Tomato Sandwich Wars

I started a Twitter war over tomato sandwiches, and I got my all-time record reaction. Last I looked, I had over 32,000 views, plus lots of likes, dislikes, retweets and comments pro and con. It started when a Republican legislator tweeted that Wednesday would be “Tomato Sandwich Day” at the General Assembly. I responded, “Much…

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No Defense

The Republican Party used to stand for a strong national defense. North Carolina’s two Republican Senators, Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, boast of their support for the state’s military personnel and veterans. But neither Tillis nor Budd, nor any Republican Senator, has the backbone to stand up to Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama (pictured), a…

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The Dark Side

  Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson foretold Donald Trump 50 years ago when he wrote this about Richard Nixon: “(Nixon) represents that dark, venal and incurably violent side of the American character…. He speaks for the Werewolf in us; the bully, the predatory shyster who turns into something unspeakable, full of claws and bleeding string-warts…

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Rolling the Dice

Twenty years ago, Republicans opposed the North Carolina Education Lottery on “moral” grounds. Now they can’t break ground fast enough on casinos across the state. Campaign donations are flowing like free drinks on a casino floor. Lobbyists are hitting the jackpot. It’s not just Republicans. Some Democrats say casinos are good for North Carolina. I’m…

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All About Tricia

Why did once-progressive state Rep. Tricia Cotham switch to Donald Trump’s Republican Party? Because she’s just like Trump: Politics is all about her. That comes clear in an insightful article by Kate Kelly and David Perlmutt of The New York Times, “Inside the Party Switch That Blew Up North Carolina Politics.” A friend in Charlotte…

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Rule of Law

Prosecutor Jack Smith proved yesterday that, in a world of coups and dictators, America is still a nation of law and justice. A grand jury of ordinary Americans indicted Donald Trump for trying, as President, to overturn the 2020 election. Trump will keep defying the rule of law. He will keep lying. Some 37% of…

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The Truth

Carter Wrenn and I don’t argue a lot, even though we disagree often. But I’m taking issue with him today. He wrote last week, “… it’s time to put politics aside and look for an honest answer to the question: Who stole the election? Biden? Or Trump?” No, we know the answer. Trump’s lawyers took…

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Young Voices

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is closer to my age than to young voters, but he gets why Democrats should listen to them – and understand their life experiences. On our Zoom conversation last week with state Democratic Chair Anderson Clayton, Fontes said: “I didn’t grow up in a world where I had to…

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Go Young, Democrats

Last week, I moderated a Zoom conversation that turned to Democrats’ huge opportunity with voters under 35 – the later Millennials and Generation Z. I’m a Gen Geezer, and my generation should listen up. The conversation was with state party Chair Anderson Clayton and Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who last month gave the…

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Wolfpack Howled, Too

A fellow N.C. State alum emailed that it wasn’t just UNC students who protested the infamous Speaker Ban Law in the 1960s – a precursor to today’s legislature squelching free speech at our universities. My blog “Free Speech Under Attack – Again” (link below) was inspired by Hugh Stevens’ story of how the Speaker Ban…

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