Obama

Obama Will Appoint Foxx Transportation Secretary

Ben Bradford and Julie Rose — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:17:24 +0000

White House officials have confirmed that President Obama will appoint Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx as the next Secretary of Transportation--a big leap onto the national stage for the local politician.

Democrats Continue Early-Voting Advantage, But Don't Assume Too Much

Michael Bitzer — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:14:59 +0000

With a week to go in North Carolina’s early voting, can we see any trends that might lead one to hypothesize that one presidential camp could be leading over the other, or is it a coin-toss still in terms of the numbers?

Unlike Obama, Dalton Fails To Land A Punch In Debate

Michael Bitzer — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:58:07 +0000

We’ve had two debates for the chief executive for both the nation and the state, and while the Democratic candidates came out swinging in both, it was the president who obviously got his mojo back, and the lieutenant governor trying to make anything stick.

Since the widely-panned performance at the first debate, the need to stem the bleeding by President Obama — particularly among his own party faithful — built up a level of expectations that could have rivaled the level Mitt Romney faced going into the first confrontation.

Had Enough Presidential Ads? Prepare For Increase

Michael Bitzer — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:46:28 +0000

We know that North Carolina continues to be in the crosshairs of the presidential campaign; NBC News conducted an analysis of both spent and booked advertising, on television and radio.

Julian Castro Launches Voter Registration Drive Targeting Latinos In East Charlotte

Tasnim Shamma — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 19:59:14 +0000

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention, was in east Charlotte on Friday. He spoke to volunteers to help launch a voter registration drive for Latinos in North Carolina.

Castro received a warm welcome from President Obama campaign volunteers in an east Charlotte strip mall.

“All you guys know how important North Carolina is and that means that it takes everybody,” Castro said to volunteers.

The Week In Politics: Democrats Fire Up For Obama, Galvanize Clinton As Elder Statesman

Duncan McFadyen — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:01:22 +0000

President Obama made his case for a second term last night in Charlotte. It capped two weeks of political madness. Catawba College political scientist Michael Bitzer joins Duncan McFadyen to talk about the week in politics.

MCFADYEN: So, you were in the hall last night---all last week, I believe. What did you think of the president’s speech and the crowd’s reaction to it?

BITZER: It was a much more politically mature speech. It was a two-part speech. The first part seemed to be much like a state of the union address.

Romney Leads In New NC Poll

Marshall Terry — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 21:48:24 +0000

As the Democratic National Convention gets underway, a new poll has Mitt Romney with a f0ur point lead over President Obama in North Carolina.

The poll conducted by Elon University in partnership with the Charlotte Observer and The Raleigh News and Observer says 47 percent of likely voters in North Carolina right now would vote for Romney. Forty-three percent favor Obama. Political analyst Charlie Cook says North Carolina is the only swing state where Romney has a measureable lead.

"I think you will see the Obama campaign stay here in Nor

North Carolina's James Taylor Preps For CarolinaFest

Marshall Terry and Julie Rose — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:41:40 +0000

North Carolina native James Taylor was in Uptown Charlotte Monday morning prepping for a performance later in the day. He’ll headline CarolinaFest that kicks off official Democratic National Convention festivities. Taylor – who was sporting an Obama t-shirt – was on stage at Trade and Tryon around 8 sound checking “You’ve Got A Friend” to the surprise and delight of local fans. CarolinaFest is free and starts at noon. Other performers include The Blue Dogs, Simplified, and actor Jeff Bridges’ band. James Taylor is scheduled to go on at 5:15 on the Mai

Romney VP Pick An Appeal To Conservatives

Michael Bitzer — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:05:31 +0000

In the game of politics, each team needs its captains. And now, we know who the captains are: for the Democrats, it’s still Obama-Biden. And for the GOP, it’s now Romney-Ryan.

The 2012 election shifted gears Saturday with Mitt Romney’s surprise announcement that Congressman Paul Ryan is his vice presidential nominee.

The Week In Politics: Taxes, Guns, Third-Party Spoiler

Duncan McFadyen — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:14:49 +0000

Leading up to the November election, most Fridays, Catawba College political scientist Michael Bitzer is joining WFAE’s Morning Edition host Duncan McFadyen to talk politics.