North Carolina – Democrats
Cansler’s Deposition Part Two
Back at the end of February Secretary Lanier Cansler was deposed and the lawyer doing the deposing asked him under oath what clients he’d represented as a lobbyist (before he was Secretary), and if any of them, back then, had done business with DHHS. “Let’s see,” Cansler said, “clients I did was – Computer…
Read MoreCansler’s Deposition
Last summer, for reasons that aren’t quite clear, Secretary Lanier Cansler and his Deputy Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries and aides trooped over to the General Assembly and told legislators they had a report that absolutely, conclusively, without a doubt proved 45% of the Medicaid patients who were receiving in home care were chiselers. Of course,…
Read MoreGrasping for Negatives
I had my hopes up. For a few minutes, I thought the Senate primary was going to get down, dirty and negative – just the way I like them. Wednesday morning, Cal Cunningham’s campaign sent out a breathless email denouncing a “negative letter the Marshall campaign just sent to many of our supporters, attacking…
Read MoreCrab Pots, Mental Health and a Perdue Meltdown
Last week over on NC Spin Tom Campbell published a glowing interview with Perdue Cabinet Secretary Lanier Cansler – but even before the ink dried on the page the yarn Cansler spun Campbell was coming undone. You might think before the Governor and Secretary Cansler put someone in charge of caring for the state’s…
Read MoreHeard of Google?
Governor Perdue and Lanier Cansler didnât need the John Tote fiasco. Perdue has made strides putting her administration in order. Cansler has the thankless task of managing an unmanageable department. But he has Carter and the home-health hounds gnawing on his leg, and the mainstream media is starting to chew too. Then comes…
Read MoreA Primary Lesson
Democrats, Republicans, Tea Partiers, anti-Tea Partiers – everybody – found something to like in last week’s primaries across the country. I found a lesson in a special congressional election in Pennsylvania that applies to a congressional election in North Carolina – specifically, to the efforts by the State Employees Association of North Carolina to…
Read MoreEndorsements and Establishments
Do endorsements matter? Not judging from Tuesday’s primaries. A candidate endorsed by President Obama loses a Democratic primary in Pennsylvania. A candidate endorsed by the Senate Republican leader – and the state’s senior Senator – loses the GOP primary in Kentucky. So how does Ken Lewis’ endorsement help Elaine Marshall? Well, it’s…
Read MoreA Conflict for Elaine Marshall?
Is there an inherent conflict in Secretary of State Elaine Marshall regulating lobbyists while running ads about “taking on” lobbyists? And is it proper for Marshall to ask lobbyists she regulates to contribute to her campaign? I’ve talked to several lobbyists who are outraged by what they see as a conflict, but are…
Read MoreThe Senate Race
Maybe I was wrong. After the primary, I didn’t see how Cal Cunningham could come from nine points back. Elaine Marshall’s campaign manager, Thomas Mills, is trying to cut off Cunningham’s cash by sending out a memo saying he can’t win. The Cunningham campaign is pushing back, trying to reload his donor base.…
Read MoreDueling with a Reporter
While Democratic Senate Leader Martin Nesbit was dancing a two-step with reporter Mark Johnson, Governor Perdue was having her own duel with the News and Observer’s Andrew Curliss – and she wasn’t doing as well as Nesbit. Curliss set about grilling the Governor on what she’s doing – and not doing – to clean…
Read More