Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Owned by Developers?
There’s a little flap going on in Raleigh’s city elections about who’s coziest with developers. It started when someone, apparently tied to a blog supporting Councilman Russell Stephenson, put up a phony website attacking challenger Mary Ann Baldwin. But, in fact, Meeker, Stephenson, Crowder and Company – the three amigos on the City Council –are…
Keeping Him Bought
Most of us realize candidates for President (except the candidate we happen to be supporting at the moment), well, to put it politely, dissemble. In fact, my friend, John, is leaning toward choosing his candidate this time based on how well he dissembles. His current choice is Mitt Romney. John’s theory works like this: If…
New Story Line to Come
Hunter S. Thompson once compared national political reporters to birds on a wire. One lands on a wire, the rest follow. One flies to another wire, they all follow. So look for the birds to land on a new Hillary Clinton wire soon. The conventional wisdom, as confirmed on Page One of Sunday’s The New…
Keep Your Head in the Heat of Battle
In campaigns, the worst wounds are often self-inflicted. Witness two A+ political operatives I know who made D- mistakes last week. Julie White, who works for gubernatorial candidate Richard Moore, got caught using a state computer to request public-records info on Lt. Beverly Perdue. Plus, as the News & Observer’s Under the Dome has chronicled,…
Shop at Crabtree Valley
To add insult to injury (as far as North Hill’s developer John Kane’s $78 million parking deck goes) the city is now building not one but two decks downtown. The first mammoth ($35-40 million) underground deck is already underway. But just to be sure he doesn’t run out of parking the Mayor’s building another 500…
Arson?
What I want to know is which fool â walking around Dare County â torched Marc Basnightâs restaurant? That would be akin to burning down Don Corleoneâs olive oil business. At first when I read the News and Observer headline â âSBI Blames Arson for Fire at Basnightâs Caféâ â I thought (for one second)…
The Phony War Debate
America is adrift in Iraq – and losing the war. But the political debate is about Hillary’s health care plan, Edwards’ attacks on Hillary’s “corporate insiders,” Obama’s tax plan, Moveon.org attacking Gen. Petraeus, Rudy attacking Moveon for attacking Petraeus and Fred Thompson being lazy. General Petraeus made clear in his congressional testimony that we’re not…
Hillary Calls on Women
Several women in Raleigh reported getting taped phone calls from Hillary Clinton this week – with a message aimed right at women. I’m told Hillary says something like: When I’m President, women and their daughters will walk a little bit taller in America. The strategy is brilliant. It’s aimed at the most important voting group…
Park the Hypocrisy
Carter has written some hard-hitting pieces lately against the Goodyear-Bridgestone incentives. All the Republican candidates for Governor agree that incentives are bad. So do conservative groups like the John Locke Society. It looks like all good Republican conservatives are against subsidizing private companies. Or maybe not. The biggest subsidy boondoggle bubbling today is from North…