AIKEN NEWS NETWORK JULY 24, 2014

[Marilyn]

July 24, 2014 Aiken campaigns in Asheboro
By Larry Penkava, Editor of The Randolph Guide CNHI The Stanly News & Press
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 08:59 AM EDT July 28, 2014 —

Clay Aiken slipped into an Asheboro restaurant virtually unnoticed while campaigning in the city last Thursday. The former American Idol runner-up who is running as a Democrat against Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers for the District 2 Congressional seat, took time before his food arrived to talk about his campaign and what he hopes to accomplish if elected.

"It's going well," Aiken said. "I've got an opponent who is tone deaf."

He then referred to an Ellmers quote from a recent panel discussion about how Republicans should reach out to women: "Men do tend to talk about things on a much higher level," and that male Republicans need to "bring it down to a woman's level." "We've not done a good job reaching out in either party," Aiken said. "People are tired of politicians going to Washington" for personal reasons. "I'm going because I see a lot of people ignored — everybody in the Second District is ignored." Aiken accused Ellmers of "doing what she feels necessary to get in the leadership. She's not in Randolph County, where people need access to her. The person in that seat needs to be present, attentive and available. I bet you wouldn't find many people in the district who have met her. "I will be available for people to address their problems," said Aiken, "someone able to cut through red tape."

 Aiken also blasted Ellmers for "not paying attention" when an omnibus bill in Congress included moving the 440th Airlift Wing at Pope Air Force Base to Arkansas. The move, he said, "would be devastating to the counties" surrounding Fort Bragg. "It's an irresponsible way to spend money. It should not have been in the bill." He said that when Ellmers finally realized what was in the bill, she submitted a change, but it was too late to be included.

The day in Asheboro, Aiken said, included breakfast at Democratic headquarters and a tour of Randolph Hospital. "I'm just trying to be around, talk to people on the streets, see what's important to them," he said. "I'll talk about anything." He said he's been spending two days a week in the district with plans to increase it to four or more days as the November election nears.

Aiken had won the Democratic primary election against the late Keith Crisco of Asheboro, who died shortly afterward with intentions to concede, according to Crisco's manager. Aiken was asked to comment on Crisco. "He was a shining example, unique to the old-school breed of public servants," said Aiken. By old-school, he said he meant politicians who worked "both sides of the aisle to improve people's lives. We don't have many like that anymore." He mentioned Terry Sanford, Jim Hunt and Howard Coble as examples of public servants. "The way to improve lives is to work together," Aiken said. "Keith was in that category. "People who have been in politics for years are frustrated ... that they can't get anything done," he said. "When I was growing up, that's how things were done. (President Bill) Clinton and (Speaker of the House Newt) Gingrich didn't get along but they worked together to balance the budget." Aiken said he thinks people, including Republicans, are tired of Congress not doing anything. "You can't cater to (House Speaker) John Boehner and expect to get things done for Asheboro," he said. "Ellmers is not doing what she's supposed to be doing. "The same goes for me," he said. "If in two years I'm not doing what I'm supposed to, get rid of me." -

See more at: http://www.thesnaponline.com/regional/x102...h.Ptvxr42k.dpuf

[Marilyn]

FROM JCLAY AT CV

Random FB posts

Kiki Smith
1 hr ·

"Nobody remembers who came in second."- Charles Schulz

Unless you're Clay Aiken...

Alex Rubin at Charlotte International Airport (CLT), Charlotte, North Carolina
6 hrs · Charlotte, NC ·

I have arrived in North Carolina, birthplace of aviation and Clay Aiken.

[Marilyn]

Matt Sonneborn ?@MattSonneborn
Gloria Steinem: "If Clay Aiken said women can't read pie charts, it might lose him the election. It should lose it for Renee Ellmers, too."

https://twitter.com/MattSonneborn/status/492398322343501824

[Marilyn]

Jane Fonda's blog posted in Huffington Post that contains the Gloria Steinman quote:


"In 2012, then Senate candidate Todd Akin's statement that "legitimate rape" rarely causes pregnancy unleashed a storm of media controversy, and lost him the support of many in his party.

Flash forward to last week. North Carolina Congresswoman Renee Ellmers, who is running against Clay Aiken this November, urged the Republican Party, especially men in the party, to bring policy discussion "down to a woman's level."

"Men do tend to talk about things on a much higher level," Ellmers said. "Many of my male colleagues, when they go to the House floor, you know, they've got some pie chart or graph behind them and they're talking about trillions of dollars and, you know, how the debt is awful and, you know... We need our male colleagues to understand that if you can bring it down to a woman's level and what everything that she is balancing in her life -- that's the way to go."

Clearly, Ellmers hasn't been paying attention to the negative reactions other politicians have incurred when they trivialized rape and reinforced gender stereotypes? Is she so naïve to believe that just because she was talking at a Republican gathering the Internet wouldn't let the world in on her statements? Doesn't she know there are women astronauts now and cabinet members, that women run Fortune 500 companies, that, in fact, women are presidents in a number of countries... maybe our own before too long. Not that we don't have a long way to go before full equality.

Sure women and men are different. Recent brain science is showing just how different. Women tend to have more emotional, psychological and fluid intelligence, pay attention to details more, are more willing to ask for feedback, to hold authority in a more collaborative, less top-down manner, to go to the doctor when their health seems challenged... which may be one reason we live longer than men -- a kind of intelligence the world really needs, in fact. It's not that women are better than men, it's just that we're not having to constantly prove our masculinity. What bothers me is that Ellmers equates gender difference with inferiority -- men speak on a "higher" level and women can only understand on a "lower" level. Feels like she's trying to prove her masculinity.

Now to Todd Akin. Sure, Ellmer's comments have sparked some controversy, but definitely not as much as if a man were to make the same comment. But are we supposed to give Ellmers a pass just because she's a woman? As my friend Gloria Steinem wisely put it, "If Clay Aiken said women can't read pie charts, it might lose him the election. It should lose it for Renee Ellmers, too."

Where does that leave Clay Aiken? Todd Akin showed that out of touch politicians are vulnerable. It's déjà vu with Ellmers. Clay Aiken should take note."

HUFFINGTON POST-JANE FONDA

[Marilyn]

Renee Ellmers v. Clay Aiken

Posted on July 24, 2014 | By Roger Green


Earlier this month, reporter Ashe Schow of the Washington Examiner wrote “an article about the GOP’s poor messaging on the ‘war on women’ narrative. I posted some comments from Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., who said GOP men need to bring their messages ‘down to a woman’s level.’

“Ellmers called me a ‘liberal woman reporter’ and said I had taken her quote ‘completely out of context.’

“Below are her full comments from the event…, along with the audio of her segment. I have bolded the comments I used in my original post.” Having looked at the link, I feel Ellmers was treated fairly.

This story is still interesting to me because:
 1) it IS the GOP war on women, being propagated by a woman
 2) it is a classic “blame the press” ploy, which might work on a few, but not to anyone who bothered to read the transcript

Let me express my inherent bias here: all things being equal – and all things are NEVER equal, I’d be inclined to support a female candidate over a male candidate. In this case, though, if I were able to vote in the Congressional race for North Carolina’s Second District, I would support the male candidate.
Clay Aiken
 That guy, BTW, is Clay Aiken, best known to me as the second-place contestant on an early season of American Idol; we even own one of his albums. You may have also seen him – I did not – on Celebrity Apprentice, where, I am told, he presented himself well.

Aiken had an odd row to the Democratic nomination. He had a tough primary fight with his opponent, 71-year-old Keith Crisco, back in May. Aiken won by a small margin, but Crisco had not yet conceded the race when Crisco suffered injuries from a fall at his home and died. Crisco associates say that he was about to concede the race to Aiken the next day.

It’ll be interesting to see what type of representative NC-2 wants, a two-term woman who appears to be over her head in Congress, or an openly gay man with a bit of entertainment fame. Last time out Ellmers won with 56% of the vote. As noted, my rooting interests are with the singer.

TIMES UNION

[Marilyn]

N & O



CLAY AIKEN FUNDRAISER: Congressional candidate and former American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken will hold a fundraiser July 30 in Raleigh that is attracting a local who’s-who of Democratic supporters. The 6 p.m. event at the Southland Ballroom will feature music from the Red Clay Ramblers, a bluegrass band. Among those on the sponsors who are giving $500: Gov. Bev Perdue and husband Bob Eaves, Joyce Fitzpatrick, Gary Pearce, Mary-Ann Baldwin, Lucy Daniels, Kristen Replogle. The hosts are asked to donate $2,600. The cheapest ticket is $50.