'Swift Boat' patron financing ads

A Texas home builder who helped bankroll the "Swift Boat veterans" campaign against U.S. Sen. John Kerry in 2004 is providing nearly a quarter of the Republican Governors Association money for TV ads in North Carolina targeting Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue.

Bob Perry has donated $1.2 million to the Republican Governors Association since January 2007. The RGA listed those contributions among $4.8 million the group has available to use in North Carolina, according to a campaign finance report filed this week.

Anthony Holm, a spokesman for Perry, said Perry strongly supports the RGA and did not know where his money would be spent.

"This is George Bush and his special-interest friends 'swift-boating' Bev Perdue," said Perdue spokesman Tim Crowley.

The RGA has spent $471,000 on ads criticizing Perdue, the Democratic nominee for governor, according to the report. The most recent commercial portrays Perdue as repeatedly pressing a "Status Quo" button similar to the "Easy" button seen in ads for Staples office supplies.

The RGA has reserved $3.5 million worth of commercial time up until the election -- a boost for Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, the Republican nominee, who lags Perdue in fundraising.

Independent committees such as the RGA can spend money to help a candidate as long as they don't coordinate their efforts with the campaign. A recent federal court ruling removed North Carolina's limit on how much money donors can give to such a group.

Perry has funneled money to several groups aiding Republicans in recent years. He was the largest single donor -- giving $4.5 million -- to the Swift Boat group composed of Vietnam veterans who questioned Kerry's military record during his run for president.

As the House turns

Possibly coming to a TV near you: live broadcasts of the state House of Representatives in action.

House Speaker Joe Hackney has set up a committee to study the feasibility, cost and other aspects of live broadcasts of the House in session, his office has announced.

"Televising our sessions will give the people of North Carolina better insight into the work we do here and open up the process to more people in this state," Hackney said in a news release. "We want our citizens to see and understand how their government and their elected representatives work for them."

Rep. Cullie M. Tarleton, a Blowing Rock Democrat, will be the committee chairman. He is a former senior vice president and general manager for WBTV, WBT Radio and WCCB-TV and a former member of the board of directors of the National Association of Broadcasters.

The committee's final report will be due before the 2009 General Assembly convenes.

The General Assembly already provides live audio broadcasts of floor sessions in the House and the Senate.

Libertarian: Drilling is a gimmick issue

Mike Munger says offshore drilling is a gimmick.

The Libertarian gubernatorial candidate told Dome that after watching the debate online Tuesday night, he thought the answers of his Republican and Democratic opponents were "shallow and unimaginative, even by the rather low standards of the other debates so far."

"The offshore oil drilling 'issue' is a gimmick," he wrote in an e-mail message. "There will no effect, zero, on prices in N.C. The governor of N.C. needs to work to make sure that HIGH prices have the economic benefit of encouraging the development of alternative energy sources."

Munger was writing from Australia, where he was invited to lecture and learn about alternative energy sources and waste management.

"I have the background, and ideas for solutions, that will help North Carolina solve its energy problems," he wrote. "Bickering about drilling off the coast of N.C. isn't going to solve anything."

Munger was not invited to this week's WRAL debate.

Bob Dole on campaign trail

Bob Dole will campaign in North Carolina for his wife today.

The former Senate majority leader will tout U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's re-election campaign at three events in Greensboro and Colfax.

The first is an event honoring emergency workers on the anniversary of Sept. 11 at a Harley-Davidson dealership. He will also appear at Tex and Shirley's Family Restaurant and the Greensboro farmers market.