Who Captured Whom?

As much as I admire the Old Bull Mooses’ single-minded pertinacity, I’ve been unkind lately to the State Senate but at dinner last night Conor, who may be the last of the Jessecrats, set me straight.   I’d written – a couple of days ago – how the Democratic political wizards around Raleigh believe the…

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The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!

Maybe Chad Barefoot really believes Putin reared his head and Russia reached its tentacles into the anti-fracking forces in North Carolina.   Or maybe it’s just a cynical attempt to raise money from a Fox-fed mob of ignoramuses.   Or maybe it’s a desperate overreaction to a poll showing that voters don’t like fracking.  …

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Old-Fashioned Back Room Politics?

The other day while I was having lunch with one of Raleigh’s Democratic wizards he said, You know a lot of people believe the Senate Republican Caucus has captured the Chamber of Commerce and turned it into an appendage of its political committee.   I said, How’s that? and he explained the Democrats, rooting through…

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The Wrong Cure

Mike, a young down-the-line rock-ribbed Republican partisan who sees eye to eye with Senator Bob Rucho (who once tweeted ‘Obamacare has done more damage than the Nazis’) but is too smart to say anything that foolish within earshot of a reporter, and Jim who would like Senator Elizabeth Warren to run for President because Hilary’s…

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We Don’t Hear You, Raleigh

It’s a rite of summer. The House, the Senate and the Governor can’t agree on a budget. They tell themselves that millions of North Carolinians are in suspense, following the latest twist in the budget deliberations like they’re binge-watching Netflix.   This year, Governor McCrory and Speaker Tillis decide a bold stroke is needed to…

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Two Sides to Every Coin

When the ‘anti-frackers’ launched their million dollar ad campaign to defeat Chad Barefoot and three other Republican State Senators the Senate Republican Caucus returned fire, calling on Barefoot’s opponent to denounce the flood of “special interest money” pouring into the district then added, “Who knows what Sarah Crawford (Barefoot’s opponent) has promised these people.”  …

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Mississippi Rising

To quote Slim Pickens in Blazing Saddles, “What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here?”   What is politics coming to when a deeply conservative Deep South Senator rallies black Democrats to win a Republican primary? When a GOP bridge-builder beats a fire-eater? When a big spender beats a budget slasher?…

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Soul Mates Fall Out

For years they’ve been the best of buddies. Soul mates. Like peas and carrots.  But, now, they’ve had a falling out…followed by blows being struck.   Reaching into the treasury in Washington and pulling out a wad of other people’s money to give to your friends is as old an American tradition as apple pie. …

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Is Hillary Ready?

A lot of Democrats are “Ready for Hillary,” but is she?   The doubts erupted after talked – and talked again – about whether she and Bill really are rich.   The Washington Post headlined: “Some Democrats fear Clinton’s wealth and ‘imperial image’ could be damaging in 2016.” It quoted “multiple Obama campaign advisers” saying…

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Crocodile Tears?

Each year hospitals pay the state $135 million which, through some mysterious alchemy, morphs into the federal government paying the state a second $135 million (to care for Medicaid patients).  Trying to decipher the magic a newspaper described a circular flow of money that seems to work like this: 1)     The hospitals pay the state…

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