North Carolina – Democrats
The Preacher, the Politician and the Marine
Democrats were downright giddy when the Preacher beat the Politician in the 9th District Republican primary. Pundits immediately upped the odds for the Marine, Democrat Dan McCready. The Politician’s campaign consultant said the outcome showed November could be “brutal” for Republicans. Hold the confetti. Remember how giddy Democrats were two summers ago when Republicans nominated…
Read MoreRed sea in Raleigh
Not surprisingly, commentary on the teacher rally focused on teacher pay – and teacher politics. Namely, will the red tide that swamped the Legislative Building Wednesday swamp the Republicans in November and sweep in the Democrats? Both parties were ready. The Republicans covered their windows with selective numbers on their teacher pay record. They rolled…
Read MoreA Tiff (Between Democrats)
It was odd. In Wake County, during their primary, a coalition of liberal activists led by Dean Debnam launched a campaign to defeat four incumbent Democratic County Commissioners (who I’d always thought of as pretty liberal themselves). You wouldn’t usually expect to find a liberal Democrat doing favors for a developer but that’s exactly what…
Read MoreHall’s fall
Duane Hall didn’t let party leaders push him out. So the voters threw him out. Hall’s handling of sexual harassment accusations smacked of Trump. Hall denied ever doing anything wrong. He attacked the women who spoke up. He attacked the media as having a “personal vendetta” against him. Only 27 percent of the primary voters…
Read MoreHall’s fall
Duane Hall didn’t let party leaders push him out. So the voters threw him out. Hall’s handling of sexual harassment accusations smacked of Trump. Hall denied ever doing anything wrong. He attacked the women who spoke up. He attacked the media as having a “personal vendetta” against him. Only 27 percent of the primary voters…
Read MoreHow Democrats can lose
This is how Democrats can turn the much-hyped “blue wave” into barely a ripple. This is why I tell Republicans who fear a Democratic landslide this year, “Don’t worry. We’ll find a way to screw it up. We’ve got our best people working on it.” Equality NC says it won’t support Democratic legislators who voted…
Read MoreGood ol’ Pat
A recent death moved Gene Upchurch, a retired Progress Energy executive, to write this tribute: When I read the N&O’s obituary of Pat Taylor, the former lieutenant governor who died Sunday at the age of 94, it occurred to me that I might be the only person in the state who was actually hypnotized by…
Read MoreWhat is the Democratic message?
State Rep. Graig Meyer posed that question to Governor Roy Cooper – and posted a video of the Governor’s response. Below is a lightly edited transcript. Meyer began by asking, “What are the values that make you a Democrat?” Cooper: “Well, I got my values growing up in eastern North Carolina. I’m a person of…
Read MoreReality Show Politics
The state Democratic Party heard the Republican Party was making automated calls, had heart palpitations, and filed a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s office. The Consumer Protection Agency sent the complaint to the Republican Party – and asked for a response. When GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse read the Democrats…
Read MoreA Cautious Man and a Joint Committee
For years, whenever Roy Cooper passed on running for Governor, people would smile and say, Ole Roy — he’s just naturally cautious. The other day when Governor Cooper announced he’d granted the gas pipeline companies the state permit they needed the way he explained it sounded fine: We’d get a pipeline. Plus the companies would…
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