General
Two Headlines
Newspaper headline: ‘Santorum strategy pays off.’ New York Times synopsis: Rick Santorum reached the top in Iowa with a savvy strategy – by relying on his own instincts he succeeded with no polls, no speechwriter, and skeletal advertising. That’s one explanation. Of course, there’s another. Headline: Lightning strikes Santorum. Synopsis: After his…
Read MoreThe Bedrock Beneath Our Feet
While General Washington camped in New York waiting for the British to attack, fifty-six men in Philadelphia – who said they not only had a Creator but that He’d given them what they called inalienable rights – crossed the Rubicon and told the King of England they were done being colonists. Then, years later,…
Read MoreMitt Broccoli
Mitt Romney is like political broccoli: Republicans may have to swallow him, but they still don’t like the taste. On CNN last night, James Carville cut through all the clutter and chatter with this dead-on analysis of what Iowa means: – Romney will be the Republican presidential nominee. – A lot of…
Read MoreThe Year of the Negative Ad
I begin this new year by publicly thanking the U.S. Supreme Court for all it has done to make 2012 the Year of the Negative Ad. The high court’s bold, wise Citizens United decision already has claimed one victim – and an appropriate one: Newt Gingrich. But the best is yet to come. …
Read MoreHow to Pick the God to Give Thanks to..
A couple of years ago the small piedmont town of King, North Carolina landed in the soup because the ACLU or someone got into a dither over the town flying a ‘Christian Flag’ over the local Veterans Memorial. Now, they’ve come up with a solution. Here’s how it works: Each December the town collects…
Read MorePolls and Guesses
NBC News and Marist University have released an 11th hour poll in Iowa – in the last four weeks 19% of the voters have switched candidates, almost half going to Rick Santorum with most of the rest splitting between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry. Ballot Change Romney 23% +4 Paul 21% +2 Santorum 15%…
Read MoreThe Democrats File a Dud
When the Democrats sued the Republicans over redistricting I thought we might be treated to see a bit of grand political theatre with Republicans arguing for the Voting Rights Act (which they hate) and Democrats arguing against it (even though they’ve been in love with it for four decades). It’s a disappointment but no…
Read MoreBurr for VP?
After Senator Richard Burr and former Senator Elizabeth Dole endorsed Mitt Romney, a reporter asked: Do endorsements matter? Answer: Not to voters, but definitely to politicians and reporters. No voter who is torn between, say, Romney and Newt Gingrich will think: “Gee, I don’t know who to vote for. So I’ll just vote for…
Read MoreReshuffling
This headline should strike fear in us: “State government reorganizes, seeking more efficiency.” Pardon my cynicism, but I’ve seen this movie before. Every administration in Washington and every state capital promises to reinvent, reorganize and rethink government. Now, Rob Christensen reports in the N&O that North Carolina is scrambling the bureaucratic eggs again. This…
Read MoreIncompetence Rewarded
Just as the N.C. Department of Agriculture gets new responsibilities, we find out it bungled its current duties. Lynn Bonner reports in the N&O: “The state Agriculture Department failed to fine propane plants, dispensing sites and other facilities that mishandled the highly flammable gas, putting the public at risk and costing public schools…
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