This Too Shall Pass

A Democratic TAPster offers the thoughts below on how quickly things change in politics:   “Just a few days ago Stuart Rothenberg had a column in Roll Call pondering whether President Obama and the Democrats have made a big mistake focusing on North Carolina as part of the 2012 campaign strategy.  Given what has come…

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McCrory Manager Exposed

Here is the kind of information you won’t get from what Sarah Palin calls the “lamestream media.” It’s only available in the lamebrain media, like this blog.   Specifically, you have to read our Forum section to discover that Pat McCrory’s new campaign manager “has ties to CHARLIE CRIST!”   The TAPster adds: “Crist is…

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Downright Seedy

There’s an outbreak of fornication on Jones Street. In the State House. In Speaker Thom Tillis’ office. Between lobbyists and Tillis’ aides. Yesterday after all the shenanigans landed in the newspapers Speaker Tillis disposed of two aides then, after “reviewing” 130 pages of emails and other records, announced they hadn’t lifted a finger to give…

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Sex and the Speaker’s Office

I like the observations below because the TAPster who wrote them not only takes aim at everybody, but also dares to defend lobbyists:   “The irony – and hypocrisy — of this sex scandal is these staffers work for Republican politicians who imposed their personal morals on the state’s citizens by ramming through the proposed…

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Not Serving Wine

It’s hard to tell who’s crazier: Andrew Young or John Edwards.   Back in 1998 in Myrtle Beach Young hears Edwards make a speech and, as Young told it himself in court last week, fell in love. A few years later Rielle Hunter met Edwards in a New York bar and fell in love too.…

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More to Come?

The N&O story today by Dan Kane and John Frank (“Second Tillis staffer admits to inappropriate relationship with a lobbyist”) had this eye-catching line:   “After Thomas’ resignation, Tillis said he returned to his office on Sunday afternoon and questioned five of his 10 remaining staff members, who had been the subject of rumors related…

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Blame Newt Gingrich

A capital veteran says of the Charles Thomas/lobbyist scandal:   “Sex between legislators, staffers and lobbyists isn’t anything new. Been going on for years. What’s new about this is a private investigator hired by an undisclosed client did the N&O’s investigation and the N&O printed the result. This is a spooky precedent.”   Laura Leslie…

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Walter, Bob, Bill and Pat

Walter Dalton, Bob Etheridge and Bill Faison are slugging it out in the Democratic Primary and the prospect of one of them emerging flat broke after the election and facing Pat McCrory (who’s sitting on $3 million) in the fall has Republicans feeling warm all over about winning the Governor’s race for the first time…

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Payback?

Since their 2010 debacle, Democrats have muttered about an “iron triangle” they believe helped do them in: politically motivated prosecutions, relentless Republican pressure for the investigations and tough media scrutiny. Some even saw a coordinated conspiracy.   So don’t be surprised if they look for payback in the Charles Thomas/lobbyist affair. They want investigations –…

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A Game Changer

Every now and then during the closing days of an election a candidate defines his campaign with one line. Paul Coble did that in the News and Observer this morning. By attacking George Holding for prosecuting Mike Easley and John Edwards.   Last week, Paul Coble attacked George Holding for working for Senator Jesse Helms…

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