Politicos ought to be thankful for these things

It has become a Thanksgiving tradition for Dome to imagine what some of the state's politicos might be most thankful for during this holiday season.

Of course Dome is thankful for the cast of characters in North Carolina politics and government who enable us to fill this column six days a week (and in our online version, at dome.newsobserver.com). That said, we offer our not-so-serious ideas on what some of them might be thankful for this year:

Mike Easley: The former Democratic governor should be thankful that Thanksgiving is a federal holiday, meaning the courthouse where a grand jury has been questioning witnesses about his administration will be closed.

Pat McCrory: Last year's Republican candidate for governor is thankful there's only three more years until the next gubernatorial election. He's already counting the days.

Bev Perdue: The Democratic governor may be thankful she still has three years to get her poor poll numbers up before she's up for re-election.

Richard Burr: The Winston-Salem Republican is probably thankful that the only Democrats who are running for his seat don't impress the national Democrats who could pour millions of dollars into the race. They have been begging candidates to jump in, all but ignoring the two declared Democratic candidates: Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and lawyer Kenneth Lewis.

Martin Nesbitt: Is thankful that Sen. Tony Rand decided enough was enough at the legislature and that apparently nobody likes Sen. Dan Clodfelter. How else does a mountain populist become the leader of a bunch of pro-business Democrats in the state Senate?

Tom Shaheen: The executive director of North Carolina's lottery is thankful that the lottery's Pick3 numbers game has been so popular that North Carolina's lottery has not seen the revenue dip experienced by lotteries in other states during the recession.

Federal prosecutors: Are thankful for North Carolina's elected officials, otherwise known as fish in a barrel.

Phil Berger and Paul Stam: The Republican legislative leaders must be thankful for a coming election year that seems a perfect recipe for a big win.

N.C. Democrats: Are thankful for the state's Republicans, whose history of infighting and squandering opportunities could easily spoil that perfect recipe.

Elaine Marshall: North Carolina's secretary of state and one of two declared Democrats for the U.S. Senate race is probably thankful that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee could not persuade Attorney General Roy Cooper or U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge to enter the Democratic Senate primary.

Anthony Foxx: The new Democratic mayor of Charlotte is thankful that demographics have made the Queen City a bluer city.

John Edwards: The former Democratic U.S. senator may be thankful that he built a really big house outside Chapel Hill if even half of the stories in the supermarket tabloids are true about his extramarital affair and his possible paternity of a child.

Mary Easley: North Carolina's former first lady may be thankful for more leisure time after her $170,000-per-year gig at N.C. State University came to an abrupt end.

Heath Shuler: The Democratic congressman from Waynesville is surely thankful to be cleared by the House Ethics Committee. Shuler had been under investigation in the case of a Tennessee real estate deal that might have received preferential governmental treatment.

Kay Hagan: The rookie Democratic senator is probably thankful that she doesn't have to stand for re-election until 2014. Maybe things will be looking better for Democrats by then.

By staff writers Benjamin Niolet, Mark Johnson, Rob Christensen, Barbara Barrett and BillKrueger

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