Archive for 2016
Roy is ready
As I listened to Roy Cooper set a crowd of OBX Democrats to clapping and hollering Monday evening, a wise old political vet whispered what I was thinking: “He’s come a long way.” A year or so ago, Democrats had doubts about Cooper. “He should have run before now.” “Does he really have the fire…
Read MoreThe rise of Deborah Ross
Richard Burr has his hands full. For the first time since he went to Washington 22 years ago, he faces a double whammy: a strong opponent and a bad year for Republicans. You can see his problem in the first ad for Deborah Ross. It tags Burr, sans socks, as the worst kind of Washington…
Read MoreAfter November
Saying he was going ‘To Make America Great Again’ and waving the banner of ‘Americanism’ Donald Trump set out to whip the Washington Politicians and he did whip every Republican in sight from Jeb Bush to Ted Cruz – but then came eyeball to eyeball with Hillary. Ship sinking, unable to save himself, Trump needs…
Read MoreTrump TV
If Donald Trump loses, he and Roger Ailes may well start Trump TV. They’ll outFox Fox. As James Carville said on Morning Joe, you can’t win an election with 40 percent, but you can make a bazillion dollars on TV with 40 percent. Can you imagine how much Trump and Ailes will debase a political…
Read MoreTGFT
Thank God for Trump. If the Republicans had nominated John Kasich or Marco Rubio, Hillary Clinton and the Democrats would be in trouble. Every week there’s another damaging story about emails, speaking fees or the Clinton Foundation. Another 14,900 emails coming? Great. Fortunately, Trump already may have made himself unelectable. Otherwise…. Hillary’s self-inflicted wounds come…
Read MoreThe Land Time Forgot
The Amish, to their misfortune, have turned out to be a key group of voters in Pennsylvania and Ohio – so PBS journeyed to Amish land to talk with voters who don’t have TVs or radios or computers, and listening to their interviews was like hearing the voices of time travelers from the distant past…
Read MoreThe Wave
One of the most dreaded beasts in politics slouched into North Carolina a week ago in a Wall Street Journal poll. Contemplating their Hobson’s Choice – between Hillary and Donald – voters tilled to Hillary who promptly soared to a 9 point lead in the state. But the debacle isn’t Hillary’s growing lead: It’s Roy…
Read MoreElection-rigging
Donald Trump was right. Somebody is trying to rig the election. It’s his party. In North Carolina. Dallas Woodhouse’s email is the smoking gun. He directed Republican election board members in all 100 counties to make “party line” changes that keep Democrats from voting and keep Republican politicians in power. This is exactly what Republicans…
Read MoreJim Hunt’s still got it
Every few days somebody asks, “How’s Governor Hunt doing?” Here’s your answer. Bill Kirby Jr. wrote in the Fayetteville Observer this week about Hunt’s appearance at a Tim Kaine rally: “You would have thought, from the audience reaction, that Jim Hunt was the Democratic vice presidential nominee….Hunt, 79, his hair now near white, still can…
Read MoreWithout a Thought
The 24-hour-news-cycle has turned into a 20-minute-news-cycle which doesn’t leave much time to think. About all a reporter – who has a publisher demanding a new story so he can sell more Internet ads on his website – can do is grab the latest tweet by Donald Trump and let it rip. And no one…
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