General
This Too Shall Pass
A Democratic TAPster offers the thoughts below on how quickly things change in politics: “Just a few days ago Stuart Rothenberg had a column in Roll Call pondering whether President Obama and the Democrats have made a big mistake focusing on North Carolina as part of the 2012 campaign strategy. Given what has come…
Read MoreA Man Without a Party
Ever since what one observer called David Parker’s “televised suicide bombing,” I’ve been pondering his infamous press conference performance. Especially: Who told him that would be a good idea? The answer, apparently, is no one. I’m told that he talked to no one on the party staff, sought out no one’s advice. …
Read MoreMcCrory Manager Exposed
Here is the kind of information you won’t get from what Sarah Palin calls the “lamestream media.” It’s only available in the lamebrain media, like this blog. Specifically, you have to read our Forum section to discover that Pat McCrory’s new campaign manager “has ties to CHARLIE CRIST!” The TAPster adds: “Crist is…
Read MoreSex and the Speaker’s Office
I like the observations below because the TAPster who wrote them not only takes aim at everybody, but also dares to defend lobbyists: “The irony – and hypocrisy — of this sex scandal is these staffers work for Republican politicians who imposed their personal morals on the state’s citizens by ramming through the proposed…
Read MoreMore to Come?
The N&O story today by Dan Kane and John Frank (“Second Tillis staffer admits to inappropriate relationship with a lobbyist”) had this eye-catching line: “After Thomas’ resignation, Tillis said he returned to his office on Sunday afternoon and questioned five of his 10 remaining staff members, who had been the subject of rumors related…
Read MoreBin Laden Politics
Mitt Romney is about to come unglued because President Obama ordered the operation that killed bin Laden. First Romney said “even Jimmy Carter” would have ordered the raid. Then he said “any thinking American” would have. Presumably, that explains why President Bush didn’t. Of course, Romney overlooks the fact that some military…
Read MoreBlame Newt Gingrich
A capital veteran says of the Charles Thomas/lobbyist scandal: “Sex between legislators, staffers and lobbyists isn’t anything new. Been going on for years. What’s new about this is a private investigator hired by an undisclosed client did the N&O’s investigation and the N&O printed the result. This is a spooky precedent.” Laura Leslie…
Read MoreWhat Is Bill Thinking?
Most of time, you can tell what a campaign is thinking by watching what it does. Sometimes, what a campaign does makes you wonder what – or if – they’re thinking. So it is with Bill Faison’s campaign for governor. Some weeks ago, the buzz was that Faison was going to pump a half-million…
Read MoreWalter, Bob, Bill and Pat
Walter Dalton, Bob Etheridge and Bill Faison are slugging it out in the Democratic Primary and the prospect of one of them emerging flat broke after the election and facing Pat McCrory (who’s sitting on $3 million) in the fall has Republicans feeling warm all over about winning the Governor’s race for the first time…
Read MorePayback?
Since their 2010 debacle, Democrats have muttered about an “iron triangle” they believe helped do them in: politically motivated prosecutions, relentless Republican pressure for the investigations and tough media scrutiny. Some even saw a coordinated conspiracy. So don’t be surprised if they look for payback in the Charles Thomas/lobbyist affair. They want investigations –…
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