The Happiest Warrior

As this sad, dispiriting campaign winds down, one man looks like he’s having fun: President Obama. You see it when he speaks at rallies, when he chides Trump for “whining” and when he pokes fun at himself in interviews. So here are the imagined ruminations of the President during one of those late nights at…

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Such a nasty man

Donald Trump soundly defeated Donald Trump last night. For a while at the start, Republicans had reason to hope he would arrest the free fall. Then Trump slipped out of his handlers’ leash. Or the drugs wore off. And again we saw the real Donald Trump. The headline, of course, is that he is the…

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The Last Great Debate

The ‘Last Great Debate’ starts in a few hours. In a nutshell a political debate like this one boils down to a simple fact: It’s a confrontation between two people – who’re facing each other across a stage – who each want to prove he or she will be a better President or Governor or…

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Why isn’t she winning by 50 points?

As Donald Trump continues to escape Earth orbit, Hillary Clinton’s election appears increasingly likely. Yet…why do we still fear that Trump will turn into an asteroid, slam into us on Election Day and pulverize life as we know it? Let’s look at two exhibits. In a perceptive analysis, Dan Balz of the Washington Post wrote…

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Debate tips for tonight

What should Clinton and Trump do tonight? Tim Funk of the Charlotte Observer put that question to several North Carolina talking heads, including Carter and me. Read “Here’s what NC experts say Clinton, Trump need to do in last-chance debate.”

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Ryan’s Gambit

It was like watching a fire start – an errant spark lands in the trashcan, the paper ignites, the rug smolders, the flames lick up the wall, the fire spreads throughout the house. Monday the Wall Street Journal published a poll showing Hillary rolling to an 11-point lead and showing Democrats ahead by 7 points…

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A Rock and a Hard Place

Joe Klein published the best report on the Second Presidential Debate. There’s not much to add. Hillary was Hillary. No surprises there. More than a few folks thought Trump might disintegrate but he didn’t – so, as they say in politics, he ‘exceeded expectations.’ The result wasn’t exactly a resounding victory for Trump but he…

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The Stalker

Last night Donald Trump looked like a stalker, one of those sexual predators Republicans are so concerned about, except when he’s their nominee for President. After hearing his boys-on-the-bus “locker room talk,” we weren’t shocked by anything he said. The lying, rudeness and interrupting were familiar. What was new was what he did. Pacing. Sniffing.…

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An Unpopular Question

Hillary, speaking about Bernie Sanders’ supporters, explained, “They’re children of the Great Recession. And they are living in their parent’s basement. They feel they got their education, and the jobs that are available to them are not at all what they envisioned for themselves.” Donald Trump shot back: “Hillary Clinton thinks Bernie supporters are hopeless…

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