North Carolina – Republicans
An Example of Spin
For the last month Paul Coble’s been running a TV ad criticizing Congress for raising the national debt 50%. Then, the other day, The American Foundations Committee (which is running an independent campaign supporting George Holding) ran an ad pointing out Coble has supported raising Wake County’s debt 93%. Coble’s response: He told the press…
Read MoreNew Governor, New Legislature, New Reality
Here’s a question that should come up in the Democratic gubernatorial candidates – a question no Democratic candidate for governor has ever been asked: How will you deal with a legislature controlled by Republicans? The closest we came was 1996, when Jim Hunt was running for reelection and Republicans controlled the House. But Hunt…
Read MoreSkewering Newt and Mitt
Rick Santorum’s national campaign may be lagging, but he’s getting hard-hitting help in North Carolina. Bob Harris, the legendary Congressional Club researcher (“Where do you stand, Jim?”) has done two TV ads for Santorum. Harris said the ads began running in the Wilmington market this week. They’re sponsored by his super-PAC, Keep Conservatives…
Read MoreFailing Grade for the Legislature
Democrats now have their bumper-sticker message for 2012 – thanks to 25 North Carolina school superintendents. Republican legislators deny they cut any teachers. But the superintendents told a different story at a statewide hearing: “Superintendents said they had laid off teachers, teacher assistants, assistant principals and central office staff members during several years…
Read MoreReformed to Death?
Several Democratic readers responded to yesterday’s blog, “School Choice.” One wrote: “Our message should be, ‘Reform and Invest’.” Another said: “Schools need BOTH reform & investment. Any politician who preaches reform w/out resources is just using reform as a fig leaf.” A third said Pat McCrory’s education plan “is things Perdue/Easley/Hunt already did or…
Read MoreSchool Choice
For all the millions of dollars and words expended, elections always come down to simple choices that can be captured in a few words. In the governor’s race, it looks like the choice will come down to Pat McCrory’s “fix the problems” versus the Democrat’s “invest in education.” That could be a disastrous framing…
Read MoreFamily and Friends
Sometimes politicians are just plain silly. This morning it appears Paul Coble woke up in a pique and right off ripped off an email lighting into George Holding. “George Holding” Coble wrote, “doesn’t smile much. But $214,000 in hard, cold special interest cash has him smiling like the Cheshire car – ear to…
Read MoreGetting Real on Reading
Pat McCroryâs much-ballyhooed education platform reads like a compilation of every cliché and buzzword of the last three decades. This tweet from the McCrory campaign especially struck me: â3rd grade is a critical year for reading. We are not doing our children favors by socially promoting them to 4th grade.â Right you are,…
Read MoreMitt Tillis
There’s a whiff of Mitt Romney about Thom Tillis. Witness his prediction that the gay-marriage amendment, which he supports, will be repealed in 20 years. Was he playing to a college crowd? Once again signaling he’s not really comfortable with the right-wing social issues? Or was it a classic political gaffe – when you…
Read MoreContemplating Your Navel
Back in 1976 when Ronald Reagan was running in the North Carolina Primary, Arthur Finkelstein (Reagan’s pollster) hammered into my head the importance of time in campaigns, saying a hundred times, Campaigns have three resources: People, money and time. You can hire more people and raise more money but you can’t make one second more…
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