Archive for 2013
Patronage Shocker
We all are shocked – shocked, I say – that Governor McCrory and the Republican Party are putting political cronies in state jobs. Like that has never happened before. I’m reminded of the Jim Hunt supporter who wanted to get a state job for a local boy. The Governor’s patronage chief, Joe Pell, asked,…
Read MoreObamacare Rx
Republicans couldn’t defund Obamacare, and Democrats seemingly can’t defend it. Some states (where there’s competition) are seeing lower insurance rates, and some (where Republicans blocked competition) are having sticker shock. Nobody understands what Obamacare is, but everybody understands a website that won’t work, so we’re obsessing about that. Maybe we’re overcomplicating this. Maybe…
Read MoreGoing Viral
Matt Brown did what digital experts would run over their grandmothers to do. He got a half a million people to read his message, and it didn’t cost him a cent. North Carolina politicians better take notice. Think about those numbers for a second. A half-million readers. In a state where 4.5 million…
Read MorePachyderms
The Pachyderms, or Supreme Republican Leaders in Washington, have a natural animus to Democrats – but, these days, who they dislike even more is Ted Cruz and Tea Partiers. It’s time Ted Cruz, one Pachyderm snorted in the newspaper, started acting like an adult. Talking about Senator Mike Lee, another added, He’s so…
Read MorePachyderms
The Pachyderms, or Supreme Republican Leaders in Washington, have a natural animus to Democrats – but, these days, who they dislike even more is Ted Cruz and Tea Partiers. It’s time Ted Cruz, one Pachyderm snorted in the newspaper, started acting like an adult. Talking about Senator Mike Lee, another added, He’s so…
Read MoreCooped Up
Roy Cooper has made strong moves to clear the 2016 Democratic primary field for Governor. But he also may be putting a big obstacle in his path. The AG is adamant that he can go into court and defend Republican-supported laws on voter identification and same-sex marriage, even though he adamantly opposes those laws.…
Read MorePrepare for the Worst
Every now and then Gary and I venture out of our respective sanctuaries to journey out into the broader world and, just the other day, we meandered all the way across Raleigh to speak to a very nice group of folks about politics (from our different perspectives). And, sure enough, during the meeting a…
Read MoreError Message
For a year we’ve heard how the digital geniuses in the Obama campaign demolished Mitt Romney. Now they can’t make the website work for the biggest thing in his administration? This might say something about the difference between campaigns and governing – or between the private sector and the public sector. Government IT programs…
Read MoreWho Won?
The post-mortem’s are rolling in from the wise heads in Washington over the government shutdown and the debt ceiling votes and their verdict is unanimous: Ted Cruz was crushed. The Tea Party was annihilated. But all these Washington pundits may be sailing right past one subtle fact. Heritage Action and Club for Growth…
Read MoreCivility or Civil War?
Don’t spike the ball too early, Democrats. The Tea Party may be a taste of what’s ahead for our party. Last weeks’ Armageddon – or maybe, “Armadebtaggon” – looks now like a disaster for the GOP. The episode turned Americans and many Republicans against the Cruz crusaders. But the Republican civil war may…
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