6 of 10 N.C. congressional candidates flunk 'courage test'

Should you hire someone who won't answer questions? If you're hiring, you probably wouldn't give a job to someone who refused to tell you how he or she would do the job. But how about politics? There are a lot of candidates -- challengers and incumbents alike from both major parties -- who won't answer questions.

So says Project Vote Smart, a non-partisan organization whose founders include Republican Newt Gingrich and Democrat Michael Dukakis. It said nearly six out of 10 N.C. candidates won't answer a survey on where they stand -- but the organization has looked up the candidates' records and come up with the answers anyway. 

Those who have agreed to provide answers include Repbulican Sen. Richard Burr, Rep. Sue Myrick of the 9th District and Democratic Rep. Mel Watt of the 12th, the group said.

Among those who declined are Democratic Senate candidate Elaine Marshall, Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx of the 5th District and Republican Howard Coble of the 6th.

Here's part of a news release from the group:

North Carolina’s 2010 Political Courage Test results show fifty-eight percent (58%) of the congressional candidates refused to answer questions on the key issues facing the nation. So this year, using a surprise approach, Project Vote Smart has answered twelve major issue questions for them!


Now, regardless of a candidate’s willingness to respond to the Political Courage Test, voters can find out where all congressional candidates stand using the powerful, interactive tool VoteEasy (www.voteeasy.org). VoteEasy is a brand new, cutting-edge tool that helps voters instantly identify the congressional candidates most like them on the issues the voters care about most.

For a look at the N.C. delegation, here's a link: http://votesmart.org/pdf/2010/pct/NC_cong_press_report.pdf