50 days minus 1

Carter and I were interviewed by The Charlotte Observer Monday about the election outlook. So, instead of having to organize our thoughts and actually write something, we’ll just post the following story by the Observer’s editorial board, “50 days out, here’s what political experts think (and predict!) about N.C.’s biggest races”: We’re less than 50…

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You’re news, you lose

Here’s the harsh reality of 2016 politics, as demonstrated by Hillary Clinton last week and Pat McCrory over the past many weeks: If you lead the news, you lose in the polls. You’re news, you lose. In an angry, negative political environment, more media attention translates directly into more negative feelings from voters. The ongoing…

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Sick politics

Now Hillary Clinton has two problems: a treatable case of walking pneumonia and an incurable case of raging media fever over her honesty. See my blog “Hillary’s scars and secrets” last week. By all means let’s have more transparency on her health records – and on Trump’s. He’s an overweight 70-year-old man who never exercises…

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Bigotry is losing big

Donald Trump has figured out, or been convinced, that Americans don’t want a bigot in high public office. Petulant Pat McCrory hasn’t learned that lesson yet in his reelection race. Trump’s “pivot” (actually more of a lurch) on race and immigration was an act of desperation. His new campaign team obviously told him he couldn’t…

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Hillary will win the debates

The debates are Donald Trump’s last chance to turn the race around. No chance. Trump can’t even win a debate with himself. This week he was on two sides of the Mexican border – and on two sides of the issue. Clinton will cut him to pieces on national TV. The New York Times had…

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Frozen

Ten weeks out, the presidential election appears frozen in place. Absent an act of God or an incredibly boneheaded play by the Hillary Clinton campaign, she is going to win and Donald Trump is going to lose. Big. Then things will really get interesting. More in a bit. Trump is losing because of how he…

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The wave

Democrats who are nervously hoping for a good 2016 but afraid to believe it need to read “The Wave” from Stanley Greenberg at Democracy Corps. His analysis: “America is about to experience a once-in-a-lifetime earthquake of an election, but progressives do not seem to trust the new American majority and its ascendant values and thus,…

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Trump TV

If Donald Trump loses, he and Roger Ailes may well start Trump TV. They’ll outFox Fox. As James Carville said on Morning Joe, you can’t win an election with 40 percent, but you can make a bazillion dollars on TV with 40 percent. Can you imagine how much Trump and Ailes will debase a political…

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TGFT

Thank God for Trump. If the Republicans had nominated John Kasich or Marco Rubio, Hillary Clinton and the Democrats would be in trouble. Every week there’s another damaging story about emails, speaking fees or the Clinton Foundation. Another 14,900 emails coming? Great. Fortunately, Trump already may have made himself unelectable. Otherwise…. Hillary’s self-inflicted wounds come…

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Election-rigging

Donald Trump was right. Somebody is trying to rig the election. It’s his party. In North Carolina. Dallas Woodhouse’s email is the smoking gun. He directed Republican election board members in all 100 counties to make “party line” changes that keep Democrats from voting and keep Republican politicians in power. This is exactly what Republicans…

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