Posts by Gary Pearce
Long, Hot Summer
Maybe it’s the heat. Maybe it’s that the dog days of summer always seem to fire up political passions. But this debt-ceiling kabuki in Washington has everybody hot and bothered. Democrats are mad at Republicans, and Republicans are mad at Democrats, of course. But conservative Republicans are also mad at Tea Party…
Read MoreExecutive Power Outage
President Obama and Governor Perdue may have gained political yardage by contrasting themselves to unreasonable, extremist Republicans. But – in light of what has happened to both of them in recent days – they may lose even more ground by looking weak. Weakness is a flaw voters will not forgive in an executive. President…
Read MoreBlue Dems
North Carolina Democrats are, truly, blue these days. My unscientific survey of party leaders and activists last week found mainly gloom about next year’s legislative and congressional races in the face of new, Republican-gerrymandered districts. Maybe the most telling sign is a phenomenon I haven’t experienced in all my years of politics: North…
Read MoreTeed Up
News reports this morning say President Obama and Speaker Boehner are near a deal on taxes, spending and the debt limit. If it happens, the golfers among us will know why: They teed it up together a few weeks back. There’s nothing like 18 holes to build a friendship – and show you…
Read MoreErskine Rides Again
The Gang of Six’s “big solution” to the federal budget sounds a lot like the recommendations of the study commission that Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson chaired last year. It makes Democrats mad by reining in entitlements and by raising revenues about $1 for every $3 in spending cuts. It makes Tea Party…
Read MoreMoldova Mulled Over More
A friend emailed a good question about my earlier blog on Elaine Marshall and Moldova: “Did you attempt to contact Elaine Marshal to find out if her trip was paid for personally or by state funds?…Can you tell me what you did to check this out before publishing it? And what I am missing about…
Read MoreReagan and the Debt Ceiling
Republicans who venerate Ronald Reagan might be interested in what he said as President about raising the debt ceiling. “Congress consistently brings the government to the edge of default before facing its responsibility. This brinkmanship threatens the holders of government bonds and those who rely on Social Security and veterans benefits. Interest rates would…
Read MoreRx for Raleigh
Tom Fetzer must feel like the baseball scout who discovered Derek Jeter. Randall Williams looks like a consultant’s dream candidate for mayor of Raleigh. He’s an ob-gyn who’s done humanitarian work in Iraq, Afghanistan and Haiti. He’s a fresh face and a fiscal conservative. He has no political baggage (or, judging from the N&O…
Read MoreGOP Apocalypse Again?
Clearly, the Republican adults in Washington don’t want to drive off the shut-down-government cliff again. They remember how well that worked for Newt Gingrich in 1995 – and led directly to President Clinton’s reelection in 1996. The leaders’ problem is they can’t control the Tea Party kids who keep grabbing the steering wheel, with…
Read MoreCarter and the Holding Co.
With George Holding’s name, money and prosecutorial profile – plus Carter’s brain – he has to be the odds-on favorite to win the Republican 13th District nomination. News of which makes AG Roy Cooper the happiest man in Raleigh today. But bad news for Senator Berger’s son and the other aspirants – including…
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