Archive for 2018
Clichés
At a press conference following a basketball game not long after President Bush died a reporter asked Coach Mike Krzyzewski how he’d come to know Bush and Krzyzewski explained that, years ago, after President George H. W. Bush’s 3-year-old daughter died of leukemia, Bush had set up a Cancer Foundation – and that’s how he…
Read MoreZig-Zagging
First, President Trump told Pelosi and Schumer that he’d be proud to take the blame for a shutdown; then, a day later, Trump said he didn’t want a shutdown; next, zigging, Trump said it was going to be a long shutdown; then, zagging, he said he didn’t want a long shutdown. At a glance President…
Read MoreBladen County
Mark Harris won one of those rare victories you hardly ever see in politics – he upset an incumbent Congressman in a primary. After that Harris went straight on to win the General Election by 905 votes but then ran head on into a buzzsaw: When the day came to declare him the new Congressman…
Read MoreWinning the news war
Trump is both creature and creator of today’s hyper-speed, Twitter-hype news cycle. To win in 2020, Democrats need a candidate who beats him at the communications game. The New York Times reports: “By all accounts, Mr. Trump’s consumption of cable television has actually increased in recent months as his first scheduled meetings of the day…
Read MoreRob Christensen Retires
With Rob Christensen’s retirement, we lose North Carolina’s most experienced, knowledgeable and insightful political reporter. There were, still are and always will be other great political reporters in North Carolina. But nobody stayed on the job for 45 years. Nobody had Rob’s wealth of history and sources. Nobody worked harder, worked sources harder, listened longer…
Read MoreHis Own Worst Enemy
After President Trump signed the new NAFTA agreement I thought, Trump got that one right – but then, before the ink dried, Trump erupted, twice, tweeting he hoped Michael Cohen would spend a long time in jail and that he and the President Xi of China were “the only two people who can bring about…
Read MoreCrime and Politics
My blogging partner Carter Wrenn hit the big time yesterday. He had the “Quote of the Day” in The New York Times: “I’m old fashioned, but anytime somebody may have broken the law, it’s appropriate for the state to look into it.” Carter was quoted (as “the dean of North Carolina’s Republican strategists”) in a…
Read MoreImpeachment talking points
Democrats, repeat after me: “Impeachment should be done only on a bipartisan basis. Ask Republicans what they think about impeaching Trump.” This is smart for two reasons. First, it’s the right thing to do. Bill Clinton’s impeachment showed that it shouldn’t be done on party lines. The country is divided enough already. Second, it’s good…
Read More#NC09
The election-fraud story in the 9th Congressional District has a long way to go, but three things are clear. First, real news and real journalism are alive and well. I won’t single out any reporter or news outlet, because so many have performed so well. A salute to each and every one of you. A…
Read MoreWhat’s that smell?
As its decade of political dominance nears an end, the Republican Party reeks of the stench of corruption from top to bottom, from Washington to Wisconsin to Georgia to Raleigh and all the way to Bladen County. The Bladen scandal once again puts North Carolina at center stage – and Republicans in the spotlight. The…
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