Voting for the devil?
You would vote for the devil if he were a Democrat, wouldn’t you?” Thus begins an old story that makes fun of an old-time party-loyal, “yellow-dog” Democrat. His friend was teasing him about... Read More
NC SPIN Posts by D. G. Martin
A jackass or a carpenter?
Any jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a carpenter to build one.” Using a saying from UNC President Margaret Spellings’s native Texas, one attributed to Sam Rayburn, the long-time speaker... Read More
Discarding unelectable candidates, but holding onto supporter enthusiasm
The trick to winning elections, old political warhorses say, is to rally the enthusiasm of the young, the idealistic, and the angry crazies, without getting stuck with a presidential candidate who... Read More
Who said that?
The candidate “has the knack of doing things and doing them noisily, clamorously; while he is in the neighborhood the public can no more look the other way than the small boy can turn his head away... Read More
Not over until its over
Are the legislators really going home soon? Finally! Over the weekend at the UNC-Chapel Hill vs. N.C. A&T football game, House Speaker Tim Moore was all smiles as he confirmed news reports that... Read More
A baptism stirs memories, 135 years afterwards
When would a baptism in a small church in Wilmington be so important that it gets reportedin the newspapers? It happened in 1880 at Fifth Street Methodist Church and again at the same church 135 years... Read More
Worrying about Trump
What did Hillary Clinton tell Donald Trump when he invited her to his wedding? She said, “I will come to the wedding if you promise to run for president.” This joke from Winston Salem’s Steve... Read More
Buncombe Bob or Bunkum Trump?
Would North Carolinians ever vote to elect Donald Trump or somebody like him? We did once. When we did, we proved that North Carolinians, like voters across America, can be attracted to tough-talking... Read More
Hillary Clinton's challenges
Is it too early to start putting the 2016 presidential election in historical perspective? Maybe. But it is never too early to ask presidential historian and UNC-Chapel Hill emeritus history... Read More
Is the Civil War over?
One hundred and fifty years later, is the Civil War finally over? On Saturday we will mark the 150th anniversary of the April 26, 1865 final surrender by Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston of... Read More
