Posts by Gary Pearce
Road Rage
Governor Perdue has another State Highway Patrol mess on her hands. This time, it looks like a trooper picked the wrong people to treat the wrong way. If you haven’t read Hoyt Tessener’s letter relating what he says happened to his wife Gina, do so. It is extremely disturbing. Fair or not, since…
Read MoreA Job-Killing Budget
Maybe it’s congenital. Democrats love complexity – and loathe simplicity. So it is with state Democrats’ message about the Republican budget. Yes, Governor Perdue has pulled up her polling numbers by standing up to the legislature – and saying the Republican budget hurts education. But it’s hard to prove: that education was…
Read MoreDENR Fires Back
Robin W. Smith, Assistant Secretary for Environment in the Department of Environment & Natural Resources, took issue with an earlier blog (“Chicken Littles”) about environmental regulation in North Carolina. Smith’s response follows: “I read your recent post about environmental regulation [Chicken Littles] and wanted to provide another perspective. I don’t believe the sky is…
Read MoreBin Laden’s Victory?
Americans have celebrated the killing of Osama bin Laden. Now we’re debating how quickly to leave Afghanistan. But is there a chance bin Laden is still going to get what he wanted all along? A week or so ago, I picked up a biography (“Osama bin Laden”) written before his death by Michael Scheuer,…
Read MoreThe Winners
A friend asked who the winners were in the legislature: Governor Perdue or the Republicans? My answer: both. Thanks to the legislature, Perdue got herself back in the reelection game. By taking on the legislature and wielding some big vetoes, she put some steel into what had been her mushy public image. …
Read MoreCarville’s Advice to Obama
James Carville is still one of the smartest and most perceptive people in politics. Most of all, he knows how to get the hay down to where the goats can get it. So itâs worth sharing his advice to President Obama about the economy, courtesy of CNN: Sir, I’m sure the last thing that you…
Read MoreEdwards, Again and Again
Every time there’s a twist or turn in the John Edwards case, I can count on getting a call from a reporter. I’m an accommodating soul – or maybe a publicity hog – so I usually oblige. Truth is, I’d rather stay out of it. But I know they’re looking for a quote from somebody…
Read MoreThe Politics of War
President Obama promised last night – after 10 years of war – that America is finally going to do what some people suggested we do in Vietnam: Declare victory and leave. Nobody will like the comparison, but a lot of Democratic and Republican politicians today put me in mind of George McGovern’s 3 a.m.…
Read MoreRaleigh, DC?
Is Raleigh becoming a local copy of Washington’s bitter partisanship and polarization? Long-time lobbyists say they’ve never before seen the level of anger, acrimony and arrogance that marked the Republicans’ first session. Some blame the Republicans’ determination to get everything all at once – and get back at anybody who stands in their…
Read MoreChicken Littles
Iâm certainly prepared to believe that the Republican budget will damage education in North Carolina. But when it comes to the dire warnings about damage to the environment, Iâm a skeptic. Itâs a skepticism honed by 40 years of hearing environmentalists warn that the sky (and air and land) are falling into ruination, while…
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