North Carolina – Democrats
The Pirates and a Chicago Billionaire
These two political consultants from Hollywood go to Chicago and tell a billionaire they have a sure fire way to whip Obama by tying him to Reverend Jeremiah Wright and all they need is $10 million – then, next, before the billionaire writes a check, the consultant’s fifty-four page plan lands in the New York…
Read MoreWhy Obama Is Winning NC
Republican operatives and political reporters alike are busy arguing that President Obama will have a tough time winning North Carolina this year. They’re right, to a point. But they’re missing the point: As long as we’re debating Obama’s chances of winning North Carolina, Obama is winning the presidential race. Obama does not have…
Read MoreA Democrat Can Always Screw Up Worse
Two political consultants sat arguing at the next table. The Democrat said, It’s like the mystery of the dog that didn’t bark in the night, then the Republican said, The reason the dog didn’t bark is simple – because Thom Tillis didn’t do anything wrong, then the Democrat said, He fired two aides for unethical…
Read MoreThe 61 Percent
A TAPster had this interesting take on Governor Perdue’s “Mississippi” comment about the gay-marriage vote: “What some North Carolinians may find offensive about the governor’s remarks is that 61% of the voters have spoken, and in a democracy, that is how we establish public policy, so why should our governor publicly chastise the 61%…
Read MoreThin Skin
Democrats think they’ve found a weakness in Pat McCrory – one that can be fatal in a politician: thin skin. Oddly, it’s the same sensitivity Mitt Romney showed when the Obama campaign raised questions about his business career. Romney took it as a personal attack. McCrory reacted the same way to the Tree.com ad.…
Read MoreRound 1: Dalton vs. McCrory
First the Republicans called Walter Dalton ‘Bev Perdue, Jr.’ Then the Democrats called Pat McCrory a skunk who as Mayor of Charlotte lobbied to get government money for a company that paid him $140,000. Then McCrory’s lawyers threatened to rain legal mayhem on the TV stations if they ran the Democrats’ slanderous ad, and…
Read MoreEnough?
One thing is clear from the John Edwards trial, a second thing is much less clear and a third will play out over time. What is clear, after days of mind-numbing retelling of the sordid tale, is that Edwards did terrible things. And so did several other characters. The prosecutors did a fine job…
Read MoreA Hung Jury
At dinner the other night two lawyers and a priest were arguing about the John Edwards trial and one said, A juror would have to be blind to believe John Edwards when he says he didn’t take that million dollars from those two billionaires to hide his affair from voters. The second lawyer nodded…
Read MoreGeorge Holding: Kenneth Starr Redux?
The breakfast talk turned to John Edwards’ trial – and to a recent PBS special on President Clinton. Someone asked: “Is George Holding going to go down in history as the Kenneth Starr of North Carolina politics?” Starr will forever be remembered as the obsessed special prosecutor who produced a detailed, explicit examination of…
Read MoreDalton in the Line of Fire
Walter Dalton got good news this week: Public Policy Polling showed he had narrowed the gap with Pat McCrory. That’s the natural result of his primary-winning TV ads and the spotlight that comes with victory. Then Dalton got bad news: A big Republican Governors Association TV buy attacking him. But Dalton’s gun is…
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