Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
The history of presidential elections is filled with âflash in the panâ candidates â charismatic, articulate young leaders who wanted to take the country in a new direction, enjoyed their fifteen minutes of fame and faded into oblivion. But none of them ever raised $25 million. Barack Obama has. In politics the golden rule is…
Read MoreIt was just one line in a News and Observer article. But, as far as I can tell, it’s first time it’s been reported Mayor Meeker’s son, David, works for downtown developer. (News and Observer; 4-9-07). Meeker’s son’s employer, Empire Properties, is “one of the largest landlords in downtown Raleigh.” (News and Observer; 7-18-04). It…
Read MoreI once thought deep in his heart Charles Meeker might be a Francophile, who secretly wanted to turn Fayetteville Street into the Champs-Elysées. But, Iâve decided the Mayor doesnât want to turn downtown Raleigh into Paris at all. He wants to turn it into Charlotte. For years, while people have moved out of downtowns (for…
Read MoreFrom the time Joe Sinsheimer first called for ex-Speaker Jim Black to step down, people asked me who I thought was paying Joe. Having known Joe for many years, I said: nobody. He’s much more dangerous than a paid operative. He’s driven by his conscience. And he has three qualities that are rare in politics:…
Read MoreOnPoint Polling and Research of Raleigh released some numbers that stunned me. Not polling results, but demographics. According to OnPoint, here is how the active-voting population of North Carolina breaks down by age: 18-19 1% 20-29 5% 30-39 7% 40-49 23% 50-59 22% 60-69 24% 70-79 14% 80+ 5% In other words, only 13 percent…
Read MoreGovernor Mike Easley’s the leader of the Democratic Party, which has a proud heritage of empathy for the poor, downtrodden and for working people. That’s why the Governor’s new lottery proposal sounds unusual. Governor Easley wants to spend more on prizes to entice people – primarily the poor and downtrodden – into buying more lottery…
Read MoreNancy Pelosi, who has been redefining women’s roles in politics, is now also redefining the government. Even during the darkest days of the Cold War, when Ronald Reagan and ‘Tip’ O’Neil were fighting tooth and toenail, Speaker O’Neil didn’t go traipsing off to Moscow to negotiate his own foreign policy. In those days politics ended…
Read MoreIt’s one thing to be a political rock star. It’s another thing to turn stardom into real money. And Barack Obama did it. Obama proved he’s for real when he raised almost as much money as Hillary Clinton in the first quarter – $25 million. Obama’s showing jolted Hillary’s campaign – and John Edwards’. As…
Read MoreRepublicans claim that Democrats are making the same mistake on Iraq that Newt Gingrich made when he shut down the federal government a decade ago. They say the Democrats will emerge from the congressional showdown over Iraq looking weak and untrustworthy – just like in the 70s and 80s. Not happening. The Republicans are dreaming…
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