Issues
Protesting Politics
In Washington, Republicans vow to fight on against health-care reform. In WakeCounty, school-diversity supporters vow to fight on against the new board’s reassignment plans. In Washington, reform opponents marched on the Capitol, and some spit on congressmen and called them not-nice names. In WakeCounty, diversity supporters protested, demonstrated and even got arrested.…
Read MoreThe Traits of Anony-mices
A while back two meandering tribes of ‘anony-mices’ – as Ms. Joan Troy once called them – set up camp over on the Talking About Politics Forum and, for the past year, these diminutive creatures have made war on one another and just about anyone else they lay eyes on – which brings us to…
Read MoreRevisiting 1994
Fred Heineman’s death takes us back to the Republican tidal year of 1994, when a titanic health-care battle led to a Democratic debacle so huge Heineman temporarily unseated David Price. The big difference this year: Obama succeeded where the Clintons failed. It takes three ingredients to make an electoral revolution: (1) One side…
Read MoreWinning is Good
There hasn’t been a scene like it since LBJ in 1965: Democratic congressional leaders beaming and clapping as a Democratic President signs a big expansion of the social safety net. The question is whether today’s White House ceremony celebrating health-care reform was the last gasp of the Great Society – or a reprise of…
Read MorePolitical Courage
People always say they want politicians to do what’s right, even if it’s unpopular. Of course, they mean: unpopular with somebody else. Still, by that standard, Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi showed a rare level of political guts and perseverance in pushing through health-care reform. Remember two months ago? Scott Brown had just…
Read MoreMuzzling Margiotta
It is becoming clear how to fight back against Ron (Archie Bunker) Margiotta over the future of WakeCounty schools. Let him talk. Fresh after calling people at a public hearing “animals,” Ron/Archie opined recently – at a Republican Party meeting, no less – than the Wake schools should be split into smaller districts.…
Read MoreAn Unhealthy Vote?
Public Policy Polling says that – on health care reform – Democratic Congressmen Bob Etheridge and Health Shuler “both have to decide between voting the way that folks in their party would like them to, or voting the way voters in their district as a whole would like them to.” But I’m not convinced…
Read MoreHealthy Politics
Karl Rove is still playing mind games with Democrats. Pay no attention. Rove claims that, if Congress passes health-care reform, Democrats will lose Congress. Bunk. In truth, Rove fears that Democrats will pass reform, Obama will have a victory and Democrats will have something positive to run on this fall. …
Read MoreIt’s the Economy, Stupid
Those four words – scrawled by James Carville in the Clinton 92 war room – may be the smartest ever uttered in politics. And they say more than the river of words unleashed lately about What’s Wrong With Obama. Washington is awash in the debate. Is it Rahm’s fault? Or Axelrod’s? Why has…
Read MoreTen Years After
The Tea Party crowd is in a frenzy over rising deficits and the national debt. In Asheville Friday, Republican candidates fell all over themselves at a Tea Party meeting that featured a clock tracking the debt. Do these people have any memory cells whatsoever? Obviously not, so let me remind them that,…
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