Let's start out with a non-starter:

Meredith says he is willing to do live radio debate with Richardson that focuses on the issues #ncga #ncpol

— Paul Woolverton (@FO_Woolverton) October 7, 2014

Wesley, according to your cohorts in the Republican Party, Medicaid fraud is a pretty dang serious issue. I understand why you wouldn't want to talk about it, it's just not a legitimate reason.

If it walks like a Tea Party duck:

Mark Walker does not think Barack Obama may declare martial or Sharia law. He does not really believe the president has been spending billions of dollars — with a B! — on family vacations. He doesn’t actually have no qualms about bombings at the border that could start a war with Mexico. But he still says these things. Why?

Because there’s something in him that wants to please a crowd, be it a Tea Party rally or a small clutch of cynical journalists. He can’t help himself. He gets carried away. And that makes for some great performances — but it doesn’t help you understand who he really is, what he really thinks.

You have to say one thing about the News & Record: They are loyal to their locally-brewed candidates. If I had to place my bet this very moment, I would say the paper is going to (unwisely) endorse Mark Walker in the race for the NC-06 seat. All this hand-wringing about Walker being a really good guy but a "naïve" politician is likely cover for the real issue: Mark Walker has been a preacher and civic leader in Greensboro, while Laura Fjeld hails from way over there in Orange County. Case closed.

Eventually, one of them is bound to stumble over the solution: 

This information came to light at a legislative oversight committee meeting last week. Counting DHHS’ recent extension of a no-bid contract with consultant firm Alvarez & Marsal from $3 million to $6.82 million, the agency has spent more than $7.2 million on consultants over the past 20 months, the Journal reported.

This breaks down to $473 an hour for the consultant’s three principals; $394 an hour for five directors; and $242 an hour for each of nine analysts, according to a report by the News & Observer of Raleigh. Sen. Floyd McKissick, attending the meeting, noted that one of those consultants works out to $800,000 a year.

Right, but raising the minimum wage in NC from $7.25 to $10.10 would place an unnecessary burden on the job creators...