Issues
George and Renee — End of Round 1
Renee Ellmers was being clever. She thought. By telling voters George Holding had opposed ‘the U.S. Army.’ But it turned out to not be clever at all. Because when Holding explained that Ellmers was claiming he’d voted against the Army because he’d voted against Obama’s Omnibus Budget Deal – the earth shifted beneath Ellmers’ feet.…
Read MoreRenee and George
Today Renee aired a new radio ad – on top of her TV ad. In her radio ad Renee repeats her attacks saying George voted against farmers and against the U.S. Army. In her TV ad she says she’s out there fighting for conservative values, for the right to life, for less spending, for a…
Read MoreDown the river we go
When Carter and I speak to groups, we often compare politicians to ants on a log floating down a river. The ant thinks: “I’ve got this log going good!” But the river is running things. So it is this election. A year ago, everybody thought it would Jeb Bush vs. Hillary. In North Carolina, we…
Read MoreThe Second District: Food Stamps
In George Holding’s race with Renee Ellmers there’re two issues that no one’s talked much about and which haven’t received a lot of attention. But they should. The first, and most important, more or less defines the difference between George Holding and Renee Ellmers. And the political sleight of hand going on in this…
Read MoreSpecial Elections and a Look Inside a Political Campaign
For one reason or another I haven’t blogged in awhile so I’m going to make it all up in one fell swoop by writing about the campaign that’s been keeping me busy. Back in early March, when the two candidates in the 2nd District were George Holding and Renee Ellmers, George’s campaign took a poll.…
Read MoreGrading teacher pay
Here’s another way the crowd in Raleigh today is hurting North Carolina. WRAL will broadcast a documentary at 7 pm tonight, “Grading Teacher Pay.” The station’s overview: “During the 1990’s Governor Jim Hunt worked with Republicans and Democrats in the legislature to raise the average salary for public school teachers to the national average in…
Read MoreMcCrory: “Oops”
After weeks of staunchly defending HB2 and slamming opponents as a “politically correct” mob of perverts, left-wingers, their allies in the media and their corporate lackeys, Governor McCrory rose from his sickbed – at least, via video and one careful interview – to waffle, wiggle and waver. As one wit said of McCrory’s executive order,…
Read MoreDoes McCrory have HB2-flu?
His staff says he has a “viral contagion.” Like the viral contagion of jobs, visitors, entertainers and businesses avoiding North Carolina like the plague. The Governor cancelled all his public appearances – and avoided all HB2 questions – this weekend. Monday, he summoned up the strength to announce his proposed health budget. But he still wasn’t up to…
Read MoreThe Oldest Deal on Earth
After a year of pummeling the Washington Establishment and vilifying Washington Politicians Donald Trump, at last, dangled a carrot: If he is the nominee, Trump said, he will be happy to raise money for the Republican Party. It was a clever gambit: Trump dangled the vision of millions of dollars flowing into the Republican National…
Read MoreA Pebble
Talk about a politician doing an about face. And another about face. And a third about face. Six years ago when she was elected to Congress, Renee Ellmers ran as an Outsider. But after she arrived in Washington, wooed by the Establishment, made a fuss over by House Speaker John Boehner, she had a change…
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