Uncategorized

While Mitt Romney was morphing into a moderate last week, an aide to Pat McCrory sent out an email calling his candidate a “centrist Republican.” Two questions: How do conservative Republicans feel about that, and how will both men govern if elected?   The email was from J. C. Blucher Ehringhaus, III of Charlotte, who…

  Guest Tapster blogger Joe Stewart writes: In the same way my daddy has a saying that manners are not all that matter, but what they do matter matters a lot, the relative financial advantage of one candidate over their opponent, or one party versus their rival, doesn’t make all the difference but the difference…

I continue to be amazed by the disgust and distrust of the State Highway Patrol that I hear. One TAPster had a cogent analysis – and some thoughtful ideas:   “Here are a couple of policy suggestions for the governor and General Assembly as the putrid stench of testosterone and KY jelly wafts once again…

President Obama probably wishes his PR team worked as smoothly as the SEAL team that killed Osama and the intelligence team that found him.   The White House fuzzed up the triumph by rushing to put out information that later proved to be wrong.   Here’s a guess about why that happened: The White House…

Elaine Marshall has to make a tough choice: raise money from Raleigh lobbyists or not.   She already took flak for it in the primary. Her defense: It wasn’t much money, and the donors were old friends.   Now that she’s won, it could be a lot more money. And a lot more flak.  …

The Gulf oil spill set off massive responses. No, not the ones to stop the leak or clean up the spill. The political responses: Republicans and the media trying to stick the gooey blame on President Obama – and the White House, to keep it away.   Sarah (“Drill, baby, drill”) Palin says the spill…

There’s an interesting – and important – vote scheduled in the state Senate Finance Committee today at 1 p.m.   The bill is S1209.  The Broadband for Everyone NC coalition – which I’m working with – views this as an industry-sponsored bill that will give control of North Carolina’s broadband (and economic) future to Time…

Senator Richard Burr wins this week’s hypocrisy award hands down.   Formally entering his race for reelection, Burr said something needs to be done to break the “gridlock” in Congress.   This, mind you, is the same man who has dutifully followed his party’s lead in gridlocking budget reform, health-care reform and anything else that…

I keep thinking sooner or later it will turn out there’s nothing to one of these scandals involving Mike Easley – but he’s back in hot water.   According to the News and Observer here’s the prelude to Easley getting a $137,000 discount on a beach front lot: Easley’s aide Ruffin Poole 1) calls a…

I keep thinking sooner or later it will turn out there’s nothing to one of these scandals involving Mike Easley – but he’s back in hot water.   According to the News and Observer here’s the prelude to Easley getting a $137,000 discount on a beach front lot: Easley’s aide Ruffin Poole 1) calls a…