Welcome, Sarah?

Under the Dome reports that Republicans “had a field day” with Elaine Marshall’s stumble over whether she wants President Obama to campaign in North Carolina.   In the end, she said: “I would welcome President Obama to North Carolina.”   So here’s the question for Senator Burr:   Does he welcome Sarah Palin to North…

Read More

A Wild Whirlwind?

The other morning there was an article in the paper listing perverse examples of how the President has spent ‘Stimulus Funds’ – like paying $300,000 to study the power of yoga to relieve hot flashes.   Now, at first blush this sounds like typical government foolishness (or some Congressman buying votes from yoga enthusiasts) but…

Read More

Three for UNC

The Raleigh buzz is that three of the finalists for UNC System President are AG Roy Cooper, Greensboro super-lawyer (and Board of Governors Chair) Jim Phillips and Bill Roper of UNC Health Care.   Cooper and Phillips, interestingly, are long-time friends and political allies.   For Cooper, the N&O’s much-hyped series on the SBI could…

Read More

Deacon Burr

Senator Richard Burr is a proud graduate of Wake Forest University. He played football there.   Today, in the Senate, he is a proud opponent of wasteful federal spending.   Apparently, he must choose between the two.   John Murawski reports in the N&O that two of Burr’s Senate Republican colleagues, John McCain and Tom…

Read More

Posters of Obama

Barack Obama repairs a road with ‘Stimulus Funds’ – and promptly puts up a sign praising his policy.   Obama aides send money to Orlando to widen a parkway – and the road gets renamed for Obama.   Obama gives stimulus cash to unions, ‘greenies’ and Democratic political operatives including a pollster who’s head of…

Read More

Perdue-care

Here’s another story about how the true-blue liberal Democrats up in Washington and the leading Obama supporters in North Carolina – like Governor Perdue – have gotten cross-wired.   By now no one in the United States has any doubt President Obama wants more and better health care. Period. His plan may backfire. But if…

Read More

Women on Top

At lunch last week with a group of knowledgeable media and political types, I asked this question: Has any state in the country ever had women simultaneously occupy its top three elected offices – governor and both U.S. Senate seats?   Because North Carolina could this year: Governor Bev Perdue, Senator Kay Hagan and –…

Read More

The End of the Post Racial Era

An odd thing happened on the way to the post-racial era.  Mrs. Shirley Sherrod a black Department of Agriculture employee in rural Georgia gave a speech to the NAACP, admitted twenty years ago she discriminated against a poor white farmer, explained how she’d realized she was wrong and turned around and helped the farmer –…

Read More

Family Values

There was a nice little contrast this weekend under the category of News About Politicians’ Children.   There was the nice, simple little wedding of Chelsea Clinton.   (I can already see my conservative commentators’ blood pressure rising as they prepare to lace into the cost and glitz of the ceremony. Give the girl a…

Read More

Obama vs. Perdue: Taxing the Rich

I’m beginning to suspect there’s something out of kilter between the true-blue liberals in Washington and their gung-ho cousins (and fellow Obama supporters) here in Raleigh who’re running state government.   Up in Washington the true liberals are about to launch the political equivalent of a Holy War to end President Bush’s tax cuts so…

Read More