One of the smartest people I know in the health-care field is Bill Atkinson, CEO of WakeMed. Not long ago, he made a point that gets little attention in today’s debate: That most American families – no matter how well off – are one major illness from financial ruin. The debate seems to…
Read MoreGovernor Perdue has plenty of education-budget headaches – like whether local school districts are laying off teachers. Getting less attention is the near-panic among health and human-services advocates over draconian state budget cuts. Especially with North Carolina facing swine-flu fears, an aging population and serious mental-health needs. Budget reform – whatever that…
Read MoreI had no idea what a powerful and persuasive speaker President Obama is. According to Tom Fetzer & Co., if Obama gets the chance to address America’s schoolchildren, he will turn them into socialists. Wow. Especially with a subversive message like: study hard, stay in school and set goals for success.…
Read MoreOne Big Name mentioned as a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate should be taken seriously: Dennis Wicker. Wicker reminds me of Jim Hunt circa 1992. Wicker has grown since an election defeat eight years earlier. The lessons from that loss – plus his experience in the private sector – could make him a stronger candidate…
Read MorePresident Obama swept into the White House not riding a pro-Obama wave but riding an anti-Bush tide. Now, Bush is gone and after nine months of marching straight left Obama’s setting off tides of his own and his popularity is vanishing faster than any newly elected President since the dawn of the Age of Polling.…
Read MoreOne of the many brilliant (that means “Democratic”) readers of this blog has offered what could be a spot-on analysis of Obama’s new strategy on health care. I share it with you in full: “He has leaned back and relaxed and let Mitch McConnell and the screaming chorus shout and work themselves into a…
Read MoreSupporters of health-care reform better hope President Obama’s vacation gave him time to come up with some brilliant strategy. Because he’s losing control of the debate. The vaunted Obama message machine from the campaign is grinding its gears. They have not come up with a winning way to frame the debate. I thought…
Read MoreI spoke to the North Carolina Democratic Party’s annual Sanford-Hunt-Frye Dinner Saturday night. I talked about the “Go Forward” tradition in North Carolina politics, starting with Kerr Scott and running through Sanford and Hunt. We sat at Governor Perdue’s table, which gave me some pause given some of my blogs about her. But…
Read MoreThe commentariet says Ted Kennedy’s tactical skills will be missed in the health-care reform debate. What’s more likely to be missed is his roar. Democrats– including President Obama – lack a loud, clear voice to frame the debate. Like Kennedy did on Robert Bork. Like I heard him do at the…
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