Archives for October 2016

The Final Days of Campaign 2016


CHARLOTTE, NC — The countdown is on! You’ve got two more weeks of the rallies, protests and mudslinging. As election day nears, the presidential candidates must now focus on how to heal the county if they’re the one voted into office. North Carolina is now taking a bigger spotlight in the race. Political contributor Mary C. Curtis weighs in.

Is Hillary Clinton as Cautious as Her Reputation?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A persistent criticism of Hillary Clinton has been her overly cautious nature, her reluctance to take bold stands, her preparation to the point of predictability. Kate McKinnon of “Saturday Night Live” has taken these traits to parody on her way to an Emmy. But anyone who sees candidate Clinton frozen in that place hasn’t been paying attention this election season.

Of course, Clinton never will be “wild and crazy,” particularly when compared with her Republican counterpart, Donald Trump, the very essence of both. It’s also true that her views on many issues have remained remarkably stable. But those who say Clinton really doesn’t believe in anything only have to look at how, and how frequently, she has spoken with nuance about race to an electorate anxious about the changing demographics and power.

Tim Kaine Stumps in Charlotte Again as Early Voting Opens


CHARLOTTE, NC — Both parties are pushing hard to get the vote out early, especially in North Carolina. The state is considered key to winning the White House. Both presidential candidates, and their campaigns, are putting extra emphasis on theTar Heel state as we close in on election day.

Wednesday’s Presidential Debate: A Reality TV Show Gone Bad

It was all going so well Wednesday night, with moderator Chris Wallace keeping the audience relatively quiet and the candidates focused on issues — the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade, immigration and gun control.

But then it became a reality TV show gone bad, with the worst cliffhanger ever, when Donald Trump promised to keep the country “in suspense” when asked if he would accept the results of the Nov. 8 election.

Debate No. 3 and Donald Trump’s ‘Election Rigging’ Theories

CHARLOTTE, NC — President Obama now addressing Donald Trump’s repeated claims of election rigging and fraud, calling the comments “irresponsible.” That’s expected to be one of the big talkers at the final presidential debate in Las Vegas, with Emmy award-winning journalist Chris Wallace cast as tonight’s moderator. Our political contributor Mary C. Curtis joins us for more.

A Defiant Trump, and an Audience to Match His Mood

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Is the country more divided than it was at the beginning of the political season? Will it ever heal? When Donald Trump last visited Charlotte way back in August, it was a subdued affair, as Trump rallies go — some signs, the candidate center stage, only a few halfhearted chants of “lock her up.” He was beginning his campaign’s message of outreach to African-American communities, with his awkward refrain of, “What do you have to lose by trying something new?”

Several supporters I talked with then in this diverse city were attracted as much by Trump’s moderate positions on issues such as abortion and LGBT rights as they were by his anti-establishment rage.

What a difference two months makes …

Michelle Obama Cuts Donald Trump Down to Size

Michelle Obama is a powerful voice to have in your corner. She is a singular presence who is — at the same time — Everywoman. But if you get on her bad side, if you demonstrate with word and deed that you disrespect the people and things she cares about, watch out.

In Manchester, New Hampshire, on Thursday, a campaign appearancefor Hillary Clinton became much more. But I’m sure Clinton didn’t mind. The first lady, with raw and visible emotion, put into words what many have been feeling since a cascade of revelations, video tapes and recorded conversations filled in any possible blanks on the character of Donald Trump, on his treatment of — and judgments about — women.

Jason Collins tells students to continue to push on social and LGBT issues

Jason Collins, the former NBA player who made history in 2013 as “the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport,” as he said in a Sports Illustrated cover story, has continued to speak out. “I try to have as many conversations as I can with people to change our society and have a positive impact on someone’s life,” he said.

At Johnson C. Smith University, a historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday, Collins’ main message to students was clear: “I remember listening to stories from my grandmother who grew up in the segregated South; she grew up in upstate Louisiana. Her telling me how hard it was for her to first vote … hearing those stories and the sacrifices of the people who have come before me, this is important because the people in power fought so hard for us not to have it, whether you’re a woman or a minority, they didn’t want us to have this. So that tells you right there how important it is to vote.”

Will tough presidential contest spill into NC governor race?


CHARLOTTE, NC — Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are spilling over into North Carolina’s governor’s race. Our political contributor, Mary C. Curtis, weighs in on how the presidential candidates are impacting North Carolina’s gubernatorial race.

So the Republican Party Finally Gets Trump?

So all of a sudden his party gets it? When Trump was rushing to personally insult Hillary Clinton — whether it was her “look” or her stamina or what goes on in her marriage and why she is to blame — that was fine. Republicans were lining up for an “Attaboy.”

It took the mental image of their own child and/or spouse looking up to, or perhaps being in a room alone with, a man who casually chats about groping women against their will — labeled sexual assault in criminal codes — before GOP leaders could see the light and decide that harsh criticism, not lukewarm justification, was warranted?