General
The Ground Shifted Beneath Trump’s Feet
On stage at a rally Trump bashed ‘lyin’ Kamala…low IQ Kamala.’ Back in 2016 he pummeled ‘Crooked’ Hillary the same way – and won. But when he pummeled ‘Sleepy’ Joe in 2020 he lost. Marching in Trump’s footsteps, pummeling Democrats, Republicans lost in 2018 and 2022. The economy tanked – running a third time Trump…
Read MoreThe Smell Test
The headline surprised me: Trump donated to Kamala Harris campaign when she was California Attorney General. Trump gave Harris $6000, his daughter Ivanka gave another $2000. Trump’s campaign spokesman brushed it off saying Trump was a ‘global businessman who gave politicians money to play the game and win.’ Trump’s given the same answer himself before.…
Read MoreTwo Different Worlds
The other day on TV a mother wearing a long white sweater sitting beside her dining room table talked about her son dying of a fentanyl overdose – then said she typically voted Republican but this time ‘Josh Stein is who I want to be governor.’ The same day in a video on Facebook, waving…
Read MoreGetting Fooled
Reagan battled Tip O’Neill for years but two Irishmen became friends. When Reagan was wounded O’Neill was one of the first men to visit him in the hospital, knelt by his bed, said a prayer, rising, leaning down, kissed Reagan on the forehead. George Bush and Bill Clinton, the younger Bush and Al Gore, Obama…
Read MoreLearning From Mistakes
Raising more money, making stronger ads, Republicans once had an edge over Democrats in elections. But, of course, over time Democrats learned from their mistakes. Kamala Harris just raised $200 million in one week – no Republican’s done that. For years Republicans’ flashy ads full of melodrama worked but voters have now seen so many…
Read MoreThe Ground Beneath Trump’s Feet
Winds change and without warning politics changes: In 1980 Reagan and Carter were running neck and neck ten days before the election – winds changed, Reagan won 44 states. Sitting in my office ten years later during Jesse Helms’ Senate campaign our pollster pointed to one question in his poll: 80% of the voters disagreed…
Read MoreDodging Won’t Work
No one saw it coming: Running for governor, neck and neck with Josh Stein, Mark Robinson just got upended. Robinson’s family business – Balanced Nutrition – is paid by the state to provide meals for needy children in day care centers. Robinson’s wife, who runs the company, makes $160,000 in salary. Robinson, his son, daughter,…
Read MoreCheering Insults: The Price
There was ice in the room the first time I met Gary Pearce – we stared at each other across a polished table in a conference room negotiating the Helms-Hunt debates. That campaign was brutal like a prize fight but, at the same time, sitting around that table people on both sides were polite to…
Read MoreNY Times: Climbing Out on a Limb, Twice.
Climbing out on a limb the New York Times led the charge to get Biden out of the race. The day after Biden got out the Times published a chart ranking ten Democrat candidates from the most likely to least likely to beat Trump. At the top of the list was Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro…at…
Read MoreHistory: Two Stories
Joe Biden got out of the race. Kamala Harris got in, a legion of Democrats endorsed her, and she raised $50 million in 24 hours. But Harris faces an enigma. Since 1960 Vice Presidents have run for President seven times. Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and Al Gore all lost. Nixon lost in 1960 but won…
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