Last week in Washington Republicans voted to ban ‘earmarks.’ Then a few days later the press asked Minnesota Congressman Michelle Bachman (a heroine of the Tea party) about the new transportation bill – a traditional source of earmarks for Congressmen – and Representative Bachman said she could see allowing some local transportation projects to ‘get…
Read MoreWant to know what North Carolina’s electorate will look like in another, say, 10 years? Look at what the public-school population looks like. The N&O reported recently that, for the first time, minorities make up a majority of the WakeCounty school population. And note: Hispanic students, now 14.6 percent of the enrollment…
Read MoreTen years ago this month, Mike Easley was elected Governor of North Carolina. Today … well, you know. I’ve been reminding people this week that I was a Dennis Wicker man in the 2000 Democratic primary. Despite that, I never disliked Easley. But I recall one thing from the campaign that may have…
Read MoreA reader passed along my post on taxes – “A Whiff of a Waffle” (see below) – to Senator Phil Berger. The reader received this response from the incoming Senate leader: “No waffle. No extension of temporary taxes. Phil.” All righty, then.
Read MoreThe Mike Easley affair had so much foreplay and so little climax that everybody was left frustrated. His enemies gripe that he got a slap on the wrist. His lawyer says he was “trashed” by The News & Observer. The N&O’s editor fervently defends the coverage. After nearly two years of big investigations,…
Read MoreBack 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 MoreBob 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 MoreI’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 MoreThe 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…
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