Greensboro voted against Amendment One roughly 60-40, according to analysis by alert reader Andrew Brod.

Thanks to Dr. Brod for responding to my lazy blogger crowd-sourcing request, and to the folks at the Guilford County Board of Elections for confirming that those numbers look reasonable to them and for providing the map.

It was clear on election night that GSO proper had gone strong against A1, but somehow John Hammer managed to report yesterday that the amendment passed "even in Greensboro."

John was writing about the heated reaction to a column in support of A1 by Scott Card, which got picked up by major media outlets. (Previously: Homosexual menace may drive OSC to insurrection.) 

Comments

[Fec]

Insurrection? Hell, OSC already looks like an escaped mental patient. I'm not even sure has fat ass can trot.

[Mad Dog]

According to the SBOE website, Guilford County passed 50.03% to 49.97%, which is even for the county. I will defer to Dr. Brod's analysis for the City of Greensboro results.

MD

[Andrew Brod]

Hammer was clearly using Guilford results when he said "even in Greensboro." He noted: "The city was evenly divided. It couldn't have been much closer." Replace "city" with "county" and that would have been accurate. The amendment won the county by only 72 votes out of 117K cast, for a margin of 50.03% to 49.97%.

That's a simple error; it was sloppy but it happens. What's less understandable is Hammer's laughable claim that the dearth of pro-amendment signs in Greensboro was due to conservatives' fear of liberal wrath. Those mean liberals!

[Fred Gregory]

With all due respect to the evolved enligtened crowd and the ignorant homophobes.. SO WHAT ?

There is so much more to discuss in the Washington Post's 5400 word smear job on Romney's alleged bully haircut of an alleged gay student back in high school ( Now corrected story ).

Who knows they may do 500 words on Obamna's self admitted, prolonged alcohol, cocaine and marihuana use . Well , perhaps not unless the White House gives the green light. Afterall the WAPO is the offical steno for Obama 2012.

There is still fertile ground to be plowed on Romney's kindergarten years and the Post is waiting for the word to sic'em. No telling what prank or outrage the little rascal pulled off in those important formative years. I mean he could have " called a classmate who was 1/128th African-American ' Poo-Poo Head.' Obviously a racial slur."

[Ed Cone]

No doubt John was using the county #s, but he makes it clear that he's talking about the "liberal city" of GSO proper. Sloppy work at best and quite misleading.

[Joe Killian]

Fred:

If you think Romney's getting special attention I'd point you to Washington Post writer/editor David Maraniss' books "First in His Class" and "The Clinton Enigma" about Bill Clinton.

Really detailed, psychologically fascinating things on the then-president, much of which came from his Washington Post reporting, which Clinton and his administration HATED. Sometimes really brutal, personal stuff.

Two of my favorite books about any president.

[Fred Gregory]

Joe, Joe..

Are you really going to defend that 50 year old trash on Romney masquerading as journalism.?
Or you just avoiding the plainly obvious.?

They come up with this and can't find Obama's college transcripts. GBAB !!

Here is a new book you must add to your reading list.

The Amateur

An excerpt:

“Barack Obama,” Bill Clinton said, according to book excerpts, “is an amateur.”

The withering criticism is incredible, given the fact that Bill Clinton is actively campaigning for Obama’s re-election.

But according to the book, Bill Clinton unloaded on Obama and pressed Hillary to run against her boss during a gathering in the ex-president’s home office in Chappaqua last August that included longtime friends, Klein said.

“The economy’s a mess, it’s dead flat. America has lost its Triple-A rating . . . You know better than Obama does,” Bill said.

[Dave Ribar]

Fred, Fred:

You're really trotting out Edward Klein, a proven liar?

[Fred Gregory]

Dave, Dave

Are you now Killian's Portavoce ?

I'll go with what Joe Wilson shouted out during the SOTU; and with the Wapo's fact checker who recently awarded Obama

Four Pinocchios

I think, uncaracterristically Clinton was telling the truth here:
“The economy’s a mess, it’s dead flat. America has lost its Triple-A rating . . . You know better than Obama does,”

Who is the bigger liar... Clinton or Obama ? I guess it all depends on what you mean by lie. Chortle !

[SAL LEONE]

The problem I had with this Amendment is that it was placed in the primary instead of the general election. The fact is tht more people come out for the general and with the president race more dems would of come out. The primary was well known to have been republican in nature. I think about 35% came out in Guilford and I wonder how many others did not vote through out the state.

[Dave Ribar]

Fred:

What not a single word of defense for your incredible source? Will you be citing Kitty Kelley books next or just rehashing material from Klein's old Personality Parade gossip columns?

[Fred Gregory]

Dave:

How is it that the NY Times and WaPo can root out a story (within 24 hours of Obama's "shift" on gay marriage) about a supposed gay hazing incident involving Romney in 1965 (since denied by the family of the now deceased "victim"), but they can't be bothered to find Obama's school records or social security number?

Or his self-admitted beating of a little girl as a student, his cocaine and pot smoking, his fake/fabricated stories about his old "girlfriend", his hot dog meals (made from real dogs), or his strong personal associations with avowed Marxists and convicted terrorists?
Good Times at Ridgemont High

One more thing:

Lies, Liars and Libs

Klein a former Editor-In-Chief of the NY Times Magazine and best selling author certainly has his critics. Those who write unkind things about the Kennedys and for that matter the Clintons are sure to attarct enemies. His debunkers include ... OMG.. Al Franken !! Doesn't make him a liar. His book on Hillary was part of the " vast right wing conspiracy ", right Dave ?

Are you still letting Joe hold your coat.

And are you like Killian defending by silence the crap about a 50 year old alleged high school incident on the front page of the Post ? Shame, Professor .

[Ged]

Romney could easily turn this negative story around and use it to his advantage by simply saying that he made a mistake in his youth, but that bullying LGBT individuals is dead wrong. Then make anti-bullying one of his campaign feature points. It'd win him respect from the LGBT community, plus it'd be an honest approach to the event since it would give him a chance to prove how he's changed.

None of this will happen of course, because his base considers LGBT people to be sexual "deviants" as we've heard here in these forums, or not worthy of equal treatment under the law. Of course, not everyone in the GOP happens to agree. Romney would be wise to heed the writing on the wall before it's too late.

[Dave Ribar]

Fred,

Since you mention Al Franken, here are parts 1, 2, and 3 of his take-down of Klein.

But Franken wasn't alone. Even Dick Morris (yes, that Dick Morris) called Klein out:

"I am no defender of Hillary Rodham Clinton's, to put it mildly. But the recent charges in Ed Klein's book to the effect that she is a closet homosexual or that Bill raped her and that this act triggered Chelsea's conception are as crazy as the list that was circulating around of the 20 or so people the Clintons allegedly had killed."

Or as Peggy Noonan wrote about Klein's Hillary book in the Wall Street Journal (that leftist rag),

"The book is poorly written, poorly thought, poorly sourced and full of the kind of loaded language that is appropriate to a polemic but not an investigative work.

...Mr. Klein's problem is that he assumes the market is conservative and conservatives are stupid."

Congratulations though on proving one of Klein's assumptions correct.

[Andrew Brod]

Um, that the market is conservative?

[Andrew Brod]

Maybe Fred should get his own blog if he wants to change the subject this dramatically. I hear there's some space available at Guarino.typepad.com.

[Fred Gregory]

First let's deal with GED.

GED is this what you had in mind . Romney issued a gracious on camera statement the day of the WaPo story.

Apology for stupid high school pranks

Although columnist Will Cain hammered the media's reaction to a story that happened 48 years ago. "I'm quite confused as to why he [Romney] would say anything on this topic," he held.

"I don't understand what we're supposed to do here," he ranted. "We're supposed to look back into history at various candidates' high school years and draw a larger lesson about what kind of people these guys are? This seems like a dangerous slippery slope and I'm quite confused why you guys are even talking about it, why you're entertaining this issue?"

[Andrew Brod]

I think it's fair to question whether this is newsworthy.

It's not fair to characterize Romney's statement about it as gracious. Using the hackneyed "if I offended anyone" formulation is not gracious.

[Fred Gregory]

Good grief Andy; "I think it's fair to question whether this is newsworthy."

5400 freaking wordas on the front page about an alleged 50 year old incident. Go back in the tank to what ever you were smoking before you gave us that proun=dity

[Andrew Brod]

Calm down. What do you think about Greensboro voting against A1?

[Fred Gregory]

Dave having watched the so called take down of Klein all I can say is Franken and Connason were quibling..picking guano with the bats and chickens.

Wow! An ellipsis left out on page so and so. Words not there that were clearly understood.

Misspelled name. Shocking !

And finaly Connason's disembling about the names of the FBI file. Deliberating and knowingly making false statements by saying to Klein that there were no high ranking GOPers among those privacy had been breached by the Clinton White House .

FACT:Filegate caused an intense burst of criticism because many of the files covered White House employees from previous Republican administrations, including top figures such as James Baker, Brent Scowcroft, and Marlin Fitzwater.. Source CNN

And Haircutgate. Holy hold the plane Batman. Can you say nitpicking? It is still a disputed story.

At least Andy groveled and said the other Romney haircut story wasn't newsworthy. Drink your kool-aid , Dave

[Fred Gregory]

Dave,

Was Mitt Romney a jerk in high school? Maybe. But what is the adult Romney like?

How did the WaPo miss all these ?

From The Real Romney, by Michael Kranish and Scott Helman (pages 120-121):

"One Saturday, Grant Bennett got up on a ladder outside his two-story [house] intent on dislodging a hornets’ nest, which had formed between an air-conditioning unit and a second floor window. . . .The hornets went right at him, and he fell off the ladder, breaking his foot. . . .Romney learned what had happened and went over that afternoon to see if there was anything he could do. He and Bennett chatted for a few minutes, and then Romney left.

About nine thirty that Sunday night, Romney reappeared. Only this time, it was dark out. Romney was in jeans and a polo shirt instead of his suit, and he was carrying a bucket, a piece of hose, and a couple of screwdrivers. “He said, ‘I noticed you hadn’t gotten rid of the hornets,” Bennett recalled. “I said, ‘Mitt you don’t need to do that.’ He said, I’m here, and I’m going to do it. . .You demonstrated that doing it on a ladder is not a good idea.’” Romney went at it from inside the house, opening a window enough to dislodge it. Soon the hornets were gone.

Everyone who knows Romney in the church community seems to have a story like this, about him and his family pitching in to help in ways big and small. They took chicken and asparagus soup to sick parishioners. They invited unsettled Mormon transplants in their home for lasagna."

There's more if you are curious

Dave: Are Kranish and Helman liars also ?

[Fred Gregory]

To whom it may concern:

Tip for WaPo: Look Into Young Joe Biden

"Now that the childhood hijinks of our national candidates are fair game, the Washington Post might want to devote some investigative resources toward the background of Vice President Joseph Biden. That’s right, “Sheriff Joe” was reportedly involved in a spate of anti-social activities as a child and adolescent, including but not limited to elaborate neighborhood pranks, street brawls, and even an assault on a lowly dorm employee in college.

Yes, it will be tough to track down information on these cases considering they took place more than 50 years ago. But if WaPo’s investigative team has shown us anything, it’s that the paper has what it takes to get to the bottom of pressing national issues like these."

[Andrew Brod]

Thinking it's reasonable to raise a certain question is "groveling"?

My personal view is that the story's quite newsworthy. It appears that the 18-year-old Romney was a bully and a jerk. But it won't change my vote.

[Fred Gregory]

Thank you Andrew.

FYI

Most objective piece I have read on this horse squeeze , yet.

WAPO's Romney Hit Piece Implodes..Not Even 'Fake But Accurate'

"Even I'm amazed at how sleazy the entire media circus on Romney's supposed 'bullying' and 'gay bashing' was deliberately timed to coincide with President Obama's endorsement of same sex marriage. It's a new low."

[prell]

Fred, this non-story would've been an afterthought months ago were it not for the "All The Way To Tampa" folks. Blame them. They're the ones who prolonged the inevitability. Oh, wait...

[Lex]

If Obama's birth certificate and alleged consumption of dog meat are fair game, so is Romney's brutality, verified by on-the-record witnesses.

They're all old. At least the accusations against Romney have the virtues of being true.

And Prof. Brod is quite correct about the "If I offended anyone ..." construction. It's overused by folks of all parties and no party, and it's flawed for a fundamental reason: If you HADN'T offended anyone, we wouldn't be having the discussion.

[Fred Gregory]

Please, (but you can't) , show me a WaPo or NY Times 5000 plus word front page story on the birth certificate, eating dog meat ( not alleged ..in his own words as well as his voracious drug use), on Obama's close associations with known terrorists and avowed comunists. or on Joe Bidern's bullying.

It seems he didn't offend the family of the alleged victim.

We wouldn't be having this conversation except for the sleaze machine ( Obama scribes ) at the Wapo.

And you are just still smarting over Dan Rather's embarassing and disgraceful
downfall. Get over it.

[Dave Ribar]

Fred:

Didn't run across the stories that you suggested but did run across run across this unflattering Romney blog post from the WaPo site or this 2,500 word page A-8 hit job from 2007.

Can you produce articles in a similar vein from the Fox News, Washington Times, or NY Post sites?

[Roch]

"Please, (but you can't) , show me a WaPo or NY Times 5000 plus word front page story on the birth certificate, eating dog meat ( not alleged ..in his own words as well as his voracious drug use), on Obama's close associations with known terrorists and avowed comunists. or on Joe Bidern's bullying."

You're a great American.

Think for yourself much?

[Ed Cone]

So, anyway, thanks to Andrew Brod and the folks at the Guilford County Board of Elections for all their help - I think the margin against the amendment in Greensboro is important to know, and I hope John Hammer will correct his misstatement in the Rhino.

GSO carried on the tradition of the Sit-Ins and lived up to the better parts of its long history. I'm proud of my hometown.

[Dave Ribar]

Fred:

Also ran across this front-page WaPo Story, "Foes Use Obama's Ties to Fuel Rumors about Him" (11/29/07).

In 2008, the WaPo also ran this nearly 10,000 word story that included Obama's drug use.

Big secrets all.

How are those Fox News, Washington Times and NY Post write-ups coming?

[Ed Cone]

I found the separation between Greensboro and the rest of the Guilford County to be surprisingly large, if only because GSO has sprawled into the county so extensively.

Also, this is one of the lamest derails I've seen. Why people bite on these things is beyond me.

[Sean]

not only is 15% of greensboro's population college students, but there's a large, politically active 22-45yr old progressive community here as well. thank god for that or i would've been out of here years ago.

[bubba]

"...not only is 15% of greensboro's population college students"

How many of them voted against the amendment?

How many of them LEGALLY voted against the amendment?

[Ed Cone]

There was a great turnout of college kids on the first day of early voting. It was inspirational to feel their enthusiasm.

And depressing to see nothing about the march to the courthouse or the rally or the student activism in the local paper.

[Fred Gregory]

Dave the short 2007 story came and went. Today however we learn that back then Rev. Wright was offfered $150,000.00 to shut-up. Turned it down and was paid a personal visit by Obama himself with the same pleadings ( documented by Secret Service logs )

Now as for the 10,000 word story by Dave Mariness, it was 99.99% about the travails of Stanley Ann Dunham, Obama's mother.

And this tiny reference was burried at the bottom of the last couple of grafs about Obama's undisputed self admittted drug use. Big deal ! That hardly makes it a blockbuster story about illegal conduct by a presidental candidate:

"And they smoked dope. Obama's drug use is right there in the memoir, with no attempt to make him look better than he was. He acknowledged smoking marijuana and using cocaine but said he stopped short of heroin"

Whereas the Wapo smear on Romney by the Wapo focused entirely on one single alleged bullying incident 50 years ago.

Dave stop it. Puleeze, that was soooo patetically weak. You are embarassing yourself in your desperate
attempts to defend the indefensible.

[Sean]

haha. to bubba everything a conspiracy. college kids wasting their time on voting illegally? i highly doubt it. sneaking into bars, maybe. too funny.