Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
John McCain could beat Barack Obama. But he can’t beat the combination of Obama, George Bush, Dow Jones and, most of all, John McCain himself. McCain came out swinging last night. And he connected repeatedly. Unfortunately, most of his punches landed squarely on his own jaw. The media and talking heads have spewed out millions…
Read MoreIf there were a Nobel Prize for Being Stupid, it would be shared this year by the 3,200 academics who signed an on-line petition defending William Ayers. Thereby guaranteeing continued news coverage of Obama and Ayers. It makes you wonder why we save all this money to send our kids to college. Click Here to…
Read MoreRuth Sheehan’s column this morning raises a perennial campaign complaint: “The Democrats/Republicans are stealing our yard signs!” No campaign manager has ever escaped getting that call. Yard signs are the bane of a campaign. They cost money, and no political pro believes they do any good. But any candidate – as well as his or…
Read MoreI recently heard a presentation by one of the best media-training professionals I’ve ever met, Don Rheem of Washington. He wasn’t talking about the presidential race, but he made a comment that summed up John McCain’s problem: “People don’t care what you think until they know that you care.” McCain has never made a fundamental…
Read MoreGovernor Charlie Crist of Florida is the weather vane of American politicians. He can sense the slightest shift in the political breeze and trim his sails as quickly as anyone I’ve ever seen. You don’t need a poll to know what’s happening in Florida. Just watch Crist. Right now, he is telling you that John…
Read MoreWhen I was doing campaigns and it got to be mid-October, I got to where I hated undecided voters. I’d sit behind the two-way mirrors in focus groups and almost shout: “What’s wrong with you people, and why can’t you make up your minds? What else do you need to know?” I have the same…
Read MoreIt’s come killing time in the presidential race and the Old Admiral’s in trouble – it’s the fourth quarter, he’s behind and he’s got to drive the ball down the field and score, right now, or he’s going to find himself throwing ‘Hail Mary’ passes. We Republicans keep telling ourselves Barack Obama’s not tough enough…
Read MoreI have no inside knowledge of what’s going on inside the Dole campaign. But it looks increasingly like an unhappy and divided campaign. The TV ads are terrible. Loyal Republican Dole even voted against the Wall Street bailout. That’s a sure sign she’s in trouble. Based on some experience with dysfunctional campaigns, I’ll hazard some…
Read MoreTwo straws in the wind: A friend who supported Richard Moore in the primary said last week he’s disappointed that Moore hasn’t done more for Bev Perdue. The McCrory campaign says they are getting support from a lot of former Moore people. One tradition always holds for Democratic gubernatorial candidates: Bitter primaries lead to general…
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Does a message about “workers,” “working families” and “working-class voters” really work for Democrats? Or does…
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I’ve resisted the temptation to rail every day about Trump’s cruelty, corruption and incompetence – and…
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Jeanette Hyde went from Miss Yadkin County to Madam Ambassador. Hyde, who died Monday at age…
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