Coach K for governor?

Posted on February 7, 2012 by PopPolitico

On Sunday, the Raleigh News & Observer’s Rob Christensen contemplated the impact that some boobirds in the Dean Dome may have had in re-shaping the race for North Carolina governor.

Christensen wondered if the somewhat hostile reception that incumbent Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue received at a UNC basketball game last month may have been the “straw that broke the camel’s back” in Perdue’s decision to bow out of her re-election bid.

Now, as the Blue Devils and Tar Heels prepare to battle on the hardwood Wednesday night, and with the race for the Executive Mansion still up in the air, Public Policy Polling asks voters which current coach in the legendary rivalry would make the better  governor.

The result: Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski edges out Carolina’s Roy Williams as the pick for chief executive, 34-31 percent. Coach K’s advantage comes in his relatively high crossover appeal with Tar Heel Republicans, who favor Williams by just 3 percent. Meanwhile, Blue Devil Democrats pick Krzyzewski over Williams by 15 percent.

Both coaches enjoy high favorability ratings, with 51 percent of voters overall thinking well of each man. Even among Duke fans, more see Williams favorably — 48 percent — than unfavorably — 13 percent. Krzyzewski receives similar respect from the Tar Heel faithful, with 46 percent viewing him favorably and 27 percent unfavorably.

While the numbers seem to bode well for any political aspirations Williams or Krzyzewski might harbor, both coaches would probably much prefer dealing with the verbal abuse of opposing fans and the frustration of blown calls by refs than having to tangle with a tough economy and an obstinate legislature.

Posted in NC politics, sports | Leave a comment

Colbert Nation and ‘Citizens United’

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Damon Circosta

A good laugh at the expense of a politician is nothing new. Comedians have been mining the foibles of our elected leaders for material since the very first days of our republic. And while most of our political humor relies on the often sizable gap between the words and deeds of our elected officials, occasionally it’s the political system itself that can give us a chuckle.

Recently, Stephen Colbert has sent up our campaign finance system for a good laugh. On his Comedy Central television program he has a long running bit about election funding that examines the utterly incredible state of affairs since the unpopular Citizens United v FEC Supreme Court opinion in 2010.

He has gone so far as to hire noted former Federal Election Commission chairman Trevor Potter as his personal election lawyer. Mr. Potter helped Colbert create a “super PAC” that he can use to raise and spend unlimited funds in federal elections. Colbert has gone on to highlight the lunacy of our campaign finance system by pulling stunts like:

  • trying to purchase the naming rights to the South Carolina primary election;
  • running ads to write-in Rick Parry (with an ‘A’, not an ‘E,’ to confound the results) in the Iowa straw poll; and
  • support his ironic bid for ‘The President of the United States and South Carolina’.

Colbert insists that he isn’t trying to shape policy. His goal is just to get some laughs. But the consequences of his actions are very real. Comedy Central’s parent company, Viacom, has spent a small fortune on lawyers to ensure that this stunt doesn’t land them in hot water.

Who knows how this will play out?  Colbert has taken a subject that can make even the most hardcore policy wonks roll their eyes and made it entertaining. By participating in the campaign system in a very real and tangible way (his super PAC is registered and accepting serious donations) his absurd antics highlight the need to reform a system that is, well, laughable.

Posted in Election 2012, TV | Leave a comment

From Reagan to Franken: A look at actors turned politicians

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Brent Laurenz

In America we are enthralled by big-time Hollywood actors and our politicians, and sometimes those same actors make the leap from the glamorous world of acting to the cutthroat world of politics.  It makes sense that they would be good candidates since they’re comfortable in front of the camera, used to interviews and familiar with public scrutiny.  And perhaps, once you’ve known the power and prestige of Hollywood you want to see what power is like in politics as well.

Perhaps the best known example is former president Ronald Reagan, who spent the early part of his career on the big screen before turning to politics.  More recently, we saw Arnold Schwarzenegger make the leap from action star to California governor.

Some other notable actors who went on to a career in politics include:

  • Clint Eastwood–Dirty Harry himself was elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California in 1986.
  • Ben Jones–Probably better known as “Cooter” to most, Jones starred in “The Dukes of Hazzard” and in 1988 was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia.  In 1994 he ran against Newt Gingrich and lost.  Jones tried to resurrect his career by running for congress again in 2002, this time in Virginia, but lost that race to Eric Cantor.
  • Sonny Bono–One of the two stars of “The Sonny and Cher Show,” Bono went on to appear in “Fantasy Island” and “The Love Boat” as well.  He was elected mayor of Palm Springs, CA, and served from 1988-1992 before being elected to Congress in 1994.
  • Jesse Ventura–Also known as “the Body,” Ventura was a pro wrestler and starred in “Predator” alongside Schwarzenegger, perhaps making it the only movie to ever feature two future governors.  Ventura was elected governor of Minnesota in 1998 as a member of the Reform Party.

  • Fred Thompson–Thompson has been in numerous movies but is probably best know for his work on “Law & Order.”  He served in the U.S. Senate from Tennessee from 1994-2003 and in 2007 he made a half-hearted attempt to run for president, but dropped out early in 2008.
  • Al Franken–Best known for his comedic work on “Saturday Night Live” (see his role as Stuart Smalley below), Franken is now a U.S. senator from Minnesota after winning the seat in 2008.

So who will be the next big star to make the leap from acting to politics?

Posted in Film, TV | Leave a comment