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The More Things Change…

By Gary Pearce December 17, 2007

It is true that the presidential race – in both parties – has seen numerous twists, turns, surprises and swings in momentum. But it is also true that the fundamental dynamic of both races is the same today as a year ago. For Democrats, the question is still who will make it a two-person race…

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Sledgehammer Time Again

By Gary Pearce December 14, 2007

Everybody who wants to know what’s next in the Raleigh Scandals can get the preview by reading the following email sent out this morning by Joe (the Sledgehammer) Sinsheimer. Inadvertently, I’m sure, Joe revealed the emails of everyone to whom he sent the statement. That makes interesting reading, but I’m not passing the list along,…

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What’s Wrong With the Highway Patrol?

By Gary Pearce December 14, 2007

I can save the State of North Carolina $98,000. The state has given a contract that size to a consulting company “to conduct an in-depth review of the state Highway Patrol’s policies for hiring, training and promoting troopers.” Governor Easley ordered the review after a series of embarrassing cases of trooper misconduct, including some titillating…

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The Big O

By Gary Pearce December 13, 2007

Oprah Winfrey has shown she can make best-sellers out of books, fads out of diet plans and Dr. Phil out of Dr. Phil. But can she make a front-runner out of Obama? Mr. Conventional Wisdom says no: Celebrity endorsements don’t move voters. But that’s not what Oprah does. She creates The Buzz of The New.…

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Hackney Steps Up

By Gary Pearce December 12, 2007

After I posted my blog yesterday calling on Speaker Joe Hackney to clean the House of Thomas Wright, the Speaker did the right thing. (I don’t have any illusion that my blog is responsible, by the way.) By speaking out quickly – calling for an ethics investigation and a special session – Hackney met the…

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When Campaigns Change Direction

By Gary Pearce December 12, 2007

In a campaign, the first rule when you change strategy is: Don’t admit you’re changing strategy. But when a campaign dramatically changes what it’s saying, it’s changing strategy. Witness John Edwards and Beverly Perdue this week. Edwards introduced a new stump speech in Iowa: “America Rising.” It’s a return to the positive, optimistic Edwards who…

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Blind Dumb Luck?

By Carter Wrenn December 11, 2007

Here’s how Presidential campaigns work: We put a candidate on a pedestal, strip off his clothes and let anyone who wants to beat on him with a cudgel – then we see how he reacts. Like trial by ordeal it’s brutal but whoever survives is probably tough enough to be President. The only way a…

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The Sledgehammer Falls Again

By Gary Pearce December 11, 2007

Whenever I’m asked about the impact of bloggers on politics, I point to Joe (The Sledgehammer) Sinsheimer. This week, largely because of Sinsheimer, another protruding legislative nail got pounded. A Wake County grand jury indicted state Rep. Thomas E. Wright, a Democrat, on five felony charges of swindling banks, corporations and campaign contributors out of…

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Senate Democrats

By Gary Pearce December 11, 2007

A political constant for years in Raleigh has been Democratic dominance of the state Senate. Maybe not so much now. Marc Basnight’s hold on the Senate has relied on a number of old Democratic bulls who kept their seats in tough districts. Now, one of them has announced he won’t run again: John Kerr. And…

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Going Too Far

By Carter Wrenn February 3, 2025

Cheeks round, pudgy fingers fumbling, Ellmer took a newspaper article out of his briefcase, pushed it…

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