Archive for September 2017
Civil wars
Some Democrats are popping corks over two stories. First, Steve Bannon promised a civil war in the Republican Party. Second, in North Carolina, the number of Unaffiliated voters exceeds Republicans for the first time: Democrats: 2,640,470 Unaffiliated: 2,055,548 Republicans: 2,055,493 Hold the champagne. First, we’ve got our own civil war – between Clinton Democrats and…
Read MoreThrowing the book at Hillary
Hillary is getting pilloried. Again. This time for having the effrontery to write a book about the election, “What Happened.” Even Democrats are jumping and dumping on her for “reopening old wounds,” “refighting old battles” and making them relive the awful experience of seeing Trump elected President. Lay off her. Three points here: First, she…
Read MoreI (still) hate yard signs
They’re popping up in Raleigh, so here’s my perennial rant. There is no greater waste of time and money in a campaign than yard signs. No voter – ever – has said, “OMG, look at that sign! The colors! The design! The font! I must vote for this candidate!!” Campaigns are about getting information to…
Read MoreSpeechless
During the Alabama primary President Trump was tweeting and robo-calling for Luther Strange and at the same time Mitch McConnell was spending $4 million to elect Strange so we had the Establishment Republicans and Trump Republicans all on the same side until the ground shifted – and Strange didn’t win. He finished a close second…
Read MoreReading Signs
If you’re a Republican with an eye on the next election you’re searching for signs and reading tea leaves, wondering, What are the chances we’ll lose? The signs that measure President Trump’s strength – his Favorable rating and his Job Approval – are all troubling: Swing voters dislike the President by two to one. Compounding…
Read MoreNoble Tale or Fiction?
The News and Observer has published a dozen stories and editorials and letters by people extolling the virtues of the UNC Center for Civil Rights – all saying roughly the same thing: The professors leading the Center are warriors battling for the poor and the oppressed and the least among us. It’s a noble picture.…
Read MoreOne Question
Listening to him as he stood on the floor of the State Senate speaking, I wondered whether he believed what he was saying or whether he’d simply decided to spin a tale. He sounded like a history professor giving a lecture, talking about the new Senate maps, explaining meticulously why those maps were not a…
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