General

Watching the hearings, you see why Mike Easley was the candidate and the other guys weren’t.   It looked like their lawyers had cowed the other witnesses into being so careful and precise they came off slippery and evasive, even if they weren’t.   Easley, by contrast, is charming, confident and commanding. Too busy with…

I’ve been quick to note lately that I supported Dennis Wicker in 2000.  I remember the arrogance of some – not all – of Mike Easley’s people after they won.   But I’ll say a word in their defense.   The News & Observer said: “Easley camp pushed donation law’s limits.”   News flash: So…

Well, what went on in Raleigh yesterday in the State Board of Elections hearing was high political drama – the fireworks started right off when Easley buddy McQueen Campbell fessed up he’d paid for $11,000 in repairs on Easley’s house in Raleigh, then sent Easley’s campaign a fake bill for the $11,000 – which the…

Mike Easley was always described as quirky, but charming. Part of the charm was his reputation as a cheapskate.   That was a good quality for a governor in a budget crisis. Now, not so good.   Now he’s charged with flimflamming his campaign into paying $11,000 for home repairs. And maybe pocketing the insurance…

I worked with Jesse Helms so over the years I grew accustomed to looking at polls where politicians had high ‘Unfavorable’ ratings. But I’ve never seen a politician in North Carolina with an ‘Unfavorable’ rating of 49.8% except once (in a poll for Helms) when for some long since forgotten reason we tested Fidel Castro’s…

Over in Beijing Governor Perdue’s taking a break from her stressful junket to China to teleconference with reporters back home and say it’s just awful, terrible and cruel and her feathers are all ruffled because twenty murderers are about to be released due to a strange law passed 25 years ago.   Now, stop a…

If you’ve bought the line there’s a budget crisis in state government – here’s proof you may have been sold a bill of goods.   The State Department of Agriculture ordered 9,000 camel-colored t-shirts to give away at the state fair – for $18,000.   You might ask – why did the state need to…