Dissing the Voters

Republican presidential candidates are dissing any voters who are black, brown or – to the uptight candidates – a bit offbeat. Democratic candidates are dissing any voters from Florida. The Republicans – at least the Big Four – won’t go to any debate aimed at any special audience. Unless that audience is watching Fox News.…

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You Can’t Keep a Secret

The highly respected consulting firm McKinsey & Co. – and the much-maligned North Carolina Department of Transportation – are both living in a dream world. They are under the delusion they can spend $3.6 million of the people’s money on an assessment of the department, then keep it secret. Not only keep the report secret,…

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Rough Waters for Hillary

The Main Media just finished anointing Hillary as the front-runner. Now they’re attacking her for running as the front-runner. I predicted it in a blog last week, where I compared reporters to birds flitting from wire to wire. So now Hillary is excoriated for debate temporizing, cautious positioning and even her way of laughing. The…

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Aiming at Liddy

Some Democrats worry that no big name is challenging Senator Dole. Don’t despair. The field has narrowed to Kay Hagan and Grier Martin. Both would be good candidates, and both are looking hard at the race. First, they’re looking at is money. Dole says she’ll raise $20 million for her reelection. That’s just bluster. Still,…

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National Primary?

George Bush has failed as Commander-in-Chief, so now he’s trying for Commentator-in-Chief. He predicted in an interview that Hillary Clinton would win the Democratic nomination and then would lose to the Republican, whom he did not predict. Let’s set aside whether this was just a ploy to energize discouraged Republicans (Bush certainly can’t energize them…

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Below the Belt

Raleigh City Council candidate Mary-Ann Baldwin is the victim of a high-tech version of old-time gutter politics. Supporters of an opponent, Russ Stephenson, set up a fake blog purporting to be by Baldwin. To give you a taste of the tone, one of the fake postings was signed “Mary Fucking Baldwin.” Nice. There’s nothing new…

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New Story Line to Come

Hunter S. Thompson once compared national political reporters to birds on a wire. One lands on a wire, the rest follow. One flies to another wire, they all follow. So look for the birds to land on a new Hillary Clinton wire soon. The conventional wisdom, as confirmed on Page One of Sunday’s The New…

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Keep Your Head in the Heat of Battle

In campaigns, the worst wounds are often self-inflicted. Witness two A+ political operatives I know who made D- mistakes last week. Julie White, who works for gubernatorial candidate Richard Moore, got caught using a state computer to request public-records info on Lt. Beverly Perdue. Plus, as the News & Observer’s Under the Dome has chronicled,…

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The Phony War Debate

America is adrift in Iraq – and losing the war. But the political debate is about Hillary’s health care plan, Edwards’ attacks on Hillary’s “corporate insiders,” Obama’s tax plan, Moveon.org attacking Gen. Petraeus, Rudy attacking Moveon for attacking Petraeus and Fred Thompson being lazy. General Petraeus made clear in his congressional testimony that we’re not…

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Hillary Calls on Women

Several women in Raleigh reported getting taped phone calls from Hillary Clinton this week – with a message aimed right at women. I’m told Hillary says something like: When I’m President, women and their daughters will walk a little bit taller in America. The strategy is brilliant. It’s aimed at the most important voting group…

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