Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Many a time I’ve given a reporter a quote that didn’t look so good in print. So I felt for Rep. Melanie Wade Goodwin. The chair of the House committee on campaign finance law, she was expressing doubt about tougher penalties for crooked politicians in the N&O: “We also want to make sure we don’t…
Read MoreThe North Carolina General Assembly has not necessarily fallen in love with big boats riding down the highways. They just don’t like Mike Easley. That’s what the override of his veto was about. It was one last chance to give a lame duck a swift kick on the way out. Legislators have never liked Easley.…
Read MoreBarack Obama’s speech was in a big park, and he hit it out of the park. He did three things at once: Delivered the soaring, inspiring rhetoric that Democrats love and Republicans mock Showed middle-class Americans he is one of them Challenged McCain forcefully and directly, without sounding nasty and negative. Expectations were ridiculously high.…
Read MoreBe sure to turn on the television tomorrow at 7:30 P.M. and check out Carter and I on WRAL’s “Headline Saturday.” We’ll be talking about the Democratic and Republican conventions and, as usual, all things political. Click Here to discuss and comment on this and other articles.
Read MoreIt was a remarkable scene: Bill and Hillary Clinton sitting up in the stands, watching as Barack Obama took over their Democratic Party. The Clintons stepped aside with good grace. For Bill especially, ceding the spotlight has never been easy. But here is the real lesson of last night: Barack Obama is a tough, canny…
Read MoreBev Perdue says it’s terrible, shady, and awful: The Republican Party, Washington branch, is attacking her in ads. President Bush, himself, she says, has taken time off from dealing with Georgia and Iraq to orchestrate the ads – just to be sure she doesn’t get elected (Bev Perdue Committee email, 8/28/08). But there’s one problem:…
Read MorePolitical insiders always overestimate how much attention voters are paying to campaigns. Here was my reality check this week. I was talking to a fellow who does some work at my house. He’s a bright guy, a hard worker, successful in his trade, devoted to his family and his dogs. He knows I do something…
Read MoreKay Hagan must be catching up with Liddy Dole: Because Liddy just pulled out a mallet and whacked Kay over the head. She says Kay’s raising money from the Godless Americans political action committee in Boston (home of the Pilgrims). Kay whacked back, That’s nothing; Liddy’s raising money from George Bush supporters. Liddy’s spokesperson responded:…
Read MoreMichelle I’ll go out on a limb and agree with Gary and praise Michelle Obama. Even odder, Albert the Pollster, a died-in-the-wool Republican, says she hit a home run. Albert says undecided voters are set-in-stone determined to get shed of Bush-McCain – and all that’s holding them back are their doubts about Obama. That, ‘He’s…
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