In Praise of Negative Ads

Carter and I were doing our dog-and-pony show for a real-estate group – telling them what happens inside campaigns, taking potshots at each other and generally trying to lighten up a crowd that had just endured speeches from the gubernatorial candidates.   During the Q&A, we got a familiar question: “Why can’t candidates be positive…

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Contemplating Your Navel

Back in 1976 when Ronald Reagan was running in the North Carolina Primary, Arthur Finkelstein (Reagan’s pollster) hammered into my head the importance of time in campaigns, saying a hundred times, Campaigns have three resources: People, money and time. You can hire more people and raise more money but you can’t make one second more…

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Holding George Accountable

The ads from George Holding’s campaign and super-PAC make it clear: He wants to cut federal spending, cut federal spending and then cut federal spending again.   Just for the record: How much did Holding’s Ahab-like pursuit of John Edwards and Mike Easley cost taxpayers?   And want to bet on whether you’ll see those…

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Saluting Walter Jones

Nothing explodes on Twitter like a real or perceived gaffe. Just yesterday, we had Mitt Romney’s Etch-a-Sketch, the John Locke Foundation’s controversial image of President Obama and Walter Jones’ “Uncle Chang.”   “Uncle Chang” did have the ring of offensiveness. It was also baffling. So I had to see what the notoriously unpredictable maverick congressman…

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More Odd Facts

When Paul Coble, Bill Randall and George Holding debated at the Civitas Debate, when Paul Coble finished describing his conservative record Bill Randall shot back, In 2009 when Barack Obama, President Obama, came to Raleigh, North Carolina, Randall Williams, a Republican physician, was welcoming President Obama to promote Obama-care. Paul Coble endorsed Randall Williams for…

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More Politics as Usual

For years Paul Coble’s been your easy going, hail fellow well met County Commissioner, going along with the other local politicians when they wanted to raise the county’s debt, pass budgets with unfunded liabilities and spend Obama Stimulus Money.   But, now, suddenly, Coble’s turned into an anti-establishment ball of fire.   No one can…

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The Right Fight

This is the debate North Carolina Democrats want: Did the Republican budget cut jobs?   It’s the debate we want going hot and heavy when federal funds dry up and school districts across the state lay off teachers next fall, right before the election.   And it’s a debate challenge Governor Perdue should accept. Take…

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The New Face of Journalism

Mark Binker is not necessarily a pretty face. But he’s the face of where journalism is going in North Carolina. And that looks like good news.   Binker is former capital reporter for The Greensboro News & Record. He has left to work for WRAL-TV. That’s a story right there.   TV political/governmental news used…

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Mitt’s Three Blessings

Mitt Romney has three things going for him: math, money and stupid opponents.   Math has become Mitt’s main message: “I’m going to win because the delegate math is on my side.” He’s definitely a numbers guy.   He’s also a money guy. He doesn’t beat his opponents so much as he drowns them in…

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Another Agenda Item for Paul Coble

Since Paul Coble doesn’t have George Holding’s money, he has to find other ways to get his message out: like meetings of the Wake County Commissioners.   So far they’ve taken up same-sex marriage and the UN’s attempt to control our lives. Now it’s voter ID laws.   Coble needs to take up another issue:…

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