The Economist newspaper says North Carolina has bid “farewell to purple.” But an article in The New York Times Magazine gives Democrats reason for optimism. The Economist notes: “North Carolina has a Republican governor, a conservative majority on the state Supreme Court and Republicans controlling both legislative chambers.” Plus, Republicans have nine of our…
Read MoreCautiously holding their fingers to the wind most politicians avoid controversies like the plague – but State Auditor Beth Wood, a farm girl who put herself through East Carolina University, has a trait that’s all but extinct in politics: Grit. Last year, after Wood audited the state’s new Medicaid Processing Computer System, she blistered…
Read More“We are being compassionate,” said state Rep. Mike Hager of Rutherfordton. “We have a mindset of pulling…government burden off these small businesses.” Well, that sums it up. Republican compassion is for businesses and corporations, not people. Remember: People aren’t corporations, my friend. First North Carolina Republicans slashed help for people who can’t find…
Read MoreI settled into my chair, rocked back, opened a book, and a few minutes later Obama’s measured voice floated across the room saying John Boehner ought to delay the Sequester, then Obama explained how government ought to do more for people with less and it’s only fair the well off pay a little bit more…
Read MoreAfter receiving a typically enthusiastic introduction from former Governor Jim Hunt Tuesday, Governor McCrory said, “Note to staff: Never have me speak after Jim Hunt again.” Here’s another note he should send them: Know my audience. McCrory was speaking at N.C. State’s Emerging Issues Form on manufacturing. He seemed to think he was…
Read MoreAfter Tea Party candidates rolled to victory in 2010 they headed for Congress to cut spending, and late one night, six months later, President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner announced they’d made a deal to pass the biggest annual spending cut in history. Now, two years later, it turns out the cuts were…
Read MoreThanks to the 2012 campaign and Mitt Romney, President Obama has found his voice. That gives him a big advantage over Republicans the next two years. For all his writing and oratorical skills, Obama never found a way in his first term to effectively tell his story – and sell his message. That led…
Read MoreSome Republicans seem determined to be “the stupid party,” in Bobby Jindal’s memorable phrase. Like U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx. The Sunday New York Times took a look at how some students today pay for college. The story focused on Steve Boedefeld, an Appalachian State University student who wants to avoid graduating with a…
Read MoreWar’s broken out in Raleigh. The Republican County Commissioners launched a blitzkrieg, hiring a lobbyist (for $25,000) to get the Republican legislature to redraw the districts of the Democratic School Board members – then the Democratic School Board struck back (to keep their districts) by spending four times as much ($100,000) to hire their…
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With a better General Assembly, Josh Stein could join Jim Hunt and Terry Sanford on North…
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Once upon a time, there was a great and powerful newspaper: The News & Observer. Everybody…
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The shouting, sign-waving and cane-wielding by congressional Democrats at the State of the Union isn’t a…
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