The Wake County real estate industry got handed its head in Tuesdayâs elections. The executioners were Mayor Charles Meeker, his political strategist Perry Woods and their allies. The real estate folks may be brilliant business people. But theyâre dumb politicians. If they got organized â and used their money wisely â they would have had…
Read MoreAn anti-developer fire was smoldering in the Wake County political underbrush this year. Then North Hills developer John Kane threw on gasoline and lit a match. The N&O’s analysis this morning is right: slow-growth candidates won or led in Raleigh and Cary. But the real flashpoint was Kane’s request for a $75 million subsidy for…
Read MoreThere is nothing quite like a newspaper headline to get a political reaction from Governor Easley. Via his minions at the Department of Transportation, the Governor hired a $2.5 million consultant to do a study of DOT, then didn’t require a written report (that way there’s no messy list of DOT foibles for the press…
Read MoreAbout a week ago the News and Observer asked City Councilwoman Jessie Taliaferro what she thought of developer John Kane’s proposal the City Council to give him a $75 million tax-subsidy for North Hills Mall – Mrs. Taliaferro said she hadn’t supported it, didn’t support it and had voted against a similar subsidy of a…
Read MoreYou can feel the Obama balloon losing air. This was a bad week for him. He got flattened by the Hillary Machine. The Obama campaign had built up a big Iraq speech on the fifth anniversary of his speaking out against the war. But the speech fizzled. Two reasons: Team Hillary stole Obama’s thunder just…
Read MoreState Treasurer and candidate for Governor Richard Moore wants to dump Governor Charles Aycock’s name from the Democrats Annual Vance-Aycock Dinner. Governor Aycock (1900-04) is decidedly politically incorrect. He was a leader of the ‘red-shirt’ campaigns that disenfranchised black voters. But he was also the first in a long line of North Carolina’s education governors…
Read MoreWith no opponent to keep him busy this election Mayor Meeker is feeling his oats. Monday night he trooped over to the County Commissioners to give them a lecture. About spending. The Mayor’s philosophy on spending tax money is simple: Spend it. Spent it all. Spend it as quickly as possible. It, apparently, didn’t bother…
Read MoreJosh Stein has always moved fast. And worked hard. He was the first hire in John Edwards’ 1998 Senate campaign – a novice who had never worked in politics before. By the time the primary rolled around, he was the campaign manager. And a great one. I know, because I worked with him every day…
Read MoreRepublicans aren’t happy with their presidential candidates. Thompson’s too lazy, McCain’s too old and flaky, Romney’s too Mormon and Giuliani’s too liberal and loony. But the perfect candidate (in theory) actually exists. Unfortunately, he ran into a little trouble on the way to the race. He’s George Allen, the former Senator from Virginia. Allen was…
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