National Republicans
The War Over Women
Often in politics it’s your friends – not your enemies – who do you the most damage. Democrats were on a roll with the Republican “war on women.” Then a Democratic operative, Hillary Rosen, let slip a comment that some people heard as a “war on moms.” Rule One, as President Obama observed,…
Read MoreA Debatable Primary
Here are two questions that answer all you need to know about the Democratic primary for governor. Have you seen a TV ad by any of the candidates? Do you plan to watch any of the three back-to-back debates next week? With no ads running, the debates will give most primary voters…
Read MoreFickleness
Rick Santorum’s struck the flag and the Insurgents and Tea Partiers have been routed by the ‘Old Guard;’ long ago, flush with victory after the 2010 election, the Tea Partiers girded for battle with the Washington Republicans in the Presidential primaries. At first the Insurgents rallied behind Michele Bachmann… …then abandoned Bachmann for…
Read MoreRomney’s Superpower
Democrats better not get too giddy over the USA Today/Gallup Poll that showed President Obama taking a 51-42 lead in the top 12 battleground states (which include North Carolina). Obama’s lead is thanks to women under 50, who now favor Obama over Mitt Romney by 2-1. Clearly, the Republican primary fight – and…
Read MoreObama v Roberts
Some people are shocked, shocked, I tell you, that President Obama would challenge the majesty of the Supreme Court. Get real. Court-bashing is as American as apple pie. Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Franklin D. Roosevelt all challenged the court. For years after Brown v Board of Education, “Impeach Earl Warren” signs lined…
Read MoreA Baffling Mystery
Somebody please explain this. Every Republican running for any office – no matter how high or low – seems to be running against Obamacare. They rail against the mandate that everyone have health insurance. They say it’s socialistic, un-American and an outrageous intrusion of our liberties. They vow to repeal it. Yet,…
Read MoreWhatever Happened to the presidential Debates?
Two months ago the Republican Presidential Primary was rolling along like a locomotive fueled by Presidential debates on CNN, Fox and MSNBC; those debates flattened Rick Perry, gave birth to Herman Cain, created the Gingrich boomlet then propelled Santorum past Gingrich as the alternative to Mitt Romney. The debates gave Republican voters looking for…
Read MoreSkewering Newt and Mitt
Rick Santorum’s national campaign may be lagging, but he’s getting hard-hitting help in North Carolina. Bob Harris, the legendary Congressional Club researcher (“Where do you stand, Jim?”) has done two TV ads for Santorum. Harris said the ads began running in the Wilmington market this week. They’re sponsored by his super-PAC, Keep Conservatives…
Read MoreMitt Tillis
There’s a whiff of Mitt Romney about Thom Tillis. Witness his prediction that the gay-marriage amendment, which he supports, will be repealed in 20 years. Was he playing to a college crowd? Once again signaling he’s not really comfortable with the right-wing social issues? Or was it a classic political gaffe – when you…
Read MoreThe Ironies of ObamaCare
A gun store in eastern North Carolina uses its electronic billboard to run a mix of hard-right political messages and gun-sale pitches. One message reads: “Work harder. Millions on welfare depend on you.” When it comes to health care, the billboard could read: “Work harder. Millions without insurance depend on you.” But therein lies…
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