CHARLOTTE, N.C. – This election season, North Carolina is almost as cool – or as hot — as Ohio. While it’s true President Obama and his GOP challenger Mitt Romney are crisscrossing the Buckeye state so often, I expect their campaign buses to have an awkward fender bender any day now, North Carolina is no […]
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – With a Carolina cap on his head and an “Obama 2012” button on his shirt, James Taylor offered a mini-concert to a roomful of committed campaign volunteers on Thursday, thanking them for their get-out-the-vote efforts and urging them on. “I just believe in my heart that this is what will make the
James Taylor serenades N.C. Obama volunteers: Carolina is on everybody’s mind Read More »
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For a grocery clerk at my local market, it was not about political strategies or poll numbers. As I judged the fish selection, he leaned across the counter and asked, “Why didn’t he fight?” I didn’t have to ask what he meant. He knows I cover politics, and I knew he was
‘Why didn’t he fight?’ Obama supporters want an answer, Mr. President Read More »
When does testiness cross over into anger? Whatever you want to call it, Ann Romney is showing the signs. When she takes her husband’s conservative critics to task on Radio Iowa with: “Stop it. This is hard. You want to try it? Get in the ring.” When she leans into an NBC reporter and says:
Could Michelle Obama get away with Ann Romney’s ‘fire’? Read More »
Mayor Anthony Foxx is exhausted, but in a good way, just like his city. Though last week’s Democratic National Convention didn’t run exactly as planned — turns out neither party is great at forecasting the weather — the sudden storms that periodically pummeled Charlotte, N.C., didn’t dampen the spirit of the celebration heading into a
DNC Helped Recapture Charlotte’s Magic Read More »
CHARLOTTE — The National Women’s Political Caucus is about issues, not party affiliation, as it tries to get more women elected to office. But the issues it cares about — supporting a women’s right to choose, the Equal Rights Amendment and dependent care for women balancing responsibility for children and aging relatives — come with
At DNC Charlotte, taking the ‘war on women’ seriously Read More »
Four years ago, it seemed as though the Obama campaign could control everything — even the weather. On that night of his acceptance speech in the stadium in Denver, the setting was ideal, dry and cool, with the backdrop of endless sky perfect for the thousands who roared at his triumph. After that, his win
Obama’s speech adjusted for more constrained circumstances Read More »
Meet the new South, which has some of the same problems as the old South. It’s undeniable that a black mayor welcoming a black president into a city can tout skyscrapers, sports and a thriving arts scene. But despite those signs of growth, in the region that has gained political prominence — both parties chose
DNC 2012 Notebook: Southern-fried pessimism intrudes on the party Read More »
In the endless arguments over whether certain criticisms of President Obama are racist, there are cases when the answer is clear. In that category we can place angry, barely coherent tweets by a political adviser in Puerto Rico. After the president tweeted that first lady Michelle Obama’s birthday was coming up, Heidi Wys, proving that
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Michelle Obama is as comfortable talking about policy as the warm cuddly stuff, as she proved once again in a phone conversation with several women journalists Tuesday afternoon. Four years ago, her speech in Denver introduced her family to the nation and the nation liked what it saw. She is one of
First lady Michelle Obama previews her all-important speech Read More »
