General
Payback Time
WakeCounty is North Carolina’s most Democratic county. President Obama carried the state in 2008 because he racked up a 60,000-vote margin in this county alone. But two big and bitter battles yesterday showed what a split county this is – and that there are no final victories in politics. The votes – the…
Read MoreRascal on the Loose
Sometimes you come across a rascal who’s got so much brazenness and old-fashioned nerve you just can’t help but admire his audacity – throw him in a briar patch and he’ll land on his feet and end up owning the place. That’s why it’s hard not to keep an eye peeled to see what…
Read MoreFiling 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 MoreFollow the Money
While Secretary Lanier Cansler’s former firm has been lobbying his department, it’s also been making payments to Cansler, personally. Another Democratic scandal? Back when Governor Perdue appointed Lanier Cansler to lead North Carolina’s biggest state agency, he announced had severed all ties with his former lobbying firm – they had parted company and…
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 MoreA New Day in the Senate?
Up in Washington last weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference every time Scott Brown’s name was mentioned the conservative hordes let out a bellow of approval – but, then, two days later Brown voted with the Democrats in the Senate to end a filibuster against President Obama’s latest ‘Stimulus Bill’ and Democratic leader Harry…
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…
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