Betty Owen

Betty Owen, a valuable aide and adviser to Governor Hunt both in and out of office, died Friday. Click here for her obituary.   Betty was a schoolteacher, a mom and an activist in Charlotte when Hunt first ran for Governor in 1976. He brought her to Raleigh as his education adviser. Through his first…

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Shirtless Debate

The author of a recent guest blog (“GOP Sex Change 2012”) was amused by the comments she provoked. She responds:   “Your readers’ comments about my Shirtless Paul Ryan guest column demonstrate the depth at which the True Believers have their collective pointy little heads stuck in the sand.  In no way was I implying…

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The Right Size of Government, More or Less

  Guest Tapster blogger Joe Stewart writes: People don’t want more government or less government, they want just enough government and no more.   I heard then-president Bill Clinton say that during his visit to North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Fran in 1996, when I was legislative liaison in the NC Department Crime…

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Why They Lie

When Carter and I were beating up on Jim Hunt and Jesse Helms, respectively, in 1984, we said some tough things. But we always stuck to some semblance of the truth. Not that we were all that noble; we feared the backlash from the media and the voters if we went too far.   Something…

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The Money Matters…

  Guest Tapster blogger Joe Stewart writes: In the same way my daddy has a saying that manners are not all that matter, but what they do matter matters a lot, the relative financial advantage of one candidate over their opponent, or one party versus their rival, doesn’t make all the difference but the difference…

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Jim Hunt and the Dropout Rate

I had to laugh when Republicans claimed credit for North Carolina’s high-school graduation rate topping 80 percent. And I have to stake a claim for Jim Hunt’s role.   Over the last six years, the state’s graduation rate has gone up nearly 12 percentage points –from at 68.3 percent in 2006 to 80.2 percent.  …

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Republicans Embrace Clinton and Bowles

Forget the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Forget the attacks on Erskine Bowles when he ran for Senate. Republicans now desperately embrace Bubba and Bowles.   Why? Because they can’t find a respected Republican to cite. Certainly not George W. Bush, who blew up the Clinton-Bowles balanced budget and gave us this recession.   Instead, they…

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Legislators and Lobbyists

A veteran legislative hand and former lobbyist offers this perspective on how Raleigh has changed:   “If you want to really understand today’s political world, understand how the politicians view the role of lobbyists.   “Democrats see lobbyists as a source of information to help them make a decision.   “Republicans see lobbyists as a…

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Worlds Colliding?

I live and breathe and walk in a middle-aged white male world and (except for Gary) I’ve hardly a friend who can even imagine Obama winning this election – in their bones they just know that can’t happen.   My Republican friends have also been euphoric since the last election and they’ve had little or…

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Ryan’s Express

Soon the media will stop hyperventilating about Paul Ryan and get back to Obama vs. Romney. It always happens, unless the VP choice is a disaster. Remember: Sarah Palin’s selection put the Republicans ahead four years ago, until…well, you know.   For now, we sophisticated analysts ask: “What does the pick say” about the presidential…

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