Down to his last four months in the governor’s mansion and looking ahead at his future beyond politics, Mike Easley has given his wife a five-year contract to work at North Carolina State University for $170,000 a year. Democrats are giving Sarah Palin the devil for trying to fire one Alaska state trooper – but…
Read MoreTwo stories in today’s N&O point to where things are headed. A front-page story by Mark Johnson. Previously, he and other Charlotte Observer staffers were identified as “Charlotte Observer.” Today, he was identified as “staff writer.” The Business section said the McClatchy chain, which owns the N&O and Observer, will begin layoffs Monday. Already, Johnson…
Read MoreCandidates aren’t the only ones whose debate and interview performances are being scrutinized. So are TV anchors, reporters and commentators. Was Charles Gibson condescending in his questioning of Sarah Palin? Does anybody know what he meant when he asked if Iran was an “existential” threat to Israel? What does Sartre have to do with the…
Read MoreWith the polls heading the wrong way, the Obama campaign has to consider whether tying John McCain to George Bush is a winning strategy. Since Denver, the Democratic message has been that McCain means four more years of Bush. But McCain may have used his convention to slip out of that trap. Picking Sarah Palin…
Read MoreLike the True Church, politics long ago split into two faiths: Organization and Media. I follow the Media faith. But the Obama campaign is trying to show that Organization leads to enlightenment. Or at least to victory. If organization works, this will be the year. It used to work. At late as 1976, organization played…
Read MoreBarlow Herget of State Government Radio asked me a question that reminded me of what I’m missing this time of year: “What’s happening inside a statewide campaign now?” Unfortunately, polisci students, campaigns right now are not just about strategy, media and organization. They’re also doing a lot of math: Fundraising: How much money is in…
Read MoreDemocrats are in their quadrennial panic. If self-flagellation were an Olympic event, we’d win the gold every four years. Yes, McCain’s pick of Palin changed the race. Yes, Obama needs to hit harder. Yes, Joe Biden’s right: Hillary would have been a better running mate. Even Tom Friedman is calling Obama a wuss, for Pete’s…
Read MoreJim Hunt was the last lieutenant governor elected governor. Thirty-six years ago. And Hunt had the advantage of being No. 2 under a Republican governor, so he could run against the Ins. Since then, lieutenant governors have not fared so well: Jimmy Green, Bob Jordan, Jim Gardner and Dennis Wicker (my friend and client). Now…
Read MoreThis morning in the newspaper John McCain ripped into Barack Obama, saying Obama supported “legislation ensuring ‘comprehensive sex education’ for kindergartners.” Sounds like Obama passed a bill to give kindergartners a manual on how to have safe sex, but, in fact, the kind of sex education Obama was proposing – in that bill – was…
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