Archive for 2010
Send in the Clowns
Back in 2009 a newly elected, bristling Michael Steele told CNN he (as Republican Party Chairman) and not Rush Limbaugh was the leader of the GOP and added, ‘Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh’s whole thing is entertainment. Yes, it is incendiary. Yes, it is ugly.’ Limbaugh didn’t take that lying down –…
Read MoreA Sour Note
Bob Etheridge hurt his reelection campaign by losing his temper on a Washington, D.C. street when accosted by Republican dirty-tricksters. He hurt his lasting reputation by showing a singular gracelessness when he conceded to Renee Ellmers: “The combination of the national tide that swept the country, massive amounts of secret corporate cash funding…
Read MoreGary’s Book Tour
I’ve been doing a series of book-signings across the state to promote my Jim Hunt biography. My publisher, John F. Blair Publisher in Winston-Salem, asked me to write something about the tour for their blog. It follows Halfway through my tour, I’ve concluded that book-signings are God’s way of rewarding authors for all the angst, anguish and…
Read MoreMarital Woes
The institution of marriage is clearly in trouble. A new poll says nearly four in 10 Americans believe marriage is obsolete. It seems like the only people who want to get married are gays. And the Republican Party is determined to stop them. This is disheartening news for the cake, catering, flower and…
Read MoreA Whiff of a Waffle?
The N&O reported that one of Sen. Phil Berger’s five goals for the new Republican Senate is: “Write a state budget with no tax increases and with the intent of letting temporary sales tax and income tax surcharges expire on schedule” (italics added). Saying that’s your “intent” is a lot different from promising…
Read MoreDems Gone Wild
Both parties are busy with the usual post-election rituals. The winners fight over power, and the losers fight over blame. As usual with Democrats, the left and the center blame each other. Heath Shuler, Larry Kissell, et al blame Speaker Pelosi – and, by implication, President Obama – for pushing the party too…
Read MoreOutgrowing the Deficit
Let me keep pounding the drum I beat yesterday. A front-page article in The New York Times today reinforces the need for politicians to talk about economic growth, not just budget cuts. David Leonardt writes: “We look back on the late 1990s as a rare time when the federal government ran budget…
Read MorePolitical Disconnect
Politicians in Raleigh and Washington are spending their time and energy debating an issue that, I suspect, few Americans spend much time and energy worrying about: the budget deficit. Yes, the average person probably would say something has to be done about the deficit. But the real concern is the economy: jobs, paying the…
Read MoreDoing the Impossible
After pouring millions into campaigns to elect Democrats from Chris Dodd to local Congressman Bob Etheridge, the Wall Street Banks are now rubbing their hands together and purring over the prospect of the new Republican Majority repealing the President’s new banking regulations – like the legislation the Democrats passed that cut debit card fees for…
Read MoreA Priceless Gift
Sometimes meaning to kick you in the ribs, a fellow hands you a platinum covered gift instead. President of Afghanistan Hamid ‘The Corrupt’ Karzai just did that – he handed us a priceless gift, demanding we stop night raids on Taliban headquarters and adding it’s time we got the hell out of Afghanistan –…
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