Posts by Gary Pearce
Twitter Oops
Sharp-eyed readers no doubt note I goofed in “Foxx at the Wheel” (below): Mel Watt was named to head the Housing Finance Agency, which is not a Cabinet appointment. Blame Twitter. I had seen a tweet about “Watt to Housing.” I misunderstood. It’s like what The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart said recently when a…
Read MoreFoxx at the Wheel
Liddy Dole rode DOT to a Senate seat from North Carolina and a presidential race. Where will it take Anthony Foxx? Such is the power of a President: Obama elevated Foxx to the head of the political line in North Carolina. He is now a clear contender for Governor or Senate. He is the…
Read MoreTalk About Customer Service!
Is this what Governor McCrory means by government serving its customers? It’s certainly as blatant a statement of pay-to-play as has ever been made. Sweepstakes operator William George of Rock Hill, S.C., who gave $4,000 to McCrory’s campaign, told AP: “We didn’t give them money because we liked them. We just knew they were…
Read MoreOne-Party Rule
Raleigh has never seen this kind of one-party control. Hold on, you say – especially my Republican friends: Democrats had one-party control for over 100 years. No, not like this. For most of those years, the Democratic Party was two parties. Think Terry Sanford and I. Beverly Lake. Or Jim Hunt and…
Read MorePay to Play, the Sequel
Within just a few days last week, the Perdue campaign-fund serial wrapped up, Sweepstakesgate ramped up and Governor McCrory cleaned house at the Board of Elections. Grab a big bag of popcorn and settle in. This will take a while. Especially since a majority of the previous board called for an investigation. And especially…
Read MoreWhat Would Jamie Do?
If you need comfort or inspiration, take an hour to watch the moving memorial service for Jamie Kirk Hahn. If you’re pressed for time, watch Nation Hahn’s remarkable eulogy (at 34:00) and Anthony Quillar’s powerful rendition of the Lord’s Prayer (1:04). Looking at the oversized portrait in the sanctuary, you’re overwhelmed by the impact…
Read MoreJamie Kirk Hahn
Absolute good met absolute evil in a quiet Raleigh home Monday evening. Early Wednesday morning, Jamie Hahn lost her fight to live. Her husband Nation and her family are devastated. But, as always happens at times like this, the best in people comes out. All day Tuesday, friends streamed into WakeMed to do what…
Read MoreGot Him, The Sequel
Once again jubilant Americans take to the streets to celebrate the end of a terrorist. Crowds cheer police officers and military personnel. Fans at ball games chant “USA, USA!” Last time it was a diabolical international terror mastermind hiding in an expansive compound right under the noses of the Pakistani military. This time it…
Read More‘I Am The Senator’
Dwane Powell’s return to the N&O captured in one cartoon – a depiction of the Republican elephant gone wild – what thousands of words fail to describe. (Congratulations, incidentally, to Powell on being selected for the N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame.) Even a Republican TAPster wrote: “This cartoon just about sums it up.…
Read MoreSchool Daze
The Republicans’ education agenda finally comes into focus: It’s about creating a market for private enterprise. They want to privatize Medicaid and privatize the Department of Commerce, so why not privatize schools? It’s the only thing that makes sense. You might be wondering: How do they propose to make public schools better when they…
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