The Party Mess

It’s said that “academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.” So it is with internal party politics.   David Parker has been inside the Democratic Party long enough to know what happens when you stumble: All the old feuds, jealousies and resentments – and the sharp knives – come out.…

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Sound Off

Most political people are word people. We pay enormous attention to the words we read and hear from politicians and the media, to facts, rhetoric and arguments.   But much of human communication is non-verbal. It’s visual and physical clues: Does this person look trustworthy or sneaky, hostile or well-intentioned, strong or weak?   So…

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Another View of the Scandal

A TAPster takes a calmer view of the scandal enveloping the state Democratic Party with these “thoughts on the Big Mess at North Carolina’s Democratic headquarters:”   “This isn’t really a “scandal,” for goodness sakes. It’s breath-taking management incompetence.  The clumsy Democratic leadership gave a clinic in how to turn a one-day personnel matter into a…

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Who Let the Dogs Out?

Watching the Democratic debate was like going to the dog park.   Bill Faison was a pit bull: feisty, but you’re not sure if he’s going to bite another dog, a dog owner or maybe you.   Walter Dalton was an over-eager terrier, jumping up and down and barking, too eager to bring you all…

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By the Neck, Bob

A Democratic TAPster has an intriguing idea for a Bob Etheridge ad:   “I know what to do about the schools.  I did it in the legislature and as State Superintendent. And I know how to handle the Republicans in the legislature.   “If they give me any trouble, I’ll grab them by the scruff…

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Stop the Cover-up

The Watergate break-in was almost 40 years ago. NC Democratic Party Chair David Parker is marking the occasion with his own cover-up.   Memo to Parker: You can’t cover up sexual harassment. Democrats deserve to know what the hell happened – and how much money it’s costing.   And don’t blame your political enemies. That’s…

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Congratulations

This evening Gary will be inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame in Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations at the UNC School of Journalism.   It’s an honor and a much deserved one. Gary was already in my hall of fame but now it’s official.   Congratulations, Gary.  

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Romney Versus Romney

The Obama campaign’s “Truth Team” kicked into gear as Mitt Romney wrapped up the Republican race.   They’ll have plenty of material to work with, starting with Romney pioneering Obamacare, which he now promises to “kill.” This video, “The Anniversary of Romneycare,” lays bare Romney’s hypocrisy.

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Wrong answer

Gary used to tell a story about Tony Rand, running for Lt. Governor, debating Jim Gardner back in 1988: Gardner let fly and ripped into Tony saying he was a backroom politician who along with eight other backroom politicians (who called themselves the ‘Gang of Eight’) had written the whole state budget in secret in…

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The War Over Women

Often in politics it’s your friends – not your enemies – who do you the most damage.   Democrats were on a roll with the Republican “war on women.” Then a Democratic operative, Hillary Rosen, let slip a comment that some people heard as a “war on moms.”   Rule One, as President Obama observed,…

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