General
3 Strikes,You’re Out
Like Charlie Brown, Governor Perdue and Democratic legislators took three mighty swings at the Republicans’ best pitches. And whiffed on every one. It was an inglorious end to the party’s first legislative session out of power. And maybe a taste of how things will be for a while. Some Democrats thought Governor Perdue…
Read MoreWhose Economy?
Speaker Thom Tillis says Republicans “own the economy” and is optimistic: “I think we are seeing some green shoots.” But Pat McCrory says Governor Perdue owns the economy and it’s “broken.” Nationally, of course, Republicans say President Obama owns the economy and it sucks. Obama avoids sounding too optimistic. Democrats say it’s…
Read MoreWinning One for the Geezers
As an aspiring geezer, I’m inspired when white-hairs beat the young guns at their own new-media game. So today we celebrate Lyle Denniston, the 81-year-old, twice-retired blogger at SCOTUSBlog. He got the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act right and he got it first. Actually, the trigger-happy hot heads at CNN…
Read MoreSimple Politics
When you boil out all the hollering and gnashing of teeth the Presidential campaign’s pretty simple. Romney says, Obama’s sunk the economy. He doesn’t deserve re-election. Then Obama says, Look at Romney’s record as Governor of Massachusetts. No matter how bad I’ve done – he’d do worse. Then Obama adds, And look at what Romney…
Read MorePicking Winners and Losers?
One of the problems no one’s ever been able to solve as far as politics goes is how to stop one group of folks from using the government to get their hands on another group of folks’ money. For instance, back when President Obama gave green-energy-company-gone-bankrupt-Solyndra government subsidies, Republicans cried foul and said what…
Read MoreA Win Is a Win
President Obama finally got a Republican vote for his health care bill: Chief Justice Roberts’. Of course, Republicans are trying now to turn it into a “tax,” with Roberts’ help. But it’s a huge win for Obama. And what’s the best thing about winning? Not losing. If he had lost in the…
Read MoreRecalculating…
Well, all the smarty-pants pundits got the Supreme Court decision wrong. So I’ll wait until somebody smart and level-headed explains it. Meanwhile, politics must go on. Obama had been looking at a big defeat and stories about a “failed Presidency.” Now Romney and Republicans are trying to make chicken salad out of chickenshit.…
Read MoreBullies
When you get political power, you feel important. When you feel important, you throw your weight around. When you throw your weight around, you look like a bully. Like Senators Tom Apodaca and Buck Newton. Whatever the outcome of their Lettergate “witch hunt,” the lasting image will be that of Vicki Stanley, executive assistant…
Read MoreLogic
Over in the General Assembly the legislators want to pass a law that says folks can tote pistols in bars because, they say, whether a customer can take his pistol into the ‘Twist and Shout’ ought to be up to the bar’s owner not the government. Which sounds fine except… …the same legislators…
Read MoreDalton’s Strategy
Walter Dalton’s strategy at the first gubernatorial debate tells you two things: He thinks Pat McCrory can’t take a punch. And he has to dramatically change the contour of the race to win. Attacking might work. A big reason McCrory lost in 2008 was that he failed to answer the Perdue campaign’s late attack…
Read More