North Carolina – Democrats
Millions of Reasons for Hope
Here’s some tonic for Democrats depressed about last week’s elections. In North Carolina, 2.7 million people voted Nov. 2 – a turnout of 43 percent. In 2008, 4.3 million North Carolinians voted – a 70 percent turnout. That’s a drop of 1.6 million voters. Nationally, 75 million people voted last year. In 2008,…
Read MorePerdue’s Choice
Governor Perdue faces a critical policy and political choice. The media is focused on what the new Republican legislature will do to balance the budget. But the Governor has to make the first move. She proposes the budget. And the course she takes could decide whether she becomes North Carolina’s first one-term…
Read MoreDid the Dam Break?
North Carolina Democrats have survived three near-death elections: 1972, 1984 and 1994. But will 2010 be the one when the dam finally breaks and we go the way of the rest of the South? Some smart Democrats here think so. They see a decade – or more – of Republican dominance ahead. They believe…
Read MoreReset
The great thing about political blogging is that the game never ends. For the next two months, we get to watch the positioning for the legislative session. Governor Perdue’s first statement got it right: We need to work together in a time of economic and fiscal crisis. But she’ll have conflicting advice. Move…
Read MoreAn Education in Washington Politics
Election night, after the ten counties in her district reported their votes, Renee Ellmers led incumbent Congressman Bob Etheridge by 2,100 votes. (That number is crucial because under North Carolina law Congressman Etheridge is not entitled to an ‘automatic recount’ if he trails by more than 1% – or 1,888 votes.) Then the afternoon…
Read MoreAll Politics Is National
As Carter said on a radio interview we did a couple of weeks ago, Tip O’Neill’s axiom – “all politics is local” – is dead. Democrats vote Democratic – up and down the line. Republicans vote Republican. And Independents rarely split their tickets any more. The dramatic turnover in the North Carolina legislature…
Read MoreMemo to Democrats
Face it: We got whacked. The natural reactions are denial and rationalization: “We didn’t communicate well.” Or, “The voters just don’t get it.” Or, “Evil Big Money drowned us out.” Wrong, wrong and wrong. The American voters just didn’t like the dishes Democrats served up the last two years. The signal…
Read MoreA Small Problem
About a year ago, Governor Perdue’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Lanier Cansler, a former lobbyist, did a strange thing: He gave an exclusive $30 million no-bid contract to a company that had only been in existence for two months – Prodigy Diabetes Care. Naturally, the press, suspicious, started digging and soon found…
Read MoreA Thumpin’
At this point, North Carolina Democrats are reduced to asking: How bad will it be? Will Republicans have only a slim margin in the state House and Senate – an invitation for coalition mischief? Or will they win upwards of 25 Senate seats and 65 House seats? Will Marc Basnight land on his…
Read MoreCaesar’s Wife and Voting Machines
During my childhood my grandmother used to tell me ‘appearances matter. Julius Caesar, I learned later, felt the same way. One night his wife, Pompeia, found herself in a awkward encounter with a Roman gentleman bent on seducing her. By most accounts Pompeia was innocent but nonetheless her encounter with young Publius Clodius led to…
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