The election is slowly bumping and grinding to a close and it’s been a lot tougher ordeal for Democrats than Republicans – while Republicans have been cruising along riding the headwinds of Obama-disapproval, the same national tides have been pulling Democrats downward like a remorseless undertow. Plus, since Democrats control almost everything that moves in…
Read MoreClerk of Court races generally don’t generate a lot of sound and fury but the other day in Raleigh Republican Jan Pueschel sent out an email about her opponent – Democrat Lorrin Freeman (the incumbent) – that set sparks flying. Almost everyone knows the story of Demario Atwater, who murdered UNC student Eve Carson…
Read MoreI wish I had a dollar for every time a Democrat has told me over the last decade: “We need something like a John Locke Foundation.” Democrats don’t, because they don’t have an Art Pope: somebody who puts his money – big money – where his convictions are. You know he’s made it…
Read MoreA friend of mine who has done well as a lobbyist in Washington told me this story about the unintended consequences of campaign-finance reform. Congress decided that the integrity our democracy is threatened by lobbyists buying meals – even a cup of coffee and a sandwich – for members. So a lobbyist now…
Read MoreEvery now and then a fellow stumbles across a fact so eye-popping the moment he sees it he feels the ground shifting beneath his feet. The other day in the newspaper a headline blared in big black letters that North Carolina’s unemployment rate had dropped, which sounded like good news until I read (in…
Read MoreTen days before the election, we learn there is a federal investigation into Governor Perdue’s 2008 campaign. It drowns out her push on state government reform. Which I seriously doubt was going to solve her political problems anyway. The first thing I heard from Democrats: Why is George Holding still there? Would a…
Read MoreThe economy’s in tatters, fifteen million people are out of work, Obama’s stimulus plan’s a bust and in Raleigh state government’s got a $3 billion hole in the budget – but, not to worry, the Governor’s got a plan. She’s ready to make the tough choices. And she’s already announced the first step: SHE’S GOING…
Read MoreA wise old Democrat I know offered this thought about the prospect of big Republican gains next week: “Sometimes the best offense is a good defense. This may not be too bad a time to let them have the ball.”
Read MoreIt has to be the most insincere and overused political phrase of the year: “I apologize if anyone was offended by what I said.” In other words, “you’re an oversensitive wimp to be upset about what I said but I’ve got to make some kind of apology to satisfy the media.” The latest:…
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