General
Run This Ad Tomorrow
The News & Observer reports how the candidates for governor are spending their money. Republican Fred Smith led the way spending the most, including $360,000 to publish his book, A Little Extra Effort, $100,000 for Lee Greenwood to write a song about him and $90,000 for barbecue. The second biggest spender, Bill Graham, spent $1.5…
Read MoreOn To North Carolina
Mark Johnson writes in today’s N&O and Charlotte Observer that it’s a mathematical certainty North Carolina’s presidential primary will count this year. But that doesn’t mean it will be decisive. Or that all Tar Heel Democrats will be happy about it. Take Richard Moore and Beverly Perdue. Suddenly, their calculus has a big X Factor.…
Read MoreA Brave New World
As CNN’s Jeff Greenfield said so memorably late on Election Night 2000, we have now left the gravitational pull of earth. This presidential race has defied all predictions. Especially the prediction that it would all be over after Super Duper Tsunami Tuesday. Instead, we now boldly go where no race has gone before – or…
Read MoreMoore of the Same in Gov’s Race
Three recent developments in the Governor’s race sharpen the perception that Beverly Perdue’s campaign is not in the same league as Richard Moore’s. First was the Perdue debacle over Randy Parton. Then Moore came out against Duke’s Cliffside coal plant. Perdue panicked, then meekly took the same position. (But neither candidate, as The N&O pointed…
Read MoreForget Appointing the Superintendent
Bob Orr is a smart guy. Even though he’s a Republican. He may be right that North Carolina would be better off with an appointed Superintendent of Public Instruction. But it ain’t gonna happen. The problem is simple. And it simply cannot be overcome: Making the Superintendent appointed requires a constitutional amendment. That means a…
Read MoreCharacter Trumps Issues
The fall of John Edwards and the rise of John McCain prove that issues don’t matter that much in primary elections. Character counts. Now that Edwards is out, everybody says he drove the Democratic policy debate: poverty, universal health care, global warming and Iraq. He did. And he lost. Look at McCain. On issues, he…
Read MoreNC Loss and Gain for Edwards
North Carolina stands to both lose and gain from John Edwards dropping out. We lose a front-row seat in an exciting presidential race. The biggest losers are reporters like Rob Christensen and Mark Johnson. Now they have to stay home and cover dull races like Senate and Governor. But maybe – if things work out…
Read MoreStein Taps the Money
Josh Stein managed John Edwards’ Senate campaign in 1998. This year Josh is running for State Senate in Wake County, and he learned the most important lesson in politics: the winner in the money race usually wins the vote race. Stein says he has outraised his opponent, Jack Nichols, $132,850 to $50,256, and has three…
Read MoreThe City Council Strikes a Blow for Butterflies
Seven of eight members of the Raleigh City Council live south of the 440 Beltline. So, maybe, it’s no surprise their attention is less than riveted on North Raleigh. For the first time in 30 years, the city was poised to build a gym and community center in North East Raleigh on city owned property.…
Read MoreJim Hunt’s Revenge
Back in the early 1980s, Jim Hunt chaired a commission that changed the Democratic Party’s presidential-nomination process. What he did then may matter this year. Hunt’s commission – whose staff director was David Price, then executive director of the state party – created a class of “superdelegates.” These are elected officials (Senators, Congressmen and Governors)…
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