Archive for 2012
Fickleness
Rick Santorum’s struck the flag and the Insurgents and Tea Partiers have been routed by the ‘Old Guard;’ long ago, flush with victory after the 2010 election, the Tea Partiers girded for battle with the Washington Republicans in the Presidential primaries. At first the Insurgents rallied behind Michele Bachmann… …then abandoned Bachmann for…
Read MoreNew Governor, New Legislature, New Reality
Here’s a question that should come up in the Democratic gubernatorial candidates – a question no Democratic candidate for governor has ever been asked: How will you deal with a legislature controlled by Republicans? The closest we came was 1996, when Jim Hunt was running for reelection and Republicans controlled the House. But Hunt…
Read MoreRomney’s Superpower
Democrats better not get too giddy over the USA Today/Gallup Poll that showed President Obama taking a 51-42 lead in the top 12 battleground states (which include North Carolina). Obama’s lead is thanks to women under 50, who now favor Obama over Mitt Romney by 2-1. Clearly, the Republican primary fight – and…
Read MoreWatch Us on WRAL
Carter and I taped a segment for WRAL’s “On the Record” weekend talk show today. Go to the station’s website for airtime – or to watch it online. Our topic was the May presidential primary. Obviously, they were hard up for guests before Easter.
Read MoreObama v Roberts
Some people are shocked, shocked, I tell you, that President Obama would challenge the majesty of the Supreme Court. Get real. Court-bashing is as American as apple pie. Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Franklin D. Roosevelt all challenged the court. For years after Brown v Board of Education, “Impeach Earl Warren” signs lined…
Read MoreA Baffling Mystery
Somebody please explain this. Every Republican running for any office – no matter how high or low – seems to be running against Obamacare. They rail against the mandate that everyone have health insurance. They say it’s socialistic, un-American and an outrageous intrusion of our liberties. They vow to repeal it. Yet,…
Read MoreWhatever Happened to the presidential Debates?
Two months ago the Republican Presidential Primary was rolling along like a locomotive fueled by Presidential debates on CNN, Fox and MSNBC; those debates flattened Rick Perry, gave birth to Herman Cain, created the Gingrich boomlet then propelled Santorum past Gingrich as the alternative to Mitt Romney. The debates gave Republican voters looking for…
Read MoreSkewering Newt and Mitt
Rick Santorum’s national campaign may be lagging, but he’s getting hard-hitting help in North Carolina. Bob Harris, the legendary Congressional Club researcher (“Where do you stand, Jim?”) has done two TV ads for Santorum. Harris said the ads began running in the Wilmington market this week. They’re sponsored by his super-PAC, Keep Conservatives…
Read MoreFailing Grade for the Legislature
Democrats now have their bumper-sticker message for 2012 – thanks to 25 North Carolina school superintendents. Republican legislators deny they cut any teachers. But the superintendents told a different story at a statewide hearing: “Superintendents said they had laid off teachers, teacher assistants, assistant principals and central office staff members during several years…
Read MoreTime Buying
These days it seems I’m immersed in the world of TV ads and time buying but it’s that time of the year for campaigns, when a candidate with two shekels to rub together is trying to figure out whether to spend them on TV or radio or, heaven forbid, yard signs. The words ‘time…
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