Posts by Gary Pearce
Two Inaugurals?
Democrats should hold their fire here. Especially since a McCrory vs. media fight is brewing. Don’t get in the way. The North Carolina Press Association objects to the one-camera, one-reporter pool for the new governor’s swearing-in Saturday. The Henderson Daily Dispatch editorialized: “McCrory campaigned on openness and transparency. Granted, there’ll be no…
Read MoreCliffhanger
We avoided the dreaded fiscal cliff, only to fall over the cliff of confusion. I was stumped when two Democrats asked: Do we like the deal – or not? Well, we’re told it will prevent a stock-market panic and double-dip recession. That’s good, right? The Tea Party and House GOP Taliban are…
Read MoreOver the Cliff
While Republicans in Washington take their party and the country over the fiscal cliff, North Carolina waits to see if Republicans can govern. We’ve heard the cut-taxes/cut-spending mantra before. First from Ronald Reagan. He cut taxes, but never cut spending. Then he raised taxes. George W. Bush cut taxes. And raised spending. And…
Read MoreThe Real Reason: Another View
Carter wrote (“The Real Reason”) that “Democrats are having apoplexy” over Art Pope as Budget Czar because “Pope is dead serious about cutting government spending.” Well, that’s part of the story. The rest is that Democrats wonder whether he can cut government spending without hurting education (public schools, community colleges and universities), jeopardizing public…
Read MoreMerry Christmas
This Christmas, we have much to celebrate. To start with, the world didn’t end. Except for Washington, where the fiscal cliff and a bruising battle over guns loom. And in Raleigh, where it has ended for Democrats. Blessedly, for one day all will be peaceful – or mostly so. We celebrate according…
Read MoreThe Budget Pope
Art Pope is both a good target for Democrats and a good choice for Governor-elect McCrory. Democrats get to skewer him as a rich, right-wing puppet master who will pull McCrory’s strings while running and ruining North Carolina. McCrory gets three things: Pope knows the budget in and out. He knows how Raleigh…
Read MoreOn Target
A TAPster offers a creative solution to gun violence: “The eventual outcome of the approaching debate about gun control – regardless of that outcome – is unlikely to satisfy anybody. Gun owners will chafe at new restrictions, control advocates will cry that more should be done, and people will continue to be shot. …
Read MoreBattle Lines
Even if he doesn’t (as is rumored) become Governor-elect McCrory’s budget director, Art Pope will be a power. So – despite its disclaimers – let’s assume the Civitas Institute channels Pope’s thinking when it proposes doing away with the state income tax and replacing it with a broader sales tax. And let’s assume…
Read MoreUnder the Gun
Don’t underestimate how much the Newtown killings can change politics. It has happened before. In 1995, President Clinton was struggling to be relevant in a Washington dominated by Newt Gingrich and his newly triumphant Republican majority. Then came the Oklahoma City bombing. Seizing the moment, Clinton spoke for the nation’s grief and anger. The…
Read MoreA New Day After Newtown?
After news broke about the cold-blooded murder of six- and seven-year-old children, some people said, “Now is not the time to debate gun control – it’s time to grieve.” Now it’s time to debate gun control. On Friday, President Obama led the grieving. Often mocked for his Spock-like demeanor, he showed more emotion…
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