Charles Hurt
Columns by Charles Hurt
HURT: Deflecting blame for tax-cut logjam
Democrats finally find a tax cut they can abide, and so both sides agree to extend it. But just as they are about to partake in the bipartisan peace pipe a few days before Christmas, Congress promptly grinds to a squabbling halt threatening a $1,000-tax increase for workers and the evaporation of unemployment benefits for those out of work. Merry freaking Christmas, American people! Published December 20, 2011
HURT: Grinch Occupiers provide holiday jeer
Nothing says "Morning in America" like a $10,000 bet over an obscure line in a book that nobody has read. And who, in these boom times, doesn't have 10 grand to move around the table in a little clubhouse one-upsmanship? Published December 13, 2011
HURT: Newt vs. Mitt is a study in contrasts
Mitt Romney is an Olympic preparer. He prepares for everything. Every possible eventuality is treated by him as if it were a strand of hair on his meticulously-coiffed head, placed just so with the utmost forethought and consideration. Published December 6, 2011
HURT: Gingrich is GOP’s latest not-Romney
Getting Republicans to line up behind Mitt Romney, it turns out, is like trying to stuff a cat into a trash can. No matter how you present the feline to the receptacle, at least one claw always manages to reach out at the last second and cling desperately to the rim. Published November 29, 2011
HURT: Turkey taxpayers never get pardoned
Happy Thanksgiving, America! It's that special time of year when Americans pause to count our many blessings, ponder our faith and reflect upon the awesome sacrifices made by patriots before us to ensure our freedoms. And this year, we are once again reminded that there is no bigger chump in the world than the innocent taxpayer. Published November 22, 2011
HURT: Same movement, but different smell
It is high time the tea party comes to grips with reality that, indeed, their protests of recent years and the Occupy anything protests of late are, in fact, one in the same movement. Published November 15, 2011
HURT: Allred’s Scarlet Letter should be returned to sender
Could it get any sleazier than all the murky sexual accusations, character smears and shameless lies that have gripped the national political debate for the past week? Published November 8, 2011
HURT: So what is it, exactly, ‘we can’t wait’ for?
We can't wait"? Seriously? This is the best argument President Obama can come up with for why he deserves a second term? Not exactly the jingle juggernaut from his last campaign. He has gone from the hopeful and promising "Yes, we can!" to the depressing and defeated "No, we can't!" Published November 1, 2011
HURT: BlackBerry a metaphor for government
Here in the land of BlackBerry, the man with two soup cans connected by a string is king. Published October 25, 2011
HURT: Visits to small towns expose Obama’s big problem
The whole problem with false prophets in politics is that eventually they are almost always exposed. Published October 18, 2011
HURT: Is U.S. ready for second black leader?
Is America ready to make history by electing the first black president to replace a black president? Published October 11, 2011
HURT: N.C. lapdogs’ suspension of disbelief on elections
Not that anyone needs reminding why the only people on earth more despised than politicians are the media, but this one has to be documented for history. Published October 4, 2011
HURT: Practice saying ‘GOP nominee Romney’
As the once impossible begins to feel inevitable, conservatives find themselves grappling with the uncomfortable concept of falling in line behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Published September 27, 2011
HURT: Stalker’s book on Palin fetid, yet feted
OK, so Sarah Palin dabbled in cocaine and slept with a black man, according to a new "book" by a creepy stalker. This, to the horror of the political media set. The same charges, of course, can be said of the current occupants of the White House. Published September 20, 2011
HURT: Perry falls victim to a Texas Cheerleader Massacre
Monday night's Republican debate was nothing short of a Texas Cheerleader Massacre. Rick Perry became the latest casualty in yet another None-of-the-Above GOP primary fight. Published September 13, 2011
HURT: Re-election trumps phony green hype
First came the death panels, unchecked socialism and czarists run amok. Now President Obama has decided to kill as many as 12,000 Americans. In addition, he aims to give heart attacks to another 5,300, send 20,000 more to hospitals and emergency rooms and sicken another 2.5 million so they miss school or work. Published September 6, 2011
HURT: It’s not always the government’s fault
The whole problem with the Nanny State is, well, it just doesn't work. Published August 30, 2011
HURT: Tossing aside ‘hope’ and ‘change’
The surest sign yet that President Obama will cashier his "hope" and "change" gimmicks from the last campaign in favor of a switchblade and brass knuckles for the next one was the stunning landmark decision he quietly made last week before hightailing it up to Martha's Vineyard for a trip to Luxuryville. Published August 23, 2011
HURT: Welcome to the Washington tea party
Michele Bachmann's commanding victory in Iowa over the weekend was a hard, quick punch in the nose to Washington. Published August 16, 2011
HURT: Fallen off Olympus, Obama stammers
The most shocking thing about President Obama's political implosion from bright supernova to deadened black hole has been the complete undoing of his ability to speak. Published August 9, 2011
