Posts by Gary Pearce
Roy Parker Jr.
I admired Roy Parker Jr. so much I almost moved to Fayetteville. Roy, who died this week, was one of North Carolina’s great reporters and editors. He was founding editor of the Fayetteville Times. Back in the 1960s, he was a political reporter at The News & Observer – and a classic newsroom character.…
Read MoreWhere is Moses?
Lost in the desert, North Carolina Democrats should learn from scripture and history that you need a Moses to lead you to the Promised Land. In 1948, Kerr Scott led the farmers’ revolt against the bankers and utilities executives who ran things. In 1960, Terry Sanford mobilized the WWII vets against Luther Hodges’ conservatives…
Read MoreLegislature vs. Cities
A TAPster offers these observations on “the nasty civil war between the legislature and cities, now manifesting itself in high-profile fisticuffs over the Charlotte airport authority and the fate of the Dix property in Raleigh,” as follows: “First, there have been other disputes like this over the years. Charlotte leaders (including the former mayor…
Read MoreDirty Money
Not once, not twice, but three times now, Governor McCrory has given money to charity that his campaign took from people facing criminal charges related to sweepstakes cafes. That’s $18,000 so far, AP reports. Which raises the question: Why did he take all that money in the first place? Surely his campaign…
Read MoreImmoderate Pat
Governor McCrory desperately wants to look moderate. He wants to distance himself from the right-wing red-hots in the legislature. If he doesn’t, he’s on the road to one term. So he went to great lengths to soften his budget proposal. The News & Observer editorialized: “State employees, teachers, Democrats and others unnerved by…
Read MoreFast Forward
Has public opinion – and politicians – ever shifted so fast on an issue as on gay marriage? A year ago, 60 percent of North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Yesterday, a U.S. Senator in a tough reelection fight endorsed gay marriage. Yes, Kay Hagan is one of a…
Read MoreGOP to Raleigh: Drop Dead
When President Gerald Ford nixed financial aid for New York City back in the 1970s, the front page of a brassy Big Apple tabloid blared: “Ford to City: Drop Dead.” Which brings us to the Republican bill undoing the Dix deal. Which brings us to two GOP Senators from Wake County who cut and…
Read MoreIn the Crosshairs
As if Senator Kay Hagan needed Michael Bloomberg sticking his Gotham billionaire gun-control nose in her race. Hagan already has a tough reelection fight. She’s one of the Obama Class of 2008 Senators. And a President’s second mid-term election historically is bad for his party. (Not always, though. Republicans thought they would be…
Read MorePolitics 101
The vote is a powerful thing. In less than a year, it has taken immigrants from pariah to power in American politics. This week, Tea Party centerfold Rand Paul softened his position on immigration. (Remember when Mitt Romney called for “self-deportation”?) Paul’s 2016 rival Marco Rubio – and other Republicans – had already beat…
Read MoreThe Optimist
Bowater, as his friends call him, is a local Democrat – and an incurable optimist. While Republican preen and strut with power and Democrats wring their hands with worry, Bowater remain serenely sanguine. One friend finally reached his limit – with the Republicans and with Bowater’s rosy view. He demanded, “What makes you so…
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