Another whiner
Thom Tillis is whining. They guy with all of the resources but none of the base has accused Rev. Mark Harris of “going negative.” Since Harris isn’t even up on television or using paid media, Tillis’ accusation is laughable. However, it underscores the problems Tillis...
Supporting the in-laws
The rest of the nation is in a slow but steady recovery with a steady rise in employment. Not here in North Carolina, though. According to the Wall Street Journal, that bastion of liberalism, workforce has declined by 64,000 people since last February and we lost...
Ad nauseam
This week, two ads were released supposedly supporting Senator Kay Hagan. One works. One doesn't. An environmental SuperPAC called Southern Alliance for Clean Energy released an ad that supports Hagan and touts her accomplishments protecting North Carolina's water and...
Shades of 2010
In the spring of 2010, Elaine Marshall was a sitting Secretary of State locked in a primary with a former state senator, a prominent Obama fundraiser and three other little known candidates. Marshall had a solid advantage in name recognition but the race wasn’t...
Charlotte’s fall from grace
Just a couple of years ago, Charlotte seemed to be taking its place as the leader in North Carolina politics in the 21st century. For the second time in a decade, one of its legislators was speaker of the NC house. It’s former mayor was elected governor and its...
Restricting democracy
Throughout the year, Republicans have been arguing that their new voting laws aren't meant to disenfranchise anybody. They are just trying to prevent fraud. Unfortunately, their actions tell another story and it’s not pretty in a state that used voter suppression as a...
Ignoring the fertile ground
When I was growing up, there was a joke about a priest, a hippie and then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in an airplane. The plane’s engines gave out but there were only two parachutes. Kissinger quickly said, “Well, I’m the smartest man in the world and the world...
Creating the bully pulpit
Roy Cooper has been butting into Pat McCrory's business. Since he started making serious noises about running for governor, the Attorney General has weighed in on contentious issues from voting rights to the coal ash spill. And the Governor is tired of it. Last week,...
The Democrats’ secret weapon
You may think Democrats are down on their luck, running from Obamacare, blaming the Koch Brothers and otherwise looking silly. But they have a secret weapon. It’s called the Republicans. And in North Carolina, they just broke it out. Frontrunner and state House...
Thoughts on primary polling
This week’s WRAL poll of the GOP U.S. Senate primary showed Mark Harris, long considered one the three top candidates, lagging far behind House Speaker Thom Tillis and Dr. Greg Brannon. While the poll has value, it’s no indication that Harris is out of the running....
