National Democrats
Stein 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 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)…
Read MoreRace and Change
When Barack Obama won the South Carolina primary, he announced it was a victory for change. If so, it appears while African-Americans were overwhelmingly for change, other Democrat voters were not – because 80% of the African-Americans voted for Obama, while 75% of the white Democrats voted for Edwards or Hillary. Given the first real…
Read MoreWhy did Edwards get out?
John Edwards’ withdrawal was an abrupt surprise – even to his closest supporters. Monday afternoon, his campaign was telling reporters on a conference call that he was in for the duration. Tuesday afternoon, they were sending out fundraising emails and laying on a full schedule through Super Tuesday. Clearly, this was a sudden decision. Politically,…
Read MoreSouth Carolina Winners and Losers
The battle is over. Let’s ride down out of the hills and shoot the wounded: Big Winner? Barack Obama. But he also faces a big racial divide. The question next Tuesday is whether he can win white and Latino votes. Big Losers. The Clintons. Hillary said she found her voice in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, Bill…
Read MorePower of the Press
A couple of weeks ago, the Easley Administration rolled out a new approach on North Carolina’s disastrous mental-health system. Actually, it rolled out Mr. Fix-It: Dempsey Benton, the legendary master city manager from Raleigh who is now Secretary of Health and Human Services. Benton outlined a plan to fix the system. Why? Well, it turns…
Read MoreImagine This
Imagine this. Two Democrats are arguing about John Edwards future. One says, ‘Why not? Why shouldn’t he do it? Here’s the scenario: Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid calls John Edwards, says, John, your running against Elizabeth Dole could mean Democrats keeping control of the Senate. Which could mean the end of the war in Iraq.…
Read MoreThe Clintons Play for Keeps
Hillary Clinton went hard after Barack Obama in Monday’s debate. In front of the Congressional Black Caucus. On Martin Luther King Day. She even got jeered. Why? Because the Clintons’ strategy is to shake, rattle and roll Obama. Take him away from the set-piece orations where he is a master. Put him on the defensive.…
Read MoreThe Union Myth
This presidential race will leave in its wake a long trail of losers. One may be the myth of the unions’ voter-turnout power. John Edwards bet his campaign on the union myth. Then he lost Iowa, his must-win state. Then came Nevada. The TV talkheads told us Nevada was sewn up for Obama because he…
Read MoreDemocrats and Race
Forty years ago, the Democratic Party blew up over race. Can it happen again? In 1968, Richard Nixon and George Wallace invited conservative whites to leave the Democratic Party. They did – in droves. Today, Democrats seem at risk of fracturing over race again. It got this bad: Some Democrats seriously suspect that Hillary Clinton…
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