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A Political Hurricane Coming?

By Gary Pearce September 1, 2006

Election forecasts are less reliable than hurricane forecasts. But Democrats have realistic chances to take control of both the House and Senate in Washington. If they do, the political world will be turned upside down: George Bush can look ahead to two years of total political irrelevancy; Democrats in Congress will put forward a raft…

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Black and Decker

By Carter Wrenn September 1, 2006

Last Spring, when the State Board of Elections held hearings into the pay-to-play scandals, the Board asked House Speaker Jim Black if he was paying Representative Michael Decker’s legal bills. (Representative Michael Decker later plead guilty to accepting a $50,000 bribe to change parties and vote for Black for Speaker). Black told the Board no,…

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A Storm of Confusion

By Gary Pearce August 31, 2006

The more TV weather I watch, the more confused I get. Thursday afternoon, I watched two forecasts back-to-back on two stations. The local cable system news, Channel 14, said top winds from Ernesto were 70 mph. The Weather Channel said top winds were 30 mph. Click to Read & Post Comments

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The TTA and the Little Engine that Could

By Carter Wrenn August 31, 2006

Triangle Transit Authority trustee Nina Szlosberg doesn’t want the TTA to strike the flag on Lite-Rail – so when the other trustees arrived at their last meeting she gave them copies of the children’s fable The Little Engine that Could. Taxpayers have poured tens of millions of dollars into the TTA; we’ve paid for studies,…

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The Democrats and Corruption

By Carter Wrenn August 31, 2006

Sometimes you have to wonder if the Democrats in the State Legislature are really serious at all about cleaning up corruption. Attorney General Roy Cooper asked the Democratic leaders in the legislature to give him two weapons to fight corruption. He asked them to make “it a crime to lie to SBI agents, and to…

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No Shelter from the Storm

By Gary Pearce August 29, 2006

New Orleans hasn’t recovered from Katrina. Nor has George Bush. And neither one’s prospects look good. Bush has never recovered politically because his actions in the storm’s aftermath burned an indelible image in the nation’s mind: an aloof, disengaged patrician totally unable to grasp the suffering of thousands of Americans. No one can imagine Bill…

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Nature or Kids

By Gary Pearce August 24, 2006

What does Raleigh need more: another nature park or a place where teenagers can play basketball and stay out of trouble? It seems to me that is the issue in the Horseshoe Farm debate. Horseshoe Farm is a 146-acre tract of land off U.S. 401 in northeast Raleigh, bounded by the Neuse River. Nature lovers…

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The Pope Political Legacy

By Gary Pearce August 23, 2006

I didn’t know John Pope, the uber-wealthy retail king who died this week. And I don’t know much about the business empire he built at Variety Wholesalers. But I know about his political empire. I don’t like it, but I damn sure respect it. Pope was the big money behind the John Locke Foundation and…

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WalMart Vs. Democrats

By Gary Pearce August 18, 2006

Wal-Mart is becoming for Democrats what al-Qaeda is for Republicans: the source of all evil. The Democratic presidential candidates – even including moderate Senator Evan Bayh – are attacking the big retailer. Its sins include low pay, scarce benefits and big success. All this while Wal-Mart – with Al Gore’s help – is trying to…

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Published stories from my memoir in The Assembly

By Carter Wrenn November 27, 2024

John Bolton: “Reagan lost the first five primaries to Gerald Ford in 1976 – then upset…

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Mandate?

By Gary Pearce November 27, 2024

Trump boasts that his election – by 1.5% in the popular vote – gives him a…

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Had Enough?

By Carter Wrenn November 26, 2024

There was a moment after Trump won when he could have sowed healing. Brought us together.…

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