Democratic strategist Brad Crone spoke at the Civitas poll (pdf) luncheon yesterday and said (I’m paraphrasing) that North Carolina conservative candidates should lay off of social issues and talk about economic and straightforwardly political issues like corruption. Crone believes that since more urbanite Unaffiliateds are moving into the state, they may be turned off by too much of the culture war language that once wooed Dixiecrats to Reagan.
He even conceded that the conservatives have a lot of really good (and popular) points against their liberal counterparts (particularly on issues of bloated government and ethics) and that appropriate framing could allow conservatives to pick up some seats in the GA next go round. But conservatives in NC – outfunded, outteched, and outframed on the issues – will get their behinds handed to them unless they unify under some solid ideas. Those messages, Crone said, should be "positive". It was almost as if he were saying: now’s your chance. And he may very well be right. But he also knows that with all the redistricting and special interest money going into the liberal coffers, its doubtful the right has a snowball’s chance in North Carolina. (For goodness sake, most people still think Jim Black is a Republican.) -Max Borders
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