Posts by Gary Pearce
Dividing Line
Trump has done America a big favor: in just two weeks, he’s drawn a bright line between decency and cruelty, honesty and dishonesty, courage and cowardice, competence and incompetence, compassion and contempt. If you want the freedom to openly show your bigotry and prejudice, you stand with Trump. If you want the liberty to tell…
Read MoreChaos, Carnage and Cruelty
Trump doesn’t care how much chaos he creates, how much carnage he causes and how much cruelty he inflicts on people, including his own supporters. It’s all about making himself look big, strong and powerful. It’s all a show. Before, it was The Apprentice. Now, it’s The President. He makes a show of signing executive…
Read MoreFinding Out
Some Trump supporters are surprised to find out they’re Trump victims. Farmers at the American Farm Bureau convention were “nervous” that Trump’s immigrant deportations will take away their low-wage farmworkers. Police unions that endorsed Trump are “deeply discouraged” that he pardoned January 6th thugs who assaulted police officers. Latino voters who shifted to Trump and…
Read MoreBiden Muted
One bleak visual at the inauguration summed up Joe Biden’s presidency: Biden sat silently – seething inwardly, no doubt – through Trump’s graceless, divisive and mean-spirited speech. For four years, Biden sat almost mute in the White House while Trump trashed everything Biden did to build back America after Trump’s first term. Biden thought the…
Read MoreJoe John
State Representative Joe John, who died today, looked something like a friendly but fierce bulldog. He fiercely loved the law and our system of justice. He loved public service. He was one of few people to serve with distinction in all three branches of state government: judicial, executive and legislative. He loved baseball and the…
Read MoreWhat You Missed
Some of my friends didn’t watch Trump’s inauguration. One went to church. One went to every Martin Luther King Day celebration she could find. One went to an inaugural-free lunch with friends out of town. One dedicated the day to intensive study of the NFL and college football playoffs. I watched for them – and…
Read MoreWomen Warriors
The Democratic Party needs to get tougher, and that’s a job for Democratic women. Sydney Batch (photo), the new Senate Democratic leader in North Carolina, signaled a tougher approach toward Republicans in an op-ed in The News & Observer: “Gerrymandered voting maps, efforts to strip power from Democratic elected officials and the consolidation of authority…
Read MoreBiden’s Warning
In his farewell address, President Biden warned that “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.” The oligarchy isn’t just “taking shape.” It’s taking power Monday. President Trump’s inauguration will…
Read MoreStein’s Party Lines
Governor Josh Stein wisely ignored my semi-serious suggestion that he devote his inaugural speech to denouncing power-obsessed Republican bosses in the General Assembly. But he made the point. He said, “We have real problems to solve. And we do not have time to settle petty political scores or fight divisive culture wars.” The Governor noted…
Read MoreDisaster Duty
Climate change has changed governors’ jobs. They now must be masters of disasters: floods, fires, hurricanes and winter storms. As soon as he was sworn in, Governor Josh Stein signed executive orders for Hurricane Helene relief. He went to hard-hit communities to see the situation and talk to victims. Just like with Roy Cooper eight…
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