When Carter and I were beating up on Jim Hunt and Jesse Helms, respectively, in 1984, we said some tough things. But we always stuck to some semblance of the truth. Not that we were all that noble; we feared the backlash from the media and the voters if we went too far. Something…
Read MoreGuest Tapster blogger Joe Stewart writes: In the same way my daddy has a saying that manners are not all that matter, but what they do matter matters a lot, the relative financial advantage of one candidate over their opponent, or one party versus their rival, doesn’t make all the difference but the difference…
Read MoreI had to laugh when Republicans claimed credit for North Carolina’s high-school graduation rate topping 80 percent. And I have to stake a claim for Jim Hunt’s role. Over the last six years, the state’s graduation rate has gone up nearly 12 percentage points –from at 68.3 percent in 2006 to 80.2 percent. …
Read MoreForget the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Forget the attacks on Erskine Bowles when he ran for Senate. Republicans now desperately embrace Bubba and Bowles. Why? Because they can’t find a respected Republican to cite. Certainly not George W. Bush, who blew up the Clinton-Bowles balanced budget and gave us this recession. Instead, they…
Read MoreA veteran legislative hand and former lobbyist offers this perspective on how Raleigh has changed: “If you want to really understand today’s political world, understand how the politicians view the role of lobbyists. “Democrats see lobbyists as a source of information to help them make a decision. “Republicans see lobbyists as a…
Read MoreI live and breathe and walk in a middle-aged white male world and (except for Gary) I’ve hardly a friend who can even imagine Obama winning this election – in their bones they just know that can’t happen. My Republican friends have also been euphoric since the last election and they’ve had little or…
Read MoreSoon the media will stop hyperventilating about Paul Ryan and get back to Obama vs. Romney. It always happens, unless the VP choice is a disaster. Remember: Sarah Palin’s selection put the Republicans ahead four years ago, until…well, you know. For now, we sophisticated analysts ask: “What does the pick say” about the presidential…
Read MoreI can’t wait to weigh in on Paul Ryan as VP. Meantime, here’s a revealing guest blog from a female TAPster: Four years ago, the Brain Trust of the Republican Party decided the way to offset the Obama Change Machine was with an unknown female Governor from a far-flung, sparsely populated state. It was a…
Read MoreAs I ease back into the post-vacation routine, hereâs a guest submission from a TAPster: The recent crash of a Charlotte-based C-130 aircraft while fighting wildfires in the western US makes a sad, revealing point about the mindset of our government today. That aircraft was a cargo plane, but had been modified to…
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