Posts by Gary Pearce
Filing In
The candidate filings show where the energy is this year. And it’s not encouraging for Democrats. Republicans fielded candidates in all 50 state Senate races and nearly all the state House races. There are 40-plus Republicans running in congressional primaries. We may be seeing the three ingredients required to make a landslide: One…
Read MoreTar Heel Makes It Big
North Carolina native Julianna Smoot – who was finance director in the Obama presidential campaign – has been named the new White House social secretary. The announcement last week said this about Smoot: “A native of North Carolina, Smoot has worked in and out of Washington. Prior to joining the Administration, Smoot served…
Read MoreRogues’ Gallery
A reporter was musing recently about how North Carolina politicians used to be a bland, boring bunch. That was back when we prided ourselves on clean, honest government. Times have changed: A former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate brought down by a sex scandal. A former Governor and a key adviser…
Read MoreThe New WRAL
Jesse Helms is probably rolling over in his recording studio. WRAL, the station that used to run Helms’ editorials opposing desegregation, is now running editorial messages opposing resegregation. That’s how much Jim Goodmon has changed the station. (Does anybody remember when WRAL used to sign off at night by playing “Dixie” instead…
Read MoreFlights of Fancy
The State Democratic Party gets an A+ for rapid response this week. I blogged last week that the N&O overplayed Tom Fetzer’s questions about Governor Perdue’s campaign flights. The research rats at Democratic HQ then turned up questions about Pat McCrory’s campaign flights. That led to an N&O headline – the same size…
Read MoreOpen Wide
President Obama may be setting up Republicans for a classic one-two punch. First, the left jab: an open, public “discussion” where he challenges Republicans to put their ideas on the table. That’s what they said they wanted, isn’t it? Then, the right uppercut: ramming a health-care bill through using something called “reconciliation.” …
Read MoreTiger and Toyota PR
PR types like to speculate about what they would advise Toyota and Tiger Woods to do in their times of trouble. (Imagine the fees!) For all the ridicule and criticism, I think Tiger made a good first step in his televised mea culpa. But Toyota still can’t get it right. The myth…
Read MoreThe Pot and the Kettle
Senator Richard Burr wins this week’s hypocrisy award hands down. Formally entering his race for reelection, Burr said something needs to be done to break the “gridlock” in Congress. This, mind you, is the same man who has dutifully followed his party’s lead in gridlocking budget reform, health-care reform and anything else that…
Read MoreDiagnosis Confusion
The N&O/WTVD poll on health care left me totally confused. The poll, done by Mason-Dixon, “found that 51 percent of registered voters in North Carolina think Congress should not change the U.S. health care system this year. Thirty-eight percent think that lawmakers should take action.” But then the story went on: “The poll…
Read MoreMessage Misery
The best message in politics is always: “It’s Time for a Change.” That worked like a charm for Democrats in 2006 and 2008. Voters were anxious, angry and ready to throw out the bums in power in Washington. Nothing has changed this year – except Democrats are now the bums in power. …
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