North Carolina – Democrats
Naked Confidence
Elaine Marshall’s campaign has shown a striking level of confidence about today’s runoff. She said the only way she could lose would be to walk down the street naked. Yep, that would do it. And her campaign apparently sent out a communication that sounded like an early declaration of victory. They…
Read MoreBernie Reeves
The first ‘reality moment’ in a political campaign last week belonged to Bob Etheridge; the second belonged to Bill Randall. Randall, who is locked in a tight runoff with Bernie Reeves, called his first press conference Tuesday and announced – as the cameras rolled – he thought the government and BP had conspired to…
Read MoreRenee Ellmers
Last week was a heckuva week. On Monday, Al Lytton – Renee Ellmers’ campaign manager – and I sat down, racking our brains to figure out how Renee could raise money over the Internet (to match the million odd dollars Bob Etheridge has sitting in his bank account from special interests), then out of…
Read MoreThe Penniless Primary
Campaign-finance reformers take heed: the Democratic U.S. Senate primary is what politics would look like without money. Unexciting, uninspiring and virtually invisible. Plus, virtually no voters. A campaign without TV ads is essentially a campaign that doesn’t exist. Yes, I know the importance of online communications. But TV is still the most powerful…
Read MoreClueless
Editorial writers are sometimes accused of occupying an ivory tower. This one from the Greensboro News & Record must live in a soundproof padded cell. Here’s what he or she wrote yesterday about Bob Etheridge’s video: “For now, his relatively unknown opponent, Renee Ellmers of Dunn, says she’s not going to take advantage…
Read MoreDirty Tricksters
While President Obama struggles with a gush of oil, Bob Etheridge struggles with a gush of videos. It’s the worst close-up since Helen Thomas. Team Etheridge has to push back. And the best defense is a good offense. No, there’s no excuse for Etheridge touching – let alone grabbing – the obnoxious,…
Read MoreBlow-up
The worst wounds in politics are self-inflicted. And Bob Etheridge has delivered himself a doozie of a boo-boo. Getting caught on tape looking like a bully is not helpful in an election year that already looks toxic for incumbents. But Etheridge can survive this. He made a good start by apologizing on…
Read MoreBev at War
I would have missed this one but for Seth Effron’s Quick Clips: “Perdue declares ‘war’ against school resegregation”(The Wilmington Journal). The Journal reported: Declaring that the state was ”in a war,” Governor Beverly Perdue told members of the NC Legislative Black Caucus last weekend that she, as a citizen, fully supported the efforts…
Read MoreOld Guvs Rule
Tuesday’s primaries across the county were good for women candidates. And old governors didn’t do too badly. California Democrats nominated Jerry Brown for governor again. Brown, 72, served as governor from 1975-1983. Iowa Republicans nominated Terry Branstad for a return engagement. Branstad, 63, was governor from 1983-1999. Both were fellow governors with…
Read MoreGolden Oldie
Cal Cunningham may be a young gun, but he’s firing an old Democratic bullet: Social Security. Cunningham’s campaign is battering Elaine Marshall because she “suggested raising the current retirement age of 67 to receive full Social Security benefits.” Cunningham sent an email this week proclaiming, “I went on the record to commit to…
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