Posts by Carter Wrenn
The Redskins Rule
I woke up yesterday feeling Romney would win but after a dozen calls from people asking about polls in Ohio (not one of which shows Romney leading) I went to bed thinking, Every single poll can’t be wrong. This morning, at the crack of dawn, I got Dick Morris’ predictions saying all the polls…
Read MoreThe Disappearance of the Machines
For years the Democratic Party’s marched onto political battlefields and vanquished Republicans, winning every Governor’s race in North Carolina for two decades and, except for one brief hiatus, holding control of the State Senate and House in an iron grip for over a century. But this election Pat McCrory’s led Walter Dalton in the…
Read MoreIt’s Not Complex. It’s Simple.
Last spring an old friend, a pollster, came to Raleigh and predicted without blinking Romney was going to win and I said, Why’s that? and he said, It’s simple. A lot of people who voted for Obama last time won’t vote for him again but I don’t know anyone who voted for McCain who is…
Read MorePretty is as Pretty Does
I’d just finished breakfast and opened the newspaper when a dyed-in-the-wool yellow dog Democrat crossed the restaurant, sat down across the table and said, ‘That new ad of Paul Newby’s makes him look like a fool.’ He was talking about the Newby Super PAC ad – which has hound dogs braying in hot pursuit…
Read MoreNo Contrition in Sight Anywhere
The election in North Carolina has moved from old fashioned elbow-throwing into a more interesting topic – sex. When she lived in Pennsylvania Debra Goldman was a volunteer firefighter – then she moved to Raleigh, ran for School Board, won in the Republican sweep in 2009 and now she’s running for State Auditor. …
Read MoreThird Graders
It made all the newspapers: Last week Mitt Romney announced he’s pulling staffers out of North Carolina, where he now has a lead, to send them to Ohio where the race is closer. It was perfectly rational. Romney has a little breathing room in North Carolina so he’s moving few people to another state he…
Read MoreAn Example of the Unexpected
The other day Gary and I spoke at a luncheon and when Gary finished speaking he opened the floor for questions and, right off, a fellow stood up and asked, ‘So who’s going to win the election?’ It’s the question everyone’s asking and Gary gave him a great answer. He explained how in politics…
Read MoreOdd Facts
The Associated Press reported a pair of odd facts the other day. In a headline the AP reported, “Obama using voter registration to stay close in NC” – then told how President Obama’s massive voter registration drive is helping him win North Carolina – by registering 250,000 new Obama voters. So far, that…
Read MoreYard Signs
Candidates run for office for all kinds of reasons: Foibles. Vanity. A desire to serve. But, whatever their reasons, after they announce they run head-on into an unpleasant fact: Running or office (even a local office like County Commissioner) costs a lot of money and raising money is plain old-fashioned hard work. It has…
Read MoreMoney to Burn
Amid the turmoil and hard times, when 47% of the Americans depend on government for support, it came as a surprise to open the newspaper and read Raleigh is spending $60 million on a train station. Medicare is, with mathematical certainty, heading to bankruptcy. Social Security is not far behind. And the government in…
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