Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
When Carter assessed Hillary and Obama last week, he identified a key factor in campaigns: the political skills of the candidates and the people around them. The first weeks have shown that Hillary – right now – has the best team when it comes to winning the weekly media wars. But it may not be…
Read MoreIt may be a sign of the apocalypse that the first real clash in the Democratic presidential race came not over Iraq or universal health care or taxes, but over a multi-million dollar Hollywood producer. Here’s a quick recap for those of you who were following the Anna Nicole Smith story instead: David Geffen, big-time…
Read MoreGovernors and Presidents usually start thinking about their legacies as their terms near the end. Mike Easley should start thinking. Because his legacy is at risk. The Governor has been roundly criticized for not mentioning the Jim Black scandal in his State of the State address. Perhaps he should have begun: “Tonight, members of the…
Read MoreRobert Penn Warren said it best in All the King’s Men: “Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud. There is always something.” There was something on Jim Black. And, as Warren’s Willie Stark would say, it stuck. So…
Read MorePolitical campaigns are built around six basic resources: 1) money; 2) time; 3) a candidate; 4) the people who work – or volunteer – in the campaign; 5) issues; and 6) demographics. Let’s compare Hillary’s campaign to Barack Obama’s. 1. Money – Hillary has more. 2. Time – Both started early; even playing field. 3.…
Read MoreGlobal Warming has joined ‘the earth is flat’, ‘the sun revolves around the earth’, and ‘disease is caused by humors in the blood’, as a scientific fact. The polar bears are dying, the penguins are going into exile, the seas are rising and the land will disappear beneath a flood greater than Noah’s. The dilemma…
Read MoreA collection of progressive groups (some even call themselves liberals) says a recent North Carolina poll found strong public support for some of their issues. The poll was done by OnPoint Polling and Research of Raleigh. That’s the group that got the Wake County school bonds vote right last year. The most striking results: More…
Read MoreBill O’Reilly, interviewing a young lady defending John Edwards, asked with his usual bombast: Would you have fired the bloggers if you were Edwards? The young lady – a spokeswoman for the Young Democrats – evaded. He pursued. Finally, cornered, she admitted, No, she wouldn’t. O’Reilly pounced: If they had attacked blacks – the same…
Read MoreHere’s a commentary on the state of Presidential politics. John Edwards has chosen the theme song for his campaign: John Mellencamp’s “This is Our Country.” Ford – or is it Chevrolet – is using the same song to sell trucks. Senator Chris Dodd, risking the appearance of vanity, choose “Get Ready (Cause Here I Come)”…
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With a better General Assembly, Josh Stein could join Jim Hunt and Terry Sanford on North…
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Once upon a time, there was a great and powerful newspaper: The News & Observer. Everybody…
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The shouting, sign-waving and cane-wielding by congressional Democrats at the State of the Union isn’t a…
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