North Carolina – Republicans
A Ripple or a Wave?
With all the howling going on and the attacks being hurled back and forth on TV between the various campaigns it must be pretty hard for the last handful of undecided voters to figure out what’s true – but Elizabeth Dole may have given them one thing they are going to agree is not true.…
Read MoreThanks, John Kerry
John Kerry’s campaign to destroy the Democratic Party continues. It turns out Kerry was one of the organizers of the Kay Hagan fundraiser in Boston where the “Godless Americans” showed up. A tip of the hat to Democratic consultant Joe Sinsheimer for pointing out Senator Kerry’s continuing contributions to the party. And Joe was right…
Read MoreThe Forgotten Ad
Way back in April, Bev Perdue looked voters straight in the face and said she’d had it with negative ads. She was done. Finished. She was taking hers off the air. Ending negative politics meant more to her than being governor. “Win or lose,” she said, “It’s the right decision for me and for North…
Read MoreBehind the Curtain: Conclusion
Being in a campaign is like peeling the skin off an onion: You just keep peeling away layers until, finally, you get to the core. It turns out in the three major races in North Carolina the core is the same: the fellow sitting at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. If you like George Bush you vote…
Read MoreLiddy’s Gambit
Does Kay Hagan believe in God? To put it bluntly, in her new ad Senator Dole answers that question – No. Dole’s case goes like this: Something in Boston called the Godless Americans PAC held a fundraiser for Hagan. They – very clearly and outspokenly – do not believe in God. And the first twenty-five…
Read MoreBehind the Curtain: The Senate Race
In the Senate race it’s deja vu all over again for the third time: The same scarlet thread running through the races for President and Governor runs right on through Elizabeth Dole’s race. If you like George Bush, you vote for Senator Dole. If you don’t, you vote for Kay Hagan – except for a…
Read MoreHoly War
Elizabeth Dole has rolled a hand grenade into the Senate race. The question is whether it will blow up Kay Hagan or Dole herself. The Dole campaign last night launched an ad tying Hagan to the “Godless Americans PAC.” Today, an attorney sent Dole herself – at her Watergate residence in Washington – a letter…
Read MoreDenny Crane on Gun Control and The Fourth Witch
We’ve about reached the point in the campaign where humor is in short supply – so here’s a video of Boston Legal’s Denny Crane being mugged that floated in over the transom from out in cyberspace. Here’s a link. Email it to a friend. Former House Speaker Richard Morgan’s book, The Fourth Witch: A Memoir…
Read MoreClosing the Gap
One striking thing about the plethora of North Carolina polls has received little attention: There is little difference this year in the Democratic vote for President, Senator and Governor. In 2004, Mike Easley ran some 12 points ahead of John Kerry. Erskine Bowles, although he lost to Richard Burr, ran several points ahead. For years,…
Read MoreThe N&O’s Stunner
An email sent out internally by Pat McCrory’s campaign said it all: “It’s freezing in hell tonight!” The News & Observer endorsed a Republican for Governor. Maybe for the first time ever. Our old friend Mr. Conventional Wisdom says newspaper endorsements don’t matter. Do they matter when man bites dog? The McCrory endorsement is a…
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