Waiting for the Doctor

Right now President Obama is like a patient waiting for the doctor to bring back the test results. And the signs aren’t good.   In fact, it looks like the Supreme Court is going to give his health-care reform a death sentence on Thursday. Talk about “death panels.”   There are three ways this will…

Read More

Low Road at RDU

A TAPster who apparently is a Frequent (Unhappy) Flier writes:   “Critics of the Raleigh-Durham Airport and its management rolled their eyes last week when the airport authority voted to name a road after the long-time airport director who is finally retiring. “It will be a fitting tribute if the gentleman’s namesake road is torn…

Read More

Talent or Lightning Striking?

After two terms in the State House Thom Tillis soared to being the second most powerful politician in Raleigh after the Governor and the oohing and aahing that followed probably wasn’t as lethal (or as likely to turn a fellow’s head) as a blonde whispering in his ear but, still, all that adulation had to…

Read More

A Well Kept Secret

If the Ethics Commission has ever found anyone guilty of an ethics violation it’s one of the best kept secrets in North Carolina. But, nonetheless, now the Commission says it’s going to investigate two lobbyists who had affairs with two members of House Speaker Thom Tillis’ staff to find out what “things of value” the…

Read More

Republicans Rooting for Failure?

Four years ago, Republicans accused Democrats who criticized the economy of “rooting for failure.” Now, one Democratic TAPster notes, it’s Republicans rooting.   Item 1, from Florida: “Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign asked Florida Governor Rick Scott to tone down his statements heralding improvements in the state’s economy because they clash with the presumptive Republican nominee’s…

Read More

The Economic Choice

An AP story captured Democrats’ dilemma this election. It summarized where Mitt Romney and President Obama stand on the economy this way:   “On planet Republican: The economy is backsliding, and the president is to blame. His stimulus spending did more harm than good, and his big-government rules are strangling businesses. The answer is repealing…

Read More

Who Gives the Orders?

Last year when the politicians in Washington sent down an order to the politicians in Raleigh telling them to implement Obama-care the politicians in Raleigh saw red and said the whole thing was unconstitutional.   Which sounded pretty cut and dried until the other day when the Raleigh politicians gave an order of their own.…

Read More

Hating Government

This week I spoke to the Association of Government Information Officers in Raleigh. About 25 people were there (all but three were women, by the way; the reverse from when I was in government over 30 years ago).   I asked two questions. First, how many think your agency (most all are in state government)…

Read More

Fear the Voters

Here’s a fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats want to make it easier for people to vote. Republicans, harder.   In Florida, Republicans are desperately trying to purge voters before November. In North Carolina, the Republican legislature doesn’t want to help counties improve and maintain voting systems.   A party that doesn’t trust the…

Read More

Keeping It Simple

Walter Dalton beat Bill Faison like a drum in the Democratic primary. But Dalton could learn something from Faison’s ability to boil down an issue – and an attack –  to its essence. Or, as one old Southern politician said, “he gets the hay down where the goats can reach it.” Example is Faison’s tweet…

Read More