July 2015 – Page 2 – Talking About Politics

A Hollering Contest

By Carter Wrenn | 2015-07-21

John McCain said Donald Trump’s supporters are ‘crazy.’ Trump fired back McCain’s not a war hero. Lindsey Graham called Trump a ‘jackass.’ And Trump gave out Graham’s cell phone number on TV. Who won? This morning the Washington Post released a poll showing Trump surging into the lead in the Republican Presidential Primary – with…

The legislature’s amazing achievement

By Gary Pearce | 2015-07-21

You’ve got to hand it to ‘em. You thought it was impossible. But the North Carolina legislature did it: They made South Carolina look progressive. South Carolina took down the Confederate flag, while our legislature is making it impossible to take down Confederate statues and monuments. Falling behind the rest of the South is par…

Defending Andy Jackson

By Gary Pearce | 2015-07-20

First Rob Christensen defended keeping Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill. Then I suggested taking Andrew Jackson off the $20. Now a TAPster speaks up for Jackson. Old Hickory, he said in a voicemail, was “a man of the people who saved America from a plutocracy.” Plus, when Jackson was President, “the common man could…

The New N&O

By Gary Pearce | 2015-07-17

Long-time reader J. Fred doesn’t like the new-look N&O. “They can spin it all they want, but all I see is less news. It looks like a coloring book, not a newspaper.” I didn’t know whether to be offended or complimented when he added, “Hell, you and Carter have more to read in one of…

Trumped

By Gary Pearce | 2015-07-16

Democrats are cheering and Republicans are chafing as Donald Trump hogs the spotlight. Presumably, at some point he will implode or get tired of the game. But how much damage will he do to the Republican brand by then? And suppose he keeps going through the debates, through the primaries and maybe even through November…

$8.3 Million Each

By Carter Wrenn | 2015-07-16

Here’s all you need know about the President’s plan to defeat ISIS: Right now, he’s training 60 rebels in Syria to whip ISIS. The cost? $500 million. Or $8.3 million per rebel. Meantime, after we’ve lost two wars (in Afghanistan and the first war in Iraq) he’s decided to cut the size of our army…

Atticus Finch, a racist?

By Gary Pearce | 2015-07-15

Say it ain’t so, Harper Lee. How can the upright icon of To Kill a Mockingbird become the twisted racist of Go Set a Watchman? Your fans are gobsmacked. But Southerners of a certain age get it. Take two TAPsters who recall their grandfather, a prominent judge and Democratic Party power back in the day.…

A Blessing in Disguise

By Carter Wrenn | 2015-07-15

According to PEW Research, during the past two Congresses 19,709 bills were introduced – and only 3% were enacted into law. Which sounds pretty abysmal. But stop to think about it: How much more harm could Congress have done if they’d passed, say, 4%?

Since Little Bighorn

By Carter Wrenn | 2015-07-14

Since Little Bighorn The President trooped over to the Pentagon to work on his plan to whip ISIS then came out of the meeting and announced: We’re leading a 60 member coalition against ISIS. Huh? Who’re the other 59 nations? That ideas – not guns – defeat ideologies. You go to Ramadi and…

Pure Power Play

By Carter Wrenn | 2015-07-13

Flexing its muscles, the Republican Establishment decided to put Donald Trump in his place – but missed that while Trump may be part whacko he’s also pure cutthroat: When the GOP Doyens sitting around the bar in the Capitol Hill Club in the basement of the Republican Headquarters in Washington tore into Trump (on immigration)…