Memory Lane

A fan of Tricia Cotham – no doubt looking ahead to a potential Superintendent of Public Instruction primary with Rick Glazier – asks: “When was the last time a male candidate defeated a female in a Democratic primary in North Carolina?”   To my recollection – and, as usual, doing no research whatsoever – I…

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The Gov’s New Voice

A Tapster is mystified by Governor Perdue’s hiring of a new communications director, Jon Romano:    “A governor who is struggling desperately to remain relevant and communicate clearly made another puzzling move this week.   “Governor Bev Perdue hired a new communications expert who’s a former Bostonian politico whose only apparent ties to the state…

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How Obama Wins

Two reasons: the speech he gave this week and his record.   In 2008, Obama had a gift for giving exactly the right speech at exactly the right campaign moment. He did it again yesterday with his speech echoing Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal (Click here for the full text):   “I believe that this country…

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99 to 1

There’s something almost mystic about the numbers.   We call 911 when we’re in trouble. America remembers – and avenges 9/11. Herman Cain had 9-9-9.   Now the numbers have a new political significance: the 99 percent and the 1 percent.   People who say the Occupy movement had little impact miss how it imprinted…

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A Lesson from New York

Up north in the land of the Yankees, about a decade ago New York hired Computer Services Corporation to process its Medicaid payments. But there was a hitch, according to the New York State Comptroller: The corporation’s computer system was “so inefficient and unable to detect deception” it’s allowed hundreds of millions in bogus payments.…

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Perdue and Indians

It’s hard to tell whether Governor Perdue’s deal with the Indians proves you can sell a Democratic Governor just about anything by saying it’ll help education or whether it proves our Democratic Governor figures she can sell the rest of us just about anything by saying it’ll help education.   Last Tuesday, the Governor announced…

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Feeling the Pinch

Last week Republicans were chortling over campaign-law indictments of Democrats. Now they’re complaining about a campaign-law probe of Pat McCrory’s 2008 campaign.   Welcome to the NFL, and strap on your helmets.   From now on, every campaign is going to be under scrutiny for potential violations – not just by the state, but also by…

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MOHOPs Do in Cain

Herman Cain may heed my wish and stay in the presidential race, but he has fallen prey to a political form of termites that I call MOHOPs – for headlines and stories that begin “Members of His/Her Own Party….”   In Cain’s case, MOHOPs are fellow Republicans who say things like “he’s a zombie; he’s…

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Faison Takes a Swing

Bill Faison is like a boxer who took a knockout swing, missed and left himself wide open for the counterpunch.   The day after Monday’s indictments, Faison told Laura Leslie at WRAL-TV: “I think, ultimately, Gov. Perdue will do the right thing and decide not to run. I don’t believe you’ll ever see her file.” …

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Stay the Course, Herman!

Spermin’ Herman Cain needs to ignore the lamestream media – and the parade of women – and stay in the presidential race.   It will be a sad campaign without him. His entertainment value knows no bounds. What would this year have been like without his electrified border fence, his halting uncertainty about Libya and…

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