Democratic and Republican partisans breathed a sigh of relief last night. Neither Biden nor Palin ran the family car off the cliff. Democrats secretly worry that Palin’s regular-gal shtick might again ignite McCain’s campaign. His chances seem to rise every time he cedes the stage to her. Once again, she won Miss Congeniality. Miss Congeniality…
Read MoreI have quoted before the blunt response Bert Bennett always gave when people started analyzing election wins and losses. Bert, who was Terry Sanford’s campaign manager in 1960 and Jim Hunt’s political mentor, would say: “When you win, everything you did was right. When you lose, everything you did was wrong.” This year, Democrats are…
Read MoreSarah Palin puts me in mind of a quote by Goethe, who apparently followed American politics very closely: “Nothing is more frightening than ignorance in action.” Maybe one thing more frightening for Democrats is Joe Biden’s mouth. When it comes to shooting himself in the foot, Biden uses a machine gun. Tonight’s debate will have…
Read MoreI received a curious email, followed by a phone call, from Richard the Intellectual. Richard tends to watch politics from afar but something happened yesterday that left him completely, absolutely enraged. He got a brick in the mail from State House Republican Leader Skip Stam. That’s right, a brick. The kind, as Richard said, he…
Read MoreWhen I read James Romoser’s story in the Winston-Salem Journal about Senator Dole spending only 13 days in North Carolina during 2006, my immediate reaction was: “That’s an ad.” Thirteen days out of 365? Less than two weeks out of 52? This is a gift from the political gods to Kay Hagan’s campaign. Any bets…
Read MoreWho knows, this election may really be about change and not just political double talk about change from politicians reading polls. Or, at least, whether the politicians beating the “change drum” are sincere or not – the voters are dead serious. Which would explain some curious poll numbers we’re seeing right here in North Carolina.…
Read MoreI miss Bill Clinton. Not the bad Bill, who can’t bring himself to say a good word about Obama or a bad word about McCain-Palin. But the good Bill. The only person in politics who can talk both intelligently and empathetically about The Problem and The People. That’s what this Great Financial Crisis – Depression…
Read MoreWhile tonight’s debate could change everything, here are winners and losers in the wake of this week’s financial-political panic: Winner (for now): John McCain. Once again he stopped his precipitous slide in the polls. He put himself in the position to be the hero on the bailout, if it passes. Or to be the worst…
Read MoreDemocrats in North Carolina have a long-running problem. There is a culture of corruption a mile wide and a mile deep that runs right through the heart of their politics. The core of their problem is how they raise the money that pays for their political operations, from the North Carolina Democratic Party to their…
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