I didn’t see much sense in making a lady in Indiana (or anywhere else) cater a gay wedding if she didn’t want to, so I said the Religious Freedom Act sounded like a fine idea – which turned out to be like lighting the fuse to a stick of dynamite. Before I knew it I’d…
Read MoreJohn Drescher of the N&O called foul on Governor McCrory’s public-records stonewalling. But will the media referees let McCrory manufacture a counterpunch against Roy Cooper? It’s called “false equivalence.” It’s a favorite media-manipulation trick. Let’s say your candidate has a big, fat negative. Like you haven’t fulfilled a public-records request dating back to last July.…
Read MoreHere’s a TV viewing tip for those who want to see the right way to do politics and public service. Wednesday at 7 pm, WRAL will air a one-hour documentary, “State of Mine: The Jim Hunt Story.” It’s narrated by WRAL News anchor David Crabtree and was produced by WRAL News Documentary Producer Clay…
Read MoreThe “religious freedom” train ran off the rails on Jones Street yesterday. House Republicans realized the state would lose business and some of them would lose elections. It was a telling turnaround for a body that had pushed through a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages just a few years back. If you ever doubted…
Read MoreWRAL’s documentary on Jim Hunt brings back fond, and not so fond, memories. It implicitly brings up the dramatically different philosophy that marks North Carolina’s leadership today. It shows the toll that politics can take on all involved, especially families. And it tells a largely untold story about one key to Hunt’s success, Carolyn Hunt.…
Read MoreA wise old Democrat notes, “Don’t forget this about Hillary Clinton: She’ll have two of the best politicians in America helping her – Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.” Between them, Bill and Barack have won four presidential elections. One more than the Bushes and four more than the other wanna-be’s.
Read MoreIf there’s a lonesome pilgrim out there hoping the recent Supreme Court decision will restore honor and fairness to redistricting… well, the Wizards have him surrounded. When Republicans dreams came true and, at long last, they got to draw their own districts, they set out to find a special kind of Wizard. Next…
Read MoreThis guy wanted the last laugh. But is it funny or just a sad commentary on politics today? WSOC-TV reported that a Cabarrus County man who died last week, Larry Upright, 81, had one final request for his family. So the obituary they wrote concludes: “Also, the family respectfully asks that you do not…
Read MoreA TAPster more knowledgeable than me offers a word of praise for one thing the legislature is doing: The legislature this week will continue its napalm assault on long-standing policies and practices in the civil war to create a conservative nirvana in North Carolina. And, while most Republican efforts have hurt the poor, the…
Read More
