North Carolina – Republicans
A Good Reason Nobody Knows?
It must be the Governor’s nightmare – opening the newspaper and seeing the acronym ‘DHHS.’ The other morning one headline roared DHHS (the Department of Health and Human Services) had hired another former campaign worker (not from his campaign this time but from the Republican Party) and another headline roared it had fired a…
Read MoreDHHS Is the New DOT
A great investigative reporter once said, “DOT is God’s gift to investigative reporters.” Make way for DHHS. Doesn’t anybody there realize how much political damage they are doing to Governor McCrory? Doesn’t anybody around the Governor? Or McCrory himself? He based his campaign for Governor on ending Raleigh’s “culture of corruption and cronyism”…
Read MoreOn TV Ads, Pelion and Ossa
Carter made a great point in his blog about the McCrory TV ad. And he made a wonderful classical allusion that greatly elevated the intellectual level of this blog. First, the allusion, “piling Pelion on Ossa.” It’s from Greek mythology. I had to look it up. Here’s the Wikipedia link. As for the…
Read MoreConcerned about Pat?
About the last thing on earth the Governor needed when he opened the newspaper the other morning was to read the Department of Health and Human Services had hired another former political campaign worker. But it had. Now the young campaign worker – who’s been hired to handle the Department’s ‘branding’ – may…
Read MoreThe First Test?
It’s hard to say exactly when the tide that landed Republicans in the soup began to whirl and eddy – maybe it was on Election Night, or when the legislature came to town, or when the Moral Monday demonstrations ignited and breathed life into the Democrats. But no matter how or when it began, last…
Read MorePat’s Mid-Year Review
A veteran executive of a big North Carolina corporation offers this: “If Governor McCrory had remained in corporate America, he would’ve been subjected to a mid-year review by his boss to ensure he’s on target to meet his goals and objectives. “Let’s see how he’s doing as governor: “Strategic planning and execution. Needs…
Read MoreOn His Heels
Governor McCrory says he’s not afraid “to step on toes.” It looks more like he’s tripping over his own feet. And some of his key appointees can’t find their footing. At this rate, they’ll all get the boot.
Read MoreListening to Voters
A veteran political hand once gave me this insight into how political people overestimate how much attention voters are paying: “The voters listen a lot slower than we talk.” Two pieces of recent evidence: John Frank’s fascinating set of articles in the N&O about voters in swing districts and a new poll on the…
Read MoreWho Is Paying for This?
Taxpayers are paying for big salaries and big consulting contracts at DHHS. Are they also paying for “security” so the Secretary won’t have to answer questions about what the taxpayers are paying? An indignant TAPster emailed on Sunday: “Ned Barnett’s column this morning says that Aldona Wos has ‘security personnel.’ I guess this really…
Read MoreMeeker’s Toe Dip
When Charles Meeker let fly his Governor-in-2016 trial balloon, you saw two things about where the political winds are blowing today. First, Democrats sense Governor McCrory is vulnerable. That’s no news flash. Everybody has concluded that over the last month. Including McCrory and his allies. That’s why they’re denouncing the media, promising to whack…
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