National Republicans
Some Folks Never Learn
Senator Richard Burr’s campaign has a rare decorum: There’s been no name calling, no finger pointing and no rants which has to appeal to voters who’re fed up with politics. But sometimes your friends, meaning to be helpful, can land you in a soup. One night last election (in 2014) as I was sitting in…
Read MoreStuck in the Mud?
I turned on Fox News and there was Donald Trump arms waving at a rally giving a vintage broadside. I thought, This is getting old. Two polls last week showed Trump trailing Hillary Clinton by 9 points and 12 points nationally. Another poll showed Trump’s Unfavorable rating rising to 70%: And here in North Carolina…
Read MoreRe-Runs
Back during the Presidential Primary Donald Trump would go on a tear and give the Washington Insiders hell and watching him was enjoyable – but, now, watching Donald Trump berating Pocahontas the way he berated Lyin’ Ted and Little Marco is like watching the same TV program over and over again. I guess Trump would…
Read MoreLooking Back: The Master of the Deal
When George Holding took his final poll on the Wednesday before the election he led Renee Ellmers by almost 30 points. Then, three days later, on Saturday Donald Trump jumped into the primary with both feet – and endorsed Ellmers. In a way Trump’s move was a surprise: Ellmers had initially supported John Kasich and,…
Read MoreLooking Back: The Mastermind
I imagine it happened this way: After the Republican Leaders in Congress went down to the White House and made the ‘Omnibus Budget Deal’ with President Obama they then called a caucus of Republican Congressmen to get the votes to pass it. The Leaders explained to the rows of Congressmen how the deal was not…
Read MoreGOP crack-up
We’re witnessing an historic falling-out between the two wings that have given flight to the Republican Party since 1968: the Racists and the Elitists. Since Richard Nixon’s Southern Strategy that year, the Elitists have been able to signal and dog-whistle the Racists enough to keep them inside the tent without offending too many Americans. But…
Read MoreSo it begins
As Donald Trump doubled down on the race card, Hillary Clinton didn’t just play the woman card, she dealt the whole damn deck. The Clinton campaign waited until she could claim victory to proclaim a historic first for women. And it happened just as a Stanford swimmer, his father and a judge reminded us how…
Read MoreUp on the roof
Last evening, a crew was putting a new roof on the house across the way. Three men worked steadily, climbing up and down a tall ladder and steeply pitched roof, hauling up shingles, hammering them in place and trimming the edges. On the ground, two women cleaned up, piling the trash into a wheelbarrow and…
Read MoreBernout?
Hillary Clinton’s campaign will spend today and tomorrow proclaiming that the race is over and prodding Bernie Sanders to give up. She hopes he’ll fold easier than she did eight years ago and than Ted Kennedy did in 1980 (which gave us 12 years of Republican Presidents). You can bet there’s a bitter battle going…
Read MoreThe Hillary and Donald Show
Fittingly, a polarized nation will have a polarized election between our two most polarizing politicians. It’s a real reality show, with voters telling one, “You’re fired,” and the other, “You’re President.” Trump can play his role in The Apprentice, and Hillary can reprise her bartender role from Saturday Night Live. As always, voters will judge…
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