Read my lips: Don’t sign pledges
For Republicans in North Carolina, the Future Now Fund is the gift that keeps on giving. The group asks candidates for state legislature to sign a pledge to support an agenda called America’s Goals. The document maps out specific legislation that the Future Now Fund...
Debatable
Debates in modern American politics are all about the headlines, not the substance. A candidate can outperform his or her opponent and still end up losing because of one ill-conceived statement. Six years ago, Kay Hagan soundly defeated Thom Tillis in a debate just...
Like 2016 all over again?
I’m having a sense of déjà vu about the election. Maybe it’s just PTSD from 2016, but, back then, I believed Hillary Clinton would win in a walk at this point in the election. The first cracks in my belief came when I drove across the heart of the state along rural...
Trump is not an anomaly. He’s an embodiment.
Back when Donald Trump was running for president in 2106, I had conservative friends say to me, “I don’t like Donald Trump, but he’s really saying out loud what a lot of us are already thinking.” As I listened to his rhetoric and tried to tune out the bombast and...
The mud is flying early in a Triad senate race
Over in the Triad, the race for Rick Gunn’s state senate seat is heating up. Gunn, a Republican who has held the seat since winning it the 2010 Republican wave, announced last year that he was retiring. We’re now finding out that he’s being sued by the husband of his...
Trump, swing voters, and the latest outrage
For most of his presidency, Donald Trump has unleashed a new outrage or become embroiled in a new scandal every few weeks. And every time, the media and Democrats chase the story to its, usually, very murky end. The outrages never go away. Trump never apologizes and...
Trump called fallen soldiers “losers.” Will NC let it slide?
Is North Carolina the nation's most military-friendly state? Since Mike Easley coined that phrase in the mid-2000's, it has been a point of pride for most Tar Heels. The state hosts the biggest military base in the world and has a population of 667,000 veterans....
In the US Senate race, Tillis can’t catch a break
With Labor Day past and election day a mere eight weeks from today, it’s time to check in on North Carolina’s US Senate race. No incumbent has struggled as much as Thom Tillis. Democrat Cal Cunningham has led most of the year, sometimes by eye-opening margins. Right...
Trump’s trouble with the military could hurt NC Republicans
Full disclosure: I consult for the Pat Timmons-Goodson for Congress campaign. The sentiments here are mine alone. In the wake of the Atlantic article that says Donald Trump repeatedly made belittling remarks about the military, Joe Biden is moving to drive a wedge...
Who is John Galt? Why, Donald Trump
Donald Trump called American soldiers who gave their lives for freedom and who are now buried in France “losers” and “suckers.” The Atlantic broke the story but it has now been confirmed by numerous members of the military. The Washington Post and AP are also...
Trump to NC: Vote twice!
Donald Trump brought his clown show to North Carolina again and this time, he encouraged people to vote twice—once by mail and once in person. He seemed to think that would either test the mail-in system in the state or ensure that people’s vote actually counted. I’m...
Just not believable
When a campaign attacks its opponent, the hit usually only works if the attack is both true and believable. The Republicans seem to be attacking Joe Biden for being an extremist or at least beholden to extremists. They’re telling voters that if Donald Trump is not...
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