(This image is actually of New York cabbie Joseph Morrone)Name: Travis Bickle*
Occupation: Taxi Cab Driver with Charlotte Flyer Taxi in Charlotte, NC
Age: 47
Income: Depends on the fare
Politics: Independent
Will Vote For: Obama on a coin flip
*-These are all pseudonyms. Any resemblances to real people dead or otherwise including the New York cab driver pictured and a certain Robert DeNiro character are......well, you know the rest!
We continue our series which focuses on 16 people in potential swing states (I'm not sure if North Carolina qualifies, but....!) and the types of folks who will hopefully be going to the polls on Tuesday.
North Carolina is home to lots of right wing truck drivers and liberal folk/rock singers. It really is a state that could go either way in theory, but the uber-fundamentalist Rev. Franklin Graham, who lives in Boone, will probably get out the Christian Coalition vote and make the state go red once again as it has since the 1980 presidential election.
But, there is a substantial African-American vote and cities like Durham and Asheville will definitely go for Barack Obama, whose appearance in Greensboro over the weekend will hopefully help make this more interesting than it has been in recent election cycles.
Taxi cab drivers in Charlotte are actually in crisis mode at the moment because of a gas shortage in The Queen City.
Cab driver Al Wheeler explained his qualms to WSOC-TV (Charlotte): "Now you need a place to park, and you sit there and turn off the engine. You don't idle."
Charlotte is also the birthplace and residence of the Rev. Billy Graham, who seems like Susan Sarandon compared to his son Franklin. And, it is the city where the late western star Randolph Scott was born.
The city is undergoing a lot of changes, including a major growth in its Hispanic population and the fact that major banks are having problems will probably affect the city's economy since it is a major industry in Charlotte.
Mayor Pat McCrory is running against lt. governor Beverly Perdue for the governor's mansion. It is reportedly a very close race though it's overshadowed by both the presidential election and a tight U.S. Senate race between Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) and state senator Kay Hagan (D).
Charlotte is also home to a variety of major and minor league sports teams including the Charlotte Checkers, who open their season soon. I saw a game between them and now the defunct Roanoke Express (my hometown team). It was just like a scene out of "Slap Shot."Though I don't reside in the Charlotte-metro area, I will be voting in North Carolina for the first time in my life. Even though John McCain is more to the center than George W. Bush, I am strongly leaning towards Obama.
We'll see what happens in the Tarheel State, where we even get to vote for the state treasurer on Election Day?!
Useful Links:
http://www.charlotte.com
http://www.gocheckers.com
http://www.creativeloafing.com
Charlotte Flyer Taxi is a real company, and their number is 704-370-6050, if you need a lift.
PERSONAL NOTE: We will be moving this blog soon. Anyone who can give me helpful advice on how to do that can feel free to email me at tango74@aol.com
Hopefully, we can get more traffic than AOL!
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