Gary used to tell a story about Tony Rand, running for Lt. Governor, debating Jim Gardner back in 1988: Gardner let fly and ripped into Tony saying he was a backroom politician who along with eight other backroom politicians (who called themselves the ‘Gang of Eight’) had written the whole state budget in secret in…
Read MoreOften in politics it’s your friends – not your enemies – who do you the most damage. Democrats were on a roll with the Republican “war on women.” Then a Democratic operative, Hillary Rosen, let slip a comment that some people heard as a “war on moms.” Rule One, as President Obama observed,…
Read MoreHere are two questions that answer all you need to know about the Democratic primary for governor. Have you seen a TV ad by any of the candidates? Do you plan to watch any of the three back-to-back debates next week? With no ads running, the debates will give most primary voters…
Read MoreFor the last month Paul Coble’s been running a TV ad criticizing Congress for raising the national debt 50%. Then, the other day, The American Foundations Committee (which is running an independent campaign supporting George Holding) ran an ad pointing out Coble has supported raising Wake County’s debt 93%. Coble’s response: He told the press…
Read MoreRick Santorum’s struck the flag and the Insurgents and Tea Partiers have been routed by the ‘Old Guard;’ long ago, flush with victory after the 2010 election, the Tea Partiers girded for battle with the Washington Republicans in the Presidential primaries. At first the Insurgents rallied behind Michele Bachmann… …then abandoned Bachmann for…
Read MoreHere’s a question that should come up in the Democratic gubernatorial candidates – a question no Democratic candidate for governor has ever been asked: How will you deal with a legislature controlled by Republicans? The closest we came was 1996, when Jim Hunt was running for reelection and Republicans controlled the House. But Hunt…
Read MoreDemocrats better not get too giddy over the USA Today/Gallup Poll that showed President Obama taking a 51-42 lead in the top 12 battleground states (which include North Carolina). Obama’s lead is thanks to women under 50, who now favor Obama over Mitt Romney by 2-1. Clearly, the Republican primary fight – and…
Read MoreCarter and I taped a segment for WRAL’s “On the Record” weekend talk show today. Go to the station’s website for airtime – or to watch it online. Our topic was the May presidential primary. Obviously, they were hard up for guests before Easter.
Read MoreSome people are shocked, shocked, I tell you, that President Obama would challenge the majesty of the Supreme Court. Get real. Court-bashing is as American as apple pie. Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Franklin D. Roosevelt all challenged the court. For years after Brown v Board of Education, “Impeach Earl Warren” signs lined…
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