6||0|0yes
0|0|Homosexual judge considers bid for Jesse Helms%27 seat|kskiska||22:31:59|08/28/2001|                        Ray Warren considers bid for U.S. Senate%0D%0A%0D%0A                        Judge is one of many who are interested in seat Helms will%0D%0A                        vacate%0D%0A%0D%0A                                                     By JIM MORRILL %0D%0A%0D%0A                        Superior Court Judge Ray Warren%2C whose political career has gone from%0D%0A                        conservative Republican to openly gay Democrat%2C said Monday he%27s considering%0D%0A                        a bid for the U.S. Senate.%0D%0A%0D%0A                        Warren%2C 44%2C said he expects to create an exploratory committee within two weeks%0D%0A                        and expects to resign from the bench in early October. He announced he would%0D%0A                        step down in May%2C after he and his partner bought an uptown Charlotte home%0D%0A                        outside his judicial district.%0D%0A%0D%0A                        Warren%27s flirtation with the seat is the latest in a wave of interest following last%0D%0A                        week%27s announcement by Sen. Jesse Helms that he won%27t seek a sixth term. At%0D%0A                        least eight candidates have entered the race or are strongly considering it.%0D%0A%0D%0A                        Warren would bring an interesting background to a Democratic primary.%0D%0A%0D%0A                        He worked as a paid staffer for Helms%27 organization during one summer in law%0D%0A                        school at UNCChapel Hill. He was elected to the state House as a Republican in%0D%0A                        1984 and served a term as minority leader. He ran for secretary of state in 1988%0D%0A                        and was elected judge in 1994. Two years later he lost a close race for Supreme%0D%0A                        Court chief justice%2C getting nearly 1.2million votes - more than any other statewide%0D%0A                        Republican.%0D%0A%0D%0A                        In 1998 he announced his homosexuality%2C becoming the first openly gay judge%0D%0A                        and GOP office holder in state history. A year later%2C he left the party after%0D%0A                        Republican lawmakers helped kill a bill that would have expanded the state%27s hate%0D%0A                        crimes law to include sexual orientation.%0D%0A%0D%0A                        %22We%27re all entitled to grow up%2C%22 Warren said Monday. %22George %28W.%29 Bush had his%0D%0A                        problems with alcohol. I was a Republican. We both got over it.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A                        Warren%27s interest in the Senate became known through an e-mail sent out by his%0D%0A                        partner%2C John Carter. Noting that %22judges are severely restricted in their ability to%0D%0A                        speak%22 about politics%2C Carter mentioned Warren%27s interest in the race%2C laid out a%0D%0A                        case for his candidacy and sought signs of support.%0D%0A%0D%0A                        Under North Carolina%27s judicial conduct code%2C judges must resign when they%0D%0A                        become candidates for non-judicial offices. The Judicial Standards Commission%0D%0A                        defines a candidate as %22one who makes a public announcement of candidacy%2C%0D%0A                        declares or files as a candidate with the election authority%2C or authorizes the%0D%0A                        solicitation or acceptance of contributions or support%2C%22%0D%0A%0D%0A                        Spokesman Deborah Carrington said the commission doesn%27t deal with%0D%0A                        %22hypothetical situations%2C%22 and would address Warren%27s only if someone files an%0D%0A                        inquiry or complaint.%0D%0A%0D%0A                        Warren said if he does run%2C he doesn%27t expect Democratic primary voters to be%0D%0A                        bothered by his relatively recent switch to the party.%0D%0A%0D%0A                        %22They let St. Paul go preaching after just a few days in Damascus%2C%22 he said. %22Any%0D%0A                        Baptist will tell you there%27s nothing like a convert to give a good sermon.%22%0D%0A%0D%0Amore%85%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.charlotte.com%2Fobserver%2F0828ray.htm
1|1|I hope he wins|LynneSin||22:40:26|08/28/2001|Irony so thick you need a steak knife to cut%0D%0A%0D%0AKarmic payback to the most homophobic senator to grace the halls of the senate today.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhat I really appreciate is the man stood by his values and recognized that the conservatives in charge will never in a million years lift a finger to stop hate crimes against homosexuals or ever treat them as the equals they are.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnd it seems he has a great politcal record to boot.  Let%27s get this man on the democratic ticket in NC%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bfont color%3D%22%23333333%22 size%3D%221%22 face%3D%22Verdana%22%5DJust my 2 cents%0D%0A%0D%0A- Lynne%0D%0A%0D%0AThe only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - attrib to Edmund Burke%0D%0A%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.mcgreevey2001.com%2F%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.markwarner2001.org%2F%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.petepeterson.org%2F%5B%2Ffont%5D
2|2|Ray Warren|DEM FAN||22:47:17|08/28/2001|I hope ray runs for the whitehouse. It would be nice for a democrat to get helms seat.
3|2|How sweet it is%21%21%21|cap||11:46:55|08/29/2001|%3A%29 %3A7 %3Aparty%3A %3Atoast%3A  Revenge is best tasted cold
4|1|That would be so sweet|Kat07||11:59:36|08/29/2001|Too bad he isn%27t black too. %3A%29%0D%0A%0D%0ABut does he have a chance to win%3F %0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bfont color%3D%22%23333333%22 size%3D%221%22 face%3D%22Verdana%22%5D%22The modern conservative is engaged in one of man%27s%0D%0Aoldest exercises in moral philosophy%3B that is%2C the%0D%0Asearch for a superior moral justification for%0D%0Aselfishness%22. - James K. Galbraith %0D%0A%0D%0A%22Stay out the Bushes%21%22 -Jesse Jackson%0D%0A%5B%2Ffont%5D
6|2|%3A-P|DinoBoy||12:16:31|08/29/2001|%3C%3CBut does he have a chance to win%3F%3E%3E%0D%0A%0D%0AAs much as I would love him to be the first homosexual Senator%2C I don%27t think this guy has a chance in hell.  I mean%2C not even in Vermont or Rhode Island could he win.%0D%0A%0D%0AFirst of all%2C the same Republican machine that Jesse Helms used to race-bait still exists in North Carolina and could easily switch to homo-baiting.  Even if mild-mannered Liddy Dole was the Republican nominee%2C the Republican machine would do its dirty work.%0D%0A%0D%0ASecondly%2C he%27d probably lose in the primary%2C as a 44yo man who has spent only one year as a Democrat isn%27t appealing to me%2C nor probably any North Carolinian.%0D%0A%0D%0ALastly%2C I%27d like to add that I am gay myself%2C and that this post is about trying to put this man%27s candidacy into perspective%2C and not an anti-gay flame or anything like that.%0D%0A%0D%0APete
5|1|I like this guy|w4rma||12:11:03|08/29/2001|As of right now%2C if I lived in North Carolina%2C I%27d vote for this guy in the Democratic primary.  He sounds like an interesting guy%2C with an interesting story%2C with a good sense of humor who will %2Afight%2A for liberal causes.%0D%0A%0D%0AI loved his line%3A %22We%27re all entitled to grow up%2C%22 Warren said Monday. %22George %28W.%29 Bush had his problems with alcohol. I was a Republican. We both got over it.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bfont color%3D%22%23333333%22 size%3D%221%22 face%3D%22Verdana%22%5D-Rick%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.rickswarehouse.com%2F%5B%2Ffont%5D