North Carolina – Democrats
Marshall and Agents
There’s an old joke that the most dangerous place to be in an election year is between a politician and a TV camera. This year, the most dangerous place may be in any group regulated by Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. Her Senate campaign got big headlines today by promising to investigate sports…
Read MoreU-turn
Governor Perdue made the right move in removing Colonel Glover from the Patrol. By the way, don’t believe for a minute it was Glover’s idea – or that the Governor was “surprised.” These things don’t work that way. Unfortunately, she reversed direction a week later than she should have. This should have happened…
Read MorePraying in the State House
Back in May the State House invited Reverend Ron Baity down to Raleigh (from his Baptist Church in Winston-Salem) to be Chaplain for a week but when the minister got up and ended his first prayer with “In Jesus name” House Speaker Jack Hackney promptly fired him. Because, Hackney says, by tradition prayers in…
Read MoreWho Can You Trust?
It’s a bad time for once-trusted institutions. Highway Patrol: Yes, the vast majority of the line troopers are courageous and honorable. That’s why they – and the public – and mad at the people at the top. UNC-TV: Pulled off a rare two-fer by looking both unprofessional AND spineless. It’s bad when your…
Read MoreSurprise and Wonder
Politicians, like most people, are creatures of habit plodding along each day going through the same routines day in and day out – then just when you figure there are no surprises left in human nature (or, at least, in politicians) somewhere deep in subterranean caverns tides shift and suddenly you find yourself staring open-mouthed…
Read More911
One of the hardest things to do in politics – when a “crisis” comes at you every day, or every hour – is to recognize when you face a truly defining moment. Governor Perdue faces one now with the Highway Patrol. How she handles it could determine the course of her governorship – and…
Read MoreUh-oh
A veteran Democratic politico asked me this week: “Are you feeling as bad about this coming election as I am?” Yep. Especially after this report on the state parties’ fundraising byJim Morrill in the Charlotte Observer/N&O: “The Republican Party, meanwhile, has raised more than $1 million since January 2009 to Democrats’ $649,000, though…
Read MoreFinding Hope in Numbers
Ever since Governor Perdue’s brief honeymoon ended, public polls have brought her nothing but bad news. So her advisers not surprisingly found a silver lining in Public Policy Polling’s numbers on her and the Highway Patrol. But don’t get carried away. Last week’s poll found that 67 percent of North Carolinians have a…
Read MoreMissing Rand?
Democrats are worried about losing the State Senate this year – especially without Tony Rand to run their caucus campaigns. After Democrats came within one seat of losing the Senate in 1994, Rand and Marc Basnight build a high-performance operation. They hired good people, did good polling and spent money based on cold-eyed calculations…
Read MoreOily Burr
According to a recent N&O headline, “Burr says oil ads won’t ruffle feathers.” Senator Burr has to say that. I doubt he believes it. Two years ago, Elizabeth Dole’s campaign didn’t worry about independent ads attacking her. That’s why she’s former Senator Dole today. The latest ad attacking Burr – showing an…
Read More