The New Leader in Iowa…

Newt Gingrich’s ship seems to have landed on the rocks – nationally, the Gallop poll reports, Speaker Gingrich has plummeted from 37% to 26% of the vote and in Iowa the news is even worse: The latest poll shows Newt’s dropped out of first place.   With so much bad news piling up Newt let…

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Newt and the Judges

He’s fed up with elitist judges, Newt says, so as President he’s just going to ignore their rulings. And what’s more, he adds, as a historian he knows that Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln would agree with him.   Of course, the press pounced, immediately, asking, So, if President Newt can ignore court rulings –…

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Republican Waves

If you looked at a chart tracking the Republican presidential race, you would see a series of waves rising and falling.   First you’d see the Michelle Bachman wave rise and fall. Then the Rick Perry wave – again, rise and fall. Same for Herman Cain.   Now Newt Gingrich has been on the rise…

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Faison’s Face-off

Let me get this straight.   According to Rob Christensen’s story today, Bill Faison ran for Democratic state party chair last year at the request of Governor Perdue.   Two possibilities: One, Faison is an ingrate for publicly questioning whether Perdue will or should run for reelection – or, two, Perdue cannily spotted a potential…

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Perdue’s Prospects

Governor Perdue had to hate reading the N&O this morning.   First there’s a front-page story regurgitating her flight problems, with a boost from Democratic scold Joe Sinsheimer. Then Dome quotes a professor from his perch at UVA opining about her tough path to reelection.    This is why Democrats are wringing their hands about…

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Newt vs. Newt

A Republican friend says there is only one person who can beat Newt Gingrich now: Newt Gingrich. And he’s perfectly capable of it.   Tom Fetzer’s decision to lead Newt’s campaign in North Carolina shows how unhappy conservatives are with one-time frontrunner Mitt Romney.   Mitt’s just too moderate. And for some Republicans, too Mormon.…

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I Stand Corrected

In response to a question recently, I blogged that Jim Hunt (1972 Lieutenant Governor’s race) was the last male candidate to defeat a woman in a Democratic primary.   Wrong.   It was Erskine Bowles, who defeated – among others – Elaine Marshall in 2002.   This is courtesy of my friend John Hood with…

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Faison’s Social Media

Recently I took a shot at Rep. Bill Faison for taking a shot at Governor Perdue – one that I thought hurt him as much as her.   Today – in an effort to be fair and balanced, as they say on Fox – I rise to praise him.   Few figures in North Carolina…

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Mitt and Newt?

This is it? This is the best Republicans can do?   They’re about to fumble away what should be an open-field run to the White House.   Case in point: An NBC/Marist poll this weekend shows President Obama leading both Republicans in South Carolina. I repeat: South Carolina.    Maybe Rob Christensen is right and…

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A Jim Hunt Legacy

There is a big story behind this small item in the paper this week:   “North Carolina’s public schools have the largest number of National Board Certified teachers in the nation, according to a release by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.” Nationally, there are 97,291 teachers with National Board Certification.  North Carolina has over…

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