Eighth Congressional District Dems Schedule Business Meeting

Representatives from 10 Counties of North Carolina's Eighth Congressional District to Meet, Eat, Plan

Note the following text of an email and letter sent out earlier this week from the Chairman of the 8th District:

Next Saturday, 23 February 2008, [members of the 8th Congressional District Democratic Executive Committee] are invited – encouraged! – to attend. We will meet in a specially-designated room in the restaurant at the historic Ellerbe Springs Inn & Restaurant, located on 2537 U.S. 220 Hwy north of Ellerbe in Richmond County. ... This location is centrally-located in the district. Over the past year we have traveled to Anson, Montgomery, Stanly, Richmond, and Cumberland for district matters, and in May 2008 we will have our district convention in Cabarrus County.

Please arrive no later than 11 a.m. We will convene promptly at that time and proceed with our official business before taking a lunch recess at 12 noon. During lunch, after folks return to their seats with a meal, we will resume our business and strategy meeting. It is my plan to adjourn no later than 1:30 p.m., with a valiant attempt to adjourn earlier if possible. Everyone is responsible for his or her lunch ticket.

During the meeting we will receive reports from each District officer, County party, and the district’s auxiliary groups; review our plans from the Stanly County meeting last Summer; resolve an administrative/financial matter; review the delegate selection process; and, help Cabarrus organize and prepare for its hosting of the District Convention on May 17.

If you have any questions or wish to propose an additional item of business, then please call me or email me at the numbers to the left of this text.

If you are unable to attend, then please send a proxy. We urge every one of the 10 counties in the 8th District to send at least one representative to this meeting. If possible, though not a requirement, RSVP to me so the restaurant will have enough seats prepared for us. We are presently estimating 20 attendees total.

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday --- 2008 appears every bit to be the Democratic year we expected!

If you live in the 8th Congressional District, then please encourage your members of the district-wide Executive Committee to attend. We need county chairs and first vice chairs, in particular, to join us.

Counties comprising the district include: Anson, Cabarrus, Cumberland, Hoke, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly, and Union.

For more information, email me at gwaynegoodwin@gmail.com ... Thank you!

State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin Files for Re-election to N.C. General Assembly

February 11, 2008

State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin Seeking 3rd Term for Richmond, Montgomery Counties

(Rockingham) – State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin filed on opening day of the 2008 election season for re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Presently in her second term, Goodwin has been a rising star within the Democratic Party’s legislative majority.

In the North Carolina General Assembly she is chairwoman of the House Election Laws and Campaign Finance Reform Committee and vice-chair of the Judiciary I Committee. Both committees are known for their consideration and passage of substantive legislative proposals. The local lawmaker also serves on the following additional committees: Appropriations; Appropriations Subcommittee on Justice and Public Safety; Education; Education Subcommittee on Community Colleges; and Juvenile Justice. Furthermore, House Speaker Joe Hackney has appointed her to several interim study committees. These duties require her to work part of every week in Raleigh, whether the legislature is in session or not.

“Our area of this State faces a number of significant challenges: jobs, schools, roads, water, sewer, access to affordable healthcare, and many others. I filed for re-election to a third term because this district deserves a State Representative committed to working full-time for its citizens to address these challenges. During my first two terms, this district has received significant appropriations, grants, and constituent services,” said Rep. Goodwin. “If re-elected, Richmond and Montgomery Counties will continue to benefit from my experience and legislative seniority.”
Speaker of the House Joe Hackney of Chatham County praised Rep. Goodwin’s decision to run for a third term.

“She is an excellent legislator, a legislator who brings remarkable experience to the General Assembly. Melanie is an attorney, mom, wife and career woman,” said Speaker Hackney. “We do not have a lot of youth in the legislature, but Rep. Goodwin has become a key spokesperson for young families and small businesspersons in rural North Carolina. … The House of Representatives needs members such as Goodwin who are younger and who know how to manage careers and family. ... She does it with style and gets her work done,” Hackney said.

Melanie Wade Goodwin earned her B.A. in English at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1992 and her Juris Doctor from Campbell University School of Law in 2000. She has been very active in the community as President of the Rockingham Junior Woman’s Club, a member of the Richmond County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, President of the Richmond County Democratic Women, and the Girl Scouts North Carolina Coastal Pines Council. Goodwin is also a business owner, mother, attorney, and active member of the First United Methodist Church in Rockingham.

Goodwin is married to Wayne Goodwin, her predecessor in the legislature and presently the Assistant Commissioner of Insurance for the State of North Carolina. He joined her at the Richmond County Board of Elections for Monday’s filing. They have a five-year-old daughter, Madison, and are expecting their second child in April. They live in Rockingham.

To learn more about her legislative service as it happens, Rep. Goodwin has created “Melanie’s District Diary” at www.representativemelaniewadegoodwin.blogspot.com. District 66 includes Richmond and Montgomery Counties.

Eighth Congressional District Chairman Moderates Debate Among Lt. Governor Candidates

by Wayne Goodwin

I had the honor and privilege to serve as moderator for the recent debate in Fayetteville among the Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor.

Before sharing a few thoughts, it is imperative for me to say this:

North Carolina owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the young folks – the young leaders – comprising the N.C. Federation of College Democrats. They and they alone proposed, coordinated, and have successfully hosted these debates around the State.

Their leadership has done much to educate the electorate about the role of Lt. Governor and what the candidates plan to do if chosen to serve in the role of Chief Executive-in-Waiting. (Frankly, though the duties have been scaled back over the years, most especially when Republican Jim Gardner snagged the post in 1988, the office of Lt. Governor is – and should be – a tremendous bully pulpit. In addition to serving a constitutional role as perfunctory head of the State Senate and as the potential successor if the office of Governor is vacated, the Lt. Governor has the means, ability and – if the typical candidate is elected to the office – energy to make the position into whatever he or she deems is necessary. Perhaps we should discuss this more in a separate post.)

Fayetteville State University proved to be an apropos location for this particular debate.

Why?

Well, it is in the center of several issues central to the votes of folks in the Eighth Congressional District and the neighboring Seventh and Second Congressional Districts.

What are those Eighth District issues? In my opinion, they are:

* The impact of the military’s presence on the region’s economy

* How to transition more quickly and more efficiently those Eighth District communities devastated by the loss of manufacturing and textile jobs over the last 15-20 years

* How to provide focused economic development in counties with regularly-high unemployment stats, namely neighboring Scotland and Richmond Counties

* Whether these candidates favor keeping Insurance Commissioner Jim Long as the regulator of auto insurance rates

In addition to the above topics, we covered in detail approximately eight questions plus several from the audience.

And pursuant to the rules, the candidates were allowed rebuttal time as warranted.

Each candidate for Lt. Governor focused on his particular strengths.

Thankfully, there are additional debates remaining in the series so the public – or at least those paying attention this early - will have a “high-def” understanding of whom these candidates are and what their respective candidacies bring to the table.

I encourage visitors to Wayne’s World to check out my earlier posts from October-November 2007 here that provide a summary of what these four candidates are about, how to contact them, etc. On behalf of the Eighth District, these candidates have many thanks for making multiple visits to Richmond, Cumberland, and other counties in this district over the past year. In the last 24 years, it is irrefutable that this is the most attention paid to our area by an array of candidates for this important post. That says a great deal about these Democrats, the promise of the office, and the lasting legacy that Bev Perdue, Dennis Wicker and Jim Hunt have left from their service as Lt. Governor.

In closing, I encourage the four candidates – Dan Besse, Walter Dalton, Hampton Dellinger, and Pat Smathers - and their supporters to share additional thoughts here at Wayne’s World about the debate series and their campaigns so that the Eighth will hear from them once again. Through these continued contacts, voters will have no excuse for not knowing whom they should cast a ballot for in the May 2008 primary.

Eighth Congressional District Hosts College Dems Winter Reception: Former State Representative Honored

The North Carolina Federation of College Democrats proudly hosted its first ever Winter Reception in the Eighth Congressional District on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at the historic Hamlet Train Depot. It followed the N.C. Democratic Party’s State Executive Committee meeting in Hamlet, North Carolina. I (Wayne Goodwin) was humbled to be the honored by the organization.

This is the first fundraiser of its kind held by the Federation. The group asked for sponsorships beginning at the $100 dollar level. All proceeds benefited the Federation and its various projects throughout the state. The Federation chose the Eighth Congressional District because it is a district where are focusing heavily for the 2008 elections.

As the first-ever honoree of the reception, the very organized and outstanding group of College Democrats heralded my many years as a Democratic Party activist, former state legislator, and past State officer for both the College Democrats and Young Democrats.


During remarks at the depot, and after being humbled by unexpected comments from NCFDC officers and others, I told the crowd that this occasion should best be about the need for more young people in public service and how Hamlet holds a special place in my heart. “Just as this train depot stands at a crossroads, Hamlet and small towns like it across North Carolina are at a crossroads. Raleigh and Washington must focus more intently on the needs and the promise of small towns like ours … The future of America depends on the success of our small towns.”

Previously on the BlueNC blog, State Representative Tricia Ann Cotham of Mecklenburg County said, "Wayne Goodwin is most deserving! Kudos to NCFCD for honoring Wayne Goodwin. Wayne is one of the greatest Democrats I know. He is full of passion, determination, and is a true party faithful. Wayne is a great advocate of people and represents the Democratic Party well."

(Rep. Cotham, herself, is a role model for young leaders: She entered the legislature at age 28 and has been a prominent supporter of both Young Dems and College Dems.)

Local and state officials attending the event included Insurance Commissioner Jim Long; State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin; District Court Judge Scott Brewer; District Attorney Michael Parker; Svea Strong, chairwoman of the Richmond County Democratic Party; Jeff Joyner, past state Commander of the American Legion; Larry Kissell, 8th District Democratic candidate for Congress; Winston-Salem alderman Dan Besse, candidate for Lt. Governor; Canton Mayor Pat Smathers, candidate for Lt. Governor; multiple state Democratic officials; as well as local attorneys and political candidates from Richmond and surrounding counties. More than 100 celebrants joined in. Seaboard Station Restaurant of Hamlet catered the reception.

The Eighth District thanks the College Dems for holding its inaugural reception here.

Eighth District, Hamlet Hosts Rocking Rally for Dems

The Democratic Party successfully scored a myriad of points Saturday. Among them:
By holding its State Executive Committee meeting in Richmond County, rural citizens across the Tar Heel state were reminded that it is the Democratic Party that truly stands up for them and the needs of small towns. This was the first time that the State's Democratic leaders convened in a small town. ...

It spoke loud and clear its support for community colleges. Long-time Democrats were excited to visit the campus led for many years by the late Joe Grimsley, who served as Governor Jim Hunt's campaign manager starting in 1972, and to gather in the beautiful auditorium that was his last project before his untimely death. ...

The Party in no uncertain terms also expressed its unified, intense, dedicated goal of reclaiming the 8th Congressional District for the Party in 2008 after the district's loss to the GOP a decade ago. Not only was that Congressional seat an oft-mentioned item in Saturday's business, but many visitors Saturday participated in a Larry Kissell literature drop specifically targeted in key parts of the community ...

Moreover, many Tar Heel Democrats took the opportunity - while straddling the South Carolina border - to help out their favored candidate down in the Palmetto State's presidential primary that same day.

And, it gave Democrats all over North Carolina a chance to begin acting on the one-word mission of the 2008 election cycle: CHANGE.

All in all, I came away from the State Exec Committee meeting with a sense of personal accomplishment, excitement and inspiration.

When the opportunity first arose more than six months ago for the Party to select a site, I jumped at the chance to champion the countless reasons why Hamlet would be the right place at the right time.

And, based on the number of people served eastern-style BBQ, fried chicken, hush puppies and sweet tea yesterday, and the feedback from those in attendance, my promise of Hamlet being the right place at the right time was fulfilled: More than 700 Democrats rallied their hearts out at the North Carolina Democratic Party's State Executive Committee meeting! By other estimates, when you count candidates, staffers, and observers, up to 900 people converged in Hamlet for a day full of political activity.

Watching everything work as it should made me proud.

The success of the meeting gave many of us in attendance an additional boost of excitement: The meeting was yet another mile marker as we travel down the road to the 2008 elections.

And it gave me inspiration: Here in Hamlet - a town much like Mayberry, and countless other small towns in North Carolina - we heard why Democrats are who we are, and heard passionate words and ideas from those putting their names forward as candidates on the ballot this year.

I was especially pleased to see the growing number of Democratic affiliated groups use this pilgrimage to Richmond County as an opportunity to meet and strategize. There were College Dems, Democratic Women, the African-American Caucus, Senior Dems, Young Dems, Progressive Dems, and also the newly-formed Devout Democrats. The zest and zeal of these groups - and the blogs like BlueNC that were also present in Hamlet - are what will drive us down the road to victory in November.

Stay tuned to this post or the comments for additional information about and photographs from Saturday's meeting.

Information for Persons Attending the Jan 26, 2008 NCDP State Executive Committee Meeting

from WAYNE GOODWIN, Chairman of the 8th Congressional District Executive Committee

* * * *

(1) Morning Auxiliary Meetings and Shuttle Parking

(2) FREE Democratic Victory Luncheon

(3) Resolutions for 2008

(4) Information/Directions

(5) Directions to the Winter Reception of the College Dems at the Hamlet Train Depot

(6) Places to Visit While in Richmond County

(7) Select Things to Know about Richmond County

* * * * * *
(1) Various auxiliary organizations and Democratic Party groups are meeting on Saturday morning on the campus of Richmond Community College, prior to the Party’s business later in the day. … As a courtesy to those of you attending any of the meetings being held in the Grimsley Building across campus, the Richmond County Democratic Party is providing a shuttle van between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. It will be parked in front of Cole Auditorium and will begin making rounds every 5 minutes back and forth between the Auditorium and the Grimsley Building. The van should also have a sign identifying itself, or you may ask one of the volunteers at Cole Auditorium. Please utilize that shuttle.

(2) To save time during your visit and full day of Democratic Party business, and as a function of our hospitality, you are invited to a FREE lunch hosted by the Richmond County Democratic Party and the Eighth Congressional District.

Because 2008 is going to be a Democratic year, we have named it the "Democratic Victory Luncheon".

However, the persons who have made this Democratic Victory Luncheon possible - as well as the subsequent Democratic victories that will follow in November - are the following SPONSORS who have provided the necessary funds to make lunch available to everyone at no cost. The sponsors are:

Lt. Governor Bev Perdue, candidate for Governor
Treasurer Richard Moore, candidate for Governor

State Senator Kay Hagan, candidate for U.S. Senate
Jim Neal, candidate for U.S. Senate

Jim Long, Insurance Commissioner and dean of the Council of State

State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin and
former State Representative Wayne Goodwin

Beth Wood, candidate for State Auditor

State Representative Pryor Gibson

David Young, County Commissioner and candidate for State Treasurer
Michael Weisel, candidate for State Treasurer

State Senator Bill Purcell

Sen. Janet Cowell, candidate for State Treasurer

Joint Sponsors / Candidates for the Court of Appeals
and N.C. Supreme Court
Judge Cheri Beasley (Court of Appeals)
Judge Kristin Ruth (Court of Appeals)
Suzanne Reynolds (Supreme Court)

Additional friends include: State Rep. Tricia Ann Cotham, State Rep. Martha Alexander, the Moore County Democratic Party, the Union County Democratic Party, the Honorable J. Richard Conder, Judy Gilbert, District Attorney Michael Parker, and Lee Wallace.

Of all the luncheon sponsors, the lead or primary sponsors are the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates.

Lunch will be served between 11 a.m. through 12:30 p.m. in the banquet rooms of Cole Auditorium, located at its proud home of Richmond Community College in Hamlet, North Carolina. (The main campus, adjacent to the auditorium, is on 1042 West Hamlet Ave., U.S. Highway 74 Business.) So that everyone will have time to eat and make it to the 1 pm start of the official meeting, we respectfully request that attendees eat and then make way for others who will be following them in the banquet room line. The room will only hold 322 people at a time so we respectfully encourage you to depart the luncheon room when you have concluded your meal, and proceed to the auditorium.

To learn more about the January 2008 State Executive Committee meeting, please go to www.ncdp.org. An early summary about the occasion also appears in the October 15, 2007 blog entry at "Wayne's World” (www.eighthdistrictdemsnc.blogspot.com)

Remember this: Due solely to the sponsorships by the above candidates, every person attending the State Executive Committee meeting will enjoy a FREE BBQ & Chicken lunch. Please express your appreciation to the above sponsors for their thoughtfulness in remembering attendees of the State Executive Committee meeting. And, of course, remember them at the polls when you vote in May and November!

(3) At the August 2007 meeting of the State Executive Committee meeting we handled all resolutions in one form or another that were in the possession of the NCDP Platform and Resolutions Committee. At that Greensboro meeting I announced that we would accept resolutions from auxiliary organizations after their Fall Conventions and that we must receive them before the January 2008 State Executive Committee meeting. None were received in time for the Resolutions Committee to meet before the January 26, 2008 meeting and still keep to the requirement of 14 days notice within the Party Plan of Organization. At the State Executive Committee meeting in Hamlet you will receive the proposed calendar of town meetings around the State as we once again consider our NCDP Platform and review resolutions.

(4) For information and directions once you arrive at Cole Auditorium at Richmond Community College, look for persons wearing a Richmond County Democratic Party badge or someone at the registration table in the main lobby.

(5) The NC Federation of College Democrats is hosting its first annual Winter Reception. This event will take place at the Historic Hamlet Depot, located on the corner of West Main Street and North Bridges Street, Hamlet. (It is primarily on Main Street.)

To get there from the SEC meeting at Richmond Community College, here are the simplest directions:

As you depart the college, turn left onto U.S. Highway 74 Business, also known as West Hamlet Avenue.

Drive less than 2 miles. When you reach the 2nd stoplight, that is Raleigh Street. That is just after the Piggly Wiggly grocery store. Turn right onto Raleigh Street and drive toward and across the railroad tracks.

Raleigh Street intersects with Main Street. You will see the Hamlet Post Office across the road. Turn left onto Main Street and drive a couple of blocks. You can’t miss the Hamlet Train Depot.

All in all, it will take you ONLY 5 minutes – approximately 2 miles - to reach the reception at the Hamlet Depot.

(6) Here are some places to consider seeing, visiting, etc.:

Hamlet Opera House, located on Main Street

Hamlet Railroad Museum

The site of the Imperial Foods plant, Bridges Street

Rankin Natural History Museum, approx. 15 miles nort from the college on U.S.
220 Highway in Ellerbe

Ellerbe Springs Inn and Restaurant, approx 17 miles north from the college on
U.S. 220 Highway in Ellerbe; Eleanor Roosevelt stayed there and has
a room named for her. Site of the 1996 State Convention of the
Young Democrats of North Carolina (YDNC)

Rockingham Speedway, formerly the North Carolina Motor Speedway;
U.S. 1 North, approx. 7 miles north of Rockingham

Rockingham Dragway; across the highway from the speedway

(7) While you’re visiting Richmond County, please consider this sampling of trivia:

Hamlet was the birthplace of John Coltrane, American jazz great; he later moved to High Point

Hamlet was the birthplace of Tom Wicker, former New York Times editor, national columnist, and author

Hamlet was the home of many professional athletes, including greats such as Mike Quick, Louis Breeden, Franklin Stubbs, and Doug Thomas

Richmond County’s Richmond Senior High School has won NC’s State 4-A High School Football Championship seven times

Former Governor and U.S. Senator Cameron Morrison was born between Rockingham and Hamlet, served as mayor of Rockingham, and also represented the area in the State Senate before moving to Charlotte.

Family Dollar Store had its roots in Richmond County.

NASCAR and drag racing have deep roots in Richmond County as well; note the Rockingham Speedway and the Rockingham Dragway.

The longest-serving Sheriff in North Carolina history – R.W. Goodman – was born and lived here in Richmond County. He was elected 44 years straight, and was the strongest Democrat you’d ever find.

Bucky Covington of American Idol fame is from Richmond County and still has family here and calls the county home. He is now receiving kudos for his first country music album.

At one time, when the railroad was in its hey-day in the 1920s through 1960s, Hamlet was the premier and primary stop between New York City and Jacksonville, Florida.

The movie "Billy Bathgate", starring Dustin Hoffman and Nicole Kidman, was filmed in Hamlet. The soft rock band, Hootie and the Blowfish, filmed a music video at the ruins of an old mill in Rockingham.

Former Governor Jim Hunt’s campaign manager during his statewide races, the late Joe Grimsley, became President of Richmond Community College in 1985 and honorably served the college for many years until he passed away several years ago.

* * * *

ENJOY YOUR VISIT TO RICHMOND COUNTY – A STRONG DEMOCRATIC COUNTY - AND
THE 8TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT!

Jim Long for President?!?

By Wayne Goodwin, 13 January 2008 ©
Like many folks interested in politics and elections, I frequently traverse the Internet for the latest information, policy positions, and political punditry, and regularly Google various candidates and political leaders.

To my surprise on Saturday morning, I happened upon a website with the address www.jimlongforpresident.com … Is this for real? Yes, there it is with the presidential seal, video clips and the like: Jim Long is, indeed, running for President!



Upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that this site - and this candidate - is not about the very familiar Jim Long of North Carolina that voters have grown to love over the last 23+ years that he has served as Insurance Commissioner.

Instead, this other Jim Long is a former New Yorker who now resides in Texas and is a candidate for President running on the "American Party" slate.



What stands out on first viewing - besides the wall of presidential seals staring out at you - is a video that Mr. Long features. He apparently filmed it as he is going to his brother's "bunker" (his word, not mine) in the backyard. From that mere point forward I had an idea what end of the political spectrum that this fellow is on (or has fallen off of). He then proceeds to borrow extensive clips from the Nicolas Cage film "National Treasure" and Will Smith's "I, Robot." He uses the former to promote that section of the Declaration of Independence which sanctions revolution and overthrowing despotism, and the latter to take vicious snipes at Senator Hillary Clinton, even going so far as to superimpose the Democratic presidential candidate and former First Lady's face onto the robot in the movie. This other Jim Long then relies upon significant TV footage from various news networks covering the World Trade Center attacks of September 11, 2001.

Then in what would cause whiplash in anyone watching, and in what can be called a bizarre twist at the least, the Texan then surprisingly airs very risqué video before segueing into heavy-metal rock band Motley Crue’s video of "Girls, Girls, Girls." To what voters is this Mr. Long pandering for President? Certainly not the educated, morally-upright ones.

That lengthy latter portion of campaign video also raises numerous questions about this fellow, particularly when one considers the Presidential candidate's statement that "faith is central to his family" and to him, and how he stresses his strong Catholic upbringing. His own video clips earn him the rather ignoble office of hypocrite.

And then there are his links to other Internet sites. This other Jim Long links to Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham, among other right-wing conservative hatemongers.

Then something clicked with me. Scanning back to the first page of the website I noticed that this Jim Long is actually the American "Party" candidate, not the "American Party" candidate! I had misread the home page.

This has proven to be an example of American politics at its finest (read sarcastically). Almost anyone can still run for President. After a little more sleuthwork I determined that the actual "American Party" has been essentially defunct since 1992. So this fellow is flying by the seat of his pants for President, with no Party to back him except perhaps the one held every Friday night by his drinking buddies.

And, according to his website, all he needs is 690,000 people so sign his petition online and he can appear on the ballot in all 50 states.

Even if that were true and the blogosphere did its magic, I just don't see it happening for this fellow.

However, this is not the first other Jim Long to run on our Jim Long's good name.

Just a few years ago back here in North Carolina a fellow named - you guessed it - Jim Long ran as a Democratic candidate for the N.C. General Assembly against incumbent Republican State Representative Debbie Clary. Not only did that other Jim Long allegedly use Insurance Commissioner Jim Long's campaign signs (I think he cut off the words "Insurance Commissioner" from them) but the legislative district's own newspaper used a color photo of Insurance Commissioner Jim Long (wearing a Christmas tie) instead of the legislative contender Jim Long in its issue dedicated to local candidates for office! Confusion and hilarity ensued. Unlike the Insurance Commissioner - who yielded the largest vote percentage of any person running Statewide in 2004 - the "imposter" down-ballot in the legislative district was soundly defeated. (Of course, one caveat is that Rep. Clary's district is mostly Republican in registration.)

Though Jim Longs here and there run for President and for state legislatures all across this land, and though they appear in an abundance of other official positions as evidenced by surfing the 'Net, the good Lord truly broke the mold when He created our original Jim Long.

After all, our Jim Long is North Carolina's longest-serving Commissioner of Insurance - the longest currently serving in the Nation - and surely the Jim Long who will carry the banner to Election Day victory in North Carolina once again in 2008!



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