noting he had advised all five of the Democrats who won seats on the school board last fall and who now have told Tata to make himself scarce – said that from a partisan political standpoint, the timing was wrong.
via Ford: The battle Tata couldn't win – Ford – NewsObserver.com.
I was about to call out N&O editor John Drescher on his opinion column today regarding a “partisan” school board. Drescher had this to say:
No doubt, Tata made some mistakes. But he was the person who did the most these last few years to unify the Wake schools community. In his first year, Tata visited nearly every school and scores of community groups. He listened hard. He was pragmatic and constructive. He calmed a system in turmoil and brought hope that this community could reach consensus. He provided a powerful example of effective public leadership.
As chairman, Hill had a chance to lead the board toward nonpartisanship. He chose otherwise.
There’s a reason we describe the Wake school board as partisan. Because it is.
A Facebook user posted this account in Facebook’s forums earlier today:
I was scrolling my feed two nights ago when I saw that my husband ‘liked’ Mitt Romney’s page. I whacked him in the head. He said, “I didn’t do that.” So we went immediately to his account and ‘unliked’ the page.
How can they do this? I know why they are doing it, though: media pundits are talking about social media ratings and how “everybody” is talking about Romney! No doubt they want lots & lots & lots of “likes” to his page, and it ain’t happening on its own.
See? He’s all about “APPEARANCES” and nothing about SUBSTANCE! These phony “likes” will not equate into votes, Mittens. Don’t count on it.
Apparently the Romney Facebook hacking continues.
I was reading this N&O story about Wake school board members Kevin Hill and Keith Sutton providing background on Tata’s firing. The story by Thomas Goldsmith inexplicably ended with a quote from some random guy and included no context as to why what we think he says actually matters:
“I think the man got a raw deal,” said Arvin F. Dixon, 76, who lives just outside of Rolesville. “I think the school board should have been working together and taking care of our tax money like they ought to be.”
Who is this guy, Arvin Dixon? He’s not mentioned anywhere else in the article. Nowhere does it state whether he was one of many who called or emailed the board. At the age of 76, it’s safe to say that Mr. Dixon has no kids currently in school. Voting records show he is a white male and registered Republican who only sporadically votes in local elections.
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“With this partisan decision, the board has now guaranteed that there will be far fewer great schools in Wake County,” board member Debra Goldman said. “I grieve for our children, our teachers and our staff. There will certainly not be the security and stability that the citizens of Wake County want.”
Yeah, Goldman grieves sooooo much that she’s canceling her political bid for State Auditor to focus on the Wake County school chirren.
What’s that? You say Goldman is only using the Wake Board of Education as a stepping stone to higher political office? Surely you jest! I’m sure John Tedesco is so outraged that he’ll drop his bid to become State Superintendent of Education, too, just so he can stay and set the Wake school board right. I mean, it’s not about him, it’s about the kids, right?
Someone please wake me when all the cheap political grandstanding is over.
via Ousting of Wake schools chief could jeopardize funding :: WRAL.com.
