Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Follow this. The governor orders the press spokesman (Debbie Crane) at the Department of Health and Human Resources fired. But tells his press office to say her boss, Dempsey Benton, was the one who made the decision to fire her. Because she’s dishonest. Secretary Benton then tells the press the only reason he fired Crane…
Watching Fred Smith zing Pat McCrory in the governor’s campaign is getting to be entertaining. At a debate last Saturday, railing against illegal immigration, GOP frontrunner McCrory said the federal government should build a $150 million prison in Charlotte to lock the rascals up. Then he added that there are so many illegal immigrants in…
The Richard Moore and Barack Obama campaigns have more in common that just that Moore endorsed Obama. Both seem to be debating the same question: Attack her? Obama’s debate is more open in the national media. His campaign clearly was thrown off balance by Clinton’s “kitchen sink” attacks. Now they’re trying to decide whether –…
According to the newspaper last Monday morning a sexual revolution is underway in China. Quote: ‘The simple but tidy rooms in the no-tell hotels in the Beijing University district pulsate with sex.’ Now, there are a billion people in China. And they’ve just discovered sex? It seems they’ve known quite a bit for quite a…
It’s hard not to like Mike Easley. The Governor is personable. Charming. Doesn’t have the vice of taking himself too seriously (unlike most politicians). And has a fine-honed sense of humor. But, oddly, at times, he acts as if he is unusually detached from the government he is running. And, with the latest scandal, it…
The “butterfly effect” of chaos theory – “a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil and a hurricane hits Florida” – applies to politics as well. This year it is the “Tina Fey Effect.” That is, the Democratic presidential race remains unsettled because of the Hollywood writer’s strike. While the writers struck, political comedy on TV…
Once again, Barack Obama had a chance to close the deal last night. Once again, he could not. Just as in New Hampshire and on Super Tuesday, Hillary Clinton stayed alive. Voters in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island weren’t ready to put Obama over the top. Maybe it was the ad about the 3 a.m.…
Two small Under the Dome items in The News & Observer deserve more attention: Richard Moore’s endorsement of Barack Obama – which actually happened last month – and Pat McCrory’s dismissal of his campaign manager – the one who claimed a hacker caused the campaign to spoil its own kickoff by misspelling governor. Inexplicably, the…
William F. Buckley, Jr. was an admirable and enjoyable fellow, regardless of his conservative politics. He was a master of words, ideas and wit. He showed that political debate could be friendly, entertaining and yet still penetrating. He lacked the hard-edged meanness that for some reason consumed Jesse Helms, Tom Delay, Newt Gingrich and other…
A new nationwide poll shows that, if they could run against each other in 2028, Barack…
Senator Phil Berger was out of touch with voters in his district – and suffered the…
A reassuring lesson from our trip to Germany and Czechia is that dictators, despots and tyrants…