North Carolina – Republicans
Odd and Odder
If you think about it DENR’s proposal was pretty odd. Last winter, when tons of water from a coal ash pond poured into the Dan River, there was consternation and gnashing of teeth. The U.S. Attorney started investigating. The Governor ordered every coal ash pond cleaned up. The legislature said Amen. Then, with…
Read MoreDebating Debates
The after-debate on who won is more interesting than the debates themselves. You can rely on the partisans to declare victory. The media focuses on substance, issues and fact checks, none of which anybody is interested in. The stories are predictable: Candidates “clashed…traded jabs… repeated talking points…didn’t say anything new…etc.” This year the…
Read MoreAnother Debate
Here’re the three tartest comments I heard about the Ellmers-Aiken debate. “He has the silliest pompadour since Jim Hunt.” “She was catty.” “The person on stage most qualified to serve in Congress was David Crabtree.”
Read MoreStates’ Rights Redux
Some North Carolina politicians sound today just like their predecessors in the 1950s, railing against the Supreme Court and rallying behind “state’s rights.” Then it was racial discrimination. Today it’s same-sex marriage. Then – as today – the politicians were on the wrong side of history. They say the state’s ban on gay…
Read MoreThom’s Not Their Cup of Tea
Thom Tillis is getting the worst of both worlds. The Tea Party doesn’t think he’s one of them, and voters think he’s too close to the Tea Party. The right-leaning Washington Times quoted one Wilkes County Tea Party leader, Joe Greene: “He’s an establishment Republican. That’s why I’m opposed to him. A lot of…
Read MoreMedia Scandals
When the media covers a scandal involving a politician, the coverage can be as big an issue as the politician. Take two stories this week – one national and one in-state. The state Senate race in Fayetteville between incumbent Wesley Meredith and challenger Billy Richardson blew up over allegations that Meredith and his ex-wife…
Read MoreThe R-Word
How toxic is the Republican brand in Wake County? Just listen to Republican politicians. Gary Pendleton (House 49) boasts of his “Democrat (sic) friends.” (Note: Democrats hate it when Republicans use “Democrat” as an adjective. It’s “Democratic.”) Tom Murry (House 41) says he’s “independent” and “stood up to his own party.” You…
Read MoreWhy Hagan Won
Yes, there’s still five weeks to go. Yes, anything can happen. But the story of this race is likely to be that Thom Tillis lost it when he stayed Speaker in this year’s legislative session. Apparently Tillis stayed on so he could raise money. But he didn’t, and he’s at a big financial disadvantage…
Read MoreGOP Voter Fraud
A party that denies citizens their constitutional right to vote is a party that deserves to lose. That’s the Republican Party today. The party of Lincoln and TR has become the party of Block the Vote: Voter-suppression laws. Cutting back early voting. No same-day voter registration. Elections boards that twist the laws to suit…
Read MoreCooking Numbers at Civitas
Maybe Thom Tillis should give Civitas’ pollster math lessons. Thursday morning, Civitas put out this release: “Democrat Tom Bradshaw leads Republican John Alexander by 16 percentage points in the NC Senate District 15 race, according to a new Civitas Flash Poll….” The poll, conducted last Monday and Tuesday, showed Bradshaw ahead 52-36 percent. …
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